NFL roundup: Bucs clinch another NFC South title as Titans land No 1 draft pick
Baker Mayfield used his legs and arm to help the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win their fourth straight NFC South title, while Mike Evans had more than 1,000 yards receiving.
Mayfield fired a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan for the go-ahead goal and then scrambled 28 yards for a crucial first down on the next drive, leading the Buccaneers to a 27-19 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
Evans caught a nine-yard pass on the final play of the game to surpass 1,000 yards for the 11th straight season, tying Jerry Rice for the most in NFL history. After Mayfield’s long scramble on third-and-14 from the Tampa 12, the Buccaneers drove to the Saints 11. Mayfield looked for Evans, but turned the ball backwards to Bucky Irving, who ran 11 yards for a touchdown that made it 27- brought 19.
The Saints turned the ball over on downs and the Buccaneers had another chance to give Evans the milestone.
Mayfield threw a short pass to Evans, who ran downfield for a nine-yard gain. He stood up, spiked the ball and was mobbed by teammates during a wild celebration.
The Buccaneers will be the NFC’s third seed if the Los Angeles Rams lose to Seattle. If the Rams win, they will be the fourth seed.
Mayfield threw for 212 yards and two TDs and had a career-high 68 yards rushing as the Buccaneers (10-7) rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit and ensured Atlanta didn’t need to lose to Carolina to clinch the division win .
Houston Texans 23-14 Tennessee Titans
C.J. Stroud completed all six of his passes for 50 yards and a touchdown Sunday on the Texans’ opening drive before going to the bench as Houston snapped a two-game skid entering the AFC playoffs with a 23-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
The Texans (10-7) also avoided a sweep by the team they replaced in Houston. The Texans won for the first time since capturing their second straight AFC South title with a win over Miami on December 15.
Now Houston waits to see if the Texans will host the Los Angeles Chargers, who play at the Raiders later Sunday, or Pittsburgh in an AFC wild-card game.
With the loss combined with New England’s win over Buffalo, the Titans’ season of misery at least earned them the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft in April. Their 3-14 finish ties 2014 for the most losses in a season since moving from Texas to Tennessee in 1997.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said he would decide how long his starters played based on how the game went.
Chicago carries 24-22 Green Bay Packers
Caleb Williams drove Chicago to Cairo Santos’ 51-yard field goal as time expired and the Bears snapped a 10-game skid with a 24-22 victory over the playoff-bound Green Bay Packers, which featured quarterback Jordan Love and wide receiver Christian Watson lost due to injuries on Sunday.
The Bears (5-12) defeated the Packers for the first time since 2018, ending an 11-game losing streak in the rivalry. It was redemption for Santos, who had a 46-yard field goal blocked by Karl Brooks on the final play of a 20-19 loss to the Packers on Nov. 17.
Brandon McManus had given Green Bay the lead by kicking a 55-yard field goal with 54 seconds left. Williams put the Bears within field goal range by throwing an 18-yard completion to DJ Moore, whose fumble had set up the McManus punt.
Green Bay (11-6) is the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoffs and will play Philadelphia in the wild-card round.
Now the Packers are waiting on the status of Watson and Love. Watson was carted off the field in the second quarter with a knee injury and Love left later in the same series with an elbow problem.
New York Giants 13-20 Philadelphia Eagles
Tanner McKee threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns in a game full of backups to help the Philadelphia Eagles get ready for the postseason with a 20-13 win over the New York Giants on Sunday.
The NFC East champion Eagles (14-3) are the conference’s No. 2 seed and will host Green Bay in a wild-card game next weekend.
Making a run at the Super Bowl a priority, the Eagles rested their core starters, specifically running back Saquon Barkley, quarterback Jalen Hurts, wide receivers AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith and offensive linemen Landon Dickerson and Lane Johnson.
Barkley lost his chance to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record in the NFL. Barkley finished the season with 2,005 yards rushing, 101 yards shy of breaking Dickerson’s record of 2,105 yards with the Los Angeles Rams in 1984.
While cautious, there was some disappointment in Philly that Barkley didn’t get a chance to break the record, especially against the team that let him go at the end of last season.
Buffalo Bills 16-23 New England Patriots
Joe Milton III passed for a touchdown and ran for another in his NFL debut, and the New England Patriots lost themselves the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft with a 23-16 win over the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills at Sunday.
The Patriots (4-13) snapped a six-game skid, when a loss would have guaranteed them the top draft pick. Instead, they fell to No. 4 behind Tennessee, Cleveland and the New York Giants.
Milton finished 22 of 29 for 241 yards in relief of rookie Drake Maye, who played just one series. Kayshon Boutte had seven catches for 117 yards and TD, and Joey Slye kicked three field goals.
With coach Jerod Mayo’s future on the line, he ended up playing some starters and resting others.
Mayo took a preseason-style approach with franchise quarterback Maye. New England also had four healthy scratches and rested other key players, including running back Rhamondre Stevenson. Tight end Hunter Henry was inactive due to a foot problem.
Washington Commanders 23-19 Dallas Cowboys
Marcus Mariota threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin with three seconds left, lifting Washington to a 23-19 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday and becoming the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs ahead of the Commanders.
Mariota threw for two scores and ran for a TD after replacing Jayden Daniels. The Commanders (12-5) were left with their dynamic rookie quarterback at halftime as playoff seeding was the only thing on the line, and the move ultimately led to a rush that yielded just 64 yards before the break.
As it turned out, Washington didn’t need the rally to retain the sixth seed, as Green Bay lost to Chicago on a late field goal.
The Commanders will visit either Tampa Bay or the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round next weekend.
Brandon Aubrey made four field goals for the Cowboys in the first regular-season start for quarterback Trey Lance since Week 2 of 2022, when he was still with San Francisco a year after the 49ers traded up to take him third overall in the draft.
Jacksonville Jaguars 26-23 Indianapolis Colts
Jonathan Taylor ran for 177 yards, including 33 yards on six consecutive carries in overtime to set up Matt Gay’s game-ending 38-yard field goal, and the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-23 on Sunday.
Taylor finished the season by tying a career-best streak with four consecutive 100-yard rushing games. He also rushed for a touchdown on Sunday and connected for six scores in that span.
Joe Flacco was 23 of 40 for 263 yards, including a 40-yard TD pass to Alec Pierce, in his 105th career victory – perhaps the last of the 39-year-old former Super Bowl MVP’s 17-year career .
Indy (8-9) won its last two home games to finish 5-3 at Lucas Oil Stadium, although the Colts missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
The Jags (4-13) have lost three of their last four, eight of 10 and finished 1-8 on the road as they head into an offseason that could bring changes at general manager and coach.
Carolina Panthers 44-38 Atlanta Falcons (OT)
Bryce Young passed for three touchdowns, ran for two scores and led a 70-yard drive capped by Miles Sanders’ one-yard TD run on the opening possession of overtime to give the Carolina Panthers a 44-38 victory over the Atlanta Falcons delivered .
The Falcons’ playoff hopes had ended just minutes earlier as Tampa Bay rallied past New Orleans.
Rookie Michael Penix Jr capped his late-season debut as Atlanta’s starting quarterback with a strong game, passing for 312 yards and two touchdowns – both ahead of Drake London, who had 10 catches for a career-high 187 yards. Bijan Robinson ran for 170 yards and two scores, but the impressive offensive performance wasn’t enough to extend the Falcons’ season.
The Falcons (8-9) and Panthers (5-12) each missed the playoffs for the seventh straight season.
Atlanta needed a win and a loss to NFC South-leading Tampa Bay to give the Falcons the division title. The Falcons started the day one match behind the Buccaneers but would have won a tiebreaker as they defeated their rivals.