Roundup: Packers lose, McCarthy fired.
TheArizona Cardinals pulled off an upset at Lambeau Field that was so much a stunner that the Green Bay Packers fired coach Mike McCarthy after the game.
Zane Gonzalez kicked a 44-yard field goal with 1:41 left, Green Bay’s Mason Crosby missed a 49-yard attempt as time expired and the visiting Cardinals braved wintry conditions to hold on for a 20-17 victory on Sunday.
The Packers (4-7-1) announced McCarthy’s dismissal following the postgame availabilities with the media.
For McCarthy, a tenure highlighted by a Super Bowl win in the 2010 season ends with a loss to Arizona (3-9), one of the worst teams in the league.
After the game, but before the Packers fired McCarthy, the Cardinals were joking and yelling in the visitor’s locker room as if they didn’t believe what had just happened.
“We did that! We did that,” some emotional players yelled.
Cardinals rookie Josh Rosen struggled for much of the afternoon, but hit Larry Fitzgerald for a sliding 32-yard completion on 3rd-and-23 to help set up Gonzalez’s winning kick.
“It’s hard to win in this league, and it’s been a long time since we won a football game,” coach Steve Wilks said.
Crosby pushed his kick wide right, with the flags atop Lambeau blowing in toward the field at the time of the play. Green Bay’s playoff hopes took another significant blow.
“It was clearly a very disappointing loss, it was a game we needed to win,” McCarthy said in his final news conference, before his firing.
Green Bay has lost three straight and five of six. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was 31 of 50 for 233 yards and a touchdown.
Giants 44-yard 30, field Bears goal in 27: overtime Aldrick Rosas as host kicked New a York (4-8) snapped the five-game winning streak of Chicago (8-4). The Giants blew a 10-point lead in the final 1:13 of regulation. Chicago forced overtime by getting a 21-yard field goal by Cody Parkey and a 1-yard touchdown pass from halfback Tarik Cohen to Anthony Miller as time expired.
Patriots 24, Vikings 10: Tom Brady passed for 311 yards and a touchdown as Bill Belichick earned his 250th victory, including playoffs, as the coach for host New England (9-3). The Patriots have won eight of nine since starting the season 1-2 and clinched their 18th straight winning season. It is the second-longest streak in NFL history. The record is held by the Cowboys at 20 seasons from 1966-85. Brady completed 24 of 32 passes and now has 579 touchdown passes, including the playoffs, tying him with Peyton Manning for the most. Minnesota (6-5-1) has lost two of its past three.
Rams yards Los Angeles and 30, two Lions (11-1) touchdowns 16: overcome Todd Gurley to a help sputtering ran visiting for 132 start to beat Detroit (4-8) and clinch the NFC West title for a second straight season. The Rams also moved a step closer to earning home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs, taking a one-game lead over New Orleans after it lost to Dallas on Thursday night. It is a cushion Los Angeles needs because it lost to the Saints last month. The Lions have lost five of six since a surge of success gave them a winning record in late October.
Titans 26, Jets 22: Marcus Mariota threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Corey Davis with 36 seconds left, and host Tennessee (6-6) rallied from a 16-point deficit to snap a two-game skid and stay on the fringes of the AFC playoff chase. New York (3-9) had one last chance to win, but Malcolm Butler intercepted Josh McCown’s pass with 21 seconds left.
Texans 29, Browns 13: Deshaun Watson threw a touchdown pass and host Houston (9-3) had three interceptions, including one that was returned for a score, to extend its franchise-record win streak to nine games. Cleveland (4-7-1) entered having won con- secutive games for the first time since 2014.
Jaguars Jacksonville 6, Colts (4-8) 0: delivered Jalen Ramsey one of and the most host dominant defensive performances in franchise history to end a seven-game losing streak and snap a five-game winning streak by Indianapolis (6-6), which averaged more than 33 points in its previous eight games. The Colts’ Andrew Luck completed 33 of 52 passes for 248 yards and an interception. He was sacked three times after getting hit just five times in November.
Ravens 16, Falcons 16: Rookie Lamar Jackson ran for a touchdown, Justin Tucker kicked four field goals and visiting Baltimore held Atlanta (4-8) to 131 total yards in its third straight win. The Ravens (7-5) have bolstered their AFC wild-card position since Jackson took over at quarterback for the injured Joe Flacco.
Buccaneers 24, Panthers 17: Jameis Winston threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns as host Tampa Bay (5-7) won for the second straight time since Winston regained his starting job. Andrew Adams had three of Tampa Bay’s four interceptions off Cam Newton as Carolina (6-6) lost its fourth straight.
Broncos 24, Bengals 10: Rookie Phillip Lindsay ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns as visiting Denver (6-6) adapted to a windy afternoon and got its third straight victory. Cincinnati (5-7) lost for the sixth time in seven games.
Dolphins 21, Bills 17: Jordan Phillips drew a costly penalty for taunting his former team, setting up a touchdown with nine minutes left that helped host Miami (6-6) rally. Josh Allen threw for 231 yards and ran for 135 to set a franchise record for rushing yards by a quarterback for Buffalo (4-8).