Rams follow Gurley to NFC West title
Todd Gurley ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns to help the Los Angeles Rams overcome a sputtering start to beat the Detroit Lions 30-16 Sunday and clinch the NFC West title for a second straight season.
The Rams (11-1) also moved a step closer to earning home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs, taking a onegame lead over New Orleans after it lost to Dallas on Thursday night. It is a cushion Los Angeles needs because its only loss was against the Saints last month.
The Lions (4-8) have lost five of six. CHARGERS 33, STEELERS 30 >> Michael Badgley kicked a 29-yard field goal on the final play — and his third try. Badgley initially missed a 39-yard kick but Pittsburgh was called for offsides. Badgley’s ensuing 34-yard attempt was blocked, but the Steelers were again flagged for jumping across the line of scrimmage before the snap. He drilled his third attempt at the game-winner.
Philip Rivers completed 26 of 36 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns for Los Angeles (9-3). Keenan Allen caught 14 passes for 148 yards and a score for the Chargers, who erased a 16-point halftime deficit.
Ben Roethlisberger threw for 281 yards and two scores for the Steelers (7-4-1), who have lost two straight and are now clinging to the AFC North lead over surging Baltimore. PATRIOTS 24, VIKINGS 10 >> Tom Brady passed for 311 yards and a touchdown, while Bill Belichick earned his 250th victory, including playoffs, as Patriots coach.
Brady completed 24 of 32 passes and now has 579 touchdown passes, including the playoffs, tying him with Peyton Manning for the most. The Patriots (9-3) have won eight of nine.
TITANS 26, JETS 22 >> Marcus Mariota threw an 11-yard TD pass to Corey Davis with 36 seconds left, and the Titans (6-6) rallied from a 16-point deficit to keep themselves on the fringes of the AFC playoff chase. JAGUARS 6, COLTS 0 >> Jalen Ramsey and the Jaguars delivered one of the most dominant defensive performances in franchise history. The Jaguars (4-8) needed that kind of effort to make up for a lackluster offense and end a seven-game losing streak. The Colts (6-6) entered with the fourth-most points in the league. RAVENS 16, FALCONS 16 >> Rookie Lamar Jackson ran for a touchdown and Baltimore’s defense turned in a dominating performance, holding the Falcons to 131 total yards. TEXANS 29, BROWNS 13 >> Deshaun Watson threw a touchdown pass and Houston (9-3) intercepted rookie Baker Mayfield three times, returning one for a score, to extend their franchise-record winning streak to nine games.
BUCCANEERS 24, PANTHERS 17 >> Jameis Winston threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns as the Bucs (57) won for the second straight time since Winston regained his starting job. A week after setting a Carolina franchise record with 237 total yards from scrimmage, Christian McCaffrey rushed for 106 yards on 10 carries and had nine receptions for 55 yards.
BRONCOS 24, BENGALS 10 >> Rookie Phillip Lindsay ran for a career-high 157 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Broncos (3-3) got their third straight victory. Lindsay became the first undrafted rookie in Broncos history to top 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in a season.
The crowd of 44,392 was the smallest at Paul Brown Stadium since 2011. DOLPHINS 21, BILLS 17 >> Jordan Phillips drew a costly penalty for taunting his former team, setting up a touchdown with nine minutes left that helped the Dolphins rally. Miami was trying to rally from a three-point deficit when Phillips tackled Kenyan Drake for a 4-yard loss deep in Bills territory. Phillips then rose, pushed Drake’s leg away and drew a 15-yard penalty for taunting. One play later, the Bills stopped Miami for another loss, and Phillips applauded in the direction of the Dolphins’ bench. Bills coaches then took him out of the game, and he watched from the sideline as Ryan Tannehill hit Kenny Stills with a 13-yard scoring pass for a 21-17 lead.