The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Philadelphia takes control of NFC East
Eagles cornerback Sidney Jones broke up Dak Prescott’s fourth-down pass to wide receiver Michael Gallup in the end zone with 1:15 left in the game, and Philadelphia denied Dallas a division crown in a 17-9 win on Sunday.
The Cowboys (7-8) would have clinched their second straight NFC East title with a win in Philadelphia. And, they would have eliminated the Eagles (8-7). The Eagles are still in the hunt, and need to win their final game next week against the Giants to clinch the East. The Cowboys can still win the East with a win next week against Washington and an Eagles loss to the Giants.
Playing with a sore right shoulder, Prescott attacked the Eagles cornerbacks on the final drive and had Dallas in position to possibly tie the game until Jones made the clutch stop.
Carson Wentz was 31 for 40 for 319 yards and a touchdown, and Miles Saunders ran for a score to keep the Eagles’ playoff hopes alive.
Prescott finished 25 for 44 for 265 yards. Two-time rushing champion Ezekiel Elliott, who had averaged 114.8 yards rushing in five games against the Eagles, was held to 47 yards.
Wentz gave the Eagles needed breathing room when he hit former college quarterback Greg Ward for 24 yards and Miles Sanders scored on a 1-yard run on the final play of the third quarter for a 17-3 lead.
This was the game Wentz needed to win. He tried to rally the Eagles with a pep talk in the tunnel before they hit the field for perhaps the biggest game of the 26-year-old QB’s career.
“We are built for this moment,” Wentz said. “Play with so much confidence, so much swagger, that everyone in the stadium can feel you. Believe in yourself, believe in the guy next to you and let’s go ball out for 60 minutes.”
Wentz hit JJ Arcega-Whiteside — whose lategame drop cost them in a loss against Detroit — for 27 yards on the first play on a drive that ended with Jake Elliott’s 36-yard field goal.
He ended the second drive with an 6-yard TD pass to Dallas Goedert that had Eagles fans going wild. The Linc was rocking, and as Wentz started 9 for 11 for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Dallas’ Kai Forbath kicked field goals of 49 and 32 yards to keep the score a manageable 10-6 at halftime.
Pederson had Elliott try a 55-yarder early in the fourth that was no good and gave Dallas a short field that led to Forbath’s 49-yarder that made it 17-9.
Cardinals 27, Seahawks 13: Kenyan Drake rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns, Larry Fitzgerald added a 21-yard TD reception, and Arizona stymied Russell Wilson and injury-depleted Seattle. The Seahawks saw their hopes for the No. 1 seed in the NFC potentially vanish with the loss to the last-place Cardinals.
Ravens 31, Browns 15: Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes — two to tight end Mark Andrews late in the first half — and rushed for 103 yards as Baltimore won its 11th straight game to lock up the conference’s top seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Browns were officially eliminated from the postseason.
Saints 38, Titans 28: Drew Brees threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns and Alvin Kamara ran for two TDs as New Orleans kept its chase of the NFC’s No. 1 seed alive by rallying from a 14-point deficit. Saints WR Michael Thomas set the NFL record for most catches in a season, besting Marvin Harrison’s mark of 143 catches in 2002.
Raiders 24, Chargers 17: Derek Carr threw for 291 yards and a TD as Oakland kept its playoff hopes alive with a win. The Raiders had slim postseason chances coming into the day, but losses by Pittsburgh and Tennessee have given them renewed hope. Carr completed 26 of 30 passes and also ran for a score.
Broncos 27, Lions 17: Drew Lock threw a shovel pass to DaeSean Hamilton to put Denver ahead, Phillip Lindsay sealed the game with a late TD scamper and Denver extended Detroit’s skid to eight straight. Lock finished 25 of 33 for 192 yards in improving to 3-1 as the Broncos starter. His only loss was last weekend in snowy Kansas City.
Dolphins 38, Bengals 35 (OT): Miami gave up 16 points in the final 29 seconds of regulation but regrouped, and Jason Sanders kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired. Andy Dalton threw for 396 yards and four touchdown passes, including three in the final 5:01 of regulation as Cincinnati rallied from a 35-12 deficit.
Colts 38, Panthers 6: Nyheim Hines scored on two punt returns, set up another touchdown with a 40-yard return four plays into the game and provided the jolt of energy the Colts needed to pull away from Carolina. The Colts snapped a four-game losing streak in their home finale while Carolina lost its seventh straight.
Falcons 24, Jaguars 12: Devonta Freeman scored two TDs for Atlanta before Jacksonville took a snap, and that was enough to beat the woeful Jaguars. Matt Ryan threw for 384 yards and Julio Jones had his biggest game of the year, hauling in 10 catches for 166 yards. The Falcons piled up 518 yards in their third straight win.