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The Canadian Press
Chiefs clinch AFC’s top seed, Steelers win AFC North
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas Metropolis clinched the highest seed within the AFC and the one playoff bye when Patrick Mahomes threw a 25-yard landing cross to Demarcus Robinson with just below two minutes for a 17-14 win over Atlanta on Sunday.The Chiefs needed to watch as Professional Bowl kicker Younghoe Koo missed a tying field-goal try with 9 seconds left to flee.The Chiefs (14-1) received their NFL-record seventh straight one-possession recreation and matched a franchise document with their tenth straight win. They took any seeding drama out of video games involving Pittsburgh and Buffalo and may have that coveted first-round AFC bye when the post-season begins in two weeks.The Falcons (4-11) took the lead when Matt Ryan hit Laquon Treadwell for a 5-yard landing with 4:33 to go. However Mahomes stored discovering Travis Kelce — who had a record-setting recreation of his personal — to arrange the TD cross to Robinson. And when the Falcons marched the opposite method within the closing seconds, Kansas Metropolis’s defence compelled Koo’s 39-yard kick.As an alternative of heading to additional time, the Falcons headed residence with their seventh loss by six factors or much less this season.Mahomes completed with 278 yards passing and two touchdowns together with an interception. Kelce had seven catches for 98 yards and a rating, giving him 1,426 yards for the season, breaking George Kittle’s document for an NFL tight finish.STEELERS 28, COLTS 24PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ben Roethlisberger overcame a month-long malaise to throw for 342 yards and three second-half touchdowns because the Steelers locked up the division title.Listless and lifeless for weeks because of a three-game shedding streak that adopted an 11-0 begin, Pittsburgh (12-3) in some way received it collectively over the ultimate 25 minutes in opposition to the Colts (10-5). Indianapolis missed an opportunity to inch nearer to a playoff berth when it let a 17-point third-quarter lead slip away.Roethlisberger, who appeared uneven at greatest and ineffective at worst throughout Pittsburgh’s current slide, snapped out of it. He ditched the dink-and-dunk strategy that had labored through the early portion of the season however grew to become far too predictable throughout a December swoon.The 38-year-old quarterback kick-started the comeback with a 39-yard strike to Diontae Johnson and introduced the Steelers inside a landing on a 5-yard cross to Eric Ebron. He gave Pittsburgh its first second-half lead since Dec. 7 when he audibled right into a play that ended with Roethlisberger threading the ball between two Colts to JuJu Smith-Schuster from 25 yards with 7:38 to play.Indianapolis, so dominant throughout a primary half during which it outgained the Steelers 206-28, had two probabilities to reclaim the lead within the fourth quarter. The primary drive ended with Philip Rivers throwing an interception deep in Pittsburgh territory. The second ended with Rivers’ heave to Zach Pascal crusing excessive on fourth down.SEAHAWKS 20, RAMS 9SEATTLE (AP) — The Seahawks claimed the NFC West title, Russell Wilson throwing a 13-yard TD cross to Jacob Hollister with 2:51 left for the clinching rating.Seattle (11-4) earned its first division title since 2016 and its fifth since Pete Carroll arrived in 2010 behind a stellar defensive effort and a clutch late drive engineered by Wilson.Seattle’s quarterback scored on a 4-yard run on the opening drive of the second half for a 13-6 lead. However the last drive was Wilson at his greatest: Wilson was 5 for five for 59 yards on the drive, hitting 4 totally different receivers.Wilson connecting with Hollister was a little bit of redemption for the tight finish who was stopped inches wanting the identical finish zone on the ultimate play a yr in the past in Week 17 in opposition to San Francisco. That gave the division title to the 49ers.Wilson completed 20 of 32 for 225 yards. However in contrast to earlier within the season when it was Wilson that staked Seattle to a 5-0 begin, this victory was carried by the defence. Seattle flustered Jared Goff, shut down the Rams’ run recreation, and held Los Angeles (9-6) to a season low in factors.CAROLINA 20, WASHINGTON 13LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Dwayne Haskins turned the ball over thrice earlier than getting benched, Steven Sims muffed a punt return that become a Panthers landing and Washington blew its first likelihood to clinch the NFC East.Haskins was 14 of 28 with a fumble and two interceptions after beginning instead of injured veteran Alex Smith, regardless of violating COVID-19 protocols final week. After being stripped of his captaincy and fined $40,000 for partying with out a masks, he was stripped of the ball by Marquis Haynes within the first quarter and picked off by Tahir Whitehead and Tre Boston within the second.In the meantime, Washington’s defence allowed two Panthers landing drives and 202 yards within the first half alone. Had there been followers at FedEx Subject, they might have booed Washington (6-9) off the sphere at halftime.Down 14 early within the fourth quarter, coach Ron Rivera pulled Haskins and handed the ball to Taylor Heinicke for his first NFL motion since 2018 with Carolina. Heinicke was 12 of 19 for 137 yards in reduction and threw a 29-yard TD cross to J.D. McKissic with 1:50 left.Carolina (5-10) snapped a three-game skid.COWBOYS 37, EAGLES 17ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Andy Dalton threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns, two to Michael Gallup, and the Cowboys stayed alive within the NFC East playoff race.The Cowboys (6-9) received their third consecutive recreation and nonetheless have an opportunity to win the division because of Washington’s 20-13 loss to Carolina, which assured that the NFL’s worst division received’t have a workforce with a successful document.Dallas can overtake Washington (6-9) with a win on the New York Giants and a Washington loss to the Eagles on the ultimate weekend of the common season. The Giants (5-10) can get in by beating the Cowboys if Washington loses.The Eagles (4-10-1) led 14-3 within the first quarter after DeSean Jackson’s 81-yard landing catch in his first recreation in two months coming off an ankle damage, and they might have managed their playoff probabilities in opposition to Washington with a win.RAVENS 27, GIANTS 13BALTIMORE (AP) — Lamar Jackson directed 4 scoring drives through the decisive first half. Baltimore’s fourth straight victory, mixed with Pittsburgh’s win over Indianapolis, lifted the Ravens previous the Colts within the AFC wild-card hunt. With a victory in Cincinnati subsequent week, the Ravens (10-5) will earn a playoff berth for the third yr in a row.The Giants (5-10) misplaced their third straight and had been left with solely a miniscule likelihood of constructing the post-season.Jackson guided the Ravens to touchdowns on their first two possessions, then took them into field-goal place on his subsequent two drives for a 20-3 halftime lead.That was greater than sufficient to defeat a struggling Giants workforce that totalled solely 13 factors in its earlier two video games and has scored simply two touchdowns over the previous three weeks.Daniel Jones began at quarterback for New York after lacking two of the previous three video games with hamstring and ankle accidents. His passing numbers — 24 for 41 for 252 yards — had been reflective of the heavy strain he acquired from Baltimore’s relentless rush.The Ravens had six sacks, and Jones was flushed out of the pocket on a number of different events.JETS 23, BROWNS 16EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — After this loss, the Browns might want to beat the archrival Steelers subsequent Sunday in the event that they’re going to finish the NFL’s longest playoff drought.On fourth-and-1 with 1:18 remaining and the short-handed Browns (10-5) driving for the potential tying rating, Mayfield tried to push ahead for a primary down. He misplaced the ball when Tarell Basham smacked into him. Kareem Hunt recovered, however by rule, Mayfield was the one one who might advance the ball — and the quarterback was wanting the primary down.The Jets (2-13) sealed their second straight victory after an 0-13 begin, shedding all likelihood for the highest total draft choose.It was a tough week for the Browns, who haven’t been within the post-season since 2002 and entered with out seven gamers together with Jarvis Landry and three different extensive receivers, and rookie left sort out Jedrick Wills. Cleveland needed to name up a number of gamers from the follow squad and coach Kevin Stefanski ran a walk-through in a car parking zone close to the workforce’s lodge to get a number of the new gamers up to the mark on the sport plan.Regardless of being short-handed, the Browns practically erased a 20-3 deficit. However the Jets had been capable of cling on.Jamison Crowder caught a landing cross and threw one to Braxton Berrios on a razzle-dazzle play, and Sam Darnold threw a landing cross to Chris Herndon.BEARS 41, JAGUARS 17JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jaguars took care of enterprise, shedding their 14th consecutive recreation after which getting some assist to safe the No. 1 choose within the 2021 NFL draft.Whats up, Trevor Lawrence!Mitchell Trubisky accounted for 3 scores, together with two landing passes to Jimmy Graham, and the Bears stored management of their post-season path. Chicago could make the NFC playoffs for the second time in three years by beating Inexperienced Bay subsequent week at residence — regardless of having gone by way of a six-game shedding streak in 2020.The Jaguars (1-14), who set a franchise document for consecutive losses, locked up the highest choose for the primary time in franchise historical past when the New York Jets beat Cleveland 23-16 a couple of minutes later.Which means the identical day Jacksonville reached its worst skid in franchise historical past might find yourself being a possible recreation changer for the small-market workforce that’s spent the higher a part of the final 20 years looking for a franchise quarterback.The one factor standing between Jacksonville and Lawrence is the Clemson star formally turning professional, a choice that’s anticipated after the Tigers finish their season within the School Soccer Playoff.Chicago scored 28 unanswered factors to begin the second half, getting thus far in entrance that Nick Foles received to shut out the sport in opposition to his former workforce.CHARGERS 19, BRONCOS 16INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Justin Herbert set the rookie document for many landing passes in a season. Michael Badgley tied a profession excessive with 4 subject objectives, together with the successful kick with 41 seconds remaining.Herbert’s 9-yard display screen cross to Austin Ekeler within the second quarter was his twenty eighth landing throw of the season, surpassing the 27 that Baker Mayfield had for Cleveland in 2018.Herbert, the sixth total choose within the April draft and third QB taken, accomplished 21 of 33 passes for 253 yards. He additionally grew to become the fourth participant to throw for over 4,000 yards as a rookie, becoming a member of Andrew Luck, Cam Newton and Jameis Winston.Badgley got here into the sport making three of his final seven on subject objectives, however was good on all 4 of his makes an attempt Sunday. After Brandon McManus tied it at 16 with 2:47 remaining with a 52-yard subject objective, the Chargers (6-9) drove to the Broncos 19, and the third-year kicker received it from 37 yards.Denver (5-10) had tied it with scores on three straight possessions.BENGALS 37, TEXANS 31HOUSTON (AP) — Samaje Perine ran for 2 touchdowns, together with a 3-yard rating late, to provide the Bengals their first street win in additional than two years.The Texans (4-11) had been driving after Perine’s second rating when Deshaun Watson was sacked by Sam Hubbard, who compelled a fumble that Margus Hunt recovered. The Bengals added a subject objective to seal the victory.It’s the primary street win for second-year coach Zac Taylor and the primary time the Bengals (4-10-1) received away from Cincinnati since a 37-36 victory at Atlanta on Sept. 30, 2018. The Bengals have received two video games in a row for the primary time this season after upsetting the Steelers 27-17 on Monday night time.The Texans led 31-27 after Darren Fells carried two defenders into the top zone on the finish of a 22-yard reception with about six minutes to go. Perine, who had a season-high 95 yards dashing, gave Cincinnati the lead when he bulled into the top zone for the go-ahead rating with lower than two minutes to go.Brandon Allen returned after lacking final week’s recreation with a knee damage and threw for a career-high 371 yards with two touchdowns for the Bengals.___More AP NFL: https://apneThe Related Press
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