Perfect Panthers paste Packers
Broncos’ Manning comes up short of career passing mark
CHARLOTTE, N.C.— Cam Newton threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score Sunday, and the Carolina Panthers took an important step toward securing home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with a 37-29 win over the Green Bay Packers.
Newton completed 15 of 30 passes for 297 yards and ran for 57 yards on nine carries in one of the better games of his five-year NFL career.
The Panthers (8-0) extended their regular-season win streak to 12 games and put themselves in terrific shape in the NFC standings, where every other team has at least two losses.
Aaron Rodgers threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns and led a furious fourth-quarter comeback from 23 points down, but couldn’t complete it.
Linebacker Thomas Davis intercepted Rodgers on a fourth-and-goal pass at the Carolina three-yard line with 1:54 left.
The Packers (6-2) have lost backto-back games after starting 6-0.
Steelers 38, Raiders 35
Chris Boswell kicked an 18-yard field goal with two seconds left to lift the Steelers after Ben Roethlisberger left with a potentially serious left foot injury.
The Steelers (5-4) survived after Roethlisberger exited midway through the fourth quarter after getting sacked by Aldon Smith. Replacement Landry Jones found Antonio Brown for a 57-yard reception on Pittsburgh’s final drive to set up Boswell’s winning kick.
Brown finished with 17 catches for 284 yards, both franchise records. DeAngelo Williams ran for 170 yards and two scores as the Steelers rolled up 597 yards of total offence.
Roethlisberger passed for 334 yards with two touchdowns and a pick as he moved past Hall of Famers Johnny Unitas and Joe Montana and into 13th on the NFL list for career yards passing.
Colts 27, Broncos 24
Andrew Luck threw two touchdown passes and Adam Vinatieri made a tie-breaking 55-yard field goal with 6:13 to play.
The Colts (4-5) ended a three-game losing streak and stayed atop the AFC South by ruining Peyton Manning’s return to Indy again. It was their first win outside the division.
Denver (7-1) was the only unbeaten team to lose this weekend.
Manning, who was 21-of-36 for 281 yards, couldn’t break Brett Favre’s record for regular-season wins (186) by a quarterback and fell three yards short of becoming the NFL’s career passing leader.
Patriots 27, Redskins 10
Julian Edelman and LeGarrette Blount scored touchdowns before the Redskins ran their second play. Tom Brady completed 26 of 39 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns, including an eight-yarder to Edelman on the opening drive.
New England (8-0) then pulled off a surprise onside kick, but that drive stalled when Edelman fumbled.
Washington could manage only a single play: Kirk Cousins’ pass that bounced off Pierre Garcon and was intercepted by Logan Ryan. New England then marched downfield to make it 14-0 on Blount’s five-yard score.
Titans 34, Saints 28 (OT)
Tennessee rookie Marcus Mariota came back from his recent injury to pass for 371 yards and four touchdowns, including a 5-yard scoring pass to Anthony Fasano in overtime, and the Titans snapped a six-game skid.
The Saints (4-5), who had won three in a row, led 21-10 but could not put away the Titans (2-6), who turned in a feisty performance in their first game since coach Ken Whisenhunt was fired and replaced by Mike Mularkey.
Vikings 21, Rams 18 (OT)
Adrian Peterson rushed for 125 yards on 29 carries, helping set up Blair Walsh’s 40-yard field goal in overtime after Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater left with a concussion early in the fourth quarter.
Greg Zuerlein made four field goals for the Rams, including a 53-yarder with 17 seconds left in regulation to make up for the 48-yarder that went wide right a few minutes before. Zuerlein had a career-long 61-yarder among three field goals in the second quarter, the first from 60-plus yards in the NFL in nearly two years.
Zuerlein became the second kicker in NFL history with multiple field goals from 60-plus yards, joining Oakland’s Sebastian Janikowski.
49ers 17, Falcons 16
Blaine Gabbert threw a pair of second-quarter touchdown passes to Garrett Celek for the undermanned 49ers.
Making his first start in more than two years, Gabbert didn’t take a sack behind an offensive line that has faced heavy scrutiny all year. Celek made TD catches of one and 11 yards to give him three on the year and San Francisco’s stout defence flustered Matt Ryan despite the patchwork use of backups because of a rash of injuries.
Jets 28, Jaguars 23
Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two touchdown passes while playing with a torn ligament in his left thumb, Chris Ivory ran for two scores and the Jets took advantage of late mistakes by the Jaguars.
Brandon Marshall had a 20-yard touchdown catch after the Jets (5-3) recovered a muffed punt late in the fourth quarter, helping New York end a two-game skid in a messy performance by both sides.
Giants 32, Buccaneers 18
Eli Manning threw for two touchdowns, helping the first-place New York Giants rebound from last week’s debacle at New Orleans.
Josh Brown booted four field goals for the Giants (5-4), including fourth-quarter kicks of 53 and 44 yards that gave New York some breathing room after the Bucs (3-5) pulled within two points.