BIRDS ARE IN
Foles lifts Eagles into playoffs, ties NFL record for consecutive completions
The NFC North champion Chicago Bears refused to let up, riding Jordan Howard for 109 rushing yards and two touchdowns and that relentless defense for a 24-10 victory over Minnesota on Sunday that kept the rival Vikings out of the playoffs.
With the 24-0 win by Philadelphia at Washington, the Vikings (8-7-1) watched the Eagles claim the last wild-card spot and went home wondering what happened to their offense after signing Kirk Cousins for $84 million guaranteed to be the franchise quarterback.
Tarik Cohen scored the last touchdown on a short run with 7:46 left to cap a 16-play drive for the Bears (12-4), who posted their best regular-season record since the 2006 team finished 13-3 and reached the Super Bowl. They’ve won nine of their last 10 games. RAVENS 26, BROWNS 24 >> The Ravens squeezed past the Browns and into the playoffs, using two rushing touchdowns by rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson and a late defensive stand to beat Cleveland and claim the AFC North title.
Kenneth Dixon accounted for 117 of Baltimore’s season-high 296 yards on the ground, Jackson had 90 and the rejuvenated Ravens ended a three-year playoff drought with their sixth win in seven games. Fourth-seed Baltimore will open the postseason next weekend at home against the Los Angeles Chargers.
STEELERS 16, BENGALS 13 >> Ben Roethlisberger passed for 287 yards and a touchdown, newly acquired kicker Matt McCrane booted three field goals and the Steelers edged the Bengals. Still, it wasn’t enough for Pittsburgh to win its third straight AFC North title. The Steelers saw their chance at capturing the division end when Baltimore held off Cleveland.
Rams 48, 49ers 32 >> Brandin Cooks and Josh Reynolds caught two touchdown passes apiece from Jared Goff, and the Rams secured a first-round playoff bye with a victory over the 49ers.
CHIEFS 35, RAIDERS 3 >> The Chiefs finally clinched their third consecutive AFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, and Patrick Mahomes and the rest of Kansas City’s offense continued to shatter records in a whitewash of the rebuilding Raiders. Mahomes threw for 281 yards, highlighted by a 67-yard TD pass to Tyreek Hill and an 89yard TD toss to Demarcus Robinson.
CHARGERS 23, BRONCOS 9 >> Philip Rivers and the Chargers recovered from a slow start to beat the Broncos for their first win in Denver since 2013. The Chargers are headed to the playoffs for the first time in five years, but they’ll go in as a wild-card thanks to a lastsecond loss to the Broncos at home in November. SEAHAWKS 27, CARDINALS 24>> Sebastian Janikowski made a 33-yard field goal on the final play and the Seahawks beat the Cardinals, wrapping up the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoffs and a matchup at Dallas. TEXANS 20, JAGUARS 3 >> The Houston Texans clinched the AFC South title as Deshaun Watson threw for 234 yards and ran for a touchdown, and DeAndre Hopkins had 147 yards receiving in a win over the Jaguars. LIONS 31, PACKERS 0 >> Matthew Stafford threw for 266 yards and two scores to T.J. Jones, kicker Matt Prater tossed a touchdown pass after faking a field-goal try and the Lions ended a beleaguered season on a high note with a win over the Packers.
With Green Bay trailing 21-0 at the half, quarterback Aaron Rodgers never returned after walking to the locker room early in the second quarter, having suffered a concussion.
BILLS 42, DOLPHINS 17 >> Bills rookie Josh Allen had a career-best three touchdown passes and scored two more rushing, and defensive tackle Kyle Williams closed his 13-year career in Buffalo with a win over the Dolphins.
FALCONS 34, BUCS 32 >> Matt Ryan’s first career reception went for a touchdown and the Atlanta quarterback also threw for 378 yards and two TDs to help the Falcons conclude a disappointing season with a victory over the Buccaneers, who fired coach Dirk Koetter after the game. PANTHERS 33, SAINTS 14 >> Undrafted rookie Kyle Allen passed for 228 yards and two touchdowns before injuring his shoulder, and the Panthers cruised to a victory over a Saints squad looking ahead to the playoffs.
— The Associated Press