AN EVEN BATTLE
Eagles, Cowboys get back to .500 before big showdown next week
PERHAPS the NFC East will not be clinched by a team with a losing record, after all.
The Eagles and the Cowboys will face each other next week with identical 7-7 records, playing for first place in the division after each of the longtime rivals posted a much-needed victory on Sunday.
Carson Wentz threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns, including a 4-yard flip to Greg Ward with 32 seconds remaining to atone for a fumble earlier in the fourth quarter, as Philadelphia held off Dwayne Haskins and Washington, 37-27, for its second consecutive win following a three-game losing streak.
“I didn’t lose faith or confidence at all. I just wanted one more chance,” Wentz said. “The defense gave that to us, and we got it done.”
Embattled coach Jason Garrett and the Cowboys kept pace in the late Sunday slate, grabbing a 28-7 halftime lead and cruising to a 44-21 win over the Rams (8-6) to halt their three-game losing skid.
Tony Pollard (131 yards) and Ezekiel Elliott (117) combined for three touchdowns as Dallas ran for a season-best 264 yards.
LET’S GO TO THE VIDEOTAPE
The Patriots likely will be disciplined by the NFL again for spying on their opponents, according to reports, not that they needed to film the Cincinnati sideline to blow out the one-win Bengals. Cornerback Stephon Gilmore returned one of Andy Dalton’s four interceptions 64 yards for a touchdown as the Pats (11-3) clinched their 11th consecutive postseason appearance with a 34-13 win over Cincinnati (1-13).
This also marks the 18th career playoff berth for New England coach Bill Belichick, tying Tom Landry for second-most all-time, one behind Don Shula.
“That’s what you play for, you play to keep playing,” Belichick said.
Gilmore and J.C. Jackson each had two picks among five takeaways for the Pats defense, upping their NFL lead to 26.
Tom Brady managed just 128 passing yards — his third game with fewer than 200 in four weeks — but he also became the first player in NFL history with 20 or more touchdown passes in 17 different seasons.
“I’m happy we won,” said Brady, who also moved within one of Peyton Manning’s record of 539 career touchdown passes. “I always wish we’d do better. There’s always things to improve on.”
REMEMBER THE TEXANS
The Texans (9-5) moved closer to their fourth AFC South title in five years by cooling off red-hot Tennessee (8-6) with a 24-21 road win in Nashville.
Carlos Hyde ran for 104 yards and a touchdown — to go over 1,000 rushing yards for the season — and Ka’imi Fairbairn nailed a 29-yard field goal with 3:26 remaining after the Texans had flushed a 14-point lead.
“We had to lock in, and that’s what we did,” said Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson, who posted 243 passing yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. “It came down to that fourth quarter … and it was just something that we definitely didn’t want to let slip out of our hand.”
Ryan Tannehill was 22-for-36 for 279 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for the Titans, who had won six of their previous seven games to forge a tie atop the division. The teams will meet again in the regular-season finale in Houston. The Texans visit Tampa Bay on Saturday, while Tennessee faces New Orleans on Sunday.
“I don’t think we should even think one second about anything other than Tampa Bay, and that should be the whole goal,” Houston coach Bill O’Brien said.
JUST LEAVE, BABY
The Raiders’ second departure from the Bay Area concluded with a crushing 20-16 loss to Gardner Minshew and Jacksonville.
Derek Carr hit Tyrell Williams with a 40-yard TD pass and Daniel Carlson kicked three field goals as the Raiders took a 16-3 lead in their final game at the Coliseum ahead of their move next season to Las Vegas.
But Raiders defensive end Dion Jordan committed a personal foul with a high hit on Minshew with 43 seconds remaining to set up a go-ahead touchdown pass to Chris Conley — his second of the game — with 31 seconds to go.
The Raiders left for Los Angeles in 1982 before returning to Oakland in 1995.
MORE BAY AREA HEARTBREAK
The other wild finish of the day thrust the NFC playoff picture into upheaval, as two late replay reversals led to one costly last-second defeat for the 49ers.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan’s 5-yard pass to Julio Jones with two seconds remaining was ruled short of the goal line on the field only to be reversed via replay review — as having crossed the plane — to send San Francisco to a 29-22 defeat. One play earlier, Atlanta tight end Austin Hooper appeared to have caught a touchdown pass, but the play was ruled incomplete after another video review.
The loss, which also featured a Falcons fumble recovery for a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff to account for the final margin, dropped San Francisco (11-3) into a first place tie with Seattle in the NFC West. The Seahawks currently are ahead via tiebreakers, dropping the Niners into wild-card position, but the teams are slated to meet in the regular season finale in Week 17. Green Bay also is 11-3 in the NFC, with New Orleans at 10-3 entering its Monday night game against Indianapolis.
BAD BEAT
This was an all-timer in this category in Washington. The Redskins were trailing the Eagles, 31-27, and they at least f igured to cover the 4.5-point spread (some had it at four points and a push) with one second remaining when Dwayne Haskins dropped back for a Hail Mary attempt and was strip-sacked by Avonte Maddox. Nigel Bradham scooped up the fumble and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown as time expired for a 10-point Philadelphia win.
THE HURT LOCKER
Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, the NFC’s second-leading rusher through Week 14, suffered a shoulder injury in Minnesota’s 39-10 win over the Chargers and did not return. Seahawks cornerback Quandre Diggs suffered a sprained ankle for a Seattle defense already without defensive linemen Jadeveon Clowney (illness) and Ziggy Ansah, linebacker Mychal Kendricks and cornerback Shaquill Griff in. The Bears lost Pro Bowl defensive tackle Akiem Hicks. Texans linebacker Bernardrick McKinney and Bengals guard John Miller suffered concussions.
POST PATTERNS
Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey had 87 yards rushing and 88 receiving to become the first player in Carolina history to reach 2,000 yards from scrimmage in a season. He also scored twice for 18 touchdowns, one more than Green Bay’s Aaron Jones for the NFL lead. ... Redskins running back Adrian Peterson tied Walter Payton for fourth all-time with 110 career rushing touchdowns in Washington’s loss to Philadelphia. He also passed Curtis Martin for fifth on the alltime rushing list with 14,102 yards.