Vikings outlast Packers 34-31 on game-ending FG
MINNEAPOLIS — The Vikings made sure Aaron Rodgers was on the sideline at the end and not on the field.
Greg Joseph made a 29-yard field goal as time expired to give the Vikings a 34-31 victory over the Packers in a classic backand-forth with their division rival and longtime nemesis.
The only team in the NFL this year to hold a lead of seven or more points in every game, all but one of Minnesota’s games have been decided by one score. Kirk Cousins passed for 341 yards and three touchdowns to help the Vikings stay a step ahead of Rodgers for most of the afternoon.
Rodgers threw four touchdown passes, all on Green Bay’s final four full possessions, excluding a kneel-down to end the first half. All of those drives covered 74 yards or more.
COLTS 41, BILLS 15
In Orchard Park, N.Y., second-year running back Jonathan Taylor set a franchise record by scoring five times and took over the NFL lead in both yards rushing and touchdowns in a rout of the unraveling Bills.
The Colts (6-5) have won five of six to get back into the AFC playoff race. Taylor helped ease the concerns of a team that had squandered three fourth-quarter leads this season.
Taylor became the NFL’s first player to score five TDs in one game since New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara had six TDs rushing in a 52-33 win over Minnesota last Christmas Day, and the first to do so against Buffalo.
WASHINGTON 27, PANTHERS 21
In Charlotte, N.C., Taylor Heinicke upstaged returning Cam Newton by throwing for 206 yards and three touchdowns against the league’s top-ranked pass defense, helping Washington spoil the 2015 MVP’s return to Bank of America Stadium with a 27-21 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Terry McLaurin had five catches for 103 yards and a touchdown as Washington (4-6) piled up 369 yards of offense.
Newton is hoping to help steer the Panthers (5-6) toward a playoff run in his first start since returning to Carolina, where he spent nine previous seasons.
RAVENS 16, BEARS 13
In Chicago, Tyler Huntley led a winning drive capped by Devonta Freeman’s 3-yard run with 22 seconds remaining, and Baltimore beat the Bears.
Lamar Jackson was sidelined by illness for the AFC North-leading Ravens (7-3), who ruled him out 90 minutes before kickoff after he took some throws on the field. The 2019 MVP was a full participant in practice Friday after being held out the previous two days.
Coach John Harbaugh said the illness is not COVID-19 or influenza. He said Jackson seemed to be feeling better after the game, though he expects him to keep getting tested.
BROWNS 13, LIONS 10
In Cleveland, Nick Chubb caught a touchdown pass, rushed for 130 yards and helped run out the clock as the Browns held on to avoid a season-wrecking upset and keep Detroit winless with a sloppy victory over the Lions.
Chubb returned to Cleveland’s lineup after a one-game absence due to COVID-19. The star running back had a a 5-yard TD reception from Baker Mayfield and then helped the Browns (6-5) put away the Lions (0-9-1).
Leading by 3, the Browns got the ball back with 2:29 left. As the FirstEnergy Stadium crowd chanted “Chubb, Chubb” before every snap, coach Kevin Stefanski had Mayfield hand off the ball to one of the NFL’s best backs.
49ERS 30, JAGUARS 10
In Jacksonville, Fla., Jimmy Garoppolo threw two touchdown passes for the third consecutive game, and the 49ers dominated
Jacksonville for their third win in four weeks.
Coming off a 31-10 stunner against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night, the 49ers (5-5) traveled 2,700 miles, kicked off at 10 a.m. West Coast time and looked every bit like a playoff contender for the second time in six days.
San Francisco scored on its first five possessions, including opening the game with a 20-play fieldgoal drive that took more than 13 minutes, and set the tone for what would be another long day for the Jaguars (2-8).
DOLPHINS 24, JETS 17
In East Rutherford, N.J., Tua Tagovailoa showed up to his postgame news conference decked out in pajama pants speckled with dogs sporting Christmas hats.
Yep, the Miami Dolphins quarterback is already in the holiday spirit. And the team’s third straight victory had him feeling pretty jolly.
“We had some mishaps, but it didn’t matter,” said Dolphins quarterback Tagovailoa said after a 24-17 win over the New York Jets on Sunday. ”We just kept going.”
EAGLES 40, SAINTS 29
In Philadelphia, Jalen Hurts ran for three touchdowns, Darius Slay returned an interception for a score and the Eagles beat New Orleans.
Miles Sanders ran for 94 yards, Hurts had 69, Jordan Howard added 63 and the Eagles racked up 242 yards on the ground against a team that allowed 72.9 yards rushing per game. The Eagles have surpassed 175 yards rushing in four straight games, including 200-plus in three victories in that span.
The Eagles (5-6) have won two in a row for the first time this season and Sirianni earned his first victory at home in five tries.
TEXANS 22, TITANS 13
In Nashville, Tenn., the Texans snapped the NFL’s longest active skid by beating the Titans to end the league’s longest winning streak. The Texans (2-8) came in having lost eight straight since winning their season opener and hadn’t scored a TD on the road since Sept. 19.
Houston’s victory also marks the latest win in a season by a team with the worst record over the team with the best record in the same conference since the 1970 merger. Cincinnati’s win over Pittsburgh in Week 7 of the 1979 season had been the previous such win, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
BENGALS 32, RAIDERS 13
In Las Vegas, Nev., Bengals running back Joe Mixon rushed for 123 yards, scored two touchdowns, celebrated in the end zone by pretending to shake and roll a pair of dice, and Cincinnati defeated the Raiders.
The well-rested Bengals (6-4) came out of their bye week and snapped a two-game skid to climb back into the AFC North race, while the Raiders (5-5) lost their third straight since their bye week when they led the AFC West
CARDINALS 23, SEAHAWKS 21
In Seattle, Colt McCoy threw for 328 yards and two touchdowns, and the Cardinals beat the Seahawks.
McCoy went 2-1 with Kyler Murray sidelined, including divisional road wins at San Francisco and Seattle. The Cardinals will go into their bye with the best record in the NFL and the expectation of Murray and DeAndre Hopkins returning after the break.
CHARGERS 41, STEELERS 37
In Inglewood, Calif., Justin Herbert threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams with 2:17 remaining and the Chargers held off Pittsburgh.
Los Angeles (6-4) had a 27-10 lead going into the fourth quarter before the Steelers (5-4-1) rallied to take a 37-34 lead on Chris Boswell’s 45-yard field goal with 3:24 left. Los Angeles took over at the 25 and scored four plays later when Williams was wide open and went untouched up the left sideline.