Miami Dolphins 37 (8-7), Minnesota 35 (6-9)
The Dolphins were able to get back in the win column after a two-game losing streak with a 37-35 comeback win over the Vikings.
Minnesota got off to the fast start, as Matt Asiata ran for a touchdown from a yard out ten and a half minutes into the game, and then Teddy Bridgewater found Greg Jennings for a 21 yard touchdown three and a half minutes into the second quarter to go up 14-0, but then Miami went on a 12 play, 92 yard drive, concluding with a 14 yard touchdown pass from Ryan Tannehill to Dion Sims with five minutes left in the half, though Blair Walsh made an 18 yard field goal to make it 17-7 at halftime. The Dolphins then went on a run, as a 6 play, 80 yard drive ended with a 16 yard touchdown pass from Tannehill to Mike Wallace, and then Lamar Miller ran for a one yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter,.
After a 33 yard field goal for Walsh, an 8 play, 80 yard drive for Miami resulted in another Tannehill to Wallace endzone connection, this time from 7 yards out with 6:39 to go, but Minnesota answered with a Bridgewater 8 yard touchdown pass to Jarius Wright and a two-point conversion, and then recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff at the Dolphins’ 5, with Asiata scoring on the next play. But Miami would tie it with an 11 play, 80 yard drive, with Tannehill finding running back Damien Williams for a three-yard touchdown with 1:11 left, and then a bad snap for the Vikings led to a blocked punt that went into the endzone with 41 seconds left for a safety, giving the Dolphins the win.
Tannehill was 35 of 47 for 396 yards, four touchdowns and an interception, finding Charles Clay six times for 114 yards, while Bridgewater was 19 of 26 for 259 yards, two touchdowns an interception.
Detroit Lions 17 (11-4), Chicago Bears 14 (5-10)
Despite an off day for Matthew Stafford, the Lions were again able to win a tougher than expected matchup with a division rival, 17-14 over the Bears.
Detroit got the scoring started first, as Reggie Bush ran for a 13 yad touchdown nine and a half minutes into the game, though a pair of Stafford interceptions in the redzone, followed by a fumbled punt return at the 11 yard line, with Jimmy Clausen finding Matt Forte for a touchdown on the following play in the final minute of the half to tie it for Chicago. The Lions retook the lead with a 39 yard Matt Prater field goal four and a half minutes into the second half, but the Bears took their first advantage with a 14 play, 80 yard drive, ending with a 20 yard touchdown throw from Clausen to Alshon Jeffery with 2:45 to go in the third, but Detroit would go ahead with a 17 yard touchdown run by Joique Bell midway through the fourth quarter, and the defense held for the win.
Stafford was 22 of 39 for 243 yards and his two interceptions, going to Calvin Johnson six times for 103 yards, while Clausen was 23 of 39 for 181 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in his first start since 2010.
Carolina Panthers 17 (6-8-1), Cleveland Browns 13 (7-8)
The Panthers won their third straight to keep their playoff hopes alive with a comeback victory today over the Browns, 17-13.
The teams exchanged field goals in the first quarter, with Cam Newton coming back from his car accident a week and a half ago and running for a two-yard touchdown right after the two-minute warning in the second quarter to give Carolina a 10-3 lead, with rookie Johnny Manziel leaving late in the first half with a hamstring injury and not returning. Cleveland cut into the lead with a 31 yard field goal by Garrett Hartley twelve minutes into the third quarter, and then went ahead by 3 when Brian Hoyer found Jordan Cameron wide open for an 81 yard touchdown with ten minutes left, but Carolina answered with a 7 play, 66 yard drive, ending in a 9 yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Stewart with seven minutes left, and the Panthers defense held the rest of the way.
Newton was 18 of 31 for 201 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and ran for 63 yards and a touchdown, while Jonathan Stewart ran for 122 yards, with Hoyer completing 7 of 13 for 134 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and Manziel finishing 3 of 8 for 32 yards.
Atlanta Falcons 30 (6-9), New Orleans Saints 14 (6-9)
In a battle with major implications for the NFC South division crown, the Falcons went into New Orleans and beat the Saints, 30-14, setting up a win and you are in next week against the Panthers, eliminating New Orleans from playoff contention.
The Saints started fast, as Jalen Saunders returned the opening kickoff 99 yards to the one yard-line, with Mark Ingram punching it in on the next play just 20 seconds into the game, but Matt Bryant kicked a pair of field goals (50, 44), and then Atlanta went on a 15 play, 89 yard drive, with Matt Ryan throwing to Eric Weems on a shovel pass from three yards out to take a 13-7 lead at halftime. The Falcons extended their lead on a 7 play, 86 yard drive that concluded with a 31 yard touchdown run by rookie Devonta Freeman nine minutes into the second quarter, though New Orleans got back in it with a 12 play, 87 yard drive in which Drew Brees found Jimmy Graham for a four-yard touchdown with six minutes, but a late interception by Brees that set up a field goal and a 86 yard fumble return by Osi Umenyiora sealed a win for Atlanta.
Ryan was 30 of 40 for 322 yards and a touchdown, with Julio Jones catching seven passes for 107 yards in his return to the field, while Brees was 30 of 47 for 313 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
Pittsburgh Steelers 20 (10-5), Kansas Chiefs 12 (8-7)
The Steelers depended on a bend but don’t break defense and key offensive drives to clinch a playoff spot with a 20-12 win over the Chiefs, putting a damper on Kansas City’s postseason hopes.
The teams exchanged field goals in the first quarter, with Cairos Santos making a 25 yarder five and a half minutes into the second quarter to give the Chiefs a 6-3 lead, but Pittsburgh answered with an 11 play, 80 yard drive, with Le’Veon Bell scoring on a one-yard run five minutes later to let the Steelers go into the locker room up 10-6. In the final minute of the third quarter, Ben Roethlisberger completed a 10 play, 75 yard drive with a three-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown, with a 23 yard field goal by Shawn Suisham with four minutes left to put the game out of reach.
Roethlisberger was 18 of 25 for 220 yards and a touchdown, while Alex Smith was 31 of 45 for 311 yards.
New England Patriots 17 (12-3), New York Jets 16 (3-12)
In a battle between two of the best defensive minds in football, Bill Belichick’s unit was able to do well enough for a one-point win against the hated rival New York Jets, 17-16, with the victory giving them a first-round bye in the postseason.
Following a scoreless first quarter, New England scored first, as Tom Brady found Rob Gronkowski for a three-yard touchdown less than three minutes into the second quarter, but New York would go on a 12 play, 87 yard drive, with Geno Smith finding Jeff Cumberland for a 20 yard touchdown six minutes later, with Nick Folk making a 26 yard field goal in the final minute to take a 10-7 lead into the locker room.
After a 23 yard field goal by Folk just over eight minutes into the third quarter, Stephen Gostkowski made a 24 yard field goal less than five minutes later to make it a three-point game again, and then Jonas Gray ran for a one-yard touchdown to take a 17-13 lead just over a minute into the third quarter. Folk made a 37 yarder seven minutes into the fourth quarter, but missed a 52 yarder two and a half minutes later, with the Patriots running out the clock the rest of the way to preserve the win.
Brady was 23 of 35 for 182 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while Smith was 17 of 27 for 210 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Green Bay Packers 20 (11-4), Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3 (2-13)
After a difficult offensive game for the Packers last week in Buffalo, they were able to regroup well enough on both sides of the ball to get back into the win column and clinch a playoff berth with a 20-3 win over the Buccaneers.
Green Bay got the scoring started with a 7 play, 82 yard drive, with Eddie Lacy running for a 44 yad touchdown just over fourteen minutes into the game, and then got a 42 yard Mason Crosby field goal ten minutes into the second quarter. Tampa got a 43 yard field goal from Patrick Murray as time expired in the first half, but a 25 yard field goal by Crosby five minutes into the third quarter and a one-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to Jordy Nelson with just under three minutes left to clinch the victory.
Rodgers was 31 of 40 for 318 yards and a touchdown, with Lacy running for 99 yards and a touchdown, with Randall Cobb catching 11 passes for 131 yards and Nelson grabbing 9 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown.
Oakland Raiders 26 (3-12), Buffalo Bills 24 (8-7)
For the third time in five weeks, the Raiders played spoiler to a playoff contender, ending Buffalo’s playoff hopes in a 26-24 win.
The Bills got off to a good start, with Kyle Orton throwing a 42 yard touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins just over five minutes, but Oakland tied it with a three-yard touchdown from rookie Derek Carr to James Jones on the first play of the second quarter, with Sebastian Janikowski kicking a pair of field goals (45, 36) before Dan Carpenter made a 54 yard field goal for Buffalo as time expired to cut it to 13-10 at the half. Janikowski added a pair of field goals (49,38) in the third quarter, but the Bills again made it close with a 29 yard touchdown pass from Orton to Scott Chandler on the first play of the fourth quarter, though a 51 yard pass from Carr to Andre Holmes set up a one-yard touchdown pass to Jamize Ozawale, with a late Orton touchdown pass to Robert Wood with a minute left being too little too late.
Orton was 32 of 49 for 329 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, while Carr was 17 of 34 for 214 yards and two touchdowns.
Derek Carr has 20 TD passes. Only rookies with more since merger? Peyton Manning, Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, Jim Kelly and Cam Newton
— trey wingo (@wingoz) December 22, 2014
New York Giants 37 (6-9), St. Louis Rams 27 (6-9)
The Eli Manning-Odell Beckham Jr. connection continues to amaze all season, and help the Giants score 37 points against a usual stingy Rams defense in a 37-27 win for their third straight victory.
New York started the scoring with a 29 yard Josh Brown field goal just over four minutes into the game, and then Beckham caught a 9 yard touchdown pass just over two minutes later, and after a 51 yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein for St. Louis and a 37 yard field goal by Brown, the Giants offense continued its success with a 1o play, 80 yard drive that concluded with a 12 yard touchdown run by rookie Orleans Darkwa with five minutes left in the half to make it 20-3. The Rams rallied late in the half, as rookie running back Tre Mason ran for a 10 yard touchdown with 2:18 to go, and Zuerlein made a 20 yarder as the second quarter expired, but the Giants then had a 7 play, 87 yard drive, with Manning finding Rueben Randle for a 7 yard touchdown halfway through the third quarter to again go up touchdowns.
St. Louis had a 10 play, 90 yard drive that ended with a 23 yard touchdown pass from Shaun Hill to Lance Kendricks with 1:44 left in the third quarter, but Manning and Beckham connected on a deep ball a minute later for an 80 yard touchdown, and a Josh Brown 52 yard field goal with 8:29 to go sealed a win. Manning was 25 of 32 for 391 yards and three touchdowns, with rookie Andre Williams rushing for 110 yards and Beckham catching eight passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns, tying an NFL record with eight consecutive games of 90 yards or more receiving, while Randle had six catches for 132 yards and a touchdown.
Hill was 24 of 32 for 290 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, with Kenny Britt catching nine passes for 103 yards.
Dallas Cowboys 42 (11-4), Indianapolis Colts 7 (10-5)
The Cowboys were able to clinch a playoff berth, their division, and knock their hated rival Eagles with a dominant 42-7 win over the Colts.
Dallas was physical from the beginning, as a 15 play, 80 yard opening drive that took nearly eight and a half minutes, with Tony Romo finding Terrance Williams for a 9 yard touchdown pass, and then took advantage of a fake punt going wrong with a 19 yard touchdown throw from Romo to Dez Bryant with 4:23 left in the first quarter. In the first minute of the second quarter, Romo threw his third touchdown, a 24 yard throw to Cole Beasley, and DeMarco Murray ran for a one-yard touchdown with six and a half minutes left in the half to make it 28-0, and a 25 yard touchdown from Romo to Witten just over ten minutes put the game completely out of reach.
Romo was tremendously efficient, completing 18 of 20 for 218 yards and four touchdowns, while Andrew Luck was limited to 15 of 22 for 109 yards and two interceptions.
