Bears win division, clinch playoff berth
Mitchell Trubisky threw for two touchdowns, Eddie Jackson ended Aaron Rodgers’ NFL-record streak without an interception and the host Chicago Bears clinched the NFC North with a 24-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
The Bears (10-4) secured their first playoff appearance since the 2010 team won the division, and clinching with a rare victory over their heated rivals made it all the more sweet.
The loss, coupled with Minnesota’s 41-17 victory over Miami, keeps the Packers out of the postseason for the second year in a row.
Chicago had dropped nine of 10 against Green Bay (5-8-1). But the Bears secured their first trip to the playoffs in eight years with their seventh win in eight games.
49ers 26, Seahawks 23 (OT): Robbie Gould kicked a 36-yard field goal with 3:06 left in overtime and host San Francisco snapped a 10-game losing streak against Seattle. Nick Mullens threw for 275 yards and a touchdown to help the 49ers (4-10) win consecutive games for the first time this season. Richie James Jr. returned a kick 97 yards for a touchdown and Gould kicked four field goals to give San Francisco its first win in the rivalry since 2013 when Jim Harbaugh was still coach.
Ravens 20, Buccaneers 12: Rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson picked apart the Tampa Bay defense on a soggy home field, running for 95 yards and throwing for 131 for Baltimore. Anointed the starter over veteran Joe Flacco earlier in the week, Jackson justified the decision with a riveting performance. Slipping between and sliding around potential tacklers, the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner operated the runpass option in much the same fashion as during his glory days at Louisville. Jackson directed two drives that lasted more than seven minutes, carried 18 times and completed 14 of 23 passes, one of them for a touchdown.
Redskins 16, Jaguars
AAA13: Josh Johnson’s first NFL start in more than seven years ended with a victory, snapping the Redskins’ four-game losing streak and keeping them on the fringe of the NFC playoff picture. Johnson and Adrian Peterson drove the Redskins (7-7) into field-goal range in the closing minutes, and Dustin Hopkins made a 36yarder on the final play to win it in Jacksonville.
Falcons 40, Cardinals 14: Julio Jones made an acrobatic touchdown catch and Deion Jones returned an interception for an early score as the host Falcons snapped a five-game losing streak. The Falcons (5-9) forced three turnovers and sacked Arizona’s Josh Rosen seven times, a single-game season high for both teams. Arizona (3-11) has dropped two straight and five of six under firstyear coach Steve Wilks.
Bengals 30, Raiders 16: Joe Mixon had another big game, rushing for 129 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and the host Bengals ended one of their longest losing streaks under coach Marvin Lewis. The Bengals (6-8) had dropped five straight — their third-worst slump during Lewis’ 16 seasons — before finding a team struggling as much as them.
Bills 14, Lions 13: Josh Allen threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Robert Foster early in the fourth quarter to rally Buffalo and eliminate the visiting Lions from playoff contention. Allen also scored on a 3-yard run and finished 13 of 26 for 204 yards and no turnovers. Foster had four catches for 108 yards to top 100 for the third time in five games since being promoted from the practice squad.
AAALATE SATURDAY
Browns 17, Broncos 16: Baker Mayfield capitalized on Denver’s depleted cornerback corps and dubious decisions in leading Cleveland past the host Broncos and keeping alive their slim hopes of ending the NFL’s longest playoff drought. Mayfield’s 2-yard TD toss to Antonio Calloway with just under 12 minutes left provided the winning margin for the Browns (6-7-1).
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