NFL ROUNDUP / WEEK 14
Cowboys 29, Eagles 23
Dak Prescott threw his third touchdown pass to Amari Cooper on the first possession of overtime, and Dallas took a big step toward the NFC East title with a win over Philadelphia on Sunday. On third down, Rasul Douglas tipped the pass into the air, and Cooper grabbed it and had a clear path to the end zone from the Philadelphia 7. The Cowboys used almost all of the 10-minute overtime, scoring with 1:55 remaining. By winning the third overtime game in the past four seasons at A&T Stadium between these division rivals, the Cowboys (8-5) won their fifth straight game and took a two-game lead over the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles (6-7) and Washington. The Cowboys finished with 576 yards, their most since gaining 578 against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1973. Dallas can clinch the NFC East title with a win at Indianapolis next Sunday. Carson Wentz threw for three touchdowns, including a pair of tying scores in the fourth quarter. But he never got a chance in overtime because of the 13-play, 75-yard drive engineered by Prescott.
Chiefs 27, Ravens 24
Harrison Butker atoned for a 43-yard miss as time expired with a 36-yard field goal in overtime, and the Chiefs stopped the Ravens on fourth down to clinch a playoff spot. The Chiefs (10-2) twice converted on fourth down before Patrick Mahomes threw a tying touchdown pass to Damien Williams with 53 seconds left. Moments later, Justin Houston strip-sacked Lamar Jackson to give Butker a chance to win the game for Kansas City in regulation. He missed that one. He didn't miss his second chance. The Ravens (7-6) marched across midfield as they tried to answer in overtime, but Ronnie Stanley's holding penalty put them in a bind. Jackson was sacked by Houston and Dee Ford — and wound up leaving the game — and Robert Griffin III threw two incompletions to end it.
Saints 28, Buccaneers 14
Drew Brees threw for one touchdown and ran another to help the Saints rally from an 11-point halftime deficit to clinch their second straight NFC South title. Brees shrugged off a pair of turnovers to throw a 1-yard TD pass to Zach Line, then scored on a 1-yard sneak as the Saints (11-2) avenged a season-opening loss to the Bucs (58) and also rebounded from a defeat last week at Dallas. New Orleans' defense did its part after allowing two first-half TDs, too, sacking Jameis Winston four times and limiting the NFL's No. 1-ranked offense to 81 yards in the second half — most of that on the final drive.
Raiders 23, Steelers 21
Derek Carr threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Derek Carrier with 21 seconds left before Chris Boswell slipped on a potential game-tying 40-yard field goal attempt on the final play. Ben Roethlisberger returned from a rib injury to lead a goahead touchdown drive that Carr answered for the Raiders (3-10). Big Ben then connected on a 48-yard hook-and-lateral pass play that put Boswell in position for the tying kick. But he lost his footing and sent the kick into the line, sending the Steelers (7-5-1) to their third straight loss.
Chargers 26, Bengals 21
Philip Rivers threw for 220 yards and Michael Badgley kicked four field goals, including a team-record 59-yarder. Rivers completed 19 of 29 and threw a touchdown in what was not one of the team's best games. The Chargers (10-3) had 160 yards of offense on their first two drives but had 121 the remainder of the game. Austin Ekeler rushed for 66 yards on 15 carries with Melvin Gordon missing his second straight game due to a knee injury. Keenan Allen had five receptions for 78 yards.
49ers 20, Broncos 14
George Kittle caught an 85-yard touchdown pass on the way to 210 yards receiving and became the 49ers' first tight end to reach the 1,000-yard milestone. Kittle finished just shy of Shannon Sharpe's NFL record by a tight end of 214 yards receiving, not having a catch nor as many chances in the second half. Kittle had seven receptions in all on nine targets. His long TD reception on a pass from Nick Mullens early in the second quarter put the Niners up 13-0 — and Denver (6-7) never found a groove in seeing its three-game winning streak snapped.
Lions 17, Cardinals 3
Darius Slay returned an interception 67 yards for a touchdown and Detroit got its first win in Arizona since 1993. Slay stepped in front of intended receiver Trent Sherfield, picked off Josh Rosen's pass and raced down the left sideline for the third-quarter score as the Lions (5-8) ended an eightgame losing streak in the desert.
Colts 24, Texans 21
Andrew Luck threw for 399 yards and two touchdowns and T.Y. Hilton had 199 receiving yards. The Colts (7-6) snapped a nine-game winning streak by the Texans (9-4), trimming Houston's lead over the AFC South to two games with three remaining. Hilton entered the game as the all-time leader in receiving yards per game at NRG Stadium with 122.3 yards and finished just shy of 200 yards on nine catches on 12 targets. Houston cut Indianapolis' lead to 24-21 with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Deshaun Watson to DeAndre Hopkins with less than three minutes remaining. With the Colts facing a critical third-and-1 at midfield, Luck drew Jadeveon Clowney offside to secure a first down and the win.
Browns 26, Panthers 20
Baker Mayfield outplayed Cam Newton, Jarvis Landry caught a touchdown pass and ran for another score and the Browns damaged Carolina's playoff hopes. The Panthers dropped their fifth straight. Mayfield bravely threw a 51-yard TD pass into traffic to Landry, who had a 3-yard scoring run and added a long run — on a similar call — early in the fourth quarter to set up a go-ahead touchdown. Playing the spoiler role down the stretch, the Browns (5-7-1) improved to 3-2 under interim coach Gregg Williams, who needed just five games to match former Browns coach Hue Jackson's win total over two-plus seasons.
Packers 34, Falcons 20
Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes and set an NFL record for interception-free football, and the Packers won their first game under interim head coach Joe Philbin. Aaron Jones ran for a 29-yard score in the third quarter. The defense limited quarterback Matt Ryan after a game-opening touchdown drive to hand Atlanta its fifth straight loss and guarantee the Falcons a losing record for the first time since 2014. The Packers (5-7-1) regained some swagger with Philbin taking over for the fired Mike McCarthy. They've still got work to do to avoid a losing record, but at least Green Bay snapped a three-game losing streak.