As the NFL season nears a close, fewer and fewer playoff spots are up for grabs.
The New York Giants clinched their first playoff appearance since 2016 on Sunday and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinched the NFC South — a 19th division title setting up a 14th consecutive post-season for Tom Brady.
Here's a roundup of Sunday's Week 17 action:
BUCCANEERS 30, PANTHERS 24
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tom Brady threw for 432 yards and three long touchdowns to Mike Evans, helping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinch their second straight NFC South championship with a 30-24 come-from-behind win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Evans finished with 10 catches for 207 yards, scoring on receptions of 63, 57, and 30 yards and becoming the first player in NFL history to begin a career with nine consecutive seasons with 1,000-plus yards receiving.
The Panthers (6-10) led 14-0 early and 21-10 after Sam Darnold’s third TD pass of the day, 10 seconds into the fourth quarter.
It was all Bucs from there, with Evans beating cornerback C.J. Henderson for touchdowns twice and Darnold losing a fumble on a sack inside his own 10. That turnover set up Brady’s 1-yard TD sneak, which put the game out of reach with 1:58 left.
PATRIOTS 23, DOLPHINS 21
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Mac Jones had touchdown passes to Tyquan Thornton and Jakobi Meyers to help the Patriots (8-8) snap a four-game losing streak to their AFC East rivals. Jones finished 20 of 33 for 203 yards.
The Dolphins (8-8) entered with a chance to clinch a postseason berth with a victory and loss by the New York Jets at Seattle. Instead, Miami lost its fifth straight game and will need to win next week against the Jets and need Buffalo to beat New England to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2016.
Miami played without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who’s in the concussion protocol for the second time this season. Bridgewater started in his place and was solid, completing 12 of 19 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown before leaving late in the third quarter with an injured right ring finger after being picked off by Dugger.
Bridgewater, who didn’t return, was replaced by Skylar Thompson. The third-stringer had an interception and a late TD pass to Mike Gesicki to trim the deficit to 23-21. He finished 12 of 21 for 104 yards.
GIANTS 38, COLTS 10
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Daniel Jones threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more and the New York Giants routed the Indianapolis Colts 38-10 Sunday to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Landon Collins, one of two players from the '16 team, broke the game open late in the second quarter with a 52-yard pick-6 as the Giants (9-6-1) put a final stamp on a surprising playoff run. The Giants are the third team from the NFC East to make the playoffs, joining the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
New York had five straight losing seasons, including a four-win season in 2021 that led to the firing of coach Joe Judge and general manager Dave Gettleman.
Buffalo assistant Joe Schoen was hired as general manager and he chose Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to be the coach, his first head coaching job.
PACKERS 41, VIKINGS 17
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Aaron Rodgers threw a touchdown pass and ran for a score, and the Green Bay Packers continued their improbable playoff push by shutting down Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings in a 41-17 blowout on Sunday.
Keisean Nixon scored on a 105-yard kickoff return and Darnell Savage had a 75-yard pick-6 of Kirk Cousins -- one of four turnovers by the Vikings QB -- to help Green Bay build a 27-3 halftime lead. Aaron Jones rushed for 111 yards on 14 carries and A.J. Dillon had a 2-yard touchdown run as the Packers won their fourth straight.
Green Bay (8-8) will reach the playoffs if it beats division rival Detroit at home in its regular-season finale. A fourth straight postseason berth seemed out of the question after a 1-7 stretch dropped the Packers to 4-8, but they haven't lost since and have benefited from favorable results around the league.
Green Bay's latest bit of good fortune came earlier Sunday when Washington fell 24-10 at home to the Cleveland, putting the Packers in control of their postseason fate.
The Packers then took care of business by making life miserable for Cousins and Jefferson, the NFL's leading receiver who was held to one catch for 15 yards. Jefferson had nine receptions for 184 yards and two touchdowns in a season-opening 23-7 victory over the Packers.
49ERS 37, RAIDERS 34 (OT)
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Robbie Gould made a 23-yard field goal with 6:53 left in overtime and the San Francisco 49ers extended their winning streak to nine games with a 37-34 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
The victory was especially important for the 49ers (12-4), who can clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC with a win against Arizona next week or a loss by Minnesota. San Francisco also has a shot at the No. 1 seed and a bye if Philadelphia loses to the Giants in Week 18.
San Francisco overcame a rare off day from what was the league's top-rated defense entering the game. The 34 points were the most the 49ers have allowed since the Kansas City Chiefs beat them 44-23 on Oct. 23, which also was San Francisco's most recent loss.
Christian McCaffrey helped make sure the Niners wouldn't go down in defeat again, rushing for 121 yards and catching six passes for 72 yards. He surpassed 1,000 yards rushing for the third season and has scored touchdowns in five consecutive games.
The loss eliminated the Raiders (6-10) from playoff contention. They have lost three of their past four games.
Las Vegas quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who replaced Derek Carr after the nine-year starter was benched earlier in the week, completed 23 of 34 passes for 365 yards. He joined Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes as the only QBs this season to throw three touchdown passes against the 49ers.
SEAHAWKS 23, JETS 6
SEATTLE (AP) -- Geno Smith threw two first-half touchdowns, Kenneth Walker III rushed for 133 yards and the Seattle Seahawks kept alive their postseason hopes with a 23-6 win Sunday that eliminated the New York Jets from playoff contention.
Seattle (8-8) snapped a three-game losing streak and ensured its Week 18 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams will be meaningful. The Seahawks must win and hope for a loss or tie by Green Bay against Detroit to reach the postseason.
Meanwhile, New York's playoff hopes ended with a thud after its fifth straight loss and extended the longest active playoff drought in the NFL to a franchise-record 12 seasons. The Jets (7-9) last reached the postseason in 2011 and will finish with a losing record for the seventh straight season.
Smith's numbers weren't flashy, but he did enough to improve to 3-0 this season against his former teams. Smith finished 18 of 29 for 183 yards and added the Jets - the team with which he started his career - to the list of victories against former employers that already included wins over the Chargers and Giants.
SAINTS 20, EAGLES 10
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Marshon Lattimore returned an interception 11 yards for a late New Orleans touchdown, and the Philadelphia Eagles' bid for the top seed in the NFC took a serious dent with a 20-10 loss to the Saints on Sunday.
Philly quarterback Jalen Hurts missed a second straight game with a sprained right shoulder, and the loss puts the Eagles (13-3) in precarious position: Still needing just one win to clinch the NFC East and the conference's top seed, do they hurry back Hurts for the finale against the Giants?
The easy decision this week, of course, was to rest Hurts and have the franchise QB close to full strength for the playoffs. But everything Hurts helped build seems on the brink of unravelling with one game left in the season.
The Cowboys suddenly have a shot at the division crown.
CHIEFS 27, BRONCOS 24
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Jerick McKinnon, and the Kansas City Chiefs overcame another sloppy start to hold off the Denver Broncos 27-24 on Sunday.
Isiah Pacheco and Blake Bell also scored for the Chiefs (13-3), who overcame a 17-13 third-quarter deficit to beat the Broncos for the 15th consecutive time while keeping alive their hopes for the AFC's No. 1 seed and lone postseason bye.
The Chiefs began the day tied with the Bills, who play Cincinnati on Monday night, for the conference's best record.
For a while the Broncos (4-12) looked as if they would cap a chaotic week that began with the firing of first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett in a stunning victory. But a late letdown by one of the league's best defences, and another interception by embattled quarterback Russell Wilson, resulted in the first loss for interim coach Jerry Rosburg.
LIONS 41, BEARS 10
DETROIT (AP) — Jared Goff threw two of his three touchdown passes to Brock Wright in the first half, and the Detroit Lions beat the Chicago Bears 41-10 on Sunday to remain in the playoff chase.
The Lions (8-8) have won seven of nine to give themselves a shot at earning a postseason spot for the first time since 2016 going into their regular-season finale at Green Bay.
The Justin Fields-led Bears (3-13) took two leads in the opening quarter before collapsing and losing a franchise-record ninth straight game.
Goff completed passes to 10 teammates and an 11th, rookie receiver Jameson Williams, ran 40 yards on a reverse early in the third quarter to set up Jamaal Williams’ 15th rushing score that gave Detroit a three-touchdown lead.
BROWNS 24, COMMANDERS 10
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Carson Wentz threw three interceptions after getting the starting quarterback job back, defensive miscues added up and the Washington Commanders ' playoff hopes took a major hit with a 24-10 loss Sunday to the Cleveland Browns.
Wentz was 16 of 28 for 143 yards, and the offence gained just 261 — 96 on Washington's only touchdown drive — not exactly the spark coach Ron Rivera was hoping for when he made the QB change. Fans making up the sparse crowd booed and chanted early on for Taylor Heinicke multiple times after Wentz missed open receivers or lobbed the ball into the hands of a Cleveland defender.
They did not get their wish: Wentz remained in the game and struggled to move the ball beyond handing it to rookie running back Brian Robinson Jr., who rushed for 87 yards on 24 carries. The Commanders' fourth-ranked defence allowed a handful of big plays, including a 46-yard pass from Deshaun Watson to Amari Cooper that became a touchdown when top cornerback Kendall Fuller missed an open-field tackle.
Watson also connected with Cooper on a 33-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter that sent fans to the exits. Washington (7-8-1) would be eliminated from playoff contention later Sunday if Green Bay beats Minnesota.
FALCONS 20, CARDINALS 19
ATLANTA (AP) — Younghoe Koo made a 21-yard field goal on the final play, lifting the Atlanta Falcons over the Arizona Cardinals 20-19 on Sunday to end a four-game skid.
In a matchup of teams eliminated from playoff contention, Atlanta rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder got his first career victory. He was 19 of 26 for 169 yards and no interceptions in his third start as he auditions for a starting job next season.
The Falcons (6-10) improved to 5-8 in one-possession games. They were 7-2 in such games last season.
The Cardinals (4-12), playing with their fourth starting quarterback in four weeks, have lost six straight and eight of nine. David Blough completed 22 of 40 passes for 222 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions filling in for Colt McCoy, who is sidelined with a concussion.
JAGUARS 31, TEXANS 3
HOUSTON (AP) — Travis Etienne ran for 108 yards and a touchdown before halftime, Tyson Campbell returned a fumble for a score and the Jacksonville Jaguars snapped a nine-game skid against Houston by routing the Texans 31-3 on Sunday for their fourth straight victory overall.
Jacksonville (8-8) is in first place in the AFC South and would win the division for the first time since 2017 with a victory at home over slumping Tennessee next week in the regular-season finale. The Titans (7-9) have dropped six straight.
Trevor Lawrence threw for 152 yards, but played just one possession in the second half, and Etienne didn't carry the ball after halftime with the Jaguars up 28-3 in what would be the team’s first win over Houston since 2017.
The Jaguars were up by 21 at halftime and a 3-yard run by Snoop Conner made it 28-0 early in the third quarter.
CHARGERS 31, RAMS 10
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) -- Austin Ekeler rushed for 122 yards, scored two touchdowns and became the fifth running back with 100 receptions in a season as the Los Angeles Chargers rolled to a 31-10 victory Sunday over the Los Angeles Rams in a matchup of SoFi Stadium co-tenants.
Ekeler, who has an NFL-leading 18 touchdowns (13 rushing, five receiving), also had a career-best 72-yard TD run midway through the second quarter to extend the Chargers' lead to 14-3.
It was the third 100-yard rushing game in Ekeler's six-year career and his second this season. He had a career-high 173-yards in an Oct. 10 win at Cleveland.
Justin Herbert passed for 212 yards and two touchdowns as the playoff-bound Chargers won their fourth straight to improve to 10-6. Mike Williams had seven receptions for 94 yards, including a one-handed, toe-tapping 18-yard grab along the left sideline late in the second quarter.
It was the Rams' 11th loss of the season, surpassing the 1999 Denver Broncos for most defeats by a defending Super Bowl champion.
RAVENS 16, STEELERS 13
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Kenny Pickett threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Najee Harris with 56 seconds remaining, giving the Pittsburgh Steelers a 16-13 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night and improbably keeping their playoff hopes alive for another week.
It was the first touchdown allowed by Baltimore at home in four games, and the Steelers (8-8) needed it to avoid elimination. Just like they needed Miami to lose to New England earlier in the day, which also happened.
Pittsburgh can now make the playoffs by beating Cleveland next weekend -- if Miami and New England both lose. A lot still has to go right, but a lot went right Sunday.
Down 13-9, Pickett drove the Steelers 80 yards in 3:20 against their rivals with the season on the line. On third-and-8 from the 10, the rookie scrambled away from pressure and threw a perfect pass to Harris, who had slipped behind linebacker Roquan Smith along the left sideline.
The playoff-bound Ravens (10-6) now need Buffalo to beat Cincinnati on Monday to keep their hopes of winning the AFC North alive.
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