Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns, and the Detroit Lions clinched their first division title in 30 years by defeating the Minnesota Vikings 30-24 on Sunday in Minneapolis.
Jared Goff completed 30 of 40 passes for 257 yards and a touchdown as the Lions (11-4) secured the NFC North Division title and a home game in the opening round of the playoffs. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 12 passes for 106 yards and a touchdown.
Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens threw for 411 yards and two touchdowns on 22-of-36 passing but was also intercepted four times. Justin Jefferson caught six passes for 141 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings (7-8).
Gibbs scored on a 3-yard run with 11:07 remaining as Detroit took a 30-21 lead. Vikings kicker Greg Joseph hit a 26-yard field goal with 5:19 left to cut the Lions’ lead to six. Minnesota drove to the Detroit 30 on its last possession, but Ifeatu Melifonwu stepped in front of Jefferson near the goal line for the game-clinching interception.
Dolphins 22, Cowboys 20
Jason Sanders drilled a 29-yard field goal as time expired and Miami clinched an AFC playoff spot with a victory over Dallas in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Sanders kicked five field goals — three of over 50 yards — and Tua Tagovailoa was 24-of-37 passing for 293 yards and one touchdown for the Dolphins (11-4). Raheem Mostert caught a scoring pass and Tyreek Hill had nine catches for 99 yards for Miami.
Dak Prescott threw two touchdown passes for Dallas, including an 8-yarder to Brandin Cooks with 3:27 remaining to give the Cowboys a one-point lead. But Miami answered by driving 64 yards on 12 plays to set up Sanders’ decisive field goal. CeeDee Lamb caught six passes for 118 yards and one touchdown for the Cowboys (10-5).
Patriots 26, Broncos 23
Chad Ryland drilled a 56-yard field goal with two seconds left as New England upset host Denver, dealing a serious blow to the Broncos’ playoff hopes.
The Broncos (7-8) missed out on a chance to join Indianapolis, Houston, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati at 8-7 with two weeks left in the regular season. They will have to win their final two games — against the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders — if they want to have any chance of securing an AFC playoff berth.
On New England’s final drive of the game, Bailey Zappe’s 27-yard pass to DeVante Parker set the Patriots (4-11) up at the Denver 47. Zappe (256 yards, two TDs) then completed a pair of short throws to set the stage for Ryland to deliver the game-winner. Russell Wilson headlined a Broncos rally with two TD passes and two two-point conversion throws in a 5:40 span of the fourth quarter to tie the game.
Jets 30, Commanders 28
Greg Zuerlein kicked a 54-yard field goal with five seconds left to give New York a victory over Washington in East Rutherford, N.J.
The Jets blew a 20-point lead in the second half before staging a game-saving, 31-yard drive directed by Trevor Siemian, who won as a starter for the first time since 2017. Siemian completed 27 of 49 passes for 217 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.
Breece Hall had 191 scrimmage yards (95 rushing, 96 receiving) and scored twice as the Jets (6-9) won for the second time in the past three weeks. In a game pitting teams that have been eliminated from the playoffs, quarterback Jacoby Brissett came off the bench in the third quarter and rallied Washington (4-11). Brissett completed 10 of 13 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Falcons 29, Colts 10
Taylor Heinecke threw for 229 yards and a touchdown, Younghoe Koo kicked five field goals and host Atlanta remained alive for an NFC playoff berth by beating Indianapolis.
Heinecke completed 23 of 33 passes for the Falcons (7-8), who remained one game behind NFC South leader Tampa Bay after the Buccaneers beat Jacksonville later Sunday. After hitting a pair of field goals in the second quarter, Koo helped put the game away in the fourth by connecting from 41, 35 and 25 yards.
Gardner Minshew cooled off after a hot start for Indianapolis (8-7), completing 20 of 37 passes for 201 yards with an interception. Jonathan Taylor rushed 18 times for 43 yards in his return from a three-game absence due to thumb surgery.
Packers 33, Panthers 30
Jordan Love threw for two touchdowns and ran for another and Anders Carlson kicked a 32-yard field goal with 19 seconds remaining as Green Bay survived against Carolina in Charlotte, N.C.
Green Bay (7-8), which never trailed in the game, kept its hopes for an NFC wild-card spot alive by ending a two-game losing streak, aided by Aaron Jones rushing for 127 yards on 21 carries. Love was 17-of-28 passing for 219 yards.
The Panthers (2-13) tied the game with 4:05 remaining when DJ Chark Jr. hauled in his second fourth-quarter touchdown reception from Bryce Young. The 10-yard play came before Raheem Blackshear’s two-point conversion run pulled Carolina even. Young threw for 312 yards on 23-for-35 passing.
Browns 36, Texans 22
Joe Flacco passed for 368 yards and three touchdowns while Amari Cooper produced a franchise-record 265 receiving yards as Cleveland cruised to a win over host Houston.
Flacco and Cooper powered the Browns (10-5) to their third consecutive victory. Flacco tossed a pair of scoring strikes to Cooper and another to David Njoku. Cooper had a season-high 11 catches. His 265 yards not only surpassed the previous Browns mark of 261 set by Josh Gordon in 2013 against the Jaguars, but it was also the 17th-highest total in NFL history.
Stifled by the Browns’ top-ranked defense, quarterback Case Keenum — starting for the Texans (8-7) in place of standout rookie C.J. Stroud — passed for just 62 yards and tossed two interceptions while suffering three sacks.
Seahawks 20, Titans 17
Geno Smith threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, including a 5-yarder to tight end Colby Parkinson with 57 seconds left, and Seattle bolstered its playoff hopes with a win over Tennessee in Nashville.
Smith, who missed the previous two games with a groin injury, completed 25 of 36 passes for 227 yards, including an 11-yard scoring strike to DK Metcalf with 12:10 remaining. Tyler Lockett matched a season high with eight catches for 81 yards for the Seahawks (8-7).
Derrick Henry rushed for 88 yards on 19 carries, including a 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter for the Titans (5-10). Henry also threw a 12-yard scoring strike to tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo in the first half.
Buccaneers 30, Jaguars 12
Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes to Mike Evans and Tampa Bay took advantage of Jacksonville’s offensive follies to beat the visiting Jaguars.
Mayfield was 26-for-35 for 283 yards, including seven completions to Evans for 86 yards. Chase McLaughlin made three field goals for the Buccaneers (8-7), including a 51-yarder in the third quarter.
Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence was 17-for-29 for 211 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in three quarters. C.J. Beathard replaced Lawrence in the fourth after he was ruled out with a right shoulder injury. The Jaguars (8-7) fell into a tie for first place with Indianapolis and Houston in the AFC South.
Bears 27, Cardinals 16
Justin Fields passed for one touchdown and rushed for another, and Chicago held on for a win over visiting Arizona.
Khalil Herbert rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown for Chicago (6-9), which won for the third time in its past four games. Marcedes Lewis had a receiving touchdown.
Kyler Murray completed 24 of 38 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns for the Cardinals (3-12). James Connor and Greg Dortch had one touchdown catch apiece.
–Field Level Media
