Bills end drought, snag AFC wild-card playoff berth
Minnesota’s defense turned in another dominant performance, and Latavius Murray rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Vikings secure a first-round bye and homefield advantage in the first round of the NFC playoffs with a 23-10 victory over Chicago at home.
Stefon Diggs caught six passes for 65 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings (13-3), who reached 13 wins for only the second time in the history of the 57-yearold franchise after holding a second straight opponent without an offensive touchdown.
BILLS 22, DOLPHINS 16 >> The Buffalo Bills snapped the longest current non-playoff drought in North American pro sports with the victory at Miami and Cincinnati’s victory at Baltimore. The Bills hadn’t made the postseason since 1999.
Buffalo (9-7) will travel to Jacksonville next weekend in a wild-card game.
The Bills’ anxiety was compounded by the loss of 1,000-yard rusher LeSean McCoy with a right ankle injury.
BENGALS 31, RAVENS 27 >> The Ravens were ousted from the playoff hunt in stunning fashion when Andy Dalton threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd with 44 seconds left, giving the Bengals the win.
Needing a win to advance to the postseason, Baltimore (9-7) rallied from a 14-point deficit to take its first lead with 8:48 left. But Dalton put together a magnificent 90-yard drive in the closing minutes before hitting Boyd over the middle on a fourthand-12 play.
Boyd avoided a tackle by Maurice Canady and raced to the end zone.
TITANS 15, JAGUARS 10 >> Marcus Mariota threw a touchdown and used his legs to help the Titans end an eightseason playoff drought by beating the Jaguars to clinch an AFC wild-card berth.
The Titans (9-7) snapped a three-game skid in a game they needed to win or get some help with losses elsewhere to advance. CARDINALS 26, SEAHAWKS 24 >> Phil Dawson kicked four field goals, the last from 42 yards with 2:21 left, Blair Walsh missed a 48-yard attempt with 32 seconds left and the visiting Cardinals beat the Seahawks.
Seattle’s playoff hopes were dashed when Atlanta beat Carolina to earn the final wild-card spot in the NFC.
BUCCANEERS 31, SAINTS 24 >> Jameis Winston threw for 363 yards, including a 39yard scoring pass to Chris Godwin with nine seconds remaining, to help the Buccaneers snap a five-game losing streak.
CHIEFS 27, BRONCOS 24 >> Patrick Mahomes II made both his first NFL start and his first NFL relief appearance a success, leading the visiting Chiefs past the Broncos on Harrison Butker’s 30-yard field goal as time expired. COWBOYS 6, EAGLES 0 >> Dak Prescott tossed a 20-yard touchdown pass to Brice Butler early in the fourth quarter and the Cowboys beat playoff-bound Philadelphia, preventing the Eagles from earning a franchise-record 14th win.
The Eagles (13-3) rested several starters on a frigid day and played others briefly after securing the NFC’s No. 1 seed last week. They’ll host a playoff game on Jan. 13 or 14.
LIONS 35, PACKERS 11 >> Matthew Stafford threw three touchdown passes and the host Lions beat the turnover-prone and shorthanded Packers in a matchup of teams out of the playoff race. COLTS 22, TEXANS 13 >> Jacoby Brissett threw for one touchdown, and Marlon Mack ran for another as the Colts beat Houston in the season finale for both teams.
GIANTS 18, WASHINGTON 10 >> Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning threw a touchdown pass in what might be his final game with the Giants.
PATRIOTS 26, JETS 6 >> Dion Lewis ran for a touchdown and caught a scoring pass, helping New England (133) clinch home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.