REDSKINS’ LOSS gets Cowboys in playoffs.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Carson Palmer threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns, David Johnson scored twice and the Arizona Cardinals held on to beat the Washington Redskins 31-23 on Sunday.
The loss by the Redskins (6-5-1) clinched a playoff spot for the 11-1 Dallas Cowboys.
Palmer’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Johnson with 11:09 to play put Arizona ahead 24-20, the fourth lead change of the second half.
After a Washington field goal, Palmer’s 42-yard touchdown pass to J.J. Nelson with 1:56 padded gave the Cardinals (5-6-1) a 31-23 lead.
Washington drove to the Arizona 28-yard line before Patrick Peterson’s interception of Kirk Cousins’ pass with 41 seconds left sealed the victory.
Johnson, who also scored on a 1-yard run, became the second player in NFL history to top 100 yards from scrimmage in the first 12 games of a season. Edgerrin James was the other.
Johnson carried the ball 18 times for 84 yards and caught nine passes for another 91.
Larry Fitzgerald caught 10 passes for 78 yards, moving past Cris Carter into third on the NFL career receptions list.
Cousins completed 21 of 37 passes for 271 yards and a touchdown. His 59-yard pass to DeSean Jackson on the first series of the second half set up his 1-yard touchdown sneak.
RAIDERS 38, BILLS 24 Derek Carr threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns to rally the host Raiders to their biggest comeback in 16 years. After falling behind 24-9 following touchdowns on the first two drives of the second half for Buffalo (6-6), the Raiders (10-2) took the game over with 29 consecutive points. They won their sixth consecutive
to remain one game ahead of Kansas City in the tough AFC West. Oakland scored touchdowns on three consecutive drives, including scoring strikes from Carr to Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper for his sixth fourth-quarter comeback of the season. BUCCANEERS 28, CHARGERS
21 Jameis Winston threw a go-ahead, 12-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Brate midway through the fourth quarter and Keith Tandy intercepted Philip Rivers in the end zone with 2:56 left to give the visiting Buccaneers their fourth consecutive victory. Rivers had the Chargers on the move in the final minutes before Tandy got in front of a pass to Dontrelle Inman and intercepted it. Tandy’s momentum carried him into the end zone, giving the Bucs the ball on their 20. They ran out the clock. The Bucs (7-5) pulled into a tie with Atlanta atop the NFC South.
PACKERS 21, TEXANS 13 Aaron Rodgers threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns, and the host Packers pulled away with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. The Packers (6-6) weathered snowy conditions at Lambeau Field, making just enough plays on the cold turf. Brock Osweiler connected with DeAndre Hopkins for a 44-yard touchdown pass with 1:51 left to get within eight for Houston. Nick Novak missed the extra point, with footing slippery at Lambeau.
The Texans (6-6) had one last shot after the Packers failed to run out the clock. But Osweiler’s last-ditch pass-and-lateral play from Houston’s 12 with 4 seconds left failed.
RAVENS 38, DOLPHINS 6 Joe Flacco threw for 381 yards and four touchdowns, and the host Ravens overwhelmed the Dolphins in the first half to end Miami’s six-game winning streak. Baltimore (7-5) led 24-0 at halftime behind Flacco and a dominant performance from the league’s second-ranked defense. Flacco went 27 for 34 for 258 yards and 3 scores over the first 30 minutes, and the Ravens yielded only 115 yards and intercepted a Ryan Tannehill pass. That was enough to provide the Ravens with their fourth victory in five games. BRONCOS 20, JAGUARS 10
Bradley Roby returned an interception 51 yards for a touchdown, helping the visiting Broncos gain ground in the AFC playoff picture. Roby intercepted Blake Bortles’ wobbler across the middle in the third quarter and went untouched the other way. Star linebacker Von Miller hit Bortles as he released the ball. A seventh consecutive loss for Jacksonville (2-10) secured another miserable milestone for the small-market franchise. The Jaguars became the fifth team in NFL history to post double-digit losses in six consecutive
seasons, joining Tampa Bay (198394), Detroit (2001-06), Oakland (200309) and Cleveland (2008-13). PATRIOTS 26, RAMS 10 Tom Brady became the NFL’s career leader in victories by a quarterback for the host Patriots. His lone touchdown came on a 14-yard pass to Chris Hogan in the first quarter. LeGarrette Blount scored the game’s first touchdown , rumbling for a 43-yard, ankle-breaking score in the first quarter while spinning around safety Maurice Alexander in the process. He finished with 88 yards on 18 carries. The Patriots (10-2) have won seven of their last eight. BENGALS 32, EAGLES 14 Andy Dalton threw a pair of touchdown passes and host Cincinnati finally got its depleted offense moving without receiver A.J. Green. The Bengals (4-7-1) got their first victory since Oct. 23, beating a team that’s in a swoon of its own. The Eagles (5-7) opened the season with three consecutive victories, but have dropped seven of nine. Dalton had completions of 50, 44, 29, 23 and 21 yards. The Bengals scored on each of their first six possessions for a 29-0 lead, reinventing themselves with Green and running back Giovani Bernard sidelined by injuries. The previous time they scored on their first six possessions was 2009 against the Bears. BEARS 26, 49ERS 6 Jordan Howard ran for 117 yards and a career-high three touchdowns and the host Bears handed San Francisco its 11th consecutive loss. The 49ers (1-11) extended their franchise-record losing streak and set a club low with 6 yards net passing on a day when Colin Kaepernick got lifted for Blaine Gabbert. The Bears (3-9) finished with a season high in points and picked up a rare victory in a matchup between two of the NFL’s worst teams. SEAHAWKS 40, CAROLINA 7
Thomas Rawls ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, Tyler Lockett took a reverse 75 yards for a score to open the second half and host Seattle routed the Carolina Panthers. Another prime-time game in Seattle was clouded with odd story lines right from the outset when Carolina quarterback Cam Newton was benched for the first play, only to watch backup Derek Anderson throw an interception. It was the start of miserable night for Carolina. Rawls and the run game set the tone for Seattle, gashing the second-best run defense in the NFL for 240 yards. Carolina entered the week giving up less than 80 yards per game on the ground. Rawls finished with 106 yards on 15 carries.