UNDATED (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs earned their ninth straight win to maintain control of the top seed in the AFC playoffs. And the New York Jets have avoided the distinction of becoming the third team in NFL history to finish 0-16.
Patrick Mahomes threw for 254 yards and three touchdowns in the Chiefs’ 32-29 victory at New Orleans. Mahomes’ scoring passes went for 5 yards each to Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman as Kansas City improved to an NFL-leading 13-1.
The Chiefs also spoiled the return of Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who missed five straight games with broken ribs and a punctured lung. Brees passed for 234 yards and three TDs, but he completed less than half of his passes and was intercepted for just the fourth time this season.
The 10-4 Saints missed a chance to clinch the NFC South for a second straight week and now are longshots to capture the NFC’s top seed.
On the other side of the NFL spectrum, Sam Darnold passed for 207 yards and the Jets finally earned the first victory of their miserable season by holding on for a 23-20 road win against the Rams. Frank Gore rushed for an early touchdown and made a decisive third-down reception with 2:05 left for New York. Jets’ defense stopped the Rams on downs at midfield with 3:54 to play before Darnold hit Gore with a short pass over the middle to convert a third down that allowed the Jets to run out the clock. Robert Woods and Tyler Higbee caught TD passes for the 9-5 Rams in the most humiliating loss of coach Sean McVay’s largely successful four seasons in charge.
The Jets’ victory puts the Jaguars in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL draft.
Elsewhere in Week 15 of the NFL schedule:
— Philip Rivers threw a late touchdown pass before the Colts’ defense recovered a fumble in the end zone with 19 seconds left to seal a 27-20 win over the Texans. Zach Pascal caught a pass in the flat, turned up the field and stretched his arms across the goal line while hitting the pylon to give Indy a 27-20 lead with 1:47 to go. Houston got to the Indianapolis 7 on the next series before Darius Leonard punched the ball out of the hands of a Texans receiver to end the threat. Rivers was 22 of 28 with 228 yards and two scores, and Jonathan Taylor had 16 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown.
— The Titans remain in a virtual tie with the Colts atop the AFC South at 10-4 after Ryan Tannehill threw for three TDs and ran for two more in a 46-25 thrashing of the Lions. Derrick Henry ran for 147 yards and a score to help Tennessee move closer to clinching its third playoff berth in four seasons. Tannehill finished with 273 yards passing and now has a career-high 31 TD passes this season. Tennessee became the fifth team in NFL history with five straight games of at least 420 total yards and 30 points.
— Baker Mayfield led two 95-yard touchdown drives and the Browns moved closer to ending their 17-year playoff drought with a 20-6 victory over the Giants. Mayfield finished 27 of 32 for 297 yards and scoring passes to Jarvis Landry and Austin Hooper. Nick Chubb had a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that put it out of reach. The Giants played without quarterback Daniel Jones and stayed one game off the NFC East lead.
— Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score to carry the Ravens to their third straight win, a 40-7 shellacking of the Jaguars. Rookie J.K. Dobbins ran for 64 yards and a score for the 9-5 Ravens, and 32-year-old receiver Dez Bryant celebrated his first touchdown since 2017 late in the first half. Baltimore built a 26-0 halftime lead and handed Jacksonville its 13th consecutive loss. Gardner Minshew completed 22 of 29 passes for 226 yards and two scores, but he was sacked five times and lost a fumble.
— Tom Brady and the Buccaneers erased a 17-point deficit by scoring on five straight drives in the second half to beat the Falcons, 31-27. Atlanta led 17-0 at halftime and was up 24-7 before Brady rallied Tampa Bay. The 9-5 Bucs finally went ahead on Brady’s 46-yard scoring strike to Antonio Brown with 6:19 remaining. The Buccaneers’ QB was 31 of 45 for 390 yards and two TDs.
— The Seahawks have clinched a playoff spot with a 20-15 win over Washington. Russell Wilson threw for just 121 yards, including a 10-yard TD hookup with Jacob Hollister. Wilson also ran for 52 yards on six carries for the 10-4 Seahawks, who led 20-3 in the second half and dropped Washington to 6-8. Carlos Hyde had the game’s big play, a 50-yard scoring run that was Seattle’s longest rushing play of the season.
— The Patriots’ string of 11 straight postseason appearances is over following a 22-12 loss to the Dolphins. Undrafted rookie Salvon Ahmed and veteran Matt Breida combined for 208 yards rushing after Miami entered the game ranked last in the NFL in yards per carry. Ahmed became the first 100-yard rusher for the team since 2018, finishing with 122 as the Dolphins improved to 9-5. Breida added 86 yards and the Dolphins totaled a season-high 250 against the Patriots.
— Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins bolstered the Cardinals’ playoff chances in a 33-26 win against the Eagles. Murray threw for a career-high 406 yards, and DeAndre Hopkins had 169 yards receiving and a stellar touchdown catch for the 8-6 Cardinals. Murray completed 27 of 36 passes, with three touchdowns and one interception for Arizona, which squandered a 16-0 lead before winning its second straight since a three-game slide. Jalen Hurts completed 24 of 44 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns in his second career start, but he couldn’t prevent Philadelphia from falling to 4-9-1.
— The Bears gave their sagging playoff hopes a boost as David Montgomery rushed for a career-high 146 yards and two touchdowns in their 33-27 victory against the Vikings. The 7-7 Bears didn’t punt after their first possession and hung on to win at Minnesota for the third straight year. Dalvin Cook rushed for 132 yards and a score for the 6-8 Vikings, whose playoff chances all-but vanished.
— Tony Pollard filled in for the injured Ezekiel Elliott and ran for two touchdowns to send the Cowboys past the 49ers, 41-33. Four of the seven Dallas scores were set up by turnovers from the 5-9 49ers, who guaranteed themselves becoming the second Super Bowl runner-up in the past 13 seasons to finish with a losing record the next year. Andy Dalton threw for two touchdowns, and Greg Zuerlein kicked a tiebreaking field goal early in the fourth quarter after the second interception by Nick Mullens. Dallas is just a game off the NFC East lead despite a 5-9 record.
