Philadelphia Eagles lock in play-off spot after win over Carolina Panthers
By PA Sport Staff
The Philadelphia Eagles clinched a play-off berth after a 22-16 win over the Carolina Panthers, coupled with a defeat for the Arizona Cardinals.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts bundled over from a yard to set the Eagles on their way and a touchdown late in the second quarter from Devonta Smith saw NFC East leaders Philadelphia in front 14-10, only for Chuba Hubbard to drive in from a yard out and edge the visitors ahead again.
Hopes of an upset, though, were dashed when tight end Grant Calcaterra took a four-yard pass and Saquon Barkley’s conversion saw the Eagles maintain their position as the number two seed in the NFC, behind the Detroit Lions.
The Cardinals could not overcome their early mistakes as they went down 30-18 against NFC West rivals Seattle Seahawks.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith threw for 233 yards and a touchdown, completing 24 of 30 passes, while Zach Charbonnet rushed for 134 yards and two scores on 22 carries.
Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray threw two picks with his two touchdowns, managing to pick up 259 yards, as the Cardinals’ third straight loss dropped them to 6-7 and two games behind the division-leading Seahawks.
The Los Angeles Rams survived a comeback by the AFC East champions Buffalo Bills, hanging on for a 44–42 win.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw for three touchdowns and rushed for another three as the Bills rallied from trailing by 17 points in the third quarter.
Matthew Stafford threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns for the Rams, who moved to 7-6 and just one game behind the Seahawks in the congested NFC West.
Brock Purdy threw for 325 yards and two touchdowns as the San Francisco 49ers bounced back from two heavy losses to beat the Chicago Bears 38-13.
The win moves the 49ers to 6-7 alongside the Cardinals and spoiled interim coach Thomas Brown’s debut in charge of the Bears, who have lost seven straight games.
The Kansas City Chiefs stretched their NFL record with a 15th one-score game in a row as they edged past AFC West rivals the Los Angeles Chargers 19-17.
Having been 13-0 up at half-time, the Chiefs were behind 17-16 following a Cameron Dicker field goal with less than five minutes on the clock at Arrowhead Stadium.
But Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes steered his side on one final drive to set up a 31-yard field goal by Matthew Wright as time ran out.
The win clinched a ninth straight divisional title for the Chiefs and strengthened their position as top seeds in the AFC.
The Pittsburgh Steelers ran out 27-14 winners over AFC North rivals the Cleveland Browns.
The Steelers took a 13-7 half-time lead following a Najee Harris touchdown and two Chris Boswell field goals, and further touchdowns from Van Jefferson and Pat Freiermuth made the game safe despite David Njoku’s brilliant touchdown catch.
The Minnesota Vikings improved their record to 11-2 with a sixth straight win, 42-21 over the Atlanta Falcons. Jordan Addison caught three touchdowns and Justin Jefferson two, the latter ending a two-month drought, before Aaron Jones ran in to put the result beyond doubt. Quarterback Sam Darnold threw for a career-high 347 yards.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took the outright lead of the NFC South with a 28-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders at Raymond James Stadium, where Baker Mayfield threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns.
Jalen McMillan and Rachaad White scored twice each while Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell ran in a one-yard score but was later forced off injured and replaced by third-stringer Desmond Ridder.
The Miami Dolphins kept their outside play-off hopes alive after battling to a 32-26 win over the New York Jets after overtime at Hard Rock Stadium.
An early touchdown from De’Von Achane and three field goals from Jason Sanders – one from 57 yards – had the Dolphins ahead 15-13 at half-time.
Davante Adams responded as the Jets looked to end an eight-game losing streak but Tyreek Hill’s score helped extend the game into overtime, when Tua Tagovailoa picked out Jonnu Smith to seal a dramatic victory.
The New Orleans Saints ground out a 14-11 win over the New York Giants while the Jacksonville Jaguars edged AFC South rivals the Tennessee Titans 10-6 in Nashville to snap a five-match losing streak.