JAGUARS 45, TEXANS 7
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are returning to the playoffs for the first time in a decade thanks to a drubbing of rival Houston.
Once the NFL's poster child for futility and a punchline for potential relocation, the Jaguars (10-4) are now one of the league's top turnaround stories.
Blake Bortles threw three touchdowns passes, including two to a reserve receiver who slept in his car earlier this season. The Jaguars won for the seventh time in eight games to clinch a postseason berth for the first time since 2007.
Bortles finished with a season-high 326 yards and the best QB rating (143.8) of his career, including 186 yards and 1 touchdown to rookie Keelan Cole. Primary punt returner Jaydon Mickens, who stepped in for injured starter Marqise Lee in the first quarter, caught 4 passes for 61 yards and 2 scores against the Texans (4-10).
The Jaguars were an NFL-worst 22-74 over the previous 6 years, more a laughingstock than a postseason contender.
VIKINGS 34, BENGALS 7
MINNEAPOLIS -- Eric Kendricks had an interception return for a touchdown, Case Keenum passed for 236 yards and two scores, and the Vikings clinched the NFC North over the depleted and disinterested Bengals.
Running backs Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon combined for 37 touches and 242 yards from scrimmage for the Vikings (11-3), who were given quite the reprieve on the schedule a week after their eight-game winning streak ended at Carolina in the last of three consecutive road trips. They were never challenged by the Bengals (5-9), who were missing more than half of the starting defense to injuries and were met with a morning report by ESPN that head Coach Marvin Lewis will not return next season.
The game went so smoothly that Teddy Bridgewater even made his grand entrance, his first live action in 16 months since a massive knee injury. Bridgewater's first pass was intercepted, a high throw that bounced off McKinnon's hands and into the arms of strong safety Shawn Williams deep in Vikings territory. That set up a short touchdown run by Giovani Bernard to keep the Bengals from being shut out for a second time this year.
Keenum completed 20 of 23 passes, including 7 easy tosses to McKinnon for 114 yards in the first 100-yard receiving game for a Vikings running back since Onterrio Smith on Sept. 26, 2004, against Chicago.
EAGLES 34, GIANTS 29
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Nick Foles threw four touchdown passes in his first start replacing the injured Carson Wentz, and the Eagles secured a first-round playoff bye.
Foles hit 24 of 38 passes for 237 yards and no interceptions. The NFC East champion Eagles (12-2) made a late stand on first-and-goal in the final minute in edging the Giants (2-12) for the second time this season, spoiling a three-touchdown, season-high 434-yard passing game by Eli Manning.
Foles hit Alshon Jeffery, Zach Ertz, Trey Burton and Nelson Agholor on scoring passes ranging from 3 to 13 yards in filling in for Wentz, who tore an ACL last week and was lost for the season after a brilliant year.
The Eagles also got two field goals from Jake Elliott and three blocked kicks from their special teams, foiling an extra point, a punt and field goal. The block on the punt set up a touchdown.
Manning finished 37 of 57 and hit Tavarres King on two touchdowns and Sterling Shepard on one. It was Manning's ninth career 400-yard game and his first since last season.
RAVENS 27, BROWNS 10
CLEVELAND -- Joe Flacco threw a touchdown pass, ran for a score and beat Cleveland again as the Ravens stayed on track for the AFC playoffs.
With victories at home over Indianapolis and Cincinnati in its last two games, the Ravens will return to the postseason after a two-year absence.
The Browns are two losses from becoming the NFL's second 0-16 team.
Flacco scored on a 2-yard run and threw a 33-yard TD pass to Benjamin Watson as the Ravens (8-6) took control with 2 touchdowns in the final 3:01 of the first half.
Defensive tackle Brandon Williams recovered a fumble and rolled in for a TD in the third quarter to put the Ravens up 24-10.
The Browns (0-14) went 0-8 at home -- 0-7 in Cleveland, 0-1 in London -- for the second time and must win at either Chicago or Pittsburgh to avoid joining the 2008 Detroit Lions in the notorious 0-16 club. Last season, the Browns avoided infamy by winning their final home game and finishing 1-15.
Cleveland is 1-29 in two seasons under Coach Hue Jackson, who is expected to be back despite his .033 winning percentage.
BILLS 24, DOLPHINS 16
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- LeSean McCoy scored twice and surpassed 10,000 career yards rushing, while helping the Bills stay in the thick of the AFC playoff hunt.
Tyrod Taylor also scored on a 9-yard touchdown run and Shareece Wright and Jordan Poyer intercepted Miami's Jay Cutler on consecutive drives to start the second half. Buffalo never trailed. Rookie Tre'Davious White sealed the win by intercepting Cutler with 28 seconds remaining -- and one play after Miami punter Matt Haack recovered an onside kick at Miami's 37.
The Bills have won 3 of 4 and improved to 8-6 to match the team's best record through 14 games during Buffalo's 17-year playoff drought -- the longest active streak in North America's four major professional sports. The Bills were 8-6 in both 2004 and 2014, but missed the playoffs with 9-7 finishes.
Buffalo also finished 6-2 at home to match its best finish at Orchard Park since 1999.
Buffalo must now hit the road to continue its playoff pursuit, closing the season at New England, then at Miami on Dec. 31.
The loss all but mathematically eliminated the Dolphins (6-8) from playoff contention.
REDSKINS 20, CARDINALS 15
LANDOVER, Md. -- Anthony Lanier sacked Blaine Gabbert and forced a fumble that Preston Smith recovered and the Redskins held on to beat the Cardinals in a comedy of errors for each team.
Smith also intercepted Gabbert and Lanier batted down 3 passes and had 2 sacks as they gave the Redskins (6-8) a glimpse of their potential as significant pieces of the defense for years to come.
Gabbert was 16 of 41 for 189 yards with the interception and a fumble he recovered himself in the fourth quarter. Arizona (6-8), which got all its points on field goals by Phil Dawson, went 0 for 6 in the red zone and 4 for 19 on third down as it was eliminated from playoff contention.
Washington's Kirk Cousins was 18 of 26 for 196 yards with touchdown passes to Jamison Crowder and new running back Kapri Bibbs. The Redskins were booed at times in the second half by fans in the announced crowd of 71,026.
RAMS 42, SEAHAWKS 7
SEATTLE -- Todd Gurley rushed for 152 yards and scored four total touchdowns in just 2½ quarters, and the Los Angeles Rams moved to the cusp of their first division title since 2003 with a thumping of the Seattle Seahawks.
The matchup to determine first place in the NFC West was completely one-sided.
Los Angeles (10-4) was dominant, embarrassing Seattle (8-6) into the worst loss in Pete Carroll's eight seasons in charge.
Taking advantage of field position, the Rams scored on 6 of 7 first-half drives, including a 21-point scoring blitz in the second quarter capped by a 57-yard TD run by Gurley on third-and-20 with less than a minute remaining in the first half to take a 34-0 lead at the break.
Gurley had 144 yards rushing in the first half, twice scoring from the 1. He added a 14-yard TD reception midway through the third quarter for a 40-0 Rams lead and spent the rest of his day watching. The 152 yards rushing were the second-best of his career.
49ERS 25, TITANS 23
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Jimmy Garoppolo led one final scoring drive in the closing seconds to cap a fantastic first home start, Robbie Gould kicked a game-winning 45-yard field goal as time expired, and the San Francisco 49ers topped the Tennessee Titans.
Garoppolo threw for a career-high 381 yards and a touchdown during a dominant day to give the 49ers (4-10) a three-game winning streak in a lost season. And Tom Brady's former backup showed he could do it at home as well as on the road -- and against a playoff contender, no less -- outdueling Marcus Mariota down the stretch as the teams traded field goals.
Gould put the Niners out front on a 48-yarder with 3:08 remaining. Mariota then drove the Titans (8-6) to a lead as Ryan Succop kicked a 50-yard field goal with 1:07 to play, then Garoppolo and the San Francisco offense got one last shot.
It took three tries this season, and first-year Coach Kyle Shanahan finally found his reliable, playmaking quarterback after acquiring Garoppolo from New England at the October trade deadline. Garoppolo showed that in 67 seconds when forced into late action in a loss to Seattle three weeks ago at Levi's Stadium, then in back-to-back road games before shining again Sunday.
Sports on 12/18/2017