Rams clinch NFC West title
DETROIT — Todd Gurley ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns to help the Los Angeles Rams overcome a sputtering start to beat the Detroit Lions 30-16 Sunday and clinch the NFC West title for a second straight season.
The Rams (11-1) also moved a step closer to earning home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs, taking a one-game lead over New Orleans after it lost to Dallas on Thursday night. It is a cushion Los Angeles needs because its only loss was against the Saints last month.
The Lions (4-8) have lost five of six since a surge of success gave them a winning record in late October.
Cards 20, Packers 17
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers fired coach Mike McCarthy after the loss to one of the NFL’s worst teams.
Zane Gonzalez kicked a 44-yard field goal with 1:41 left, then Green Bay’s Mason Crosby missed a 49-yard attempt as time expired.
Crosby pushed his kick wide right, with the flags atop Lambeau Field blowing in toward the field at the time of the kick.
The stunned Packers suffered a major blow to their fading playoff hopes. Sputtering Green Bay (4-7-1) has lost three straight and five of six.
Giants 30, Bears 27, OT
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Aldrick Rosas kicked a 44-yard field goal in overtime and the Giants beat NFC North-leading Chicago, snapping the Bears’ five-game winning streak.
The Giants (4-8) blew a 10-point lead in the final 1:13 of regulation. They didn’t nail down the win until Janoris Jenkins knocked away a deep fourth-down pass to Taylor Gabriel after quarterback Chase Daniel fumbled on consecutive plays on the rainy afternoon to set up a fourth-and-8.
Chiefs 40, Raiders 33
OAKLAND, Calif. — Patrick Mahomes threw four touchdown passes to join Peyton Manning and Tom Brady as the only QBs to reach the 40 TD mark through 12 games.
The Chiefs won their first game since releasing star running back Kareem Hunt.
Patriots 24, Vikings 10
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom Brady passed for 311 yards and a touchdown, while Bill Belichick earned his 250th victory, including playoffs, as Patriots coach.
Brady completed 24 of 32 passes and now has 579 touchdown passes, including the playoffs, tying him with Peyton Manning for the most. He also has 508 regular-season TD passes, which ties him with Brett Favre on the career list. Manning is first with 539 and Drew Brees has 518.
James Develin added a career-high two touchdown runs.
Seahawks 43, 49ers 16
SEATTLE — Russell Wilson threw three first-half touchdowns on just four completions and finished with four TD passes. Bobby Wagner capped a blowout with a 98-yard interception return touchdown, and the Seahawks won their third straight game.
Seattle (7-5) stayed in the middle of the NFC playoff race by jumping to a 20-0 lead and cruising to its ninth straight victory over its NFC West foe. But it won’t win the division because the Rams clinched it earlier in the day with a win at Detroit.
Titans 26, Jets 22
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Marcus Mariota threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Corey Davis with 36 seconds left, and the Titans rallied from a 16-point deficit.
The Titans (6-6) snapped a two-game skid to keep themselves on the fringes of the AFC playoff chase.
Jaguars 6, Colts 0
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jalen Ramsey and the Jaguars delivered one of the most dominant defensive performances in franchise history. The Jaguars (4-8) needed that kind of effort to make up for a lackluster offense and end a seven-game losing streak. They also snapped Indy’s five-game winning streak.
Ramsey was the best of the bunch, helping hold T.Y. Hilton to six catches for 56 yards. Ramsey also made a game-ending tackle on Erik Swoope with 8 seconds remaining.
Ramsey hit Swoope near the sideline at the end of a third-and-6 play at the Jacksonville 29, and the tight end seemed to land out of bounds. But an official ruled him in and kept the clock running. The Colts were out of timeouts and could only watch the clock wind down.
Ravens 26, Falcons 16
ATLANTA — Rookie Lamar Jackson ran for a touchdown and Baltimore’s defense turned in a dominating performance.
Justin Tucker kicked four field goals, Tavon Young scored after scooping up a fumble by Matt Ryan , and Baltimore held the Falcons to 131 total yards in its third straight win. The Ravens (7-5) have bolstered their AFC wild-card position since Jackson took over at quarterback for the injured Joe Flacco.
Texans 29, Browns 13
HOUSTON — Deshaun Watson threw a touchdown pass and the Houston Texans intercepted rookie Baker Mayfield three times, returning one for a score, to extend their franchise-record winning streak to nine games.
Bucs 24, Panthers 17
TAMPA, Fla. — Jameis Winston threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns as the Bucs (5-7) won for the second straight time since Winston regained his starting job with the team mired in a four-game losing streak.
Broncos 24, Bengals 10
CINCINNATI — Rookie Phillip Lindsay ran for a career-high 157 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Broncos adapted to a windy afternoon and got their third straight victory. The Broncos (6-6) have emerged from their bye week and knocked off the Chargers, Steelers and Bengals to stay in contention in December.
Dolphins 21, Bills 17
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Jordan Phillips drew a costly penalty for taunting his former team, setting up a touchdown with nine minutes left that helped the Dolphins rally.
Miami turned away two Bills drives down the stretch, and Charles Clay almost caught Josh Allen’s desperation fourth-down pass with a diving attempt at the goal line in the final minute.
Allen threw for 231 yards and ran for 135 to set a franchise record for rushing yards by a quarterback for the second week in a row. Buffalo lost despite outgaining Miami 415-175.
The Dolphins (6-6) snapped a two-game skid.
