Packers rout Vikings
Aaron Rodgers threw a touchdown pass and ran for a score, and the Green Bay Packers continued their improbable playoff push by shutting down Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings in a 41-17 blowout on Sunday.
Keisean Nixon scored on a 105-yard kickoff return and Darnell Savage had a 75-yard pick-6 of Kirk Cousins — one of four turnovers by the Vikings QB — to help Green Bay build a 27-3 halftime lead. Aaron Jones rushed for 111 yards on 14 carries and A.J. Dillon had a 2-yard touchdown run as the Packers won their fourth straight.
Green Bay (8-8) will reach the playoffs if it beats division rival Detroit at home in its regular-season finale. A fourth straight postseason berth seemed out of the question after a 1-7 stretch dropped the Packers to 4-8, but they haven’t lost since and have benefited from favorable results around the league.
Green Bay’s latest bit of good fortune came earlier Sunday when Washington fell 24-10 at home to the Cleveland, putting the Packers in control of their postseason fate.
The Packers then took care of business by making life miserable for Cousins and Jefferson, the NFL’s leading receiver who was held to one catch for 15 yards. Jefferson had nine receptions for 184 yards and two touchdowns in a season-opening 23-7 victory over the Packers.
Browns 24, Commanders 10:
Carson Wentz threw three interceptions in a Commanders loss to the
Browns. The Commanders were later eliminated from the playoffs via a Packers win over the Vikings. Saints 20, Eagles 10: The loss denied the Eagles their chance at clinching the NFC East and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Eagles played for the second straight week without injured quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Giants 38, Colts 10: Daniel Jones threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more and the Giants routed the Colts to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Chiefs 27, Broncos 24: Patrick Mahomes threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Jerick McKinnon, and the Chiefs overcame another sloppy start to hold off the Broncos and keep alive their hopes for the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Falcons 20, Cardinals 19: Younghoe Koo made a
21-yard field goal on the final play, lifting the Falcons. Lions 41, Bears 10: Jared Goff threw two of his three touchdown passes to Brock Wright in the first half, and the Lions beat the Bears to remain in the playoff chase. Seahawks 23, Jets 6: Geno Smith threw two first-half touchdowns, Kenneth Walker III rushed for 133 yards and the Seahawks kept alive their postseason hopes with a win that eliminated the Jets from playoff
contention.
49ers 37, Raiders 34: Robbie Gould made a 23-yard field goal with 6:53 left in overtime and the 49ers extended their winning streak to nine games with a victory over the Raiders on Sunday. Chargers 31, Rams 10: Austin Ekeler rushed for 122 yards, scored two touchdowns and became the fifth running back with 100 receptions in a season as the Chargers rolled to a victory over the Rams.