Panthers take 1st place in NFC South with 23-20 win over Buccaneers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Bryce Young threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns, Lathan Ransom intercepted Baker Mayfield with 42 seconds left and the Carolina Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 on Sunday to take over first place in the NFC South.

The Panthers (8-7) can wrap up the division title next Sunday with a win over Seattle and a Buccaneers (7-8) loss to Miami. However, if both teams win or both teams lose, the Panthers would need to beat Tampa Bay again on the road in Week 18 to claim their first division title since 2015.

Tetairoa McMillan had six catches for 73 yards and a touchdown as the Panthers once again bounced back with a huge win after a potentially devastating loss to the last-place New Orleans Saints.

Ransom had a huge mistake in that defeat with a late hit on Saints QB Tyler Shough that led to New Orleans’ winning field goal.

But with the Bucs driving for a tying field goal — or a go-ahead touchdown — there was a miscommunication on a second-and-9 pass play between Mayfield and Mike Evans at the Carolina 42 and Ransom got an easy pick to seal the win.

Mayfield came into the game 4-0 against Carolina since being cut by the Panthers in 2022.

But the No. 1 pick in 2018 completed just 18 of 26 passes for 145 yards with one TD pass to Evans on the game’s opening drive as the struggling Bucs lost their third straight game.

With the game tied at 20 midway through the fourth quarter, Emeka Egbuka hauled in his first catch of the game, a 40-yard reception down the middle of the field, to get the Bucs to midfield. But the Panthers forced a Bucs punt, giving Young the ball back with 4:46 left at the Panthers 27.

PATRIOTS 28, RAVENS 24

BALTIMORE (AP) — Drake Maye guided New England to a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, rallying his team from an 11-point deficit to a victory over Baltimore that clinched a postseason spot for the Patriots and dealt a devastating blow to the Ravens’ playoff hopes.

Down 24-13 in the fourth quarter, Maye answered with a 37-yard scoring strike to Kyle Williams, and a 2-point conversion pass to Rhamondre Stevenson made it a three-point game with 9:01 to play.

After New England forced a punt, the Patriots drove 89 yards for the winning touchdown. Baltimore’s pass rush, which was nonexistent earlier in the game, was much better toward the end, but Maye showed why he’s emerged as an MVP candidate while leading New England (12-3) to first place in the AFC East.

He threw for a career-best 380 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. The winning touchdown came on one of New England’s few productive running plays, a 21-yard dash by Stevenson with 2:07 left.

The Ravens, who lost Lamar Jackson to a back injury in the second quarter, turned the ball over on their final drive on a fumble by Zay Flowers. Baltimore (7-8) is now two games behind AFC North-leading Pittsburgh with two to play. To win the division, the Ravens would need to win at Green Bay and Pittsburgh and have the Steelers lose to lowly Cleveland in Week 17.

JAGUARS 34, BRONCOS 20

DENVER (AP) — Trevor Lawrence threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score, leading Jacksonville to a resounding win that snapped Denver’s 11-game winning streak.

The AFC South-leading Jaguars (11-4) won their sixth straight game and handed the Broncos (12-3) their first loss since Week 3. It was also Denver’s first loss at home since Oct. 13, 2024, snapping the Broncos’ 12-game home winning streak.

The Broncos’ lead over the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC West was sliced to a single game. The teams play in Week 18.

After Broncos rookie RJ Harvey pinballed his way for a 38-yard touchdown to tie it at 17 on the opening drive of the second half, it was all Jacksonville.

Lawrence scored on a 1-yard keeper, then hit Parker Washington for 63 yards to set up Travis Etienne Jr.’s 10-yard TD catch. After Bo Nix fumbled his exchange with running back Jaleel McLaughlin, Lawrence drove Jacksonville on its fifth consecutive score, a 26-yard field goal by Cam Little that made it 34-17 early in the fourth quarter.

Parker caught six passes for a career-best 145 yards and a TD.

CHARGERS 34, COWBOYS 17

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Justin Herbert threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score and Los Angeles closed in on a playoff spot with a victory over Dallas.

The Chargers’ fourth consecutive victory gave them a chance later in the day to clinch their second postseason berth in two seasons under coach Jim Harbaugh. LA (11-4) would be in with a loss or tie by either Indianapolis or Houston.

Dak Prescott had TD passes on his first two drives but couldn’t find the end zone again for Dallas, which was eliminated from the playoffs for the second year in a row with Philadelphia’s NFC East-clinching victory at Washington on Saturday.

The Cowboys (6-8-1) have lost three in a row since a three-game winning streak that put them over .500 for the only time in coach Brian Schottenheimer’s first season.

In his third full game with his broken non-throwing (left) hand heavily protected, Herbert led the Chargers to touchdowns on all three drives in the first half. Omarion Hampton scored on a 5-yard run in the second half.

A 23-yard TD toss to Quentin Johnston, who played college football a few miles from the home of the Cowboys at TCU, was followed by 25-yarder to Ladd McConkey before Herbert’s 1-yard plunge on a modified version of the tush push. Johnston had four catches for 104 yards.

VIKINGS 16, GIANTS 13

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — J.J. McCarthy ran for a touchdown before leaving with an injury to his right, throwing hand, and backup quarterback Max Brosmer helped Minnesota win its third game in a row, beating New York in a matchup of teams eliminated from playoff contention.

McCarthy was injured on a strip sack by Brian Burns in the final minute of the first half, when it appeared the Vikings (7-8) were going to let the clock run out. Instead, Burns forced McCarthy to fumble with a crushing hit and Tyler Nubin returned it 27 yards for a touchdown.

Brosmer led a go-ahead scoring drive in the fourth quarter that ended with Will Reichard making a 30-yard field goal. The rookie completed 7 of 9 passes for 52 yards in his fourth NFL appearance and first since throwing four interceptions Nov. 30 in a 26-0 loss at Seattle.

Before getting hurt, McCarthy completed 9 of 14 passes for 108 yards and had a would-be pick-6 negated by an offside penalty on Abdul Carter. After having his entire rookie year wiped out by a torn meniscus in his right knee, the 2024 No. 10 pick has missed time this season because of a concussion and a sprained right ankle.

The Giants (2-13) lost their ninth consecutive game and fifth since Mike Kafka took over as interim coach when Brian Daboll was fired on Nov. 10. They have not won since Oct. 9.

BENGALS 45, DOLPHINS 21

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Joe Burrow rebounded from his first time being shut out to throw for 309 yards and four touchdowns as Cincinnati routed Miami.

Miami (6-9) and Cincinnati (5-10) were both eliminated from playoff contention last week, but the teams insisted they were still motivated for the final three games of the season.

It appeared that way in the first half. Cincinnati held a 17-14 halftime lead before blowing the game open with 28 points off four straight Dolphins turnovers.

Burrow carved up Miami’s defense, completing 25 of 32 throws with a 146.5 passer rating before being replaced by veteran Joe Flacco early in the fourth quarter. Two of Burrow’s touchdown passes went to running back Chase Brown, from 9 and 5 yards out. Brown, who finished with 66 yards rushing and 43 receiving, also had a 12-yard touchdown run. All of Brown’s TDs came in the third, making him the first player this season with three scores in a single quarter.

Ja’Marr Chase caught nine passes for 109 yards. Tee Higgins had an athletic 9-yard touchdown grab in the first quarter. And former Dolphin Mike Gesicki added a 17-yard TD before doing the Griddy front of his old team.

BILLS 23, BROWNS 20

CLEVELAND (AP) — James Cook rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns, Josh Allen played through a foot injury and the Buffalo Bills drew closer to a playoff berth with a victory over Cleveland.

Ty Johnson also had a rushing score for the Bills (11-4), who have won four straight and five of six.

Allen played the second half despite injuring his right foot during the second quarter.

The reigning NFL MVP was favoring the foot after being sacked by Cleveland’s Myles Garrett and Alex Wright for a 22-yard loss to Buffalo’s 1-yard line with 60 seconds remaining in the first half. The half-sack gave Garrett 22 on the season. He needs one more sack in the final two games for the Browns (3-12) to pass Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt for the single-season mark.

Allen was 12 of 19 for 130 yards and also rushed for 17 yards on seven carries.

Shedeur Sanders completed 20 of 29 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown. He also was the Browns’ leading rusher with four carries for 49 yards. The fifth-round pick also threw two interceptions which accounted for 10 of Buffalo’s points.

Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. scored both Browns’ touchdowns, including a 1-yard run in the third quarter to get them within 23-17.

Raheim Sanders rushed for 42 yards on 11 carries. He was pressed into action when Quinshon Judkins was carted off with a potentially season-ending leg injury late in the second quarter. NFL Network reported that Judkins had a broken leg.

TITANS 26, CHIEFS 9

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Cam Ward threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns, and Tennessee snapped an 11-game home skid by beating Kansas City.

The Titans (3-12) improved to 1-7 at home this season with their first win at Nissan Stadium since Nov. 3, 2024. The skid matched the franchise’s worst since moving to Tennessee in 1997.

With two games left, the Chiefs (6-9) are assured of their first losing record since 2012 — their most recent season without Andy Reid as their coach. Kansas City has lost four straight, its longest skid since 2017, and six of seven.

A week after Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending torn ACL, his backup, Gardner Minshew, was knocked out of the game with a knee injury early in the second quarter.

Ward posted his highest passer rating of this season at 122.3, and he overtook Marcus Mariota for the most yards passing by a rookie for the franchise. He helped the Titans roll up a season-high 377 yards of offense against a Chiefs defense that came in as the NFL’s eighth-stingiest in yards allowed.

The rookie threw a shovel pass to Chig Okonkwo that went 7 yards to put the Titans ahead to stay late in the first half. Ward also found fellow rookie Chimere Dike for a 1-yard TD in the third quarter.

Tony Pollard ran for 102 yards, giving him three straight 100-yard rushing games for the first time in his career. Tyjae Spears added a 4-yard rushing TD, and Joey Slye had a 27-yard field goal for the final margin.

SAINTS 29, JETS 6

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Chris Olave caught touchdown passes from Tyler Shough and Taysom Hill, Charlie Smyth tied a Saints record with five field goals and New Orleans extended its winning streak to three with a victory over reeling New York.

Cameron Jordan had two sacks for New Orleans (5-10), giving him 130 for his career and moving the 15th-year defensive end two ahead of Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson for 17th most in NFL history. Jordan, now with a team-high 8 1/2 sacks this season, has had at least eight sacks in nine seasons.

Shough, drafted 40th overall last spring, passed for 308 yards to eclipse 300 for the first time while improving to 4-3 as a starter. Hill accounted for 116 yards with 42 rushing, 36 receiving and his 38-yard scoring pass to Olave in the final minutes.

Undrafted rookie Brady Cook made his second start with the Jets (3-12), who’ve lost three straight and five of six.

Cook was sacked eight times. He lost a fumble when ex-Jet Nathan Shepherd flattened him and defensive end Chase Young recovered, leading to Smyth’s 50-yard field goal. Cook also was intercepted by rookie safety Jonas Sanker on a fourth-down play in the fourth quarter, leading to Smyth’s final field goal from 39 yards.

He finished 22 of 35 for 188 yards.

FALCONS 26, CARDINALS 19

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Bijan Robinson gained 171 yards from scrimmage and had a touchdown catch, Kirk Cousins threw two TD passes and ran for a score, and Atlanta held on to beat Arizona.

The Falcons (6-9) won for the second straight week, with both coming on the road.

Arizona’s defense made a fourth-down stop at its own 40-yard line with 2:05 left, setting up a chance to tie the game or take the lead, but Atlanta’s C.J. Henderson made a diving interception of Jacoby Brissett’s pass with 1:30 remaining to seal it.

Robinson had 92 yards receiving on seven catches, including a 13-yard touchdown, and added 76 yards rushing on 16 carries. The 23-year-old became the third player in franchise history to gain at least 2,000 yards from scrimmage in a season, joining Jamal Anderson (1998) and William Andrews (1981 and 1983).

Arizona (3-12) has lost seven straight and 12 of 13 since starting the season 2-0.

The Falcons pushed ahead 26-16 early in the fourth quarter when Cousins scored on a 1-yard run, which capped a 12-play, 66-yard drive. Arizona cut the deficit to 26-19 with 4:37 left on Chad Ryland’s 34-yard field goal, taking advantage of Cousins’ fumble at midfield.

TEXANS 23, RAIDERS 21

HOUSTON (AP) — C.J. Stroud threw a touchdown pass, Derek Stingley returned an interception for a score and Houston beat Las Vegas for their seventh straight victory and the Raiders’ ninth loss in a row.

Houston (10-5) has its longest winning streak since a nine-game run in 2018. The Texans remain a game behind first-place Jacksonville — a winner in Denver on Sunday — in the AFC South. The Raiders are 2-13.

Stingley’s touchdown came in the first quarter, and Ka’imi Fairbairn made three field goals to help the Texans to the win on a day when their offense struggled.

Houston led by two with about eight minutes left when Stroud found a wide-open Dalton Schultz for a 1-yard touchdown strike that made it 23-14. Nick Chubb had a 30-yard run on that drive and a 23-yard pass interference call on Lonnie Johnson Jr. against Collins got Houston to the 2 to set up the score.

Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty cut the lead to 23-21 when he scored on a 51-yard run with about 5 1/2 minutes left. The rookie burst through the line before shedding a defender and waltzing into the end zone.

Houston faced third-and-20 at its 7 after that when Darien Porter was flagged for pass interference on Nico Collins to give the Texans a first down. Collins grabbed a 24-yard reception on the first play after the two-minute warning and Houston ran out the clock for the win.

STEELERS 29, LIONS 24

DETROIT (AP) — Pittsburgh pushed Detroit to the brink of elimination from the playoffs, holding on for a win when Jared Goff’s touchdown on the final play was negated by an offensive pass-interference penalty on Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Goff threw a fourth-down pass to St. Brown just short of the goal line. The receiver pushed off cornerback Jalen Ramsey to get free, and before the Steelers could bring St. Brown to the ground, he threw the quarterback a lateral to set up an apparent score.

Officials huddled for some time on the field before announcing the decision to the dismay of the crowd.

Jaylen Warren had two 45-yard touchdown runs in the fourth quarter and finished with a career-high 143 yards for the Steelers, who had a 230-15 advantage in rushing yards.