Steelers 19, Falcons 16: The Steelers and the Falcons each leaned on their rushing attacks (Pittsburgh out-ran Atlanta, 154 to 146 yards), relegating their quarterbacks to throwing mostly short passes and taking a handful of play-action shots. The rookie tight end Connor Heyward pulled in the Steelers’ only touchdown pass and his brother, defensive tackle Cameron, had the game’s only sack as the teams combined for seven field goals.
Packers 28, Bears 19: Justin Fields scored the Bears’ first touchdown on a 56-yard tear through the middle of the Packers’ defense, and Chicago got out to a 16-3 second-quarter lead after a David Montgomery rushing score. But Fields threw interceptions on back-to-back fourth-quarter drives, including a backbreaker on a pass he tried to jam in to Equanimeous St. Brown that Jaire Alexander stole away. The Packers capitalized on Christian Watson’s two touchdowns and the Bears were eliminated from the postseason.
Lions 40, Jaguars 14: Detroit can normally rely on its dominant rushing attack to at least be competitive, but against Jacksonville’s sketchy defense Jared Goff went 31 of 41 for 340 yards and two touchdowns. He compiled a significant portion of that line by feeding the ball to Amon-Ra St. Brown (11 catches, 114 yards, two touchdowns). Detroit keeps its N.F.C. wild-card hopes alive.
Vikings 27, Jets 22: For three quarters, the Vikings held the Jets to 12 points, all on field goals, thanks in large part to a hefty amount of pressure on Mike White, who completed just over half of his 57 attempts and threw two interceptions. White came alive in the fourth quarter, leading a touchdown drive that brought the Jets within 5 points with under seven minutes remaining. Alas, on the next possession, Braxton Berrios dropped a would-be touchdown pass from the 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal, and then White was intercepted on a last-ditch effort with 14 seconds left.
Commanders 20, Giants 20 (OT): The Giants chipped away on the ground and the Commanders plodded through the air before both teams’ reluctant offenses stalled out in overtime. Giants kicker Graham Gano missed a 58-yard attempt as time expired to seal the draw.
Eagles 35, Titans 10: Derrick Henry got stuffed early, largely a product of the Eagles’ defense selling out to stop him and surrendering a few shot plays to Ryan Tannehill in the process. Philadelphia built a 21-10 halftime lead and gained 386 air yards to Tennessee’s 122, as A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith combined for 221 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Ravens 10, Broncos 9: Lamar Jackson went down with a knee injury severe enough to end his day in the first quarter, but reportedly not enough to end his season. Tyler Huntley played admirably in relief, ultimately leading a 16-play, 91-yard game-winning drive with a few well-placed throws against a Broncos team that has lost eight of its last nine games.
Browns 27, Texans 14: The Browns found the end zone with a pick-6, a scoop-and-score fumble recovery, and a punt return touchdown from Donovan Peoples-Jones. Cleveland’s offense looked clunky in Deshaun Watson’s return after a nearly two-year absence in which he sat out the 2021 season as he sought a trade from Houston and then served an 11-game suspension that stemmed from accusations of his sexual misconduct. The loss put an end to the Texans’s postseason chances.
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