Justin Herbert threw for 210 yards and one touchdown while counterpart Patrick Mahomes tore the ACL in his left knee while leading a drive in the final two minutes as the Los Angeles Chargers ensured the host Kansas City Chiefs will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014 with a 16-13 win on Sunday.
Herbert hit 19 of 29 passes for the Chargers (10-4), who won their third in a row to stay in the AFC West chase. KeAndre Lambert-Smith caught his first touchdown pass and Cameron Dicker booted three field goals, including a 49-yarder late in the third quarter that gave Los Angeles its first lead.
Mahomes rushed for a 12-yard touchdown in the first quarter and hit 16 of 28 passes for 189 yards. He had the Chiefs driving in Chargers’ territory in the final two minutes, but he injured his knee and left the game when he was tackled by Da’Shawn Hand. Gardner Minshew entered and, on his fifth play, tossed an interception to Derwin James Jr. at the Los Angeles 18 with 14 seconds left.
The Chiefs said after the game that an MRI exam confirmed Mahomes’ injury and he and the club “are currently exploring surgical options.”
Bills 35, Patriots 31
Josh Allen passed for three touchdowns, James Cook accounted for three scores and Buffalo overcame a 21-point deficit to beat New England on a snowy afternoon in Foxborough, Mass.
Dawson Knox caught two touchdown passes as the Bills (10-4) snapped the Patriots’ 10-game winning streak and prevented them from clinching the AFC East. Buffalo scored the first 21 points of the second half, then took a decisive lead with 6:48 remaining on Cook’s 11-yard scoring run.
TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 148 yards on 14 carries and scored on runs of 52 and 65 yards for New England (11-3). Drake Maye also rushed for two touchdowns as the Patriots built an early 21-0 lead.
Seahawks 18, Colts 16
Jason Myers kicked a franchise-record six field goals, the last a 56-yarder with 18 seconds remaining, as host Seattle defeated Indianapolis and spoiled the return of quarterback Philip Rivers.
The 44-year-old Rivers, who retired after the 2020 season, was signed earlier in the week to replace the injured Daniel Jones. He completed 18 of 27 passes for 120 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The pick came on a desperation heave with 4 seconds left. Blake Grupe booted three field goals, with his 60-yarder with 47 seconds to go giving the Colts (8-6) a 16-15 lead.
But quarterback Sam Darnold completed a pair of passes to Rashid Shaheed to get the Seahawks (11-3) into range for Myers’ winner. Myers also kicked a 30-yarder with 2:27 left to give Seattle its first lead of the day. Darnold was 22 of 36 for 271 yards, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba making seven receptions for 113 yards as the Seahawks won their fourth game in a row.
Broncos 34, Packers 26
Bo Nix tied a career high with four touchdown passes, Courtland Sutton had seven receptions for 113 yards and a TD catch and host Denver beat Green Bay.
Nix finished 23-for-34 for 302 yards passing for the Broncos (12-2), who have won 11 straight, hold the top seed in the AFC and clinched a playoff spot with the victory. Troy Franklin, Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Michael Bandy each caught touchdown passes, while RJ Harvey scored another on the ground.
Jordan Love completed 24 of 40 passes for 276 yards and threw a touchdown to Josh Jacobs, who also scored on the ground for the Packers (9-4-1). Love was intercepted twice. It was a costly game for Green Bay, which lost wide receiver Christian Watson to a chest injury and defensive end Micah Parsons to a left knee injury in the third quarter.
Rams 41, Lions 34
Matthew Stafford threw for 368 yards, including two touchdowns to Colby Parkinson, as host Los Angeles held on to defeat Detroit.
Kyren Williams rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns, while Blake Corum rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown for the Rams (11-3), who totaled 159 yards on the ground. Puka Nacua caught nine passes on 11 targets for 181 yards and Davante Adams hauled in four passes for 71 yards before he left the game in the fourth quarter due to a hamstring injury.
Jared Goff passed for 338 yards and three touchdowns for the Lions (8-6). Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 13 passes on 18 targets for 164 yards and two touchdowns, while Jameson Williams made seven receptions for 134 yards and a touchdown.
Jaguars 48, Jets 20
Trevor Lawrence threw for 330 yards and five touchdowns while adding a sixth score on the ground as host Jacksonville stayed atop the AFC South with a walloping of New York.
Lawrence completed 20 of 32 passes while adding a team-high 51 yards rushing despite suffering an injury to his right index finger in the second quarter. Trainers taped up his finger, enabling Lawrence to stay in the game. Jaguars running back Travis Etienne scored touchdowns on each of his three receptions as Jacksonville improved to 10-4, a game ahead of Houston in the AFC South with three weeks remaining.
Jets quarterback Brady Cook hit on 22 of 33 passes for 176 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions in his first NFL start. Cook got the call with Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor sidelined due to injuries. New York, which last week was eliminated from playoff contention for the 15th straight year, dropped to 3-11.
Ravens 24, Bengals 0
Lamar Jackson tossed two touchdown passes as visiting Baltimore earned a victory over Cincinnati to claim its first shutout in seven seasons, dating to a blanking of the Tennessee Titans 21-0 on Oct. 14, 2018.
On a 10-degree Ohio day, the coldest game in Ravens history, Jackson completed eight of 12 passes for 150 yards with touchdown passes to Rasheen Ali and Zay Flowers as the Ravens (7-7) split their season series with the Bengals (4-10).
Joe Burrow was 25 of 39 for 225 yards and two interceptions for Cincinnati, which lost for the sixth time in seven games and fell to 2-5 at home. Ja’Marr Chase had 10 receptions for 132 yards.
Eagles 31, Raiders 0
Jalen Hurts threw two of his three touchdown passes to Dallas Goedert and NFC East-leading Philadelphia halted a three-game skid by posting its first shutout since the 2018 season.
The Eagles (9-5) handed Las Vegas (2-12) its eighth straight loss. Hurts’ 175 passing yards helped his club outgain the Raiders 387-75. Saquon Barkley ran for 78 yards and a score and 37-year-old Brandon Graham, who came out of retirement last month, tallied two sacks.
Kenny Pickett, who won a Super Bowl ring with the Eagles last season, became the seventh starting quarterback for Las Vegas since 2023. He completed 15 of 25 passes for 64 yards with one interception, and Maxx Crosby collected his 10th sack.
Bears 31, Browns 3
D’Andre Swift rushed for two touchdowns, D.J. Moore hauled in two TD passes and Chicago cruised to a win over visiting Cleveland.
Caleb Williams completed 17 of 28 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears (10-4), who reached double-digit victories for the first time since 2018. The Chicago defense forced three turnovers and racked up five sacks.
Shedeur Sanders completed 18 of 35 passes for 177 yards and three interceptions for the Browns (3-11). Pass rusher Myles Garrett moved within one sack of matching the all-time single-season record. Garrett finished with 1 1/2 sacks against the Bears to give him 21 1/2 sacks on the season. He can surpass co-record holders Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt next weekend at home against the Buffalo Bills.
Texans 40, Cardinals 20
C.J. Stroud threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns as host Houston raced to a 17-0 lead in the opening nine minutes against Arizona to collect its sixth win in a row.
Nico Collins caught two touchdown passes and Dalton Schultz notched eight receptions for 76 yards and a score for the Texans (9-5). Jawhar Jordan rushed for 101 yards on 15 carries in his NFL debut.
Trey McBride caught 12 passes for 134 yards and two scores to become the NFL’s first tight end to record back-to-back 100-catch seasons. Jacoby Brissett completed 27 of 40 passes for 249 yards, three touchdowns and one interception for the Cardinals (3-11), who trailed 17-0 before earning their initial first down.
Commanders 29, Giants 21
Jaylin Lane returned a punt 63 yards for a score and Terry McLaurin caught a 51-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter as Washington snapped an eight-game losing streak with the NFC East victory over New York in East Rutherford, N.J.
The Commanders (4-10) never trailed as Marcus Mariota completed 10 of 19 passes for 211 yards and one score. Jacory Croskey-Merritt rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown and Washington’s defense kept the Giants from scoring on first-and-goal from the 1 in the fourth quarter.
Jaxson Dart hit 20 of 36 passes for 246 yards and two scores for the Giants (2-12), who have lost eight in a row. Tyrone Tracy Jr. rushed for 70 yards and one score while adding a touchdown catch.
Saints 20, Panthers 17
Tyler Shough passed for 272 yards and a touchdown and helped set up Charlie Smyth’s go-ahead field goal, and host New Orleans defeated Carolina for a season sweep, having won 17-7 on Nov. 9 in Charlotte.
Shough and the Saints (4-10) drove 62 yards in 51 seconds before giving way to Smyth for a 47-yard field goal, which split the uprights with 2 seconds left.
Bryce Young threw for 163 yards and rushed for 49 to lead the Panthers (7-7), who fell into a tie with Tampa Bay for first place in the NFC South. Carolina and the Buccaneers face each other twice in the final three weeks, beginning with a game in Charlotte next Sunday.
49ers 37, Titans 24
Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes, two to Jauan Jennings, while Christian McCaffrey rushed for 73 yards and a score as San Francisco outlasted Tennessee for a fourth straight win in Santa Clara, Calif.
George Kittle had eight catches for 88 yards and a TD for the 49ers (10-4) and Eddy Pineiro made two of his three field goals in the fourth quarter to help San Francisco finalize the win.
Purdy went 23-for-30 passing for 295 yards for the Niners, while Tennessee’s Cam Ward was 18 of 29 for 170 yards and two touchdowns. The Titans (2-12) made a game of it by scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons’ 1-yard scoring catch.
–Field Level Media
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