Behind Jones’ TDs, Packers sweep Bears
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Aaron Jones ran for two TDs and Davante Adams caught a TD pass in the 200th edition of he NFL’s oldest rivalry as the Packers defeated the Bears 21-13 Sunday.
With the win, the Packers (11-3) swept the regular-season series between the teams for the 15th time in the last 26 seasons and the seventh time in the last 11 seasons. Green Bay defeated Chicago 10-3 in the season opener.
Green Bay now leads the all-time series 99-95-6. The Bears (7-7) saw their three-game winning streak end.
The Packers improved to 19-5 against their NFC North rival with Rodgers as the starting quarterback. Rodgers completed just 16 of 33 passes for a pedestrian 203 yards but did enough to secure the victory. The two-time MVP entered the day with a 103.2 career passer rating against the Bears, the highest in league history of quarterbacks with at least 250 passes against Chicago. He had a 78.2 rating Sunday.
Mitchell Trubisky completed his first five pass attempts for the Bears but for only 18 yards. Chicago’s offense opened with three straight punts and a turnover on downs. Trubisky finished 28 of 53 for 321 yards, a TD and two interceptions.
Seahawks 30, Panthers 24: Seattle’s Russell Wilson threw for 286 yards and two TDs and Chris Carson ran for 133 yards and two scores. The Seahawks (11-3) wrapped up a postseason berth for the seventh time in the last eight seasons when the Rams lost to the Cowboys. It was the 100th regular season win for Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.
Seattle scored on its first three possessions but had to hold on after nearly surrendering a 30-10 lead with 7:28 left in the game as Carolina (5-9) got two TDs. Christian McCaffrey scored on a 15yard run and Kyle Allen found Curtis Samuel for a 5-yard score to make it a one-possession game with 3:19 left. But the Seahawks overcame two holding penalties and Wilson connected on a 14yard pass to Lockett on a 3rd-and-11 to help the Seahawks run out the clock.
Vikings 39, Chargers 10: Dan Bailey kicked four field goals and Ifeadi Odenigbo scored Minnesota’s second defensive TD in three games. Los Angeles (5-9) led 10-9 midway through the second quarter before Minnesota scored 30 unanswered points. The Chargers committed seven turnovers, their most since having seven against the Giants in 1986. Mike Boone ran for two TDs in the fourth quarter and Kirk Cousins threw for 207 yards and a TD for the Vikings (10-4), who have won four of their last five to remain in possession of the NFC’s last playoff spot.
Eagles 37, Redskins 27: Carson Wentz recovered from a late fumble by leading a 75-yard, go-ahead scoring drive and throwing his third TD pass of the day to keep Philadelphia’s NFC East hopes on track. Wentz threw TD passes to running back Miles Sanders, tight end Zach Ertz and receiver Greg Ward and was 30 of 43 for 266 yards. The 4yard pass from Wentz to Ward with 26 seconds left put Philadelphia up for good and electrified a stadium full of green-clad Eagles fans. Wentz’s ability to bounce back from accuracy issues and a turnover means the Eagles (7-7) are still tied with the division rival Cowboys, whom they play next week. Sanders rushed for 122 yards and a TD and caught six passes for 50 yards. Washington fell to 3-11.
Patriots 34, Bengals 13: Tom Brady threw two TD passes to move within one of the NFL career record, Stephon Gilmore returned one of his two interceptions 64 yards for a score and New England (11-3) clinched a playoff berth. A week that started with intrigue – a Patriots crew videotaping the Bengals’ sideline in Cleveland – concluded with more New England history. The Patriots have made the playoffs 11 consecutive seasons, extending their NFL record. Brady had TD passes of 23 and 7 yards that left him with 538, one shy of Peyton Manning’s record, as the Patriots broke a two-game losing streak with four interceptions in the second half.
Chiefs 23, Broncos 3: Patrick Mahomes threw for 340 yards and two TDs and Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce were on the receiving end of many of his biggest throws as AFC West champion Kansas City romped to remain in the hunt for the No. 2 playoff seed and a potential first-round bye. Hill caught five passes for 67 yards and both scores, and Kelce hauled in 11 catches for 142 yards to become the first tight end in NFL history with four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons, helping the Chiefs (10-4) beat Denver (5-9) for the ninth straight time.
Cardinals 38, Browns 24: Kenyan Drake ran for four TDs, Kyler Murray threw for 219 yards and a score and Arizona snapped a six-game losing streak. Murray got the best of a much-anticipated showdown with Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield. The two were teammates in college at Oklahoma and both won Heisman Trophies before being selected with the No. 1 overall picks by their respective teams in back-toback years.
Giants 36, Dolphins 20: Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning threw two TD passes in what might have been his final home start for the Giants and New York snapped a franchise record-tying nine-game losing streak. Saquon Barkley ran for 112 yards and scored two walk-in TDs and New York’s much-maligned defense added a safety as the Giants (3-11) handed the Dolphins (3-11) their second loss in two weeks at MetLife Stadium.
Buccaneers 38, Lions 17: Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston became the first player in NFL history to throw for 450 yards in consecutive games. Winston threw three TDs in the first half – four overall – and a career-high 458 yards one week after throwing for 456 yards. The Buccaneers (7-7) have won four straight and five of six, but their surge started too late for them to get in the playoff race. Detroit (3-10-1) has dropped seven games in a row and 10 of 11, increasing the scrutiny of embattled coach Matt Patricia.