Jayden Daniels connected with Zach Ertz in overtime for his third touchdown pass of the game to get the Washington Commanders into the playoffs by beating the Atlanta Falcons 30-24 on Sunday night in a back-and-forth prime-time showdown between highly drafted rookie quarterbacks.
Daniels ran for a season-high 127 yards and completed 24 of 36 passes for 227 yards and had two TD passes to Ertz and another to Olamide Zaccheaus to make the playoffs in his rookie year.
In his latest comeback performance in a season full of them, the No 2 overall pick in the draft in April shook off an interception and a 10-point halftime deficit and led the winning drive in overtime that was capped with the two-yard pass to Ertz.
The Commanders (11-5) could move up to the sixth seed in the NFC and set up a wild-card round game at Tampa Bay or the Los Angeles Rams if they win their regular-season finale at Dallas next weekend. They otherwise would be seventh and visit division-rival Philadelphia unless Green Bay lose to Chicago.
The Falcons (8-8) lost control of their chances of winning the NFC South and ensuring a home playoff game. They now need to beat Carolina and for the Buccaneers to lose to New Orleans to qualify altogether.
Green Bay Packers 25-27 Minnesota Vikings
Sam Darnold added another exploit to his career-altering season, passing for a personal-best 377 yards and three touchdowns as the Vikings hung on to beat the Packers 27-25 on Sunday for their ninth consecutive victory that put them one win from the NFC’s top seed for the playoffs.
Darnold hit Jalen Nailor, Jordan Addison and Cam Akers for scores to raise his passing touchdown total to 35, the fourth-most in NFL history by a player in his debut season with a team.
The Vikings (14-2) set up a final-week showdown in Detroit for both the NFC North title and the first-round-bye-plus-home-field-advantage package that comes with the best record in the conference.
Jordan Love’s only touchdown pass for the Packers (11-5) came with 2:18 left, a 3-yard toss to Malik Heath that trimmed their deficit to two points and reignited the “Go Pack Go!” chants from the green-clad fans mixed in among the purple in another classic edition of this divisional rivalry.
Despite another fierce climb out of a gaping hole against Minnesota this season, following a 31-29 loss in Green Bay on Sept. 29 that started with a 28-0 deficit, the Packers fell to a troubling 0-5 against the top three teams in the NFC. They were swept by the Lions, too, and lost the opener in Brazil to the Eagles.
The Vikings’ Sam Darnold make a pitch during Sunday’s win over Green Bay. Photograph: Dan Powers/USA Today Sports
Dallas Cowboys 7-41 Philadelphia Eagles
Saquon Barkley rushed for 167 yards to top 2,000 on the season, backup quarterback Kenny Pickett ran and threw for scores before departing with injured ribs, and the Eagles clinched the NFC East title by routing the Cowboys 41-7 on Sunday.
Barkley has 2,005 yards and needs 101 in next week’s mostly meaningless regular-season finale to top Eric Dickerson and his 2,105 yards for the Los Angeles Rams in 1984.
The Eagles (13-3) led 24-7 in the third quarter when Pickett was drilled by defensive end Micah Parsons, ending his first start in place of the concussed Jalen Hurts. Tanner McKee, a career third-stringer, entered the game and the Eagles finished the drive with a field goal.
McKee later threw two TD passes, a 20-yarder to AJ Brown and a 25-yarder to DeVonta Smith, in front of a roaring crowd delighted to watch the Eagles dominate their fiercest rival to wrap up the division title and at least the No 2 seed in the NFC.
Hurts was injured in last week’s loss at Washington and remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol – he didn’t practice all week – which opened the door for Pickett to start.
Pickett, acquired from Pittsburgh in the offseason, played with extra protection under his jersey after he suffered a rib injury when he was pressed into service against the Commanders.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley runs the ball against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half of Sunday’s win. Photograph: Bill Streicher/USA Today Sports
Carolina Panthers 14-48 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield threw for 359 yards and five touchdowns to help the Buccaneers keep their division and playoff hopes alive with a 48-14 rout of the Panthers on Sunday.
Tampa Bay’s fifth win in the past six weeks nudged the first-place Bucs (9-7) a half-game ahead of Atlanta for the best record in the NFC South, with the Falcons set to play on the road later Sunday night at Washington.
Atlanta holds the tiebreaker in the division race and can end Tampa Bay’s three-year reign as NFC South champions by beating the Commanders and winning again next week at home against the last-place Panthers (4-12).
Mayfield threw TD passes of 2 and 1 yards to Mike Evans, and Tampa Bay produced points on five straight first-half possessions to build a 27-7 lead. Jalen McMillan scored on receptions of 10 and 16 yards, linebacker JJ Russell returned a blocked punt for a third-quarter TD and rookie Bucky Irving had another big game against Carolina with 120 yards rushing on 20 carries and four receptions for 77 yards.
Irving went over 1,000 yards for the season (1,033) despite primarily being used as a backup to Rachaad White. The fourth-round draft pick ran for 152 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries against the NFL’s 32nd-ranked run defense in Tampa Bay’s 26-23 overtime win at Carolina on 1 December.
Tennessee Titans 13-20 Jacksonville Jaguars
Mac Jones threw two touchdown passes, including one to standout rookie Brian Thomas Jr, and the Jaguars beat the Titans 20-13 in the rain Sunday to sweep the season series for the fourth time in 30 years.
Jones completed 15 of 22 passes for 174 yards, with most of them going to Thomas. The first-round draft pick from LSU finished with seven receptions for 91 yards. His 11-yard TD catch with 7:05 remaining gave him his eighth game with at least 60 yards and a score, tying him with Hall of Famer Randy Moss for the most by a rookie in NFL history.
Thomas, who has five TD catches in his past four games, also became the fifth player in Jaguars history with double-digit TD receptions in a single season. He joined Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Marcedes Lewis and Reggie Williams.
The Titans (3-13) improved their position for the 2025 NFL draft – a potential chance to land a franchise quarterback – and secured last place in the AFC South. The Jaguars (4-12) guaranteed themselves third in the division.
New York Jets 14-40 Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and the Bills clinched the AFC’s No 2 seed with a 40-14 rout of the unraveling and undisciplined Jets on Sunday.
The Bills put the game away by capitalizing on two Jets turnovers and scoring three touchdowns over a 5:01 span in the closing minutes of the third quarter. Buffalo’s defense forced three takeaways overall and sacked Aaron Rodgers four times, including a two-yard loss for a safety in the second quarter.
Allen had a short and efficient outing, finishing 16 of 27 for 182 yards with a 30-yard TD pass to Amari Cooper and a 14-yarder to Keon Coleman before giving way to backup Mitchell Trubisky with Buffalo leading 33-0 through three quarters. And Trubisky piled on by completing a 69-yard touchdown pass to practice squad call-up Tyrell Shavers 2:23 into the fourth quarter.
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Tyrell Shavers (80) runs with the ball after making a catch and scores a touchdown against the New York Jets during the second half at Highmark Stadium. Photograph: Gregory Fisher/USA Today Sports
Las Vegas Raiders 25-10 New Orleans Saints
Aidan O’Connell passed for two touchdowns, tight end Brock Bowers broke two rookie NFL records, and the Raiders won for just the fourth time this season, 25-10 over the struggling Saints on Sunday.
Bowers’ seven catches for 77 yards gave him 108 receptions for 1,144 yards this season, eclipsing Mike Ditka’s 1961 rookie tight end mark of 1,067 yards receiving and Puka Nacua’s 2023 mark of 105 catches by a rookie at any position. Bowers also surpassed Darren Waller’s franchise mark of 107 receptions in a season, which had stood since 2020.
Ameer Abdullah rushed for 115 yards for the Raiders (4-12) – the journeyman running back’s first 100-yard game in his 10 NFL seasons.
O’Connell finished with 242 yards passing, including a three-yard TD pass to Jakobi Meyers and an 18-yarder to Tre Tucker.
Daniel Carlson kicked four field goals – his longest from 54 yards – for the Raiders, who didn’t look fazed by flight delays on Saturday that got them into their hotel after midnight, less than 12 hours before kickoff.
Indianapolis Colts 33-45 New York Giants
The hapless Giants snapped a franchise-record 10-game losing streak and ended the Colts’ slim playoff hopes Sunday as Drew Lock threw four touchdown passes and ran for another in a 45-33 victory.
New York earned their first home win of the season and they no longer has control of the No 1 overall pick in the draft.
Lock sandwiched touchdown passes of 31 and 59 yards to Malik Nabers around TD passes of 32 yards to Darius Slayton and 5 yards to Wan’Dale Robinson in leading the Giants (3-13) to their first win since beating Seattle on 6 October.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette had a 100-yard return on the second-half kickoff on a day the league’s worst offense set a season high for points.
Jonathan Taylor scored on runs of 3 and 26 yards for Indianapolis (7-9), while Joe Flacco, subbing for the injured Anthony Richardson, threw touchdown passes of 13 yards to Alec Pierce and 7 yards to Michael Pittman, the last bringing the Colts within 35-33 with 6:38 left in the fourth quarter.
Lock, who finished 17 of 23 for 309 yards, iced the game by leading a nine-play, 70-yard drive that he capped with a five-yard run.
Miami Dolphins 20-3 Cleveland Browns
Tyler Huntley scrambled for a touchdown and threw for one while starting for Tua Tagovailoa, and the Dolphins stayed in the playoff race heading into their season finale with a 20-3 win over the Browns on Sunday.
With Tagovailoa sidelined by a hip injury, Huntley did enough to keep the Dolphins (8-8) alive with one game left.
Miami needs to win next weekend at the New York Jets and hope the Denver Broncos lose at home to Kansas City to get a wild-card berth. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and many of the top-seeded Chiefs’ starters are expected to rest.
Tagovailoa’s status for next week is unclear, but Huntley showed he can get the job done if necessary.
He finished 22 of 26 for 225 yards and didn’t have any turnovers in his fourth start this season. The 26-year-old was with Cleveland in training camp before being released in August.
The Browns (3-13) dropped their fifth straight and finished 2-6 at home. They improved their draft position for 2025, when they will likely look for a quarterback.
