From playoff picture-shaping matchups to bizarre on-field departures, Week 17 in the NFL had a bit of everything.
Here’s what you need to know.
Brady rallies Buccaneers past Jets after Brown’s bizarre, shirtless exit
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Antonio Brown was kicked off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a bizarre, shirtless exit from the field before Tom Brady coolly led the Bucs on a 93-yard drive in the final minutes for a 28-24 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.
Coach Bruce Arians said after the game that Brown was off the team.
“He is no longer a Buc,” Arians said.
Brown’s mid-game meltdown came late in the third quarter with Tampa Bay trailing 24-10. He appeared animated while talking to teammate Mike Evans when he stripped off his pads, jersey, gloves and T-shirt — tossing the gloves and T-shirt into the stands — and then walked bare-chested down the sideline and into the end zone. He then waved to fans as jogged through the end zone and into the tunnel at MetLife Stadium.
It appeared to be a show of frustration by Brown, who had three catches for 26 yards.
Packers rout Vikings in frigid conditions to take NFC’s No. 1 seed
Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers thorws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings. (Morry Gash/AP)
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes, A.J. Dillon ran for two more scores and the Green Bay Packers routed the Minnesota Vikings 37-10 on Sunday night to wrap up the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed.
Green Bay’s victory, coupled with Philadelphia’s 20-16 triumph at Washington earlier in the day, dropped the Vikings (7-9) from postseason contention and gave the Eagles a playoff berth. The Vikings were playing without quarterback Kirk Cousins after he was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday.
The Packers (13-3) are the lone NFL team with an unbeaten home record and have a chance to reach the Super Bowl without leaving Lambeau Field. Sunday night’s game exemplified the potential advantage the Packers have playing home games in January, as the temperature was 11 degrees with a wind chill of 1 just before kickoff.
Green Bay has won 13 straight regular-season home games, but lost 31-26 at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in last season’s NFC championship game. The Packers haven’t reached the Super Bowl since their 2010 title and have lost in the conference championship game four of the last seven seasons.
Hurts scrambles, Scott rushes Eagles closer to playoff berth by beating Washington
LANDOVER, Md. – Jalen Hurts scrambled out of trouble while showing no ill effects from a recent ankle injury, Boston Scott rushed for two touchdowns, and the Philadelphia Eagles held on to beat Washington 20-16 Sunday to move one step closer to the playoffs.
Hurts ran six times for 45 yards and was 17 of 26 passing for 214 yards in leading the Eagles to a fourth consecutive victory. Pending other results around the NFL, they could have an NFC wild-card spot locked up by the end of the night.
Philadelphia (9-7) started slowly yet again, and its league-leading rushing attack was held to a season-low 3.4 yards a carry with Miles Sanders out because of a broken left hand. Twelve days after racking up 238 yards on the ground against Washington (6-10), the Eagles had 119 yards rushing.
But the defence finally got to Taylor Heinicke, and the Eagles wore down a banged-up opponent, erasing a 16-7 deficit. Jake Elliott connected on field goals of 42 and 41 yards in the fourth quarter, and Rodney McLeod picked off Heinicke in the end zone with 24 seconds remaining to seal it.
Jones breaks franchise record as Patriots hammer Jaguars, clinch playoff berth
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England returned to the playoffs when rookie quarterback Mac Jones threw three touchdown passes and Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for two scores apiece in their 50-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
The victory by the Patriots (10-6) snapped a two-game losing streak and gave Bill Belichick his 20th 10-win season as a head coach, tying Don Shula for the most in NFL history. A loss by Miami at Tennessee secured New England’s first trip to the postseason since Tom Brady left for Tampa Bay following the 2019 season.
The Jaguars (2-14) have lost eight consecutive games, including three straight since firing coach Urban Meyer. It was their 17th consecutive loss on the road, the longest streak in the league.
Jones finished 22 of 30 for 227 yards and set a franchise record for touchdown passes by a rookie with 21. Stevenson had 107 yards on 19 carries. Harris rushed nine times for 35 yards before leaving in the second half with a hamstring injury.
Tannehill tames Dolphins as Titans clinch second straight AFC South title
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Ryan Tannehill threw two touchdown passes as the Tennessee Titans clinched their second straight AFC South title Sunday, snapping the Miami Dolphins’ seven-game winning streak with a 34-3 win.
The Titans (11-5) won their second straight overall and third in four games to clinch their first back-to-back division titles since the start of the AFL when this franchise was the Houston Oilers and won three straight Eastern Division championships. They also won 11 games for a second consecutive season for the first time since 2002-03 – and currently are the AFC’s top seed after Kansas City lost at Cincinnati.
Miami came in as the first team in NFL history to win seven straight after a seven-game skid. That surge helped push the Dolphins into the third and final wild-card spot in the AFC, but this loss seriously damaged their playoff hopes.
On a cold and rainy day, the Titans ran more than they threw. Tannehill was 13 of 18 for 120 yards and a 127.1 passer rating against the team that drafted him eighth overall in 2012 before trading him to Tennessee in March 2019. Tannehill is 31-15 as the Titans’ starter with his third straight playoff berth clinched.
Burrow outduels Mahomes as Bengals beat Chiefs, earn playoff spot
CINCINNATI – Evan McPherson kicked a 20-yard field goal as time ran out, and the Cincinnati Bengals earned their first AFC North title and postseason appearance in six years with a wild 34-31 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Rookie Ja’Marr Chase had a franchise-record 266 yards receiving and three touchdowns on 11 catches, Joe Burrow threw for 466 yards and four scores while outdueling Patrick Mahomes, and the Bengals rallied from three 14-point deficits against the AFC West champs.
The Bengals’ winning drive was filled with drama.
On fourth-and-inches with under a minute left, the Bengals (10-6) decided to go for a touchdown instead of calling on McPherson for a field goal and giving the Chiefs the ball back with a chance to win.
Burrow threw incomplete in the end zone, but Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was flagged for illegal use of hands, giving the Bengals a fresh set of downs. Backup quarterback Brandon Allen was called on to kneel twice before McPherson came on for the game-winner.
Bills overcome turnovers to beat Falcons, clinch playoff birth
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo clinched a playoff berth when Devin Singletary scored two touchdowns rushing in the second half to make up for Josh Allen‘s sloppiness in a 29-15 victory over Atlanta that eliminated the Falcons from contention.
The AFC East-leading Bills rallied to clinch their third consecutive playoff spot. Buffalo (10-6) did so by beating the Falcons, coupled with the Baltimore Ravens’ 20-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Falcons (7-9) went down swinging in being eliminated from the NFC race to extend their postseason drought to a fourth year in their first season under coach Arthur Smith. The Falcons forced four turnovers, with an injury and COVID-19-depleted secondary intercepting Allen on three consecutive possessions spanning halftime.
Allen did a much better job running than throwing by scoring two touchdowns rushing on a snow-dusted field, and with temperatures in the low 20s.
Buffalo won its third straight and needs only to beat the New York Jets in its finale next weekend to clinch its second consecutive division title – and assure the Bills home-field advantage for the wild-card playoff round.
Robert Quinn sets Bears season sacks record in rout of Giants
CHICAGO – Teammates kept asking Robert Quinn when he would set the record and refused to let him forget how close he was.
He didn’t really need the reminders.
Quinn broke Hall of Famer Richard Dent’s franchise single-season mark with his 18th sack, and the Chicago Bears pounded the New York Giants 29-3 on Sunday.
Trevis Gipson added a career-high two sacks, and the Bears joined Green Bay as the only franchises with 800 victories counting the postseason. They also gave the embattled Matt Nagy a win in what might have been his final home game as their coach.
Quinn broke Dent’s record of 17 1/2 set in 1984 when took down Mike Glennon from behind and jarred the ball loose in the fourth quarter. The Bears then called a timeout to give him his moment.
By the time Quinn passed Dent, Chicago (6-10) was well on its way.
Stafford rallies surging Rams past short-handed Ravens
BALTIMORE — When the Los Angeles Rams look back on this important victory, they might recall how Matthew Stafford helped put the team in a quandary with three costly turnovers.
They most certainly won’t forget how the gritty quarterback made amends by overseeing a near-flawless fourth-quarter comeback that produced in a 20-19 win Sunday over the short-handed but stubborn Baltimore Ravens.
Stafford threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Odell Beckham Jr. with 57 seconds left immediately after completing a 5-yarder to Beckham on a fourth-and-5. Although Los Angeles (12-4) failed on a 2-point conversion, the Ravens — playing a third straight game without injured quarterback Lamar Jackson — never got close enough for a field-goal try.
The Rams’ fifth straight victory pushed them to the cusp of their second straight NFC West title.
Carlson’s clutch kick as time expires paces Raiders over Colts
INDIANAPOLIS – Derek Carr and Las Vegas lost a late touchdown on a replay reversal. They surrendered a TD on a fluke play. They committed the only two turnovers of the game.
And they won. Welcome to another high point of a roller-coaster season for the Raiders.
Carr directed Las Vegas to Daniel Carlson’s 33-yard field goal as time expired, and the Raiders beat Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts 23-20 on Sunday to move one step closer to an AFC wild card.
Rallying after an embarrassing email scandal that led to coach Jon Gruden’s resignation, the Raiders (9-7) earned their third straight win. They can wrap up an improbable playoff spot with a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers next weekend.
Lance throws two TDs, leads 49ers in win over Texans
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Rookie Trey Lance threw two touchdown passes in the second half of his second career start, and the San Francisco 49ers closed in on a playoff berth with a 23-7 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday.
Lance got the nod for the 49ers (9-7) for the first time since Week 5 with Jimmy Garoppolo sidelined by a thumb injury and overcame an interception in the first half to lead San Francisco to the win.
The Niners can clinch their second playoff berth in five seasons under coach Kyle Shanahan with one loss by New Orleans or a win next week against the Rams.
The Texans (4-12) struggled to get much of anything going offensively and failed in their attempt at their first three-game winning streak since 2018.
Herbert, Roberts propel Chargers back into playoff position
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Justin Herbert threw for two touchdowns and set the franchise single-season record, Andre Roberts returned a kick 101 yards for a score, and the Los Angeles Chargers moved back into an AFC playoff spot with a 34-13 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Los Angeles (9-7) is in the final wild-card spot but needs a win at Las Vegas next week to wrap up its first postseason berth since 2018. The Colts, Chargers and Raiders all have the same record, but the Chargers currently hold the tiebreaker over Las Vegas after their 28-14 victory on Oct. 4.
Denver (7-9) has lost four of its last five, was eliminated from playoff contention and is assured of its fifth straight losing season.
Murray, Wesley lead Cardinals past Cowboys in matchup of playoff teams
ARLINGTON, Texas — Kyler Murray threw two touchdown passes to Antoine Wesley and the Arizona Cardinals held on to beat the Dallas Cowboys 25-22 in a matchup of playoff-bound teams Sunday.
The outcome didn’t do much to change the races for the NFC’s No. 1 seed or the NFC West, but the Cardinals ended a three-game skid a week after backing into the postseason while stopping the NFC East champion’s four-game winning streak.
Murray improved to 8-0 as a starter at the home of the Cowboys. Most of those victories were as a Texas high school playoff star, but the past two have been as a pro after last season’s 38-10 rout.
The Cardinals (11-5) are still a game behind the Los Angeles Rams in their division with LA rallying to beat Baltimore 20-19.
Penny’s explosive first half leads Seahawks to blowout of Lions
SEATTLE — Rashaad Penny rushed for a career-high 170 yards and two touchdowns, Russell Wilson threw three of his four TD passes to DK Metcalf, and the Seattle Seahawks routed the Detroit Lions 51-29 on Sunday.
Seattle (6-10) closed out its home schedule with its most impressive offensive showing of the season, raising questions about where those fireworks have been for most of the disappointing year.
Penny rumbled for 144 yards in the first half, while Wilson threw TD passes to Metcalf and Tyler Lockett as Seattle built a 31-7 halftime lead.
Wilson added a third TD to Metcalf on the third play of the second half. Wilson finished 20 of 29 for 236 yards, while Metcalf had a career-high three touchdown catches. Metcalf has 12 TD catches this season, also a career best.
Jordan, Saints’ defence secure victory over Panthers
NEW ORLEANS — Cameron Jordan bolted into the backfield from the left edge of Carolina’s offensive line. The Saints defensive end wrapped both arms around Sam Darnold, lifted the Panthers’ quarterback off his feet and pulled him to the turf on his side as if they were on a wrestling mat.
That was one of 3 1/2 sacks for Jordan, who led a menacing, seven-sack performance by New Orleans’ defence in a crucial 18-10 Saints victory over the reeling Panthers on Sunday that kept the Saints in the hunt for a playoff spot.
The way Jordan and Co. were playing, the Saints might have won for the second time in three games without even scoring a touchdown. But after Brett Maher kicked four field goals to give them a 12-10 lead, Alvin Kamara capped the scoring by turning a short pass into New Orleans’ first touchdown in more than 11 quarters.
The third victory in four games for the Saints (8-8) – also just their second triumph in seven games played in the Superdome this season – assured New Orleans would head into the final week of the regular season with a chance to cap an adversity-filled season with a postseason berth.
