Seahawks thwart Washington rally
LANDOVER, Md. – Russell Wilson and the Seahawks built a big lead Sunday, and Seattle’s suddenly opportunistic defense held on to beat Washington 20-15 and clinch a playoff spot.
Wilson threw for a touchdown, Carlos Hyde ran 50 yards for a score, and the Seahawks (10-4) picked off Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins twice. Shaquill Griffin and D.J. Reed each had an interception as the league’s worst passing defense played strong until the fourth quarter.
After a Haskins-led comeback from a 20-3 deficit fell short, Washington (6-8) had its winning streak snapped at four games with Alex Smith out due to a calf injury. Haskins finished 38 of 55 for 295 yards, a TD pass and the interceptions.
Wilson threw for 121 yards and a 10yard TD pass to Jacob Hollister and ran for 52 on six carries. Hyde’s 50-yard TD run was Seattle’s longest rushing play of the season.
BUCCANEERS 31, FALCONS 27: Tom Brady did it again to Atlanta. This time, he didn’t even need overtime.
Rallying Tampa Bay from two 17point deficits, Brady re-created his Super Bowl miracle by leading the Buccaneers on five straight scoring drives in the second half for a victory over the stunned host Falcons.
The stakes weren’t nearly as high and the deficit wasn’t quite as daunting, but Brady’s latest blow to Atlanta took the Bucs (9-5) to the brink of their first playoff berth since 2007.
It sure didn’t look that way when Atlanta raced to a 17-0 lead by halftime, or when the Falcons (4-10) restored their margin to 24-7 after Brady finally guided the Bucs to a touchdown on the first possession of the second half.
Turns out, the 43-year-old was just getting warmed up.
In the 2017 Super Bowl, Brady famously led the greatest comeback in championship game history, rallying New England from a 28-3 deficit late in the third quarter to a 34-28 overtime victory that secured his fifth of six titles with the Patriots.
CARDINALS 33, EAGLES 26: Kyler Murray threw for a career-high 406 yards, DeAndre Hopkins had 169 yards receiving and a stellar TD catch, and Arizona improved its position in the playoff race by beating Philadelphia (4-9-1).
Arizona (8-6) won its second game in a row as it tries to make the postseason for the first time since 2015. The Cardinals would currently be the No. 7 and final seed in the NFC playoffs.
The Eagles trailed 16-0 in the first quarter but rallied to tie the score at 26 in the third quarter after quarterback Jalen Hurts ran for a 7-yard touchdown.
Arizona responded with its go-ahead touchdown drive capped by Hopkins’ spectacular 20-yard grab. Cornerback Michael Jacquet was playing tight defense, but Hopkins wrestled the ball away and held on with one hand as he fell past the pylon into the end zone.
Philadelphia made it to the Cardinals’ 31-yard line on the final drive.
RAVENS 40, JAGUARS 14: Baltimore built a 26-point halftime lead against Jacksonville and rolled to a victory that boosted their playoff chances and extended the Jaguars’ losing streak to 13 games after a season-opening victory.
Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score to carry the Ravens (9-5) to their third straight win following a three-game skid. Hopeful of reaching the postseason for the third year in a row, Baltimore is among several AFC teams vying for three wildcard spots.
Rookie J.K. Dobbins ran for 64 yards and a score, and 32-year-old receiver Dez Bryant celebrated his first touchdown since 2017 late in the first half.
DOLPHINS 22, PATRIOTS 12: Undrafted rookie Salvon Ahmed and veteran Matt Breida combined for 208 yards rushing to lead Miami past New England, which was eliminated from playoff contention, ending the Patriots’ NFLrecord run of 11 consecutive postseason appearances.
The Dolphins entered the game last in the league in yards per carry, and Ahmed became their first 100-yard rusher since 2018, totaling 122 yards and scoring a 2-point conversion on a trick play.
Breida added 86 yards and the Dolphins totaled a season-high 250 against the Patriots, who were gashed for more than 150 on the ground for the fifth time this year.
The Dolphins (9-5) bolstered their wild-card chances and are assured of a winning record for only the second time since 2008.
The Patriots (6-8) will finish at .500 or worse for the first time since 2000, the year they drafted Tom Brady. They fall one year short of matching the Cowboys’ NFL record of 20 consecutive winning seasons.
Buffalo clinched the AFC East title with a win Saturday.
BEARS 33, VIKINGS 27: David Montgomery rushed for a career-high 146 yards and two touchdowns and Chicago trampled Minnesota’s depleted defense and hung on for a victory to stay in the hunt for the expanded playoffs.
The Bears (7-7), who are one game behind Arizona for the new third wildcard spot in the NFC, never trailed in winning at Minnesota for a third straight year. Coach Matt Nagy improved to 5-1 against the Vikings (6-8), whose postseason chances all but vanished.
COWBOYS 41, 49ERS 33: Tony Pollard ran for two touchdowns with Ezekiel Elliott sidelined by an injury for the first time in the two-time rushing champion’s career, and Dallas beat San Francisco. Four of the seven Dallas scores were set up by turnovers from the 49ers (5-9), who guaranteed themselves becoming the second Super Bowl runnerup in the past 13 seasons to finish with a losing record the next year.
The Cowboys (5-9) kept faint playoff hopes alive in a matchup of longtime rivals with a rich playoff history that was moved out of prime time with both teams starting the day in last place in their divisions.