NFL PLAYOFFS - Divisional Round Recap

Broncos QB Bo Nix and Bills QB Josh Allen meet up after the overtime playoff game. 

On Saturday, the Denver Broncos were the recipients of late penalty flags that kept a drive going in overtime, which led to a game winning 24-yard field goal by Will Lutz in a 33-30 decision over the visiting Buffalo Bills. The officials decided to drop the flags after letting the players decide the action for most of the game until a very questionable pass interference call put the ball at the Bills 36-yard line. The Bills were also their own worst enemy, committing five turnovers (three fumbles, two interceptions) in the loss. The Broncos will host the AFC Championship Game next Sunday, but will be without starting quarterback Bo Nix, who suffered a season ending ankle injury on the next to last play in the game.

As far as the action in the game, it was back and forth throughout and the Broncos were able to go ahead, 30-27 late in the fourth quarter when Nix threw a 26-yard TD pass to wide receiver Marvin Mims, Jr. with 1:01 left. The Bills drove downfield and tied the game with a 50-yard field goal by Matt Prater with just five seconds remaining to force the overtime. For the game, Nix finished with 279 passing yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Bills QB Josh Allen had 283 passing yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions and also lost two fumbles, one of which happened in his own end of the field late in the first half that gave Denver a 20-10 halftime lead when Lutz kicked a 50-yard field goal as time ran out. That proved to be the difference in the final outcome. 

The Saturday night game in Seattle was all Seahawks as they demolished the San Francisco 49ers, 41-6 and it all started on the opening kickoff, taken back by Rashid Shaheed 95 yards for a touchdown and 7-0 lead before the fans had even settled into their seats. Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III rushed for three touchdowns and 116 yards on 19 carries while QB Sam Darnold had a scoring pass and the defense forced three turnovers. The 49ers were never in this one as they managed just two field goals by Eddy Pineiro in the second quarter prior to Walker's first TD run (seven yards) as they trailed 24-6 at the break. In the second half, Seattle added another field goal by kicker Jason Myers and two more Walker scoring runs to wrap up the rout. 

 

The New England Patriots defense dominated the AFC divisional game against the visiting Houston Texans and that led to an easy 28-16 win as Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was intercepted four times, including a "pick six" interception return of 26 yards by Marcus Jones in the second quarter that swung the game for the Patriots. The Pats defense had three sacks and held the Texans in check throughout the game after grabbing the 14-10 lead  following the interception by Jones. Patriots QB Drake Maye (pictured right) passed for 179 yards and had three TD passes and one interception in the win. He also was sacked five times and lost two fumbles. Meanwhile, Stroud had 212 passing yards with one touchdown pass and the four interceptions in defeat. 

The NFC divisional game in snowy Chicago went to the Los Angeles Rams, 20-17 in overtime on Sunday evening as kicker Harrison Mevis made a 42-yard field goal to send the Rams to the NFC Championship Game in Seattle next week. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams threw a 14-yard TD pass to tight end Cole Kmet with 18 seconds remaining to tie the game at 17-17 and force the overtime. Rams running back Kyren Williams (87 yards on 21 carries, two TD) ran for the go ahead score from five yards for the 17-10 lead with 6:02 remaining in the fourth quarter. The game was tied 10-10 at the half and the second half was a defensive struggle with both teams seeing drives stall. Rams QB Matthew Stafford had 258 passing yards while Bears QB Caleb Williams (257 passing yards, two TD, three INT) threw his third interception in the game in the overtime and the Rams took over at their own 22-yard line and eventually on a third-and-six play, Stafford hit WR Puka Nacua for a 16-yard gain to the Bears 27-yard line. Three plays later, the winning field goal propelled the Rams to the NFC title game. 

 

DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF ROUND RESULTS 

Denver 33, Buffalo 30 (OT)  

Seattle 41, San Francisco 6  

New England 28, Houston 16

L.A. Rams 20, Chicago 17  (OT) 

 

 

NFL PLAYOFFS - Divisional Round Previews

It's on to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs this weekend and it starts on Saturday in Denver where the number one AFC seed Broncos face the Buffalo Bills. On Saturday evening in Seattle, the Seahawks, the top NFC team, will take on the San Francisco 49ers. Just two weeks ago, the Seahawks knocked off the 49ers, 13-3 in a defensive dominated game. 

On Sunday, the New England Patriots host the Houston Texans and then the "prime time" Sunday night game will conclude the weekend's action as the Chicago Bears host the Los Angeles Rams. The Patriots defense dominated a low scoring affair against the Los Angeles Chargers in a 16-3 win last week while the Bears completed their seventh comeback win last Saturday night, 31-27 against the Green Bay Packers. 

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17 

Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos - The Bills feature one of the best quarterbacks in pro football in Josh Allen, who pretty much did it all in last week's road victory against Jacksonville. The Broncos tough defense, which led the NFL in sacks this season, will present a stiff challenge. Buffalo can run the ball and running back James Cook led the league in rushing during the regular season, going for 1,621 yards and twelve rushing scores with 14 overall touchdowns. The Broncos have second year QB Bo Nix, who had an up and down season but passed for 3,931 yards with 31 touchdowns and eleven interceptions while also running for 356 yards with five touchdowns. This game will most likely be decided by which ever team protects the football. Look for the Bills to circle the wagons again in crunch time and get it done in the Mile High City to advance to a second consecutive AFC Championship game. 

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks - The teams split their two games this past season. The 49ers won the season opener on the road, 17-13 while the 'Hawks pummeled the San Francisco offense and won, 13-3 in the season finale. Both games were very low scoring, so that stands to reason this one will be a high scoring game, right? Not so fast . . . Both teams play strong defense and the key for the Seahawks will be QB Sam Darnold not turning back into the proverbial pumpkin like he did last year with Minnesota in the post-season. On the other side, 49ers QB Brock Purdy must avoid turnovers. He was able to get by throwing two interceptions last week against Philadelphia, but the Seahawks defense is better and will not allow as many scoring chances. These two teams know each other very well and the call here is Seattle winning in another close, low scoring game. 

SUNDAY, JANUARY 18 

Houston Texans at New England Patriots - Two solid defenses going at it in this tilt, but the Texans definitely rate the edge in that area. New England's defense has steadily been better as the season progressed, while the Texans were already solid and have been nothing short of dominant in recent weeks. If the Texans can rattle Pats second year QB Drake Maye, they will have success in shutting down the NFL's number two scoring offense. Houston QB C.J. Stroud has had some success in the post-season in his first three seasons, but has never advanced beyond the divisional round. Playing at home, the Patriots are tough and the weather could be a factor as the Texans are a dome team. This game will probably be a low scoring one and the Patriots should do just enough to scrape by and advance to the AFC Championship for the first time in seven years. 

Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears - Two good offenses will be playing on the chilly shores of Lake Michigan at Soldier Field and the talk has been about how the weather could affect the warm weather climate Rams.

 Phooey!

 The "Bears weather" talk went out the window 37 years ago when the (California team) 49ers blasted the Bears in Chicago in bitter cold in January (1988 NFC Championship Game) in dominating fashion. Rams QB Matthew Stafford had an MVP type season with 46 touchdown passes and just eight interceptions while they led the league in scoring, averaging 30 points per game. The Bears defense has been porous most of the season, but they do get turnovers and led the NFL in takeaways this season. The Rams must figure out a way to thwart a Bears second half comeback effort as Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams has engineered seven such efforts this season, including last week against Green Bay when they scored 25 points in the fourth quarter. Look for a tight game, and once again the Chicago Bears pull it off and reach the NFC title game for the first time in 15 years. 

The Heftyinfo picks for Divisional Round playoff games  . . . .  (Home teams are listed in bold)

Buffalo over Denver 

Seattle over San Francisco 

New England over Houston 

Chicago over L.A. Rams   

 

Last Week's Record - 3-3 

Playoff Record - 3-3 

FINAL SEASON RECORD - 176-95-1  

NFL PLAYOFFS - Wild Card Round Recap

Bears QB Caleb Williams celebrates the huge comeback win over Green Bay. 

They did it again! 

The improbable Chicago Bears came back from a 21-3 halftime deficit as well as a 15-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat the Green Bay Packers, 31-27 at Soldier Field in Chicago on Saturday night in the NFC Wild Card playoffs. Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams (361 passing yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions) saved the best for last once again as he and the Bears completed their seventh come from behind victory by scoring 25 points in the final quarter. 

The Packers rolled out to a 21-3 lead thanks to QB Jordan Love (323 passing yards, four TD) who threw scoring passes to three different wide receivers, including Romeo Doubs, who hauled in eight receptions for 124 yards. The Bears cut the lead to 21-9 early in the fourth quarter as kicker Cairo Santos made two field goals before Williams and company, along with a better defensive effort, took over. Following a six-yard scoring run by Bears running back D'Andre Swift and the fourth TD pass in the game by Love (this one to rookie WR Matthew Golden), Williams threw TD passes to WR Olamide Zaccheaus and then to DJ Moore, a 25-yard strike for the 31-27 lead with 1:43 remaining in the game. 

The Bears defense held the Packers out of the end zone and advanced to the divisional round with their first post-season win since the 2010 season. The Packers hurt themselves as kicker Brandon McManus missed an extra point kick and also missed two field goals, including a 44-yard attempt with a 27-24 lead late in the fourth quarter. 

Earlier on Saturday, the Los Angeles Rams survived a nail biter against the host Carolina Panthers, 34-31 as QB Matthew Stafford (303 passing yards, three TD, one INT) threw a 19-yard TD pass to tight end Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds left in the game. The Panthers had forged ahead twice in the fourth quarter on a three-yard scoring run by RB Chuba Hubbard and a seven-yard scoring pass from QB Bryce Young (264 passing yards, one TD, one INT and one TD run) to WR Jalen Coker with 2:39 remaining in the game. 

The Rams raced out to a 14-0 lead thanks to a TD reception and run by wide receiver Puka Nacua, who had ten receptions for 111 yards in the win. The Panthers clawed their way back in with the late score in the first half on Young's touchdown run and trailed, 17-14 at the break. The teams exchanged field goals in the third quarter prior to the fireworks and drama in the fourth quarter that saw four lead changes. With the win, the Rams advanced to the divisional round for the second straight year. 

 

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills got it done on the road to advance in the AFC playoffs.

On Sunday in Jacksonville, the Buffalo Bills circled the wagons when it mattered most and scored on a one-yard touchdown run by QB Josh Allen (273 passing yards, one pass TD, two rush TD) with 1:04 remaining for a 27-24 victory against the upstart Jaguars. Following that, Bills safety Cole Bishop intercepted Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence to seal the game. It was Buffalo's first road playoff win since the 1992 season when they beat Miami in the AFC Championship Game. The game went back and forth with the Bills ahead 13-10 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, Lawrence (207 passing yards, three TD, two INT) threw two scoring passes while Allen threw a 15-yard TD pass to Austin Kincaid before scoring the game winning touchdown to advance his team against the Denver Broncos next week. 

The San Francisco 49ers knocked off the Philadelphia Eagles, 23-19 for a playoff road win as quarterback Brock Purdy (262 passing yards, two TD, two INT) threw the second touchdown pass of the game to running back Christian McCaffrey with 2:54 left to play. The Eagles led 19-17 after Jake Elliott made a 33-yard field goal with eight minutes left. The 49ers took a 17-16 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter when wide receiver Jauan Jennings tossed a 29-yard TD pass to McCaffrey. In the first quarter, the 49ers took a 7-0 lead when Purdy hit WR DeMarcus Robinson (six receptions for 111 yards) on a two-yard scoring pass. The Eagles came right back with tight end Dallas Goedert scoring on a one-yard run, but the extra point kick was missed and that factored in late in the game when Philadelphia came up short having to score a touchdown in the closing minutes. The 49ers lost tight end George Kittle for the rest of the year with an Achilles injury. 

On Sunday night, the New England Patriots won a hard fought game, 16-3 against the Los Angeles Chargers as Patriots QB Drake Maye (268 passing yards, one TD, one INT and lost fumble) hit tight end Hunter Henry on a 28-yard scoring pass early in the fourth quarter for the only touchdown in the game. The game was tied 3-3 late in the first half when New England sacked Chargers QB Justin Herbert, but no late hit was called and the Chargers had to punt, which led to a Patriots 35-yard field goal by Andy Borregales and a 6-3 halftime edge. The second half was more of the same as the defenses on both sides held things in check until the Patriots touchdown for the 13-point lead. It was the first playoff win for New England since their Super Bowl title following the 2018 season as they sacked Herbert six times while the Chargers defense sacked Maye five times in the loss.  

The Houston Texans dismantled the host Pittsburgh Steelers, 30-6 on Monday night to advance to the divisional round as their defense scored twice (33-yard fumble return by Sheldon Rankins and 50-yard interception return by Calen Bullock) and quarterback C.J. Stroud (250 passing yards, one TD, one INT, two lost fumbles) threw a six-yard TD pass to Christian Kirk (eight receptions, 144 yards) and running back Woody Marks (19 carries for 112 yards) scored on a 13-yard run. Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers lost a fumble and threw the "pick six" interception as the Steelers faded in the second half after trailing by just 7-6 at halftime. The Texans outgained the Steelers by a margin of 408 yards to 175 yards and their defense had four sacks. 

  

NFC Wild Card Results

L.A. Rams 34, Carolina 31 

Chicago 31, Green Bay 27 

San Francisco 23, Philadelphia 19

AFC Wild Card Results

Buffalo 27, Jacksonville 24

New England 16, L.A. Chargers 3 

Houston 30, Pittsburgh 6  

  

NFL PLAYOFFS - NFC Wild Card Round Previews

 

The NFC Wild Card playoffs begin on Saturday and the Seattle Seahawks are the top seeded team and will enjoy the bye for the weekend. 

 

 

 

SATURDAY, JANUARY 10 

Los Angeles Rams at Carolina Panthers - The Rams were rolling hot for awhile this season, but they hit some speed bumps down the stretch and will be on the road to face a team with a losing record. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 4,707 yards along with 46 touchdowns and only eight interceptions and leads a potent offense that has top wide receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, who is returning from injury and led the NFL with 14 touchdown receptions. The Carolina Panthers backed into the NFC playoffs after losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Saturday, but got help from the Atlanta Falcons (winners against New Orleans the following day to close the regular season) and do feature a decent defense and they did beat the Rams (in Carolina) in late November, so there is that. The Rams should win this one, but in today's topsy turvy NFL, nothing is guaranteed. 

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears - The NFL's oldest rivalry in the playoffs in what could be snowy conditions at Solider Field on Saturday night. The Bears and Packers go at it after splitting their two games in the regular season. Green Bay QB Jordan Love (concussion) was knocked out of the game three weeks ago and would love to stick it to the Bears. Chicago's defense has been shredded time and time again in 2025, but they led the league in takeaways, so that will be in the mix in this one. The Bears offense has been decent with second year QB Caleb Williams executing Head Coach Ben Johnson's offensive game plan and the Bears had many comeback victories this season. The Packers held off Chicago in Green Bay and two weeks later, the Bears beat the Packers in overtime on a dramatic touchdown pass for the win. This time around, expect more of the same from these two teams in a game that may be decided in overtime yet again. 

SUNDAY, JANUARY 11

San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles - The 49ers and Eagles are two very similar teams as they can throw the ball around and have dynamic running backs, although San Francisco's Christian McCaffrey has been far better than Philly's RB Saquon Barkley this year. Both teams have solid defenses, but the Eagles rate the edge as the 49ers are without injured Pro Bowlers Fred Warner and Nick Bosa for their defense. Which ever team protects the football will win this game and this one could come down to the final possession and a late field goal to decide the outcome.  

The Heftyinfo picks for the NFC Wild Card games   . . . . . . . .    (Home teams are listed in bold)  

L.A. Rams over Carolina 

Green Bay over Chicago 

Philadelphia over San Francisco 

Last Week's Record - 10-6 

FINAL SEASON RECORD - 176-95-1

Lock of the Week Record -16-2  

 

  

 

NFL PLAYOFFS - AFC Wild Card Round Previews

The AFC Wild Card playoff round starts this weekend with six teams going at it while the top seeded Denver Broncos enjoy the bye for this round. 

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY, JANUARY 11

Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars - The Bills failed to win the AFC East for the first time in six years and they face a Jaguars team that has won eight games in a row, led by revitalized quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who has flourished in the offensive system of first year Head Coach Liam Coen. The Bills have a veteran QB in Josh Allen, who has been there and done that, only to fall short of reaching the Super Bowl. This game will likely go down to the wire. 

Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots - The Patriots have been rolling, winning 13 of their last 14 games and second year QB Drake Maye has been on a magic carpet ride this season under the direction of Head Coach Mike Vrabel and his offensive coordinator Josh McDaniel. Maye has been in the discussion for NFL Most Valuable Player and the Pats led the AFC in scoring this season. The Chargers have had a rough time with the offensive line being so injury riddled in 2025, but that is part of the game. Chargers QB Justin Herbert has been solid most of the season, but must overcome the ghost of failures past when it comes to the NFL playoffs. If he has time to do his thing, the Chargers can pull off the upset.

MONDAY, JANUARY 12  

Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers - The Steelers squeaked into the AFC playoffs after a 26-24 win last week against the Baltimore Ravens as Ravens kicker Tyler Loop was wide right on a 44-yard field goal try as time ran out. Pittsburgh Head Coach Mike Tomlin is the longest tenured in the NFL (since 2007 season) and he is hoping that 42-year old quarterback Aaron Rodgers has some more magic left in his right arm for these playoffs. The Texans defense is among the best in the NFL and if they can get after Rodgers and drop him consistently in this Monday night game, the Texans will win. The Steelers defense must do the same against Houston QB C.J. Stroud, so look for a lower scoring game. 

The Heftyinfo picks for the AFC Wild Card games  . . . . . . .    (Home teams are listed in bold) 

Buffalo over Jacksonville 

L.A. Chargers over New England 

Houston over Pittsburgh 

Last Week's Record - 10-6 

FINAL SEASON RECORD - 176-95-1 

Lock of the Week Record - 16-2  

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

NEVER FORGET

Five years ago, on January 6th, 2021, traitor Donald Trump and tens of thousands of his cult followers attempted a coup on our United States government in Washington, D.C. in what turned out to be a failure. 

They attempted to thwart the peaceful transfer of power from the 2020 presidential election in which Democratic nominee Joe Biden defeated Trump, leading to the insurrection in our nation's capitol. 

Never forget what these traitors to the United States of America attempted to do.  

 

NFL - Week Eighteen Recap

The Seattle defense dominated in NFC West clinching win. 

The Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos earned the number one seeds in the NFL playoffs this season as both teams finished with 14-3 records. The Seahawks beat the host San Francisco 49ers, 13-3 on Saturday night to earn the home field advantage in the NFC while the Broncos knocked off the visiting Los Angeles Chargers, 19-3 on Sunday to clinch the top spot in the AFC. 

 

The Seahawks defense dominated the host 49ers (12-5) as they limited them to 173 total yards in offense and just one field goal. Seattle scored on a 27-yard touchdown run by Zach Charbonnet as they gained 180 rushing yards in the win. 

The Broncos scored the only touchdown in the game on a 45-yard "pick six" interception by Ja'Quan McMillian along with four field goals to beat the Chargers (11-6), who will be the seventh seed in the AFC playoffs. The Chargers rested many starters in the game as they knew they couldn't win the division. 

The Carolina Panthers (8-9) clinched the NFC South division on Sunday, despite losing 16-14 on Saturday in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers (8-9) needed the New Orleans Saints to beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday for the Bucs to win the division. But the Falcons held off a late Saints surge to win, 19-17 and that sent the Panthers into the playoffs via the tie breaker with a 3-1 record against common opponents. 

The Buccaneers scored on an 18-yard scoring pass from QB Baker Mayfield to Cade Otten and three field goals to offset a pair of TD passes by Panthers QB Bryce Young, who had 266 passing yards along with one interception in the loss. On Sunday in Atlanta, the Falcons (8-9) got four field goals by Zane Gonzalez and a TD pass from QB Kirk Cousins to get the win over the Saints, who finished 6-11 as QB Tyler Shough had a scoring run and pass in defeat. The Falcons fired Head Coach Raheem Morris and General Manager Terry Fontenot following the game. 

In a game that had no playoff implications, the Cleveland Browns (5-12) outlasted the host Cincinnati Bengals, 20-18 as defensive end Myles Garrett set a new NFL record by getting his 23rd sack of the regular season. The Bengals (6-11) outgained Cleveland by a 364-200 edge in total yardage, but two huge turnovers led directly to scores as the Browns defense scored on a 97-yard interception return by Devin Bush and a 47-yard fumble recovery return for score by Sam Webb for a 14-12 halftime lead. Bengals QB Joe Burrow (236 passing yards, three TD, one INT) connected with WR Ja'Marr Chase for a four-yard scoring pass and 18-17 lead with 1:29 remaining. But the Browns were able to drive downfield and win the game when Andre Szmyt kicked a 49-yard field goal as time ran out. The Browns announced after the game they fired Head Coach Kevin Stefanski. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4) wrapped up the AFC South division with a 41-7 pasting at home against the Tennessee Titans (3-14) as QB Trevor Lawrence had three TD passes and 255 passing yards while the defense scored a touchdown on a 58-yard interception by Antonio Johnson and held the Titans to 194 yards in total offense. Jacksonville heads into the playoffs riding an eight game winning streak. 

The Houston Texans (12-5) won their ninth straight game as they rallied late to defeat the visiting Indianapolis Colts, 38-30 as Ka'imi Fairbairn made his sixth field goal (a 43-yard boot) with twelve seconds left and then defensive end Tommy Togiai scored on a 17-yard fumble recovery as time expired return to put the finishing touches on the win, which also included a TD pass and run from quarterback C.J. Stroud. The Colts (8-9) started rookie QB Riley Leonard and he threw for two scores and ran another one while passing for 270 yards and one interception in the loss.

The Detroit Lions (9-8) snapped a three-game losing streak as they beat the host Chicago Bears, 19-16 when Jake Bates made a 42-yard field goal as time expired. The Bears (11-6) had tied the game 16-16 in the fourth quarter on a pair of TD passes by QB Caleb Williams, who had 212 passing yards in the loss. Lions QB Jared Goff had a scoring pass and Bates made four field goals to get the win. 

In Minnesota, the Vikings (9-8) finished the season on a five game win streak as they smashed the playoff bound Green Bay Packers, 16-3 as C.J. Ham scored a rushing touchdown and Will Reichard drilled three field goals. The Packers rested many starters and gained only 121 yards in offense as they will move onto the playoffs as a wild card team with a 9-7-1 record. 

 

The New England Patriots (14-3) crushed the visiting Miami Dolphins, 38-10 behind two touchdown runs by Rhamondre Stevenson (pictured right), who gained 131 rushing yards on just seven carries while TreVeyon Henderson also ran for two scores in the rout. The Patriots are the number two seed in the AFC playoffs and they led the NFL is coring this season. New England gained 457 yards in offense, including 243 rushing yards. The Dolphins (7-10) got a TD pass from rookie QB Quinn Ewers, but had just 180 yards in offense in the loss. 

The Washington Commanders (5-12) toppled the host Philadelphia Eagles, 24-17 as QB Josh Johnson threw a scoring pass and ran for one and running back Chris Rodriguez, Jr. scored a rushing touchdown as well. The Eagles (11-6) sat many starters as they had already clinched the NFC East division and backup QB Tanner McKee had a TD pass and Tank Bigsby scored a rushing touchdown. 

The Los Angeles Rams (12-5) moved past the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC playoff standings as they blasted the Arizona Cardinals, 37-20 for the home win as QB Matthew Stafford threw for four scores and had 259 passing yards. The Cardinals finished 3-14 this season and fired Head Coach Jonathan Gannon. 

In Buffalo, the Bills (12-5) played their last game at old Rich Stadium in grand style with a 35-8 thumping of the hapless New York Jets (3-14) with starting QB Josh Allen and others sitting it out. Mitch Trubisky had 259 passing yards and four touchdown passes against a porous Jets defense as Buffalo totaled 470 yards in offense. 

The New York Giants (4-12) finished their regular season with a 34-17 home win against the Dallas Cowboys, who finished the season with a 7-9-1 record. Giants QB Jaxson Dart had a pair of TD passes and Devin Singletary had a scoring run as well. The Cowboys sat many starters and Jayden Blue and Phil Mafah had scoring runs in defeat. 

The Las Vegas Raiders (3-14) won at home, 14-12 against the Kansas City Chiefs to snap a ten game losing streak as kicker Daniel Carlson made a 60-yard field goal with eight seconds left to play. The Chiefs (6-11) had gone ahead, 12-11 on the fourth field goal by Harrison Butker, a 41-yard effort with 1:01 remaining. The game had no touchdowns as each team made four field goals, while a safety on a sack of Kansas City QB Shane Buechele late in the fourth quarter proved to be difference in the final outcome. On Monday, the Raiders fired Head Coach Pete Carroll after only one season. 

And finally on Sunday Night Football in Pittsburgh, the Steelers (10-7) defeated the Baltimore Ravens, 26-24 to clinch the AFC North division and the final AFC playoff spot that remained. The Ravens (8-9) had a chance to win the game, but kicker Tyler Loop missed the 44-yard field goal as time expired. The Steelers took a 26-24 when quarterback Aaron Rodgers (294 passing yards) threw a 26-yard TD pass to Calvin Austin III with 55 seconds left, but the PAT kick was missed, giving the Ravens to win it with a field goal or touchdown. Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson (238 passing yards, three TD, one interception) threw two TD passes (50 yards and 64 yards) to wide receiver Zay Flowers (four receptions, 138 yards, two TD) in the final 8:42 of the final quarter, only to fall short.  

 

WEEK EIGHTEEN RESULTS 

Tampa Bay 16, Carolina 14 

Seattle 13, San Francisco 3  

N.Y. Giants 34, Dallas 17 

Cleveland 20, Cincinnati 18 

Atlanta 19, New Orleans 17 

Houston 38, Indianapolis 30 

Minnesota 16, Green Bay 3 

Jacksonville 41, Tennessee 7 

Denver 19, L.A. Chargers 3 

Detroit 19, Chicago 16 

L.A. Rams 37, Arizona 20 

New England 38, Miami 10 

Washington 24, Philadelphia 17 

Buffalo 35, N.Y. Jets 8 

Las Vegas 14, Kansas City 12 

Pittsburgh 26, Baltimore 24