Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Brees, Saints rally, clinch NFC top seed
Drew Brees capped a 326-yard passing performance with 2-yard touchdown to Michael Thomas with 1:25 left, and the Saints clinched the top seed in the NFC playoffs with a 31-28 victory over the Steelers.
Alvin Kamara ran for two touchdowns for the Saints (13-2), who rallied for the lead after two defensive stops in the fourth quarter, including one by narrowly thwarting a fake punt.
The Steelers (8-6-1) fell into second in the AFC North behind the Ravens and out of playoff position.
Cowboys 27, Buccaneers 20: The Cowboys wrapped up the NFC East title when Dak Prescott accounted for two touchdowns and Jaylon Smith returned a fumble 69 yards for a score.
Eagles 32, Texans 30: Jake Elliott kicked a 35-yard field goal as time expired, and the Eagles kept their playoff hopes alive. Filling in for the injured Carson Wentz, Nick Foles threw for a franchise-record 471 yards and four touchdowns.
Patriots 24, Bills 12: The Patriots earned their 10th straight AFC East title with Sony Michel running for 116 yards and a touchdown. They became the first franchise to earn playoff berths in 10 straight seasons.
Colts 28, Giants 27: Andrew Luck hooked up with Chester Rogers for
a 1-yard touchdown pass with 55 seconds left to give the Colts their only lead of the game. The Colts have won their last six home games after starting 0-2.
Browns 26, Bengals 18: Baker Mayfield threw three touchdown passes to give him 24 this season, third most in history by a rookie, trailing only Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson, who both had 26.
Vikings 27, Lions 9: Kirk Cousins threw a 44-yard Hail Mary to Kyle Rudolph as time expired in the first half as the Vikings scored two touchdowns on Cousins passes in the last 1:32 of the second quarter.
Bears 14, 49ers 9: The Bears survived a fight and a late fumble to earn their eighth win in nine games. Niners cornerback Richard Sherman and Bears receivers Joshua Bellamy and Anthony Miller were ejected.
Jaguars 17, Dolphins 7: Blake Bortles came off the bench late in the third quarter and took the Jaguars 51 yards for a short field goal, and on the next series, Telvin Smith Sr. intercepted Ryan Tannehill’s pass and scored on a 33-yard return.
Packers 44, Jets 38: Aaron Rodgers threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams with 6:23 left in overtime as the Packers snapped a nine-game skid away from Lambeau Field.
Falcons 24, Panthers 10: Matt Ryan threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns, and the Falcons handed the Panthers their seventh straight loss. Christian McCaffrey had 12 receptions and set an NFL record for receptions in a season (106) by a running back.
Rams 31, Cardinals 9: C.J. Anderson, playing five days after he was signed, rushed for 167 yards as the Rams bounced back from a pair of losses to beat the Cardinals.
Chiefs at Seahawks: The Chiefs’ prolific offense entered the weekend leading the league in points per game (35.6), yards per play (6.78) and yards per game (427.3) but faced a serious test in Seattle.