Los Angeles Rams 12, San Francisco 49ers 6
All the Rams needed were four field goals to beat their division rivals, the 49ers. The Rams followed up the high-scoring win over Buffalo by winning for the seventh time in nine games, following a 1-4 start. The Rams moved within a half-game of the division-leading Seattle Seahawks for the NFC West lead. The 49ers led 6-3 heading into the fourth quarter but came up short, dealing a major blow to the dwindling playoff hopes for the defending NFC champions. Kyren Williams rushed for 108 yards and Puka Nacua caught seven passes for 97 yards in the win for LA.
Kansas City Chiefs 21, Cleveland Browns 7
The Chiefs’ defense forced six turnovers and Patrick Mahomes threw for two touchdowns as the Chiefs finally won a game by more than one score. However, there is cause for concern for Kansas City as Mahomes left early due to an ankle injury and is now considered week-to-week as his status for the Chiefs following two games is in jeopardy. The Chiefs embarked on a stretch of three games in 11 days on Sunday. Eight different Chiefs caught a pass and rushed for 132 yards in the win. The lone bright spot for Cleveland was Jerry Jeudy hauled in 11 passes for 108 yards in the loss as he exceeded 1,000 receiving yards on the season.
Cincinnati Bengals 37, Tennessee Titans 27
Joe Burrow threw for 271 yards with three touchdowns for 36 on the season, topping his franchise mark of 35 set in 2022, as the Bengals improved their faint playoff hopes by thumping the Tennessee Titans 37-27. The Bengals turned six turnovers into 24 straight points capped by Geno Stone’s 39-yard pick-six in the third. The Bengals missed out on more points with a 61-yard fumble return for a touchdown except Jordan Battle fumbled just before crossing the goal line for a touchback in the third quarter. Ja’Mar Chase continues his stellar season finishing with nine catches for 94 yards. The Titans benched Will Levis after his NFL-high fourth pick-6 this season and fourth turnover of the game.
Washington Commanders 20, New Orleans Saints 19
The Commanders survived a scare and pulled out a close 20-19 win over the Saints. Jayden Daniels threw for 226 yards, two touchdowns, and rushed for 66 yards. Terry McClaurin caught seven balls for 73 yards and two scores in the win for Washington as they key in for a stretch run for the playoffs. Jake Haener was replaced in the third quarter by Spencer Rattler for New Orleans and Rattler almost led the comeback by throwing a touchdown pass as time expired to Foster Moreau and the Saints elected to go-for-two but the pass fell incomplete. The Saints did pull off a nifty trick play where Cedric Wilson Jr threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Alvin Kamara. Chase Young also had two sacks in the loss.
Baltimore Ravens 35, New York Giants 14
Lamar Jackson threw for 290 yards and five touchdowns as the Ravens crushed the Giants 35-14. Four different Ravens caught a touchdown and eight total players caught a pass. Rashod Bateman had three catches for 80 yards and two scores both 20+ yard scores. Derrick Henry only rushed for 67 yards on 14 carries as Baltimore cruised to victory. Malik Nabers was the lone bright spot for New York, catching 10 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
Dallas Cowboys 30, Carolina Panthers 14
Cooper Rush threw for a career-high three touchdowns and the Cowboys defense forced four turnovers as Dallas kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 30-14 win over the Panthers. It was a step back for Carolina after losing three consecutive games to some of the NFL’s top teams by one possession. Rico Dowdle had his third straight 100+ rushing yard game finishing with 149 yards. Ceedee Lamb hauled in nine passes for 116 yards and a score in the win. Bryce Young, who had shown improvement in recent weeks, finished 19 of 28 for 219 yards with a career-long 83-yard touchdown toss to rookie Jalen Coker and also ran for a score. But the second-year quarterback fumbled twice and threw two interceptions to fall to 4-21 as an NFL starter. Chuba Hubbard was also held to 32 yards on 10 carries.
New York Jets 32, Jacksonville Jaguars 25
In a crazy back-and-forth game, the Jets won 32-25 over the Jaguars in a battle of bottom feeders. Aaron Rodgers threw for 289 yards and 3 touchdowns and outdueled Mac Jones who finished with 294 yards, two touchdowns, and two picks. Davante Adams went toe-to-toe with the Jaguars young wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. Adams finished with nine catches for 198 yards and two touchdowns while Thomas hauled in 10 passes for 105 yards and two scores of his own. Adams touchdowns were his 100th and 101st of his career. Breece Hall ran for a game-winning score with 1:05 left as Sauce Gardner picked off Mac Jones on the Jaguars final drive to seal the win for Jets.
Houston Texans 20, Miami Dolphins 12
The Texans clinched the AFC South with a 20-12 win over the Dolphins and hurt Miami’s playoff chances. C.J. Stroud finished with 131 yards and two scores as the Texans defense forced four turnovers and sacked Tua Tagovailoa three times. Tagovailoa threw for 196 yards, a touchdown, but three critical interceptions in the loss. Nico Collins caught both of Stroud’s touchdowns on the day as Joe Mixon led Houston in receiving with five catches for 33 yards as he was only held to 23 yards on 12 carries. Houston embarked on a stretch of three games in 11 days, including a rematch with the Ravens on Christmas.
Denver Broncos 31, Indianapolis Colts 13
The Broncos roared back on the strength of 5 takeaways to beat the Colts 31-13 and close in on a playoff berth. Nik Bonitto had a pick-six on a botched trick play by Indianapolis and Jonathan Taylor dropped the ball right before the end zone negating a score. A blunder by Taylor turned the game around in the third quarter. Indy’s star running back dropped the ball milliseconds before crossing the goal line on what would have been a 41-yard touchdown and would have given Indy a 20-7 lead instead it set the stage for Denver to shut out the Colts in the second half and cruise to a 31-13 win. Bo Nix threw for 130 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions in the win as the Broncos continue to win and inch closer to clinching a playoff spot.
Buffalo Bills 48, Detroit 42
Josh Allen had an MVP-worthy performance as the Bills went into Detroit and beat the Lions 48-42. Allen finished with 362 yards, two touchdowns, 68 rushing yards, and two rushing scores. He outdueled Jared Goff who put up video game like numbers with 494 yards and five touchdowns. Goff threw 59 passes as the Lions played from behind most of the game forcing Detroit to abandon the run game. James Cook rushed for 105 yards and two scores of his own as even though the Bills have given up 86 points in the last two weeks the Bills are a front runner in the AFC. The Lions injuries continue to pile up as both David Montgomery and Alim McNeill left the game with season-ending injuries adding to the growing total of players on IR for Detroit. If the Lions want any chance to win the NFC they’re going to have to get major production from players lower in the depth chart.
Philadelphia Eagles 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 13
In the battle of Pennsylvania supremacy, the Eagles dominated the Steelers 27-13 as Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown proved that there is nothing wrong with their relationship. Hurts finished with 290 yards, two touchdowns, 45 rushing yards and a score. Brown had eight catches for 110 yards and a score as Devonta Smith added 11 catches for 109 yards and a score of his own. The Steelers lost star linebacker T.J Watt to an ankle injury after he chased down Hurts in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh’s Russell Wilson was stymied by the Eagles’ defense and threw for a season-low 128 yards. He threw a nine-yard TD pass to Pat Freiermuth while falling to 6-1 lifetime against the Eagles.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 40, Los Angeles Chargers 17
Baker Mayfield finished with 288 yards, four touchdowns, and a pick as the Bucs crushed the Chargers 40-17. Bucky Irving rushed for 117 yards and Mike Evans hauled in nine passes for 159 yards and two scores. Jalen McMillan played a nice complementary role catching five passes for 75 yards and a score of his own. Mayfield reached 30 touchdowns in a season for the first time in his career. Tampa Bay surpassed 400 yards of total offense and at least 150 yards rushing for the fourth straight game. The Buccaneers did not punt in 10 possessions against a Los Angeles defense that had surrendered a league-low 15.9 points through 12 games. Los Angeles remains in a playoff spot but has dropped three of four and suffered the worst loss in Jim Harbaugh’s first year as coach. Justin Herbert had 195 yards and two touchdowns. He was picked off for the first time since week two in the third quarter, snapping a streak of 357 attempts without a pick.
Green Bay Packers 30, Seattle Seahawks 13
The Packers dominated Seattle on Sunday night as Josh Jacobs ran all over the Seahawks defense to the tune of 94 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Love threw for 227 yards and two scores, both to Romeo Doubbs. The Packers have won eight of 10 and Brandon McManus kicked three field goals in the win. The Seahawks lost quarterback Geno Smith to a knee injury in the third quarter. He was replaced by Sam Howell, who had just one previous snap for Seattle. Smith passed for 149 yards with an interception before leaving, and Howell went five of 14 for 24 yards and a pick. The Seahawks fell into a first-place tie with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West, and Smith’s injury could impact their chances of winning the division. Green Bay is out of the race for the NFC North title but they’re playing some good football as the playoffs come around the corner.
Minnesota Vikings 30, Chicago Bears 12
On a night when the Vikings honored Randy Moss, the Vikings beat the Bears 30-12. Sam Darnold threw for 231 yards, a touchdown, and a pick. Aaron Jones rushed for 86 yards and a score in the win. Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison continue to be a two-headed monster as Jefferson caught seven passes for 73 yards and a score, and Addison had seven catches for 63 yards. Caleb Williams only threw for 191 yards and a touchdown as the Vikings defense swarmed him all night finishing with eight tackles for loss, two sacks, and eight quarterback hits. With the Lions losing the Vikings are still in contention for the NFC North crown.
Atlanta Falcons 15, Las Vegas Raiders 9
Bijan Robinson rushed for 125 yards and Drake London caught a touchdown pass as the Falcons beat the Raiders 15-9 and snapped their four-game losing streak. London passed Calvin Ridley’s 217 catches for most in Falcons history over a player’s first three seasons. The Raiders lost their 10th consecutive game, the NFL’s longest active skid, and are tied with the New York Giants for the league’s worst record. The injury-riddled Raiders gained just 249 yards, and they have trailed by double digits in all 14 games this season. Maxx Crosby will miss the rest of the regular season for Las Vegas as he announced he is having season-ending ankle surgery.
Week 16 kicks off Thursday night as the Chargers host the Broncos followed by a Saturday doubleheader between the Chiefs and Texans, and Ravens and Steelers before concluding on Monday night as the Packers host the Saints.
