NFL ROUNDUP
BUCCANEERS 32 PANTHERS 6
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their first NFC South title since 2007 when Tom Brady threw for 232 yards and a touchdown and Antonio Brown returned with 10 catches in a rout of the Carolina Panthers. The Bucs improved to 11-4 and put up 391 yards on offence, after being shut out 9-0 by the New Orleans Saints last week. Brown hadn’t played since Oct. 13, after suffering a foot injury and then sitting out an NFL suspension related to a fake COVID-19 proof of vaccination card.
CHIEFS 36 STEELERS 10
Patrick Mahomes was masterful in throwing for 258 yards and three touchdowns, two to Byron Pringle, and the Kansas City defence dominated Pittsburgh at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs, now 11-4, remained a game ahead of Tennessee for first place overall in the AFC with their eighth straight win. That would give them the conference’s lone first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. Meanwhile, the Steelers, who fell to 7-7-1, became the first team in NFL history to trail by at least 23 points at halftime in three straight road games.
EAGLES 34 GIANTS 10
Jalen Hurts threw a touchdown pass to offensive tackle Lane Johnson, linebacker Alex Singleton returned an interception for a score and Philadelphia continued its lateseason playoff push by beating New York at Lincoln Financial Field. Johnson and Hurts, both from East Texas, exchanged jerseys after the game. Said the quarterback: “I’ve never threw a touchdown to an offensive tackle, but he’s a freak athlete. He gave me his jersey and wrote on there: ‘When I caught that ball, I didn’t know what to think. All I could think was, what y’all know about them Texan boys.’ ” The Eagles, now 8-7, have won six of eight after opening the season losing five of seven.
RAIDERS 17 BRONCOS 13
Josh Jacobs rushed for 129 yards and Las Vegas came from behind to defeat Denver in Sin City and stay relevant in the AFC playoff picture. The 8-7 Raiders severely damaged the post-season chances of AFC West rival Denver, now 7-8 after losing three of four. The Las Vegas win also clinched the NFC East for Dallas based on tiebreakers. Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr completed at least one pass to all seven of his targets, led by Zay Jones, who had six receptions for 50 yards.