Multi-decade streaks were snapped. Playoff spots were on the line. Jaw-dropping moments took place.
A lot happened on Sunday in Week 14 of the NFL season, here’s what you need to know.
Tom Brady, defying Father Time, notches 700th TD pass to lift Buccaneers over Bills in overtime
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady became the NFL’s all-time completions leader and threw his 700th touchdown pass for the winning score as the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers got a 33-27 overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Brady threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns, and scored on a quarterback sneak set up by the 7,143rd completion of an unmatched 22-year career that includes seven Super Bowl titles.
Tampa Bay won it on Breshad Perriman’s 58-yard catch-and-run with 5:31 left in OT _ the 700th TD pass of Brady’s career, including playoffs.
Despite blowing a 21-point halftime lead, the Bucs (10-3) won their fourth straight game and moved closer to clinching Tampa Bay’s first NFC South title since 2007.
Chiefs steamroll Raiders on way to record-setting victory
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Patrick Mahomes threw his first two touchdown passes in nearly a month, Clyde Edwards-Helaire added two more scores on the ground, and the Kansas City Chiefs forced five turnovers in rolling to a record-setting 48-9 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
Derek Gore’s 51-yard TD run with 7:19 left in the fourth quarter allowed Kansas City (9-4) to eclipse the largest margin of victory in a series that began in 1960 and has been played 126 times. The previous record was 35 points in 1964.
Tyrann Mathieu had an interception and fumble recovery, Mike Hughes returned another fumble 23 yards for a touchdown, and the reigning AFC champion Chiefs built a 35-0 first-half lead before cruising to their sixth consecutive win.
They’ve won eight of their last nine against the Raiders (6-7), outscoring them 89-23 in two meetings this season.
Mayfield, Browns survive rally after Ravens lose QB Jackson
CLEVELAND – Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes, Myles Garrett scored his first career TD and the Cleveland Browns stayed in the thick of the playoff race, surviving Baltimore’s late comeback for a 24-22 win Sunday over the Ravens, who lost superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson with an ankle injury.
Healthier than he’s been in weeks following Cleveland’s bye, Mayfield connected with Jarvis Landry and Austin Hooper on first-half scores as the Browns (7-6) bounced back and beat the Ravens (8-5) after losing to them 15 days ago.
Of course it helped that Jackson went out with a sprained right ankle sustained on the first play of the second quarter and didn’t return.
The former NFL MVP was unable to put any weight on the ankle, a frightening and concerning sight for the AFC North-leading Ravens, who have been overrun by injuries this season. Jackson was replaced by backup Tyler Huntley.
The Ravens lacked the offensive explosiveness Jackson provides, and Huntley spent much of the second half scrambling from trouble.
Titans dominate Jaguars, ending a home shutout drought that spanned decades
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans were on the other side of a turnover-fest Sunday, getting four interceptions that helped them beat woeful Jacksonville 20-0 for their first home shutout in more than two decades.
Rashaan Evans, Jayon Brown, Kristian Fulton and Buster Skrine picked off passes from rookie Trevor Lawrence, who hadn’t thrown multiple interceptions in a game since his NFL debut.
Tennessee dominated Jacksonville’s offensive line, sacking Lawrence three times and prompting four holding calls and a false start. All the interceptions were a direct result of pressure, but not blitzes.
The Titans (9-4) had been on the other end of turnover-filled games their previous two times out, losing to Houston and New England thanks mostly to a combined nine turnovers.
Jacksonville (2-11) provided the perfect remedy for a two-game skid. The Jaguars also extended a number of streaks of their own while failing to score in a game for the fourth time in franchise history and first time since 2009.
The Jaguars lost their fifth straight overall, eighth straight in Nashville, ninth consecutive in AFC South play and 15th in a row on the road.
This one comes after more reports that the organization is dealing with internal strife, with mounting angst brewing between embattled coach Urban Meyer and his staff.
Ryan leads Falcons past Panthers, maintaining stretch of strong play on the road
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Matt Ryan threw for 190 yards and a touchdown, Mykal Walker returned an interception of Cam Newton 66 yards for a touchdown and the Atlanta Falcons continued to play well on the road with a 29-21 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Cordarrelle Patterson ran for 58 yards and a touchdown for the Falcons (6-7), who improved to 6-2 away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium and kept their playoff hopes alive.
Newton ran for a 12-yard touchdown but turned over the ball twice and was benched midway through through the fourth quarter for P.J. Walker. The Panthers (5-8) turned it over three times in all and have lost eight of their last 10 games under second-year coach Matt Rhule. Newton has lost his last 11 starts as Carolina’s starting quarterback dating back to 2018.
With the Panthers trailing 20-14 midway through the third quarter, Newton tripped over center Pat Elflein’s foot after taking the snap. He tried to reach out to hand off to running back Chuba Hubbard, but instead fumbled near midfield.
The Falcons took advantage with tight end Hayden Hurst, just back from short-term injured reserve, hauling in a wide-open 3-yard touchdown pass in the flat for a 26-14 lead.
Seahawks beat Texans to win consecutive games for first time this season
HOUSTON — Russell Wilson threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns and the Seattle Seahawks won consecutive games for the first time this season with a 33-13 victory over the Houston Texans Sunday.
Seattle coach Pete Carroll earned his 150th regular0season win a week after the Seahawks (5-8) beat San Francisco 30-23. He did it in front of a sparse crowd that appeared to have more Seattle fans than Houston followers. Neon green shirts peppered the stands and chants of `Seahawks, Seahawks,’ echoed through the stadium throughout the game.
Wilson threw a 55-yard TD pass to Tyler Lockett in the second quarter and his 1-yard pass to Gerald Everett and 2-point conversion to Lockett made it 27-13 with about 7 1/2 minutes left.
Lockett had 142 yards receiving to give him 1,023 yards this season. He joins Hall of Famer Steve Largent as the only players in franchise history to have at least 1,000 yards receiving in three straight seasons.
Rashaad Penny ran for a career-high 137 yards with two touchdowns. He scored Seattle’s first touchdown on a 32-yard run in the first quarter and his 47-yard scamper extended the lead to 33-13.
Rookie Davis Mills threw for a career-high 331 yards and a touchdown starting in place of Tyrod Taylor, who was benched after the Texans (2-11) were shut out 31-0 by the Colts last week. He looked great early, completing his first 14 attempts to set a franchise record.
But he struggled after that, completing 19 of 35 passes to fall to 0-7 as a starter as the Texans were shut out in the second half.
Saints end five-game skid with dominant victory over skidding Jets
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Alvin Kamara ran for 120 yards and a touchdown in his return from a four-game absence, and the New Orleans Saints snapped a five-game losing streak with a 30-9 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.
Taysom Hill ran for two scores and shook off a banged-up finger on his throwing hand to pass for 175 yards for the Saints (6-7), whose skid was their longest since Sean Payton took over as coach in 2006.
Brett Maher added three field goals and the defense stifled Zach Wilson and New York’s short-handed offense as the Jets (3-10) were eliminated from playoff contention. They have missed the postseason 11 straight years, tying the franchise’s longest drought set from 1970-80. It is also the longest active skid in the NFL.
Hill, who injured his right middle finger in the Saints’ previous game, finished 15 of 21 passing and ran for 73 yards on 11 carries.
Kamara, who missed four games with a sprained knee, looked fully healthy again while carrying the ball 27 times in his fifth career 100-yard rushing performance. He also caught four passes for 25 yards.
Cowboys deliver on coach’s guarantee, beat rival Washington
LANDOVER, Md. — Beating Washington looked far from a guarantee for the Dallas Cowboys after their big lead shrunk, but coach Mike McCarthy is plenty confident winning a close game is good for his team.
Micah Parsons sacked Taylor Heinicke twice and forced a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, helping the Cowboys make good on McCarthy’s “We’re going to win this game” guarantee by holding on to beat Washington 27-20 Sunday and snap their rival’s winning streak at four.
Dallas led 24-0 and 27-8 before Kyle Allen replaced Heinicke and led a 73-yard TD drive and Cole Holcomb intercepted Dak Prescott and ran it back for a pick-6. Washington’s comeback bid came to an end when Allen fumbled with 2:24 remaining.
“There’s so much value in those moments,” McCarthy said. “To get where we want to go, we need to thrive in those situations. Now we created some of it today, don’t get me wrong, but there’s still benefit in adversity football.”
The Cowboys staked themselves to such a big lead thanks to a big first-half showing by their defence. Dallas forced four turnovers and had five sacks.
Herbert throws three touchdowns, Chargers defeat Giants
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Justin Herbert threw for three touchdowns and the Los Angeles Chargers won consecutive games for the first time since early October, defeating the New York Giants 37-21 on Sunday.
Dustin Hopkins added three field goals for the Chargers, who improved to 8-5 and are a game behind the Kansas City Chiefs going into Thursday night’s pivotal AFC West matchup.
Herbert also reached a trio of milestones in the win. He is the first player to reach 30 touchdown passes in his first two seasons; has the most completions by a player through his first two seasons (734); and is the second-fastest player to reach 8,000 career yards (28 games).
The second-year signal caller went 16 of 22 for 204 yards and a touchdown as the Chargers took a 24-7 lead into halftime. His final throw of the first half was a 59-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Guyton.
Broncos honour the late Demaryius Thomas during rout of the Lions
DENVER — The Denver Broncos honored the memory of Demaryius Thomas with tributes, decals and a 38-10 walloping of the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Running backs Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon each scored a pair of touchdowns and Dre’Mont Jones had a monster game that included two sacks of Jared Goff.
Several Broncos arrived at the stadium wearing No. 88 jerseys and kicker Brandon McManus wore custom cleats featuring Thomas’ famous mile-wide smile. The retired receiver died at his Georgia home on Thursday at age 33.
About an hour before kickoff, local artist Armando Silva delivered a portrait of Thomas which he painted in the parking lot to the Broncos’ locker room. That was followed by a pregame moment of silence and a video tribute featuring Thomas’ 80-yard touchdown catch from Tim Tebow on the first play of overtime against the Steelers on Jan. 8, 2012.
Then, the Broncos (7-6) took the field with just 10 men in honour of Thomas. The Lions (1-11-1) declined the delay of game penalty.
Garoppolo throws 12-yard touchdown as 49ers beat Bengals in overtime
CINCINNATI — Jimmy Garoppolo threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 26-23 in overtime Sunday.
Garoppolo completed five passes in the overtime drive, including a pair to tight end George Kittle, who was again San Francisco’s offensive star.
On the final play, Aiyuk dove to the pylon and was initially ruled short, but a replay gave him the touchdown and San Francisco (7-6) a critical win.
Evan McPherson hit a 41-yard field goal in the opening possession of overtime to give the Bengals (7-6) a brief lead, their first of the day.
San Francisco’s Robbie Gould missed a 47-yard field goal with 4 seconds left in regulation that would have been a game-winner.
Rodgers throws four touchdown passes, Packers defeat Bears
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Rodgers threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns to continue his mastery of the NFL’s oldest rivalry as the Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears 45-30 on Sunday night.
The Packers scored the first 24 points of the second half to erase a 27-21 halftime deficit.
Green Bay (10-3) took a four-game lead over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North and moved closer to its third straight division title. Chicago (4-9) has lost seven of eight.
Rodgers went 29 of 37, throwing two TD passes to Davante Adams and one each to Allen Lazard and Aaron Jones. Rodgers has 61 career touchdown passes against the Bears, the most all-time against Chicago and one more than his predecessor, Brett Favre.
The Packers are 23-5 against the Bears in games Rodgers had started. Rodgers yelled, “I still own you!” to the Soldier Field crowd after his fourth-quarter touchdown run in a 24-14 victory on Oct. 17.
4:16