NFL round-up: Barkley eclipses 2,000 rushing yards as Eagles take NFC East
Saquon Barkley rushed for a season-high 167 yards, backup quarterback Kenny Pickett ran and threw for scores before leaving with injured ribs, and the Philadelphia Eagles clinched the NFC East title by beating the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday by 41 -7 to beat.
Barkley has 2,005 yards and needs 101 in next week’s largely meaningless regular-season finale to surpass Eric Dickerson and his 2,105 yards for the Los Angeles Rams in 1984.
The Eagles (13-3) led 24-7 in the third quarter when Pickett was drilled by defenseman Micah Parsons, ending his first start in place of concussed Jalen Hurts. Tanner McKee, a career third stringer, entered the game and the Eagles capped the drive with a field goal.
McKee later threw two TD passes, a 20-yarder to AJ Brown and a 25-yarder to DeVonta Smith, in front of a roaring crowd thrilled to see the Eagles dominate their fiercest rival for the division title and at least the No. .2 to complete. seed in the NFC.
Hurts was injured in last week’s loss at Washington and remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol — he hasn’t practiced all week — which opened the door for Pickett to start.
Pickett, acquired from Pittsburgh in the offseason, played with extra protection under his jersey after suffering a rib injury while pressed into service against the Commanders.
Sore ribs or not, Pickett was excited all week for this start. He grew up a diehard Eagles fan in central New Jersey, about 80 miles from Lincoln Financial Field, and recalled “great memories” of going to games with his father and grandfather since he was 5 years old.
The 26-year-old Pickett said he had enough family at the Linc to cheer him on against Dallas (7-9).
More than 60,000 other Eagles also held him, but Pickett’s dream day ended prematurely. He finished 10 of 15 for 143 yards.
With the Eagles no longer having a division title to play for, it’s likely Hurts will rest another week ahead of the playoffs. Now Pickett could also be sidelined, potentially forcing McKee into the starting lineup.
Barkley had 31 carries and his last went for 23 yards, putting him over 2,000. He could also sit out rather than risk getting hurt chasing Dickerson’s record. Barkley, who left the Giants and signed a three-year contract with the Eagles for $26 million guaranteed, set the NFL mark for most yards rushing in a player’s first season with a new team.
Carolina Panthers 14-48 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield threw for 359 yards and five touchdowns to help the Buccaneers keep their division and playoff hopes alive with a 48-14 rout of the Panthers on Sunday.
Tampa Bay’s fifth win in the last six weeks left the first-place Bucs (9-7) a half-game ahead of Atlanta for the best record in the NFC South, with the Falcons set to play on the road later Sunday night in Washington. .
Atlanta has the tiebreaker in the division race and can end Tampa Bay’s three-year reign as NFC South champions by beating the Commanders and winning again next week at home against the last-place Panthers (4-12).
Mayfield threw TD passes of 2 and 1 yards to Mike Evans, and Tampa Bay produced points on five consecutive possessions in the first half to build a 27–7 lead. Jalen McMillan scored on receptions of 10 and 16 yards, linebacker JJ Russell returned a blocked punt for a TD in the third quarter and rookie Bucky Irving had another big game against Carolina with 120 yards rushing on 20 carries and four receptions for 77 yards .
Irving went for over 1,000 yards (1,033) this season despite being used primarily as a backup to Rachaad White. The fourth-round draft pick rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries against the NFL’s 32nd-ranked run defense in Tampa Bay’s 26-23 overtime win at Carolina on Dec. 1.
Tennessee Titans 13-20 Jacksonville Jaguars
Mac Jones threw two touchdown passes, including one to standout rookie Brian Thomas Jr., and the Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Tennessee Titans 20-13 in the rain on Sunday to clinch the season series for the fourth time in 30 years.
Jones completed 15 of 22 passes for 174 yards, most of which went to Thomas. The first-round draft pick out of LSU finished with seven receptions for 91 yards. His 11-yard TD catch with 7:05 remaining gave him his eighth game with at least 60 yards and a score, tying Hall of Famer Randy Moss for the most by a rookie in NFL history .
Thomas, who has scored five touchdowns in his past four games, also became the fifth player in Jaguars history with double-digit touchdowns in a season. He joined Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Marcedes Lewis and Reggie Williams.
The Titans (3-13) improved their standing for the 2025 NFL draft – a potential opportunity to land a franchise quarterback – and secured the last spot in the AFC South. The Jaguars (4-12) secured third place in the division.
New York Jets 14-40 Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and the Buffalo Bills captured the AFC’s No. 2 seed on Sunday with a 40-14 loss to the splintering and undisciplined New York Jets.
The Bills put the game away by taking advantage of two Jets turnovers and scoring three touchdowns in a span of 5:01 in the final minutes of the third quarter. Buffalo’s defense forced a total of three takeaways and sacked Aaron Rodgers four times, including a two-yard loss on a safety in the second quarter.
Allen had a short and efficient outing, finishing 16 of 27 for 182 yards with a 30-yard TD pass to Amari Cooper and a 14-yarder to Keon Coleman before giving way to backup Mitchell Trubisky with Buffalo up 33- 0 for three quarters. And Trubisky piled on by completing a 69-yard touchdown pass to practice the team’s Tyrell Shavers call 2:23 into the fourth quarter.
Allen’s two-touchdown passing rush was the 64th of his career and tied Peyton Manning for third most in a player’s first seven NFL seasons. Patrick Mahomes holds the record with 67 games with two wins in that span, followed by Dan Marino’s 65.
Allen also became the NFL’s first player with five consecutive 40-TD seasons, while his one-yard score was the 65th rushing TD of his career, tying Thurman Thomas’ team record.
Las Vegas Raiders 25-10 New Orleans Saints
Aidan O’Connell passed for two touchdowns, tight end Brock Bowers broke two rookie NFL records and the Las Vegas Raiders beat the struggling New Orleans Saints for the fourth time this season on Sunday, 25-10.
Bowers’ seven catches for 77 yards gave him 108 receptions for 1,144 yards this season, eclipsing Mike Ditka’s 1961 rookie tight end mark of 1,067 yards receiving and Puka Nacua’s 2023 mark of 105 catches by a rookie at any position. Bowers also surpassed Darren Waller’s franchise mark of 107 receptions in a season, which had stood since 2020.
Ameer Abdullah rushed for 115 yards for the Raiders (4-12) – the journeyman running back’s first 100 yards game in his 10 NFL seasons.
O’Connell finished with 242 yards passing, including a three-yard TD pass to Jakobi Meyers and an 18-yarder to Tre Tucker.
Daniel Carlson made four field goals — his longest from 54 yards — for the Raiders, who appeared unfazed Saturday by flight delays that left them in their hotel after midnight, less than 12 hours before kickoff.