The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Eagles win, clinch division, lose QB Wentz
Carson Wentz threw for 291 yards and four touchdowns before leaving with a knee injury and Jake Elliott kicked the go-ahead 33-yard field goal with 3:45 left for the Philadelphia Eagles, who beat the Los Angeles Rams 43-35 in a thriller Sunday to clinch the NFC East title.
Two sources familiar with the injury tell The Associated Press that doctors believe Wentz has torn his left anterior cruciate ligament and will miss the rest of the season and playoffs.
Wentz needs an MRI to confirm the severity of the injury. Both people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to release the information.
Wentz was hit hard as he dived into the end zone on a play that was called back because of holding. He stayed in the game and threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery four plays later to give the Eagles a 31-28 lead.
Nick Foles replaced Wentz on the next drive for Philadelphia (11-2).
The NFC West-leading Rams (9-4) then went up 35-31 on Todd Gurley’s second short TD run.
Elliott kicked a 41-yard field goal to pull the Eagles to 35-34. His go-ahead field goal was set up when Chris Long, a second-round draft pick of the then-St. Louis Rams in 2008, had a strip-sack of Jared Goff, with Rodney McLeod recovering.
Elliott kicked a 54-yarder, but the Eagles got an automatic first down on a personal foul on Aaron Donald. Elliott kicked the winner four plays later.
The game ended on a crazy play, when Philadelphia’s Brandon Graham grabbed a lateral by Tavon Austin out of the air on the game’s last play and scored what was ruled a 16-yard fumble return.
The Eagles clinched their first division title since 2013.
Chiefs 26, Raiders 15: Kareem Hunt ran for 116 yards and a touchdown and Kansas City shut down Derek Carr and his offense to snap a four-game losing streak. Alex Smith threw for 268 yards and Charcandrick West had a touchdown run for the Chiefs, who held the Raiders without points until Marshawn Lynch’s 22-yard run with 8:51 to go. Panthers 31, Vikings 24: Jonathan Stewart ran for 103 yards and three TDs, and Carolina snapped Minnesota’s eight-game winning streak. Cam Newton threw for a score and ran for 75 yards as the Panthers racked up 216 yards on the ground against the league’s No. 2 ranked defense to pull even with the Saints atop the NFC South and keep the Vikings from clinching the NFC North. Jaguars 30, Seahawks 24: Blake Bortles threw two perfect passes for TDs, Jaydon Mickens set up another score with a 72-yard punt return and Jacksonville beat Seattle. The Jaguars intercepted three passes by Russell Wilson, including two on deep balls, and won for the sixth time in their last seven. This victory, coupled with Tennessee’s loss at Arizona, moved the Jags atop the AFC South. Chargers 30, Redskins 13: Philip Rivers passed for 319 yards and two touchdowns, and Los Angeles continued its ferocious playoff push with a fourth straight victory. Tyrell Williams caught a 75-yard touchdown pass and Hunter Henry had another scoring grab for the Chargers, who have won seven of nine after an 0-4 start to their relocation season.
Packers 27, Browns 21 (OT): Brett Hundley threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams in overtime as Green Bay rallied from a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter. On third-and-6, Hundley threw a short pass to Adams, who broke a tackle and went in untouched with 5:05 left as the Packers won in overtime for the second straight week — and third time this season.
Bears 33, Bengals 7: Rookie Mitchell Trubisky threw for a touchdown and ran for another in his best showing yet, and Chicago ended a five-game losing streak with its most lopsided victory in five years. Jordan Howard ran for 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Trubisky took full advantage of an injury-depleted defense, completing a season-high 25 passes out of 32 attempts for 271 yards.
Lions 24, Buccaneers 21: Matthew Stafford passed for 381 yards with an injured throwing hand and set up Matt Prater for a 46-yard field goal in the closing seconds. Stafford made his 109th consecutive start despite being limited in practice after his right hand was stepped on during the previous week at Baltimore. He completed 36 of 44 attempts, and the Lions overcame two interceptions and a fumble to stop a two-game losing streak.
49ers 26, Texans 16: Jimmy Garoppolo threw for a career-high 334 yards and a touchdown to help San Francisco notch its second straight win. The game was tied when he found Garrett Celek on a 6-yard touchdown pass with about two minutes left in the third quarter to make it 23-16. Celek had a big play earlier in that drive on a 61-yard reception on third down.
Cardinals 12, Titans 7: Phil Dawson kicked four second-half field goals and Arizona shut down Tennessee’s offense nearly all day. Dawson connected from 47, 23, 32 and 35 yards and missed from 40 for the Cardinals, whose victory came two weeks after they beat then-AFC South leader Jacksonville on the same field. The Cards intercepted Marcus Mariota twice in the second half.