NFL roundup: Brady, Patriots slip past Steelers

PITTSBURGH -- Tom Brady beat the Pittsburgh Steelers once again, and he got help from Duron Harmon.

Brady led the New England Patriots to the winning touchdown with 56 seconds left, guiding the Patriots to a 27-24 win over the Steelers. The result ruined Pittsburgh's chance to clinch a first-round playoff bye and potentially home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The game was marred by a calf injury sustained in the first half by Steelers receiver Antonio Brown, who was taken to a hospital for further examination and treatment.

Brady led the Patriots (11-3) to a touchdown scored by Dion Lewis on an 8-yard run that capped a 77-yard drive, completing a rally from a 24-16 deficit. Ben Roethlisberger scrambled to give the Steelers (11-3) two more chances at winning the game, but his final pass was deflected by Eric Rowe and intercepted by Harmon in the end zone with five seconds left.

JAGUARS 45, TEXANS 7

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Blake Bortles passed for three touchdowns in the first half to lead Jacksonville to a victory over Houston and clinch its first playoff berth since 2007. The Jaguars led 31-0 at the half, the largest halftime margin in franchise history.

Jacksonville (10-4) remained in control of first place over the AFC South under first-year head coach Doug Marrone. The Jaguars won 17 games in the previous five seasons, the lowest total in the NFL.

Houston (4-10), which has lost four straight and seven of its last eight, was outscored 74-14 en route to being swept by the Jaguars.

VIKINGS 34, BENGALS 7

MINNEAPOLIS -- Case Keenum passed for 236 yards and two touchdowns, and Minnesota's defense dominated Andy Dalton and Cincinnati.

Latavius Murray added 76 yards rushing and a touchdown for Minnesota (11-3), which clinched the NFC North with its ninth win in the past 10 games.

Brian Robison had two of the Vikings' three sacks and Eric Kendricks returned a first-quarter interception for a touchdown. Minnesota held Cincinnati (5-9) to 161 yards and a 1-of-13 conversion rate on third down.

EAGLES 34, GIANTS 29

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Nick Foles threw four touchdown passes as NFC East champion Philadelphia off New York to clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Foles, who was 24 of 38 for 237 yards, took over as the starting quarterback for the Eagles (12-2) after they lost Carson Wentz last week to a season-ending knee injury.

Eli Manning finished 35 of 54 for 427 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for the Giants (2-12).

PANTHERS 31, PACKERS 24

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Cam Newton threw three of his four touchdown passes in the opening 18 minutes of the second half as Carolina upstaged the return of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Newton completed 20 of 31 passes for 242 yards as the Panthers (10-4) remained in at least a first-place tie in the NFC South.

Rodgers was intercepted three times, all on underthrown balls. He completed 27 of 45 passes for 287 yards, but the Packers (7-7) saw their postgame aspirations damaged.

COWBOYS 20, RAIDERS 17

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Dan Bailey kicked a tiebreaking 19-yard field goal with 1:44 left, and Dallas held on for a victory over Oakland.

The Raiders then drove to the Cowboys' 8-yard line, taking advantage of a 55-yard pass-interference penalty. However, on third-and-3 from the 8, quarterback Derek Carr fumbled while diving at the end of a scramble along the right sideline, and the ball went into the end zone and out for a touchback.

The Cowboys (8-6) improved their slim hopes for an NFC wild-card playoff berth. The Raiders (6-8) barely remain alive in the AFC postseason race.

SAINTS 31, JETS 19

NEW ORLEANS -- Drew Brees threw two touchdown passes, including a 4-yard slant to Michael Thomas with 7:39 left, and New Orleans overcame three turnovers in its win.

The victory kept the Saints (10-4) in first place in the NFC South. Even though they are tied with 10-4 Carolina, the Saints swept the Panthers in two games this season and own the head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Jets (5-9) kept the game close with their defensive pressure and ability to stuff the run into the fourth quarter, but they could not generate enough offense behind quarterback Bryce Petty, a third-year player making his fifth NFL start.

BILLS 24, DOLPHINS 16

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- LeSean McCoy became the 30th player in NFL history to surpass 10,000 career rushing yards while helping Buffalo keep its playoff hopes alive.

McCoy compiled 96 total yards (50 rushing, 46 receiving) and two touchdowns as the Bills improved to 8-6 for just the third time in the 18 years since the team last reached the postseason.

The loss diminished the Dolphins' playoff chances following an upset win over New England on Monday night. Jay Cutler was 28 of 49 for 274 yards and three interceptions for Miami (6-8). Kenyan Drake ran for 78 yards and a touchdown, and Cody Parkey kicked three field goals.

RAVENS 27, BROWNS 10

CLEVELAND -- Ball-hawking Baltimore forced four more turnovers and converted two of them into touchdowns to defeat Cleveland.

The Ravens (8-6) kept alive their wild-card playoff hopes. They would clinch a playoff spot by beating the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals in Baltimore the final two weeks regardless what the other contenders do.

The Browns (0-14) have lost 16 straight games to division opponents dating back to 2015.

REDSKINS 20, CARDINALS 15

LANDOVER, Md. -- Kirk Cousins threw a pair of touchdown passes as Washington defeated Arizona.

The Redskins (6-8) never trailed and stopped Arizona on downs at the Washington 21-yard line with 16 seconds left.

Arizona (6-8) went 0-for-6 in the red zone and 4-for-19 on third down. The Cardinals haven't scored a touchdown in their past two games and were officially eliminated from the playoff hunt.

RAMS 42, SEAHAWKS 7

SEATTLE -- Todd Gurley ran for three touchdowns and caught a scoring pass as Los Angeles took control of the NFC West with a dismantling of Seattle.

The Rams (10-4) avenged an earlier 16-10 loss to Seattle and opened a two-game lead over the Seahawks (8-6) with two games remaining.

Gurley followed a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs with a 57-yarder with 28 seconds left in the first half that put the Rams up 34-0. Gurley added a 14-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter that made it 40-0.

49ERS 25, TITANS 23

SAN FRANCISCO -- Robbie Gould's sixth field goal of the day, a 45-yarder on the final play of the game, allowed San Francisco to overtake Tennessee.

Gould's 20th consecutive successful field goal came 67 seconds after Ryan Succop had nailed a 50-yard field goal to give the Titans (8-6) a 23-22 lead.

The win was the third in a row for the 49ers (4-10) since promoting Jimmy Garoppolo to starting quarterback. The ex-New England Patriot passed for 381 yards and a second-quarter touchdown to tight end Garrett Celek.

NFL roundup: Eagles win sixth straight

PHILADELPHIA -- Carson Wentz threw two touchdown passes and the Philadelphia Eagles overcame a sluggish start to defeat the winless San Francisco 49ers 33-10 Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

Wentz was 18 of 32 for 211 yards and now has tossed a franchise-record 19 touchdown passes through the first eight games.

The Eagles improved to 7-1 following their sixth consecutive win while the 49ers fell to 0-8, joining the Cleveland Browns as the only two teams without a win.

San Francisco quarterback C.J. Beathard, making his second pro start, was under heavy pressure much of the game and finished 17 of 36 for 167 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

SEAHAWKS 41, TEXANS 38

SEATTLE -- Quarterback Russell Wilson passed for a career-best 452 yards and engineered another late comeback as Seattle spoiled Houston rookie phenom Deshaun Watson's big day.

Wilson hit tight end Jimmy Graham on an 18-yard touchdown with 21 seconds left, capping off an 80-yard drive over the final 1:39, for his fourth touchdown pass of the game. Graham and Seattle wide receiver Paul Richardson both scored twice on a day when Houston's Watson also passed for four touchdowns.

Watson was 19-for-30 for a season-best 402 yards and four touchdowns, but also threw three costly interceptions in the loss. Houston (3-4) had a chance to put the game away after cornerback Marcus Williams intercepted a Wilson pass deep in Texans territory with 2:49 left, but Watson and the offense couldn't get a game-clinching first down.

Wilson and the Seahawks took over at the Seattle 20-yard line with 1:39 left. Wilson then completed three consecutive passes, including a 48-yarder to Richardson, and hit a wide-open Graham over the middle to put Seattle (5-2) ahead for good.

STEELERS 20, LIONS 15

DETROIT -- Ben Roethlisberger connected with rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster on a 97-yard touchdown, the longest pass play in Pittsburgh history, and the Steelers held off Detroit.

Roethlisberger completed 17 of 31 passes for 313 yards. Smith-Schuster hauled in seven of those passes for 193 yards. Le'Veon Bell rushed for 76 yards on 25 carries, including a 5-yard touchdown, for the Steelers (6-2).

Matthew Stafford completed 27 of 45 passes for 423 yards for the Lions (3-4), but they couldn't score a touchdown. Matt Prater accounted for all of Detroit's points with five field goals.

PATRIOTS 21, CHARGERS 13

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tom Brady threw for 333 yards with a touchdown and Stephen Gostkowski kicked four field goals, leading New England to its fourth straight win.

Brady, who threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski, recorded his 81st career 300-yard game, his fifth this season, which matches his total of last year.

The Patriots ended a three-game winning streak for the Chargers.

The worst of the many Los Angeles mistakes came when punt returner Travis Benjamin fielded a punt near the sideline at his own 8. He ran backward and wound up fumbling the ball at the goal line, recovering it inside the end zone for the first safety on a punt return in the NFL since 2003.

BENGALS 24, COLTS 23

CINCINNATI -- Defensive end Carlos Dunlap's interception return for a touchdown with seven minutes left lifted Cincinnati over Indianapolis.

With the Colts leading 23-17, Dunlap batted Jacoby Brissett's pass up in the air, then caught it and ran 16 yards for a touchdown, putting the Bengals ahead.

The Colts moved into Cincinnati territory with less than two minutes left, but Brissett's pass on fourth-and-4 at the 48 fell incomplete, denying them a shot at a game-winning field goal.

Colts receiver Jack Doyle had career highs with 12 catches and 121 yards with a touchdown, but the result was the third straight loss for Indianapolis.

FALCONS 25, JETS 20

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Staring at a fourth straight loss to an AFC East opponent, Matt Ryan hit Mohamed Sanu for the go-ahead touchdown with 12:22 left in the fourth quarter, and Atlanta hung on to beat New York in a steady rain.

The Jets were about to get the ball back down 22-20 inside nine minutes to play, but Jeremy Kerley muffed a punt and Atlanta's Kemal Ishmael recovered on the New York 13-yard line. Matt Bryant hit his fourth field goal three plays later for the final margin with 5:22 to play.

The Jets, who blew 14-point leads each of the last two weeks, had a 17-10 lead with 2:26 left in the first half when Josh McCown hit wide receiver Robby Anderson for a 24-yard touchdown.

SAINTS 20, BEARS 12

NEW ORLEANS -- Drew Brees completed 23 of 28 passes for 299 yards and New Orleans overcame two fourth-quarter fumbles by Mark Ingram to hold off Chicago for its fifth consecutive victory.

After Ingram's first fumble with 7:32 left, the Bears cut the deficit to 17-12 on a 1-yard leap by running back Tarik Cohen with 3:58 left.

The Saints appeared to be moving for the clinching score, but Ingram was stripped again of the ball by safety Adrian Amos, setting up Chicago at the Bears 30. But the Saints' defense held on four downs, and Wil Lutz kicked a 49-yard field goal for a 20-12 lead with 1:35 left.

The Bears had one more chance, returning the ensuing kickoff to the Saints 43, but cornerback Marshon Lattimore picked off Trubisky with 1:11 remaining.

PANTHERS 17, BUCCANEERS 3

TAMPA, Fla. -- Carolina broke a two-game losing streak while sending Tampa Bay to its fourth straight loss.

The Panthers established a 10-0 first-half lead with a 1-yard touchdown run by Jonathan Stewart and a 28-yard field goal by Graham Gano.

Following a fourth-quarter interception by James Bradberry, the Panthers got the put-away score with 8:48 remaining on Cam Newton's 25-yard pass to Kelvin Benjamin on third-and-16.

Overall, Newton was 18-of-32 passing for 154 yards. He rushed for 44 yards and was not sacked.

BILLS 34, RAIDERS 14

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Buffalo defense forced four turnovers and scored 13 points off a flurry of three takeaways in a span of five minutes to beat Oakland.

Buffalo entered the game leading the NFL in turnover margin and had its fourth straight game with at least three takeaways, extending the NFL's longest streak.

LeSean McCoy rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown and Tyrod Taylor had 165 passing yards and two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) for the Bills, who improved to 5-2 for the first time since 2011.

Oakland fumbled four times and lost two of them. David Carr was 31 of 49 passing for 313 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

COWBOYS 33, REDSKINS 19

LANDOVER, Md. -- Ezekiel Elliott ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns, Mike Nugent kicked four field goals and Dallas defeated Washington in the rain.

Dallas held a 26-13 lead when Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Josh Doctson with 4:35 remaining, but Nick Rose's extra-point attempt sailed wide.

The Cowboys picked up two first downs before punting with 1:05 left. Taking over on his 12, Cousins' second pass was intercepted by Byron Jones at the 21 and returned for a touchdown.

Elliott carried 33 times and scored on runs of 13 and 1 yards and had a 27-yard score negated by a holding penalty. He notched his third career performance of at least 150 yards in what could be his last game for some time. He has a court date on Monday that will likely determine whether he begins serving a six-game suspension immediately.

VIKINGS 33, BROWNS 16

Minnesota overcame a slow start with 21 second-half points to overpower the Cleveland at Twickenham Stadium in London.

The Vikings have won four straight games -- three straight with backup Case Keenum at quarterback. The Browns are 0-8 this season and 1-23 under head coach Hue Jackson.

The lead changed five times after the Browns jumped ahead 6-0 before the Vikings took the lead for good late in the third quarter on a 1-yard scoring run by Jerick McKinnon.

NFL roundup: Titans survive scare from winless Browns

CLEVELAND -- Ryan Succop kicked a 47-yard field goal with 1:55 left in overtime to give the Tennessee Titans a 12-9 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

A 54-yard field goal by Browns rookie kicker Zane Gonzalez with 47 seconds left in regulation tied the score 9-9 to force overtime.

The 0-7 Browns shut down the Titans' sixth-ranked running attack and the Tennessee defense made the Browns quarterbacks pay for passing mistakes.

Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota finished 21 of 34 for 203 yards. DeMarco Murray had 18 carries for just 59 yards.

Browns quarterback Cody Kessler went 10 of 19 for 121 yards and an interception before being benched for rookie DeShone Kizer, who went 12 of 20 for 114 yards and two interceptions.

PATRIOTS 23, FALCONS 7

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Just as they occurred in the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, New England manhandled Atlanta, cruising to a fog-shrouded victory.

The Falcons held a 28-3 lead over New England back in February before the Patriots scored the last 31 points to steal the game. On Sunday night, New England made it 54 straight points against Atlanta before Julio Jones caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan with 4:09 left in the game.

Tom Brady threw two touchdowns passes, one a short flip forward that Brandin Cooks ran in 11 yards for a TD, and Stephen Gostkowski kicked three field goals for New England. James White, who scored the overtime touchdown in the Super Bowl, caught a 2-yard touchdown pass.

VIKINGS 24, RAVENS 16

MINNEAPOLIS -- Kai Forbath kicked six field goals for Minnesota in a win over Baltimore.

Justin Tucker kicked three field goals, but it wasn't enough as the Ravens lost their fourth in five games.

Vikings running back Latavius Murray was the rare offensive standout, picking up 113 yards on the ground and scoring Minnesota's lone touchdown. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco finished 27 of 39 passing for 186 yards, and hit Chris Moore for a 13-yard touchdown on the final play of the game. Vikings quarterback Case Keenum was 20 of 31 for 188 yards and an interception.

BEARS 17, PANTHERS 3

CHICAGO -- Rookie safety Eddie Jackson became the first player in NFL history to score two defensive touchdowns of at least 75 yards in the same game, and Chicago made them stand up in a win over Carolina.

Jackson scored on a 75-yard fumble return and a 76-yard interception return during the first half. Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky played it safe on the other side of the ball as he completed four of seven passes for 107 yards.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (21 of 34, 211 yards) was intercepted twice in the loss. Turnovers crippled Carolina, which fell short despite posting a 20-5 advantage in first downs and a 293-153 edge in total yards.

SAINTS 26, PACKERS 17

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Drew Brees continued his mastery of Green Bay, leading New Orleans to victory.

Brees completed a barrage of short passes that added up to 331 yards on 27-of-38 accuracy with two interceptions. In seven career games against the Packers, he has topped 300 passing yards all seven times.

Making his first start for injured Aaron Rodgers, Packers quarterback Brett Hundley was just 12 of 25 for 87 yards. Hundley didn't make any big mistakes -- his lone interception came with the Packers down by nine in the final minutes -- but he also didn't make any big plays in the passing game.

JAGUARS 27, COLTS 0

INDIANAPOLIS -- Blake Bortles completed 18 of 26 passes for 330 yards and a touchdown, and Jacksonville dominated Indianapolis.

The Colts were shut out for the first time since a 41-0 playoff loss in 2002 at the New York Jets.

Bortles had a terrific first half, completing 14 of 20 passes for 282 yards and one touchdown. His first-half success included completions of 45, 50, 52, 24 and 28 yards. Jacksonville's 39 first-half plays from scrimmage produced 342 yards. Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett was sacked three times in the first half and limited to 5-of-10 passing for 37 yards. Brissett finished 22 of 37 for 200 yards.

DOLPHINS 31, JETS 28

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Backup quarterback Matt Moore, facing a two-touchdown deficit, rallied Miami over New York.

Dolphins defensive back Bobby McCain made the biggest defensive play of the game, intercepting a Josh McCown pass at the New York 27 with 47 seconds left in the fourth quarter. That set up Dolphins kicker Cody Parkey, who broke a 28-28 tie with a 37-yard field goal with 26 seconds left.

Moore completed 13 of 21 passes for 198 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in relief of Jay Cutler (ribs). The late interception of McCown spoiled a strong overall performance in which he passed for three touchdowns and ran for one. He finished 17 of 27 for 209 yards.

BILLS 30, BUCCANEERS 27

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- LeSean McCoy rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns and Tyrod Taylor passed for 268 yards and a touchdown as Buffalo came from behind to defeat Tampa Bay.

Stephen Hauschka made three field goals, including the game-winner from 30 yards with 14 seconds remaining. Earlier in the game, Hauschka tied an NFL record by making his 12th consecutive field goal of at least 50 yards.

Jameis Winston started at quarterback for the Buccaneers after being listed as questionable with a shoulder injury. Winston was 32 of 44 passing for 384 yards and three touchdowns. However, he fumbled twice, losing one, and threw an interception. Bucs rookie tight end O.J. Howard caught six passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns, while Mike Evans had seven receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown.

RAMS 33, CARDINALS 0

Jared Goff threw for 235 yards and a touchdown, Todd Gurley II had his fourth game of 100 or more rushing yards and the defense provided two interceptions that led to points as Los Angeles crushed Arizona at Twickenham Stadium in London.

Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer exited the game in the second quarter with a broken left arm and will be out at least eight weeks and possibly the rest of the season.

Greg Zuerlein added four field goals for the Rams. Gurley rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. It was Gurley's fourth 100 yards-plus game this season. He had no games of 100 or more yards last season.

STEELERS 29, BENGALS 14

PITTSBURGH -- Le'Veon Bell carried 35 times for 134 yards against the NFL's second-ranked defense to lead Pittsburgh over Cincinnati.

In games in which Bell has carried 27 times or more, the Steelers are 4-0.

Bell sparked a Steelers touchdown drive on their first possession. He carried five times for 27 yards and gained 23 on a pass reception before Antonio Brown caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger completed 14 of 24 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns for the Steelers. His passer rating of 117.4 was a season high.

COWBOYS 40, 49ERS 10

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Ezekiel Elliott ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns and caught a 72-yard touchdown pass, leading Dallas over San Francisco.

Dak Prescott completed 16 of 25 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns for the Cowboys, who ended a two-game losing streak. Prescott also ran for a touchdown.

San Francisco rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard completed 22 of 38 passes for 235 yards and ran for a touchdown in his first NFL start. He was sacked five times and lost two fumbles.

CHARGERS 21, BRONCOS 0

CARSON, Calif -- Los Angeles blanked Denver to win its third straight game and first of the season after three losses at the StubHub Center.

Travis Benjamin had a 42-yard scoring reception and returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown to lead the Chargers. Philip Rivers added another touchdown pass to running back Austin Ekeler. Rivers finished 15 of 26 for 183 yards and two touchdowns as he recorded his 100th career win.

The Broncos, who have dropped three of their past four games, committed three turnovers and were stifled by a stout Chargers defense. Trevor Siemian completed 25 of 35 passes for 207 yards and an interception.

SEAHAWKS 24, GIANTS 7

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Russell Wilson threw three second-half touchdown passes to give Seattle a win over New York.

The Seahawks, who were coming off their bye week, put together a sloppy, penalty-filled first half, which included eight penalties for 63 yards and two second-quarter dropped passes by tight end Jimmy Graham, one of which would have been a touchdown on a fourth-down play.

Wilson, who in addition to the three touchdown passes, completed 27 of 39 for 334 yards and no interceptions. Seattle's Doug Baldwin caught nine passes for 91 yards and a score. Giants quarterback Eli Manning was just 19 of 39 for 134 yards and a touchdown.