PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Brock Purdy threw for 314 yards and four touchdowns, Deebo Samuel scored three TDs and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was checked for a concussion in the San Francisco 49ers’ 42-19 win over Philadelphia on Sunday night.
The fiery NFC championship game rematch also featured 49ers' touchdowns on six straight possessions and a pair of ejections that showed this year’s title game might not run again through Philly, after all.
The 49ers (9-3) left Philly 10 months ago battered in the NFC championship game behind injuries to Purdy and his backup, and they never stood a chance in a 31-7 loss. The 49ers spent an offseason chirping at the Birds — Samuel called one Eagles cornerback “trash” — and then entered the Linc as a rare betting favorite against a 10-win team at home.
The Eagles (10-2) suffered a scare when Hurts jogged off the field in the fourth and went straight to the locker room. He was cleared to play and returned to action with about 10 minutes left.
It was not immediately clear when Hurts was injured.
By the time last season’s NFL MVP runner-up returned, the Eagles trailed 35-13 and were on their way toward their first home loss of the season. Hurts did hit DeVonta Smith for a 2-yard TD on his return drive. He finished 26-of-45 passing for 298 yards.
Purdy put the finishing touches on the win with a 46-yard TD to Samuel.
PACKERS 27, CHIEFS 19
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Jordan Love connected with Christian Watson on two of his three touchdown passes and the resurgent Green Bay Packers won their third straight game, 27-19 over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night.
The Packers scored touchdowns on three of their first four drives and never trailed, with their defense making two big stops in the last 5 1/2 minutes. Green Bay knocked down Mahomes' pass into the end zone on the game’s final play.
The Packers (6-6) improved their December record to 16-0 under coach Matt LaFleur. The only team ever to win more consecutive December games was the San Diego Chargers with 18 straight from 2006-09, before their move to Los Angeles.
Love went 25 of 36 for 267 yards. Tight end Ben Sims had a 1-yard catch for his first career touchdown, and Love added TD passes of 9 and 12 yards to Watson.
Mahomes was 21 of 31 for 210 yards with a touchdown pass and an interception for the Super Bowl champion Chiefs (8-4), who lost in front of pop superstar Taylor Swift for the first time. Kansas City had won its previous four games Swift had attended since beginning her relationship with tight end Travis Kelce.
Kansas City still leads the AFC West but fell behind three other teams for the top seed in the conference.
DOLPHINS 45, COMMANDERS 15
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Tyreek Hill had two touchdowns among his 157 yards receiving, and the Miami Dolphins routed the Washington Commanders 45-15 Sunday to pad their lead atop the AFC East and get to 9-3 for the first time since 2001.
Tua Tagovailoa was 18 of 24 for 280 yards, including TD passes of 78 and 60 yards to Hill, the NFL's leading receiver left wide open on his 11th and 12th trips to the end zone this season. Tagovailoa was turnover-free after giving the ball away four times over the past two games.
De’Von Achane ran for two touchdowns in his return after missing five of the past six with a knee injury. Raheem Mostert also had a rushing TD for Miami's league-leading offence that put up 406 yards.
In extending their winning streak to three, the Dolphins even got scoring from their defence, thanks to linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel's 33-yard pick-6 of Sam Howell late in the first quarter. They also sacked Howell three times.
Washington (4-9) had no answer for Hill in the first game with coach Ron Rivera calling the defensive plays following his decision to fire coordinator Jack Del Rio. Hill remains on track to break Calvin Johnson's record for the most yards receiving in a season and become the first to reach 2,000.
Howell, who ran for two touchdowns while going 12 of 23 for 127 yards, is on pace for a more dubious record: the most sacks taken in a season. He's up to 58, now leads the league in interceptions with 14 and has had one returned for a TD in three consecutive games.
The Commanders lost a fourth game in a row and have been outscored 150-70 over this skid. They've lost nine of 11 since opening the season with back-to-back victories.
Miami was so convincingly ahead that coach Mike McDaniel pulled Tagovailoa, Hill and many of the offensive skill players early in the fourth quarter. Backup Mike White led a touchdown drive in garbage time.
LIONS 33, SAINTS 28
NEW ORLEANS — Sam LaPorta had career highs of nine catches for 140 yards, including an early touchdown and a crucial first-down snag in the final minutes, and the Detroit Lions defeated the reeling New Orleans Saints 33-28 on Sunday to post their best record through 12 games since 1962.
The Saints lost quarterback Derek Carr in the fourth quarter to back, shoulder and head injuries. Carr was hurt on a penalized hit by Bruce Irvin, who drove the weight of his body into the quarterback.
Jared Goff passed for 213 yards and two TDs for the Lions (9-3), who raced to a three-touchdown lead and then held off a valiant comeback bid by the Saints. New Orleans (5-7) fell one game behind first-place Atlanta in the league's weakest division, the NFC South.
After falling behind 21-0 in the first quarter, the Saints pulled as close as 24-21 late in the third. The Saints also had the ball at midfield with a chance to take the lead in the final three minutes, but turned the ball over on downs when Jameis Winston threw behind Chris Olave.
Detroit was able to run out the clock from there, thanks to first-down catches by LaPorta and Josh Reynolds.
RAMS 36, BROWNS 19
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Matthew Stafford threw three touchdown passes, Puka Nacua became the first Rams rookie wide receiver to reach 1,000 yards in a season, and Los Angeles extended its winning streak to three games with a 36-19 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
The Rams have won three straight for the first time since winning the Super Bowl after the 2021 season. At 6-6, they are back in the playoff race after dropping three straight before their bye week.
Since returning from a thumb injury that caused him to miss 1 1/2 games, Stafford has eight TD passes and two interceptions in the Rams' last three games.
Stafford — who was 22 of 37 for 279 yards — connected with Nacua, Demarcus Robinson and Cooper Kupp for scores. Nacua, who left the game briefly with a rib injury, finished with four receptions for 105 yards, including a 70-yard TD in the first quarter. He also had two rushes for 34 yards.
Kyren Williams had 21 carries for 88 yards, including a 1-yard TD late in the fourth quarter to put it out of reach.
Aaron Donald and rookie Kobie Turner combined to sack Joe Flacco for a safety with 36 seconds to play.
Flacco, who became Cleveland's fourth starting quarterback this season, was 23 of 44 for 254 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in his debut for the Browns (7-5), who have dropped two straight but remain in the thick of the AFC playoff race.
BUCCANEERS 21, PANTHERS 18
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay's Mike Evans scored on a 75-yard reception and joined Jerry Rice as the only players in NFL history to string together 10 consecutive seasons with 1,000-plus yards receiving while helping the Buccaneers beat the struggling Carolina Panthers 21-18 on Sunday.
Evans finished with seven receptions for 162 yards, increasing his season totals to 61 catches for 1,012 yards and 10 touchdowns. Rice set the league record of 11 straight seasons with more than 1,000 yards receiving from 1986 through 1996.
The Bucs (5-7) won for only the second time in the past eight games, climbing into a tie for second place in the weak NFC South. Carolina (1-11) scored late to pull within a field goal, but No. 1 overall draft pick Bryce Young threw an interception with just over two minutes remaining, ending any chance of coming from behind to win the Panthers' debut under interim coach Chris Tabor.
Rachaad White scored an early touchdown and receiver Chris Godwin scored on a 19-yard run early in the fourth quarter, increasing Tampa Bay's lead to 21-10. Chuba Hubbard rushed 104 yards and two TDs for Carolina, and Young's 2-point conversion run trimmed Tampa Bay's lead to 21-18 with 5:02 left.
Despite losing six of seven games following a 3-1 start, the Bucs began the day trailing Atlanta and New Orleans by one game in the NFC South. The Falcons (6-6) beat the New York Jets to remain on top of the division, while the Saints (5-7) lost to the Detroit Lions to fall into a tie for second place with the Bucs.
The Panthers fired Frank Reich last Monday, 11 games into the coach's first season leading the Panthers. Tabor was promoted to interim coach for the rest of the season and said he encouraged players to “play loose, not reckless” and have fun moving forward.
COLTS 31, TITANS 28 (OT)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Gardner Minshew threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Michael Pittman with 2:31 left in overtime and the Indianapolis Colts beat the Tennessee Titans 31-28 Sunday for their fourth straight victory to keep pace in the playoff race in the AFC.
The Colts (7-5) had to score a touchdown after Nick Folk made a 46-yard field goal with 4:19 left in overtime to put Tennessee up. Indianapolis came in holding the seventh and last spot in the AFC.
Tennessee (4-8) lost its first true home game this season and has yet to win consecutive games overall.
The Titans not only blew a 17-7 lead, but Folk missed his first extra point this season with 5:26 left in regulation that could have put Tennessee up 26-25. Backup quarterback Ryan Tannehill had to fill in with Ryan Stonehouse knocked out of the game early in the fourth quarter with an injured left leg.
Special teams helped the Colts score 10 points off Nick Cross’ blocked punt that Grant Stuard returned 18 yards for a TD late in the third quarter. Then Tony Brown forced a fumble on Stonehouse’s next punt attempt, running into his left leg.
TEXANS 22, BRONCOS 17
HOUSTON (AP) — Nico Collins had a career-high 191 yards receiving and a fourth-quarter touchdown, and Jimmie Ward intercepted Denver's Russell Wilson in the end zone with nine seconds left to left to help the Houston Texans hold on for a 22-17 win over the Broncos on Sunday.
Ward leapt in front of intended receiver Lucas Krull to secure the fourth victory in five games for Houston (7-5) and snap a five-game winning streak for Denver (6-6).
Wilson was intercepted a season-high three times, all of them after halftime. Derek Stingley Jr. had the first two picks for the Texans. The Broncos had forced 15 turnovers in their winning streak but did not have a takeaway Sunday.
Houston rookie C.J. Stroud threw for 274 yards to end a streak of four straight games with at least 300 yards passing. Star rookie receiver Tank Dell injured his ankle in the first half and was carted off the field.
Texans rookie defensive end Will Anderson Jr., the third overall pick in the draft, had the best game of his young career. The former Alabama star had two sacks, four quarterback hits, deflected one of the balls that Stingley intercepted and deflected a punt.
Wilson threw for 186 yards with a touchdown in Denver’s first loss since Oct. 12.
Early in the fourth quarter, Wilson's 41-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy got Denver to the 1, and the QB ran for the touchdown on the next play to cut Houston's lead to 22-17.
The Broncos got a stop and were driving on the ensuing possession when Stingley hopped in front of a pass intended for Courtland Sutton to give Houston the ball back.
CARDINALS 24, STEELERS 10
PITTSBURGH (AP) — James Conner ran for 105 yards and a pair of touchdowns against his old team as the Arizona Cardinals beat the Steelers 24-10 on Sunday, the franchise's first win at Pittsburgh since 1969.
Arizona (3-10) took control late in the first half with a 99-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 5-yard strike from Kyler Murray to Trey McBride. The Cardinals led the rest of the way, enduring a pair of lengthy delays due to severe weather.
Pittsburgh (7-5) saw all the progress shown by its offense a week earlier in a win over Cincinnati vanish. The Steelers lost starting quarterback Kenny Pickett to an ankle injury late in the first half and scored their only touchdown in garbage time.
Pickett wore a boot on his right foot during the second half while backup Mitch Trubisky took over and struggled to do much of anything as the Steelers let a chance to strengthen their position in the AFC playoff race slip away.
There is no postseason in the offing for rebuilding Arizona, but the Cardinals showed some fight while improving to 2-2 since Murray's return from a torn ACL in his right knee.
Murray completed 13 of 23 passes for 145 yards and had 19 yards rushing. Arizona's defense bounced back from a nightmarish showing against the Rams a week ago in which it was lit up for 37 points and 452 yards.
Pittsburgh had hoped to build on its win over the Bengals, the team's first game since firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada and replacing him with Eddie Faulkner.
Instead, the Steelers took another step backward as the NFL's 28th-ranked scoring offense continued to have trouble finding the end zone.
Trubisky completed 11 of 17 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown to Diontae Johnson.
FALCONS 13, JETS 8
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Desmond Ridder threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to MyCole Pruitt and the Atlanta Falcons took over sole possession of first place in the NFC South by slogging their way to an ugly 13-8 victory over the punchless New York Jets on a dreary, rainy Sunday.
The Falcons (6-6) have back-to-back wins for the first time since opening the season with victories over Carolina and Green Bay. Atlanta entered tied atop the division with New Orleans, which lost to Detroit.
But this game appealed only to fans of sloppy play, punting and penalty flags.
The Jets (4-8) got an early safety but couldn't get anything going — again — on offense in losing their fifth straight game. New York even pulled quarterback Tim Boyle and replaced him with Trevor Siemian in the fourth quarter to try to provide a spark, but it was more of the same misery in what appeared a half-filled, rain-soaked MetLife Stadium.
Siemian and the Jets had a chance to win with 1:53 left but again were ineffective other than a 25-yard completion to Xavier Gipson.
The loss for New York, which had three turnovers, is a serious hit to the Jets' playoff hopes — as well as the possibility of a return by Aaron Rodgers, who has said his potential comeback this season was contingent on the team remaining in the post-season hunt.
CHARGERS 6, PATRIOTS 0
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Justin Herbert threw for 212 yards and set up a pair of Cameron Dicker field goals that were all the Los Angeles Chargers needed on a cold and rainy day for their first shutout in six years, a 6-0 victory over the New England Patriots and their latest hapless quarterback, Bailey Zappe.
Keenan Allen came back from a thigh bruise to catch five passes for 58 yards. But the only scoring the Chargers (5-7) could manage was a pair of 38-yard field goals in the second quarter.
New England (2-10) made a quarterback switch, benching Mac Jones in favour of Zappe, but still lost its fifth straight game. For the first time in franchise history, the Patriots were shut out at home twice in a season.
It was the third time in a row that New England gave up 10 or fewer points — and lost. They are the first team to do that since the 1938 Chicago Cardinals.
Zappe was sacked five times — two by Khalil Mack, giving him a career-high 15 for the season and 99 in his career. In all, Zappe was 13 for 25 for 141 yards; he did avoid an interception for the first time in three games, the previous two in relief of Jones.
For the third straight game, the Patriots defence kept them in the game until the end. Trailing 6-0 heading into the two-minute warning, Zappe advanced New England from its 13 to near midfield before throwing three straight incompletions. One of them was a long pass that DeVante Parker caught before landing on the sideline.
After taking over on downs, Herbert found Alex Erickson for a 23-yard gain on third-and-11 to allow the Chargers to run out the clock. Herbert completed 22 of 37 passes.
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