Wayne Gallman Jr. rushed for a career-high 135 yards, Alfred Morris scored twice and the suddenly resurgent New York Giants, behind backup quarterback Colt McCoy, upset the host Seattle Seahawks 17-12 on Sunday.
The Seahawks (8-4), who entered the game first in the NFC West and third in the NFL with 31.0 points per game, didn’t get their offense untracked until late in the fourth quarter. Seattle reached the Giants’ 46-yard line on its final possession, but three incompletions and a sack ended the threat.
The Giants (5-7) won their fourth consecutive game to remain atop the NFC East.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was 27 of 43 passing for 263 yards with one touchdown and one interception. McCoy was 13 of 22 for 105 yards, also with a touchdown and an interception.
Chiefs 22, Broncos 16
Patrick Mahomes completed 25 of 40 passes for 318 yards and a touchdown as Kansas City clinched a playoff berth and at least a share of their fifth straight AFC West title by outlasting Denver at Kansas City, Mo.
The Chiefs (11-1) failed to score TDs on their first four trips into the red zone, settling for field goals from Harrison Butker and allowing the Broncos to maintain their upset hopes behind their tough defensive effort.
Drew Lock went 15 of 28 for 151 yards passing and Melvin Gordon provided a spark with 131 yards rushing for the Broncos (4-8).
Saints 21, Falcons 21
Taysom Hill threw for two touchdowns as visiting New Orleans became the first NFL team to clinch a playoff berth by beating Atlanta for the second time in three weeks.
Alvin Kamara added a rushing touchdown for the Saints (10-2), who won their ninth consecutive game and clinched their fourth consecutive playoff berth after Chicago dropped a 34-30 decision to Detroit.
The victory gave the first-place Saints a three-game lead over idle Tampa Bay (7-5) in the NFC South. New Orleans is seeking its fourth consecutive division title. Atlanta (4-8) got 273 passing yards and a touchdown from Matt Ryan, who was sacked three times after taking eight in the first meeting.
Rams 38, Cardinals 28
Jared Goff passed for 351 yards and one touchdown, and also ran for a score, as Los Angeles moved back into a first-place tie in the NFC West with a victory over Arizona at Glendale, Ariz.
Goff was 37 of 47 in the air without a turnover for the Rams (8-4), bouncing back from a home loss against the San Francisco 49ers last week when he threw two interceptions and also lost a fumble. The fifth-year QB had 10 turnovers (six interceptions) in his previous four games.
The Cardinals (6-6) struggled to sustain a consistent offense against a stifling Rams’ defense but managed to take advantage of opportunities to stay close. Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray completed 21 of 39 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns.
Raiders 31, Jets 28
Derek Carr connected with wideout Henry Ruggs III on a 46-yard touchdown in the final seconds to help Las Vegas stun New York at East Rutherford, NJ.
Carr finished the day 28 of 47 passing for 381 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those scores went to tight end Darren Waller, who snagged 13 catches for a robust 200 yards and two touchdowns. The Raiders’ (7-5) big offensive showing helped them snap a two-game losing streak.
New York (0-12) found a way to blow a late lead and remain winless despite three total touchdowns from quarterback Sam Darnold, who finished the afternoon with 186 yards and two TDs while also adding a rushing score. Ty Johnson led the Jets on the ground with 104 yards and a touchdown.
Packers 30, Eagles 16
Aaron Rodgers stayed hot with a trio of touchdown passes as Green Bay handed Philadelphia its fourth straight loss in a game at Green Bay, Wis.
The Packers (9-3) scored 30-plus points for the ninth time this season behind 295 yards passing from Rodgers, who connected with wideout Davante Adams twice and tight end Robert Tonyan for touchdowns.
Jalen Hurts took over for Carson Wentz in the second half and led the Eagles (3-8-1) with 109 passing yards and a touchdown to wideout Greg Ward. Philadelphia also received a punt return touchdown from Jalen Reagor that briefly made it a close game in the fourth quarter before Aaron Jones iced the game for Green Bay with a 77-yard touchdown scamper.
Colts 26, Texans 20
Anthony Walker recovered a fumble with 1:22 left and visiting Indianapolis escaped with a tense victory over Houston.
Texans center Nick Martin handcuffed quarterback Deshaun Watson with a bad snap on second down at the Indianapolis 2-yard line and Walker pounced on the loose football to seal the victory and lift the Colts (8-4) into a first-place tie with Tennessee atop the AFC South.
Watson passed for 341 yards but had a hand in both Houston (4-8) turnovers. Philip Rivers completed 27-of-35 for 285 yards and two touchdowns for the Colts, and Jonathan Taylor added 91 rushing yards on 13 carries.
Dolphins 19, Bengals 7
Rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa passed for a touchdown and a season-high 296 yards, leading host Miami to a win over Cincinnati in a fight-filled game at Miami Gardens, Fla., that featured five ejections.
Tagovailoa had missed one game due to a thumb injury on his (left) throwing hand, but he looked sharp in leading Miami (8-4), which also got a big game from tight end Mike Gesicki, who had nine catches for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Cincinnati (2-9-1) was led by quarterback Brandon Allen, who passed for 153 yards and a touchdown before getting knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter on a hit to the chest by Shaq Lawson. Allen started his second straight game in place of Joe Burrow, the first overall pick in this year’s NFL draft who is out for the season with a knee injury.
Browns 41, Titans 35
Baker Mayfield tied a franchise record held by Otto Graham and Cleveland set a franchise mark with 38 first-half points in a defeat of Tennessee at Nashville, Tenn.
Mayfield completed 25 of 33 passes for 334 yards and four scores for a near-perfect passer rating of 147.0. All four touchdowns occurred in the first half, matching Graham’s feat that was originally accomplished in 1951. Cleveland (9-3) scored on all six first-half possessions.
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill finished 29 of 45 for 389 yards with three touchdowns and one pick. He hit Cameron Batson with an 8-yard scoring strike with 28 seconds left to pull Tennessee within six points, but Andy Janovich fell on an onside kick to seal it.
Vikings 27, Jaguars 24 (OT)
Dan Bailey kicked a game-winning, 23-yard field goal with 1:49 remaining in overtime and Kirk Cousins passed for 305 yards and three touchdowns as host Minnesota defeated reeling Jacksonville for its fifth win in six games.
Jaguars quarterback Mike Glennon threw two interceptions, fumbled and was sacked in the end zone for a safety as Jacksonville (1-11) lost its franchise-record 11th consecutive game. Vikings safety Harrison Smith snagged Glennon’s second interception inside Jaguars territory to set up Bailey’s game-winning kick.
Justin Jefferson had nine catches for 121 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings (6-6), who outgained the Jaguars 420-390. Dalvin Cook overcame a slow start to finish with 32 carries for 120 yards.
Lions 34, Bears 30
Adrian Peterson rushed for two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 1:37 to go, and Detroit rallied for a win in Darrell Bevell’s head coaching debut at Chicago.
Peterson pushed across the goal line for a 5-yard touchdown to lift the Lions (5-7) to a comeback win. Matthew Stafford completed 27 of 42 passes for 402 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. A strip-sack by Romeo Okwara set up Detroit for the go-ahead score.
David Montgomery rushed for two touchdowns for Chicago (5-7), which lost its sixth game in a row. Cordarrelle Patterson had a rushing touchdown, and rookie tight end Cole Kmet had the lone receiving score. The Bears tried to rally in the final 90 seconds, but Montgomery was stuffed on fourth down at the Lions’ 20-yard line.
Patriots 45, Chargers 0
Cam Newton rushed for two of his three touchdowns, while Gunner Olszewski and Devin McCourty scored on special teams, as New England breezed to the romp over Los Angeles at Inglewood, Calif.
Newton threw for only 69 yards, to go with 48 on the ground, as the Patriots’ other phases excelled to help the team win for the fourth time in its last five games. New England (6-6) improved to .500 for the first time since Week 4.
Chargers rookie Justin Herbert posted his first game without a touchdown, completing 26 of 53 passes for 209 yards and two interceptions. The 45-0 shutout is the worst in franchise history for Los Angeles (3-9), which has dropped five of its last six games.
–Field Level Media