Brady NFL passing leader, Rivers hot streak continues
Thielen, Cousins carry Vikings past Packers
CARSON: Philip Rivers threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns while also setting an NFL record for consecutive completions to start a game, and the Los Angeles Chargers overcame a double-digit deficit and rolled to a 45-10 victory Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals in Carson, Calif. Rivers completed his first 25 pass attempts against the Cardinals, breaking the record of 22 set by the Washington Redskins’ Mark Brunell in 2006. Rivers also tied the record for consecutive completions overall with Ryan Tannehill, who set his mark over consecutive games. Rivers finished 28 of 29 and was given the fourth quarter off. He also set a single-game record for completion rate at 96.6 percent (minimum 11 attempts). His only incompletion came late in the third quarter as he attempted a short pass while getting hit as he threw. The Chargers found themselves in a 10-0 hole in the first quarter, after the Cardinals (2-9) got a 25-yard Josh Rosen-to-Larry Fitzgerald TD pass and a 30-yard Phil Dawson field goal. Rivers led Los Angeles (8-3) to 45 unanswered points from there, 28 coming in the second quarter alone.
VIKINGS 24, PACKERS 17
In what was practically an elimination game for the NFC playoff race, Minnesota dominated Green Bay en route to a win at Minneapolis. Kirk Cousins completed 29 of 38 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns as the Vikings (6-4-1) moved into the NFC’s top wild-card position. Adam Thielen tortured the Packers (4-6-1) for eight receptions, 125 yards and one touchdown. With injuries galore, the Packers needed a big game from Aaron Rodgers. Instead, the quarterback was 17 of 28 for 198 yards and one touchdown. Green Bay fell to 0-6 on the road, including losses at the Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota in the past five weeks.
COLTS 27, DOLPHINS 24
Andrew Luck threw three touchdown passes, and Adam Vinatieri booted a game-winning, 32-yard field goal on the final play as host Indianapolis rallied to defeat Miami. The Colts (6-5) have won five straight games. Miami (5-6) lost for the fourth time in five games. Indianapolis trailed 24-14 with less than nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter before Luck, who has a streak of eight straight games with at least three TD passes, led the comeback. He completed 30 of 37 passes for 343 yards, overcoming two interceptions. His biggest play came on third-and-9 from the Indianapolis 43 on what became the game-winning drive. Luck narrowly escaped a sack and tossed a 34-yard pass to Chester Rogers to the Miami 23, setting up the winning field goal.
BRONCOS 24, STEELERS 17
Nose tackle Shelby Harris intercepted Ben Roethlisberger in the end zone with 1:07 left, and host Denver beat Pittsburgh. Case Keenum passed for 197 yards and two touchdowns, rookie Phillip Lindsay had 110 yards rushing and a score and Emmanuel Sanders had seven catches for 86 yards and a touchdown for the Broncos (56). It was the second straight game in which the Broncos beat a team entering on a six-game win streak. The Steelers (7-3-1) committed four turnovers. Roethlisberger was 41 of 56 for 462 yards passing, one touchdown and two interceptions, and JuJu Smith-Schuster had 13 receptions for 189 yards and a 97-yard score.
SEAHAWKS 30, PANTHERS 27
Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 31-yard field goal on the final play as Seattle defeated Carolina in Charlotte, N.C. Seattle (6-5) scored 10 points in the final 3 1/2 minutes to capture a matchup of two teams likely to be jockeying for wild-card positioning in the NFC. The Panthers (6-5) have lost three in a row. Carolina kicker Graham Gano was wide right on a 52-yard field goal attempt with 1:40 left. Seattle, without any timeouts, took over at its 42-yard line. On third down, Russell Wilson threw a 43-yard strike to Tyler Lockett to take the ball to the Carolina 10, setting up Janikowski.
EAGLES 25, GIANTS 22
Jake Elliott kicked three field goals, including a 43yarder with 22 seconds remaining, to lift host Philadelphia past New York. Josh Adams rushed for a touchdown and Carson Wentz threw for a score as the Eagles (5-6) snapped a two-game losing streak. Philadelphia also defeated New York (3-8) for the fifth straight game. Giants rookie Saquon Barkley rushed 13 times for 101 yards and a touchdown while also catching seven passes for 41 yards and a score.
PATRIOTS 27, JETS 13
Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes and became the NFL’s career leader in total yards passing for the regular season and postseason combined, and New England overcame a slew of penalties to beat New York in East Rutherford, N.J. Brady completed 20 of 31 passes for 283 yards as New England (8-3) beat the Jets (3-8) for the 13th time in the past 15 meetings. Brady entered the game 147 yards shy of passing Peyton Manning’s career mark of 79,279 and accomplished the feat on a 4yard pass to rookie Sony Michel in the second quarter. He also reached the 3,000-passing-yard mark for the 16th time, tying Manning for the second-most behind Brett Favre’s 18 seasons. Brady reached 3,000 yards on a 17-yard pass to Josh Gordon early in the fourth.
BILLS 24, JAGUARS 21
Josh Allen totaled 259 yards and two touchdowns for Buffalo in a victory over Jacksonville at Orchard Park, N.Y. Buffalo’s rookie quarterback returned after missing four games with an elbow injury and led the Bills (4-7) to a second straight win. Allen completed 8 of 19 passes for 160 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown pass to fellow rookie Robert Foster. He also ran 13 times for 99 yards to set a franchise record for quarterback rushing, adding a scoring run. The Jaguars (3-8) were doomed by penalties (10 for 90 yards) and ineffective play from Blake Bortles (12 of 23 for 127 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions) in their seventh straight loss. Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette and Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson were ejected after exchanging punches in the third quarter.
RAVENS 34, RAIDERS 17
Rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson ran for one touchdown and passed for another while improving to 20 as a starter in host Baltimore’s victory over Oakland. Jackson, started for the second consecutive week because of a hip injury to Joe Flacco and helped the Ravens (6-5) strengthen their playoff hopes. He completed 14 of 25 passes for 178 yards with two interceptions and rushed for 71 yards on 11 carries. Fellow rookie Gus Edwards gained 118 yards on 23 carries. Baltimore made Jackson’s job easier with a defensive touchdown and a special teams touchdown. Derek Carr completed 16 of 34 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown for the Raiders (2-9), who finished with just 249 total yards, including 67 rushing.