Raiders lose Carr to injury; Browns get first win
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Raiders suffered their most significant loss of the season.
Quarterback Derek Carr broke a bone in his right leg in the fourth quarter of Oakland’s 33-25 victory over Indianapolis on Saturday, immediately throwing a dark cloud over a resurgent season in Oakland.
“It’s obviously a blow,” coach Jack Del Rio said. “That’s what teams do. Teams have to find a way to pick up and move on, rally around the next guy the best we can. That’s what we do.”
Carr, who threw three touchdown passes, got hurt with Oakland (12-3) leading 33-14 early in the fourth quarter when he was sacked by Trent Cole. Carr stayed on the ground for several minutes in pain as trainers came out to treat him.
With the crowd chanting “M-V-P! M-V-P!” Carr limped off the field without putting any pressure on his right leg. He was then taken away on a cart for X-rays which showed the break. Carr will have surgery Sunday.
The injury changed the mood at the Coliseum from celebratory to depressed as thoughts turned from the Raiders possibly clinching the division with one more win or a Kansas City loss to wondering if an opportunity for a possible Super Bowl run was now lost.
Now the team must prepare for a playoff run with Matt McGloin at quarterback. McGloin has not started a game since the end of the 2013 season with Carr starting all 47 games since he arrived.
Carr’s injury made it a down day all the way around. Andrew Luck threw two interceptions, Frank Gore lost a fumble and Indianapolis allowed touchdowns on five straight drives to be eliminated from the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
BROWNS 20, CHARGERS 17
Cleveland is winless no more.
The host Browns avoided that fate by beating San Diego for their first victory in more than a year. San Diego’s Josh Lambo missed a 45-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Browns their first win in 377 days.
When the kick sailed right, Cleveland’s small crowd erupted in celebration, and Browns players poured off their sideline as if they had just won the Super Bowl.
Cleveland avoided becoming the second team to go 0-15 and no longer has to worry about joining the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only teams to lose all 16 games.
FALCONS 33, PANTHERS 16
Atlanta is back on top of
the NFC South, capturing its first division title since 2012.
Matt Ryan threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns, Tevin Coleman had 135 yards from scrimmage, including a pivotal 55-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run as the Falcons won at Carolina.
The Falcons then had to wait about 3½ hours to celebrate when New Orleans defeated Tampa Bay to seal Atlanta’s first playoff appearance in four years.
The Panthers were officially eliminated from playoff contention after making the Super Bowl last season.
PATRIOTS 41, JETS 3
Tom Brady passed for 214 yards and three scores, and host New England moved a step closer to securing homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
Malcolm Butler added two interceptions and a fumble recovery, and LeGarrette Blount had a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs.
The only really good piece of news for the Jets came before the game, when Todd Bowles rejoined the team and coached from the sideline a day after a medical scare sent him to the hospital.
PACKERS 38, VIKINGS 25
Aaron Rodgers threw for 347 yards and four touchdowns, while Jordy Nelson shredded Minnesota’s secondary for 154 yards and two scores as Green Bay won at home.
The Packers’ fifth straight win set up a winner-take-all showdown next week with Detroit for the NFC North title, while extinguishing the Vikings’ faint postseason hopes.
DOLPHINS 34, BILLS 31
Jay Ajayi ran for 206 yards and broke loose for a 57-yarder in overtime to set up Andrew Franks’ 27-yard field goal as Miami won at Buffalo.
The Dolphins inched closer to their first playoff berth since 2008. Miami can secure the AFC’s final wild-card berth as early as Sunday if Denver loses to Kansas City.
The Bills were eliminated from contention and extended the NFL’s longest active playoff drought to 17 seasons.
CARDINALS 34, SEAHAWKS 31
Chandler Catanzaro hit a 43-yard field goal on the final play, and Arizona won at Seattle to deliver a huge blow to the Seahawks’ chances at the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
Seattle rallied from a 31-18 deficit, scoring two touchdowns inside the final three minutes to pull even 31-31. Jimmy Graham had a 37-yard scoring catch, and Paul Richardson’s 5-yard touchdown with 1:06 left tied it. Steven Hauschka missed the extra-point attempt that could have given Seattle the lead, but it didn’t matter in the end.
WASHINGTON 41, BEARS 21
Kirk Cousins threw for a touchdown and ran for two more, and Washington won at Chicago to give its fading playoff hopes a boost.
DeSean Jackson added 114 yards receiving, and Washington intercepted Matt Barkley five times.
SAINTS 31, BUCCANEERS 24
Mark Ingram rushed for two-touchdowns and a game-sealing first down in the final minutes, and host New Orleans put a considerable damper on Tampa Bay’s playoff aspirations.
49ERS 22, RAMS 21
Colin Kaepernick threw a 10-yard touchdown pass with 31 seconds left and ran for a go-ahead two-point conversion as San Francisco overcame a 14-point deficit to win at Los Angeles and end a 13-game losing streak.