Patriots 36 at Bears 7
Tom Brady threw for 369 yards and two touchdowns, and the New England Patriots locked up their eighth playoff berth in 10 years with a 36-7 pounding of the Chicago Bears on a snowy, blustery, bone-chilling Sunday.
Brady was brilliant again despite the brutal conditions, picking apart the league’s third-ranked defence. He completed 27 of 40 passes and went without an interception for the eighth straight game.
Packers 3 at Lions 7
Drew Stanton threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Will Heller midway through the fourth quarter, and Green Bay couldn’t come back without an injured Aaron Rodgers.
Detroit (3-10) snapped a five-game losing streak and a 19-game skid against the NFC North, the NFL’s worst slump within a division since the merger four decades ago.
Rodgers was knocked out in the second quarter with his second concussion this season.
Eagles 30 at Cowboys 27
DeSean Jackson had 210 yards receiving, including a 91-yard, go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Dallas (4-9) fell behind in the opening minutes, yet kept it close and even led 20-14. But Philadelphia was relentless, dropping the Cowboys to 3-2 under interim coach Jason Garrett. They are guaranteed their first losing season since 2004.
Raiders 31 at Jaguars 38
David Garrard threw three touchdown passes, Maurice Jones-Drew and Rashad Jennings each topped 100 yards rushing in a game filled with big plays.
The Jaguars overcame a 10-point deficit to win for the fifth time in the last six games, setting up a critical AFC South game at Indianapolis next week.
Buccaneers 17 at Redskins 16
A flubbed extra point attempt with nine seconds to play kept Washington from tying the game.
The Redskins pulled within a point on Santana Moss’ six-yard touchdown catch, but Nick Sundberg’s slightly high snap went through holder Hunter Smith’s hands.
The Buccaneers improved to 8-5 and broke a two-game losing streak. It was also the fifth time this season Josh Freeman has won a game with a fourth-quarter comeback. He hit Kellen Winslow for a 41-yard scoring pass with 3:47 to play.
Bengals 7 at Steelers 23
Troy Polamalu and LaMarr Woodley returned interceptions by Carson Palmer for touchdowns as Cincinnati dropped a franchise record 10th straight game.
Palmer threw three interceptions, two to Polamalu, as Cincinnati matched the David Shula-coached 1993 Bengals by losing 10 consecutive games in the same season. The overall franchise record is 11 consecutive defeats from 1992-93.
Browns 6 at Bills 13
Ryan Fitzpatrick threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to David Nelson, Leodis McKelvin made a late interception for Buffalo.
Rian Lindell hit field goals of 30 and 19 yards to help the Bills (3-11) snap a three-game losing streak against Cleveland. The Browns (5-8) were eliminated from playoff contention. McKelvin intercepted Jake Delhomme’s pass with under four minutes left at the Bills 32, and Buffalo was able to run out the clock.
Falcons 31 at Panthers 10
Michael Turner ran for 112 yards and three touchdowns, Matt Ryan threw for another and Atlanta held onto the best record in the NFC.
Jonathan Stewart rushed for a season-best 133 yards, but lost a fumble on Carolina’s first play from scrimmage to set up Atlanta’s first TD. Things didn’t get much better for rookie Jimmy Clausen and the NFL-worst Panthers (1-12), who dropped their seventh straight.
Seahawks 21 49ers 40
Alex Smith threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns in a triumphant return to the starting lineup following a five-game absence, and San Francisco improved its playoff hopes.
San Francisco (5-8) moved within a game of division leaders Seattle (6-7) and St. Louis.
Dolphins 10 at Jets 6
The Miami Dolphins turned two early turnovers into their only points in winning Sunday at the rainy Meadowlands.
Much of the game was played in a downpour, which made for inept offence in the sloppy conditions. The Dolphins gained 132 yards, with Chad Henne passing for only 55, yet improved to 7-6.
The Jets moved the ball better, picking up 286 yards. But Mark Sanchez’s fumble led to the only touchdown, Brandon Marshall’s 6-yard reception in the first quarter.
Rams 13 at Saints 31
Drew Brees threw for three scores, Malcolm Jenkins returned one of his two interceptions 96 yards for his first career touchdown, and New Orleans Saints won its sixth straight game.
Marques Colston had a pair of touchdown catches in traffic as New Orleans (10-3) raced to a 14-0 lead and never trailed. Lance Moore made a 31-yard touchdown catch. Brees finished 25 of 40 for 221 yards and was intercepted twice.
Chiefs 0 at Chargers 31
Philip Rivers threw two touchdown passes to Malcom Floyd and San Diego remained alive in the AFC West race.
The Chiefs played without quarterback Matt Cassel, who didn’t travel after having an emergency appendectomy Wednesday.
The four-time defending division champion Chargers (7-6) pulled within one game of the Chiefs (8-5). Cassel’s backup Brodie Croyle completed 7 of 17 passes for 40 yards and was sacked four times in his first start since the 2009 opener.
Broncos 13 at Cardinals 43
Jay Feely became the fourth kicker in 40 years to run for a touchdown and added a career-best five field goals to help Arizona end a seven-game losing streak.
Arizona rookie quarterback John Skelton completed 14 of 36 for 141 yards with no interceptions and had at least four passes dropped in his first NFL start.