NFL roundup: Lions dominate Vikings for No. 1 seed in NFC

Jahmyr Gibbs had 170 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns and the host Detroit Lions pulled away for a 31-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Jared Goff completed 27 of 33 passes for 231 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for Detroit (15-2). Gibbs rushed for 139 yards and three touchdowns and caught five passes for 31 yards and one score.

Sam Darnold completed 18 of 41 passes for 166 yards for Minnesota (14-3), which was held without a touchdown. The Vikings’ nine-game winning streak ended.

The Lions clinched the NFC North title for the second year in a row. They will have a bye next week and have secured home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs.

Broncos 38, Chiefs 0

The best day of Bo Nix’s young career punched Denver’s ticket to the playoffs, as the Broncos put together a rout of visiting Kansas City.

It marks the first time since their Super Bowl-winning 2015 season that the Broncos (10-7) have reached the postseason. Denver clinched the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoffs. Nix completed his first 18 throws and was 26-for-29 passing for the game, setting a career high with 321 yards, and he also had four touchdown passes. Marvin Mims Jr. had a pair of receiving TDs.

With the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs wrapped up, the Chiefs (15-2) rested several top players, such as Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco, Chris Jones, Jawaan Taylor and George Karlaftis. Quarterback Carson Wentz was 10-of-17 passing for 98 yards for Kansas City.

Panthers 44, Falcons 38 (OT)

Miles Sanders rushed for a game-winning 1-yard touchdown in overtime as Carolina eliminated host Atlanta from playoff contention.

Bryce Young completed 25 of 34 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns, adding two more scores on the ground for the Panthers (5-12), who scored their most points in a game this season.

Michael Penix Jr. threw for 312 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Falcons (8-9), who needed a win paired with a Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss to the New Orleans Saints in order to win the division. Bijan Robinson ran for 170 yards and two touchdowns, while Drake London caught 10 passes for 187 yards and two scores.

Commanders 23, Cowboys 19

Marcus Mariota’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin with three seconds left lifted Washington over Dallas in Arlington, Texas.

Relieving Jayden Daniels in the second half, Mariota was 15-of-18 passing for 161 yards and two touchdowns. He kept the game-winning 11-play, 91-yard drive alive with a 33-yard carry on fourth-and-1. The Commanders (12-5) nailed down the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs and won 12 games in a single season for the first time since 1991.

Trey Lance, the third overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, made his first start since Sept. 18, 2022, and was 20-of-34 passing for 244 yards for the Cowboys (7-10).

Bears 24, Packers 22

Cairo Santos drilled a 51-yard field goal on the final play of Chicago’s season finale as the Bears ended a 10-game losing streak by edging host Green Bay.

The win also snapped the longest active winning streak by a team against one opponent. Chicago had lost its previous 11 games against Green Bay. Caleb Williams moved the Bears (5-12) 47 yards to set up Santos’ heroics after Brandon McManus’ third field goal of the afternoon, a 55-yarder, had given Green Bay (11-6) a 22-21 lead with 54 seconds remaining.

Williams was 21-of-29 passing for 148 yards and a touchdown to DJ Moore, who caught nine passes for 86 yards. Packers quarterback Jordan Love hit on 7 of 12 passes for 69 yards but left the game during Green Bay’s fifth series due to a right elbow injury and did not return.

Colts 26, Jaguars 23 (OT)

Matt Gay kicked four field goals, including a 38-yarder in overtime, to help Indianapolis defeat visiting Jacksonville.

Jonathan Taylor rushed for 177 yards and one touchdown on 34 carries for the Colts (8-9). Joe Flacco completed 23 of 40 throws for 264 yards and found Alec Pierce for his lone passing score. Indianapolis notched a fourth-down stop after Gay’s go-ahead kick in the extra session.

Mac Jones was 20-of-32 passing for 225 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Jaguars (4-13). Parker Washington had a touchdown catch, Tank Bigsby rushed for a score and Brian Thomas Jr. finished with seven receptions for 103 yards.

Patriots 23, Bills 16

Joe Milton III threw for one touchdown and rushed for another in his NFL debut to guide New England past Buffalo in Foxborough, Mass.

Milton rattled off 11 straight completions to begin his professional career and finished 22-of-29 passing for 241 yards. Kayshon Boutte was Milton’s favorite target, hauling in seven receptions for a career-high 117 yards and a TD. The Patriots (4-13) would have secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft had they lost.

Mitchell Trubisky threw for 101 yards and a TD on 15-for-21 passing for the Bills (13-4), the No. 2 seed in the AFC during the upcoming playoffs. Ray Davis led Buffalo’s rushing attack with 64 yards on 15 carries.

Eagles 20, Giants 13

Tanner McKee threw two touchdown passes in his first NFL start as Philadelphia beat visiting New York to match a single-season franchise record for wins.

The Eagles (14-3), who posted the same record two years ago, were already locked in as the No. 2 seed in the NFC and did not play most of their starters. They will host the Packers in a wild-card game next weekend. McKee threw for 269 yards on 27-of-41 passing.

Giants rookie Malik Nabers had 64 yards on five catches and set the franchise’s single-season reception record with 109, breaking Steve Smith’s 2009 mark of 107. New York (3-14) finished the campaign winless in the NFC East and ended its disastrous centennial season with a franchise record for losses.

Buccaneers 27, Saints 19

Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes and host Tampa Bay came from behind to defeat New Orleans and win its fourth consecutive NFC South title.

Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans reached 1,000 yards receiving for the 11th consecutive season to tie Jerry Rice’s NFL record for consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns. Mayfield passed for 221 yards and rushed for 68, but Tampa Bay (10-7) didn’t lead until he threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan with 10:09 left in the game.

Blake Grupe kicked four field goals and rookie Spencer Rattler passed for a season-high 240 yards and a touchdown for the Saints (5-12), who lost their last four games.

Texans 23, Titans 14

C.J. Stroud threw a touchdown pass and Dameon Pierce rushed for 176 yards and another score as Houston tuned up for the playoffs by defeating Tennessee in Nashville.

Stroud hit all six of his passes for 50 yards on the game’s first possession, finding Nico Collins for a 2-yard scoring strike. Houston coach DeMeco Ryans pulled Stroud at that point and used backup Davis Mills, who was 12-of-22 passing for 128 yards for the Texans (10-7).

With their loss and the Patriots’ victory over the Bills, the Titans (3-14) received the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Will Levis hit on 9 of 17 passes for 175 yards, including a 49-yard TD pass to Tay Martin with 2:41 left in the game, while Mason Rudolph also played at quarterback and went 7-of-9 passing for 70 yards.

Cardinals 47, 49ers 24

Kyler Murray tied a career high with four touchdown passes and did not throw an interception to lead Arizona to a victory over San Francisco in Glendale, Ariz.

Murray was 25-of-35 passing for 242 yards for Arizona, which concluded its season 8-9. The Cardinals did not play leading rusher James Conner (knee injury).

San Francisco (6-11) played without starting quarterback Brock Purdy (elbow) and receiver Deebo Samuel (ribs/wrist). Purdy’s replacement, Joshua Dobbs, started eight games for the Cardinals last season while Murray nursed a knee injury. Dobbs completed 29 of 43 pass attempts on Sunday for 326 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Seahawks 30, Rams 25

Geno Smith threw four touchdown passes, including a 16-yarder to Noah Fant with 3:19 remaining, as Seattle edged Los Angeles in Inglewood, Calif.

Smith completed 20 of 27 passes for 223 yards. Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh combined for 108 rushing yards, with Fant and fellow tight end AJ Barner each finishing with five receptions and scoring once for the Seahawks (10-7).

The Rams (10-7), who had already clinched the NFC West, rested several starters, including quarterback Matthew Stafford. Jimmy Garoppolo was 27-of-41 passing for 334 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in his Los Angeles debut.

Chargers 34, Raiders 20

Quentin Johnston hauled in a career-high 13 receptions for 186 yards, leading Los Angeles over host Las Vegas to help the Chargers clinch the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs.

With the win, the Chargers (11-6) will head to Houston to face the Texans in the wild-card round. Justin Herbert threw for 346 yards and two touchdowns, completing 28 of 36 passes for Los Angeles. Ladd McConkey had 95 yards on five catches.

Aidan O’Connell threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns for the Raiders (4-13). Jakobi Meyers hauled in nine receptions for 123 yards to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season for the first time in his six-year career. Brock Bowers added four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown to finish his rookie campaign with 112 receptions. The Las Vegas tight end set the single-season reception record for a rookie at any position.

Jets 32, Dolphins 20

In what might have been the final game of his Hall of Fame career, Aaron Rodgers threw a season-high four touchdown passes and reached a career milestone while leading New York to a win over Miami in East Rutherford, N.J.

Rodgers’ first touchdown pass on Sunday was the 500th of his career, joining Tom Brady (649), Drew Brees (571), Peyton Manning (539) and Brett Favre (508) as the only quarterbacks to reach the mark. Rodgers completed 23 of 36 passes for 274 yards and threw an interception as the Jets (5-12) played spoiler against their longtime AFC East rivals.

Even before time expired, Miami (8-9) was eliminated from playoff contention once the Broncos beat the Chiefs to clinch the AFC’s final wild-card berth. The Dolphins missed the postseason after making it there in each of the past two seasons.

–Field Level Media

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