Detroit Lions 34, Green Bay Packers 31
Gutsy play calling and a huge first half led the Lions to a season sweep over the Packers on Thursday night. The Lions were 4/5 on fourth down plays, and none was bigger than with a minute left and the game tied 31-31 when Jared Goff took the snap, tripped, and began to fall, yet still got the handoff to David Montgomery, who was able to gain the first down, and Jake Bates was able to drill a 35-yard field goal as time expired to move the Lions to 12-1. Jared Goff finished with 283 yards, three touchdowns, and a pick as the Lions broke a franchise record with their 11th straight win. The Packers got off to a slow start in the game only managing 7 points in the first half. Jordan Love finished with 206 yards and a score as Josh Jacobs again had a monster game producing 66 yards and three touchdowns. But ultimately the Packers defense couldn’t get stops when they needed to as Green Bay falls to 9-4.
Jacksonville Jaguars 10, Tennessee Titans 6
In a battle of lowly AFC South opponents, the Jaguars, without Trevor Lawrence, beat the Titans 10-6. Brian Thomas Jr hauled in 8 passes for 86 yards and Tank Bigsby produced the only touchdown of the game for either team. Tony Pollard ran for 102 yards for Tennessee but they could only muster six total points.
Miami Dolphins 32, New York Jets 26
Miami kept their slim playoff chances alive as the Dolphins overcame 8- and 3-point fourth-quarter deficits, as well as one of Aaron Rodgers’ best games in years, to beat the Jets 32-26. Tua Tagovailoa finished with 331 yards and 2 touchdowns, including the game-winner to Jonnu Smith in overtime. Tyreek Hill had his best game of the season finishing with 10 catches for 115 yards and a score. Aaron Rodgers finished with 339 yards and a touchdown to Davante Adams who hauled in 9 passes for 109 yards. Garrett Wilson had seven receptions for 114 yards in the loss for New York. Miami found themselves down 23-15 midway through the fourth quarter, but a masterful nine play 60-yard drive tied the game up and then finding themselves down 26-23 with 44 seconds left Tua led them down the field into field goal range to send the game into overtime where the Dolphins would only need eight plays to got 70-yards to win.
Minnesota Vikings 42, Atlanta Falcons 21
Sam Darnold threw for 347 yards and five touchdowns and the Vikings picked Kirk Cousins off twice as the Vikings destroyed the Falcons 42-21. Both Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison had huge games for Minnesota as Jefferson hauled in seven passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns and Addison had eight catches for 133 yards and three scores. Kirk Cousins finished with 344 yards and two interceptions. Bijan Robinson had 22 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown and Tyler Allgeier rushed nine times for 63 yards and a score for the Falcons against the NFL’s leading run defense. The Falcons have now lost four straight as their lead in the NFC South has completely evaporated.
New Orleans Saints 14, New York Giants 11
Derek Carr threw for 219 yards and a touchdown and the Saints blocked a field goal with 11 seconds left to seal a 14-11 over the Giants. The Saints remain in the hunt for the NFC South title sitting only two games behind the Buccaneers. The playoff hopes for the Giants ended weeks ago, and they found another way to lose as they extended their skid to eight games, one shy of matching the team record.
Philadelphia Eagles 22, Carolina Panthers 16
Three total touchdowns from Jalen Hurts and key defensive stops helped the Eagles survive an upset attempt from the Panthers. Hurts had 59 yards rushing and only 108 yards passing as the passing game continues to struggle for Philly even with the return of Devonta Smith. Saquon Barkley ran for 124 yards and became the all-time single-season rushing leader in Eagles history. This marked the third straight loss for the Panthers by one possession as they gave the Eagles everything they had. Bryce Young threw for 191 yards, a touchdown but did also have a pick. Chuba Hubbard ran for 92 yards and a score. The biggest play of the game though was on second and four from the Eagle 32-yard line with 52 seconds left Young found a wide-open Xavier Legette down the middle of the field and on first glance it appeared he hauled in the go-ahead touchdown but after review Legette dropped the ball nullifying the touchdown and two plays later the Panthers would turn it over on downs.
Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Cleveland Browns 14
The Steelers got revenge on the Browns with a 27-14 win. Russell Wilson threw for 158 yards and two touchdowns and Najee Harris ran for a score in the win. Cam Heyward also had two sacks in the win for Pittsburgh. Jameis Winston threw two interceptions, Dustin Hopkins missed two achievable field goals when the outcome was still in doubt and a series of ill-time flags added up to the Browns reaching double-digit losses for the 18th time since the franchise returned in 1999.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28, Las Vegas Raiders 13
In a game that featured five turnovers, the Buccaneers eventually prevailed and took a one game lead in the NFC South. Baker Mayfield threw for 295 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. Mayfield also lost a fumble. Rachaad White had another good game rushing for 90 yards and a score. The Raiders lost quarterback Aidan O’Connell to a knee injury that coach Antonio Pierce said “doesn’t look good.” O’Connell was carted off the field after being shoved to the ground by Bucs defensive lineman Calijah Kancey after throwing a pass late in the third quarter.
Seattle Seahawks 30, Arizona Cardinals 18
Zach Charbonnet rushed for 134 yards and a score, and Geno Smith threw for 233 yards and a score as the Seahawks demolished the Cardinals and stayed atop the NFC West. The Seattle defense also picked off Kyler Murray twice and sacked him twice. Jaxon Smith-Njigba also continues his stellar season, hauling five passes for 82 yards and a score. The Cardinals could have moved into a share of first place with a win. Instead, they have lost three straight and are fading from the playoff picture. Murray threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns but also threw interceptions on back-to-back passes in the first quarter.
Los Angeles Rams 44, Buffalo Bills 42
In what might be the leading candidate for game of the year, the Rams won a high-scoring 44-42 game over Josh Allen and the Bills. Matthew Stafford carved the Bills secondary up all afternoon with 320 yards and two touchdowns. Kyren Williams rushed for 87 yards and two scores, but the real star for LA was Puka Nacua, who caught 12 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown and also had a rushing touchdown. Josh Allen did his best to be Superman for Buffalo becoming the first player since Otto Graham to have three passing and three rushing touchdowns in a game. Allen finished with 342 passing yards, three touchdowns, 82 rushing yards, and three rushing touchdowns. This game was monumental for both teams. The Rams and Bills combined for 902 yards of offense without a turnover or a quarterback sack. Los Angeles had the ball for 17 more minutes and ran 18 more plays than Buffalo, and the Rams needed every bit of it to survive. The Rams also had a critical blocked punt in the first half that went for a touchdown. Ty Johnson and Khalil Shakir caught long scoring passes for the Bills, who became the first NFL team to score six touchdowns without a turnover in a loss. Buffalo’s 42 points were the most scored in defeat in franchise history.
San Francisco 49ers 38, Chicago Bears 13
Brock Purdy threw for 325 yards and two touchdowns as the 49ers obliterated the Bears. Isaac Guerendo, starting at running back for the injured Christian McCaffery and Jordan Mason, rushed for 78 yards and two scores. George Kittle had 151 yards on six catches and Jauan Jennings had seven catches for 90 yards and two scores. The 49ers defense crushed the Bears offense all day holding them to four total yards in the first half and by that point the 49ers were already up 24-0 and the game was already over.
Kansas City Chiefs 19, Los Angeles Chargers 17
The Kansas City Chiefs locked up their ninth straight AFC West title in dramatic fashion on Sunday night. After blowing a 13-0 halftime lead, Matthew Wright doinked a 31-yard field goal off the left upright for the win. It was yet again not the prettiest performance from Kansas City but Patrick Mahomes still finished with 210 yards and a touchdown. Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy each hauled five receptions and each had critical third-down catches on the Chiefs final drive. Deandre Hopkins hauled in the only touchdown for KC as he continues to be a nice addition. A big reason for the Chiefs win was the Kansas City defense stepping up and shutting out Los Angeles in the first half. However, the Chargers made adjustments at halftime and Justin Herbert finished with 213 yards and a touchdown, but ultimately the Chiefs found yet another way to win and with the Bills lost now have a two game lead for the top seed in the AFC.
Cincinnati Bengals 27, Dallas Cowboys 20
Joe Burrow and Ja’Mar Chase continue to be a lethal duo combined with a wild play that saw the Cowboys block a punt and then muff it being recovered by the Bengals and giving them the ball back and eventually the win. Burrow threw for 369 yards, three touchdowns, and a pick. Chase pulled in 14 catches for 177 yards and two scores including a go-ahead 40-yard score following the muffed punt. Cooper Rush threw for 183 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the loss and Rico Dowdle rushed for 131 yards as this matchup featured two of the league’s worst defenses. The second one-score victory in a puzzling season for the defensively challenged Bengals came after all three losses during their second three-game skid, and seven of their eight defeats this season, were by seven points or less. A fourth consecutive playoff trip was already a long shot for Dallas and is all but out of reach now.
