Savage, Texans outlast Bengals to clinch AFC South
Tom Savage threw for 176 yards in his first career start and the Bengals missed a field goal as time expired, giving the Texans a 12-10 victory and their second straight AFC South title Saturday night.
The Bengals converted a fourth down play to keep a drive alive, but four plays later, former Texan Randy Bullock’s 43-yard attempt sailed wide right to secure Houston’s victory.
Savage helped the Texans (9-6) rally for a win over the Jaguars last week after taking over when Brock Osweiler was benched after throwing interceptions on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter.
Cardinals 34, Seahawks 31
The Cardinals continue to give the Seahawks headaches at home. This time, it will likely end up costing Seattle a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Chandler Catanzaro hit a 43-yard field goal on the final play and the Cardinals beat the Seahawks.
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 touchdown catch and Paul Richardson’s 5-yard TD with 1:06 left tied it. Steven Hauschka missed the extra point that could have given Seattle the lead, but it didn’t matter in the end.
Falcons 33, Panthers 16
In Charlotte, N.C., Matt Ryan threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns while setting an NFL single-season record by throwing touchdown passes to 13 different players. Five of those players are tight ends, including Joshua Perkins and D.J. Tialavea, who caught TD passes in Atlanta’s win over Carolina, that helped the Falcons clinch their first division title since 2012.
Redskins 41, Bears 21
In Chicago, Kirk Cousins threw for a touchdown and ran for two more, and the Redskins (8-6-1) gave their fading playoff hopes a boost with a victory over the Bears.
Packers 38, Vikings 25
In Green Bay, Wis., Aaron Rodgers threw for 347 yards and four touchdowns, Jordy Nelson shredded Minnesota’s secondary for 154 yards and two scores, and the resurgent Packers beat the Vikings. The Packers’ fifth straight win set up a winner-take-all showdown next week with Detroit for the NFC North title.
Dolphins 34, Bills 31 (OT)
In Orchard Park, N.Y., Jay Ajayi ran for 206 yards and broke loose for a 53-yarder in overtime to set up Andrew Franks’ 27-yard field goal with 47 seconds left to lead the Dolphins to a 34-31 win over the Bills (7-8).
49ers 22, Rams 21
In Los Angeles, Colin Kaepernick threw a 10-yard touchdown pass with 31 seconds remaining and scrambled for a go-ahead 2-point conversion and the 49ers (2-13) overcame a 14-point deficit to end a 13-game losing streak with a 22-21 win over the Rams (4-11).