Sunday in the NFL | Tom Brady helps Buccaneers get the better of Panthers

National Association

The Buccaneers have the upper hand over the Panthers

In Tampa, Tom Brady racked up 432 yards through the air and completed three long touchdown passes to Mike Evans and helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers come from behind and outrun the City Panthers. Carolina 30-24.

With the win, the Buccaneers are guaranteed to finish first in the National Conference South for the second straight season.

Evans finished the game with 10 catches for 207 yards. He crossed the goal line following plays of 63, 57 and 30 yards.

In passing, he became the first player in NFL history to begin his career with nine consecutive campaigns with aerial gains of more than 1,000 yards.

The Buccaneers (8-8) will finish the season with a positive record if they win at Atlanta next weekend. As section champions, they are guaranteed to play a home playoff game in two weeks.

The Panthers (6-10) had a 14-0, 21-10 lead. Sunday’s loss officially eliminated them.

Saints win 20-10 over Eagles

Marshon Lattimore returned an interception from 11 yards for a late touchdown and the New Orleans Saints hurt the Philadelphia Eagles’ chances of finishing No. 1 overall in the National League National Association. football by signing a 20-10 victory on Sunday afternoon.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts missed a second straight game, and the loss puts the Eagles (13-3) in a precarious position. Suddenly, the Dallas Cowboys have a shot at winning the National Conference East title.

“If Jalen can play, he will play,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni summed up the game his team is scheduled to play next Sunday against the New York Giants.

The Eagles must defeat the Giants next week to finish first overall in the National Association. An Eagles loss combined with a Dallas win over the Washington Commanders will make the Cowboys the East Division champions.

Hurts is trying to recover from a right shoulder injury.

“His health is priority number 1,” Sirianni said.

Gardner Minshew was the victim of Lattimore’s interception late in the fourth quarter, which sealed a poor performance from Hurts’ substitute.

Minshew completed 18 of 32 passes for 274 yards, with a touchdown and an interception in his second straight start, and he gave no hint he could lead the Eagles to a long playoff run if Hurts had to get hurt again.

Minshew joined AJ Brown for a touchdown on a 78-yard play late in the third quarter. This allowed the Eagles to cut the Saints’ lead to 13-10 and wake up the crowd, which had booed the team profusely for much of the game, to a listless attack.

However, Minshew is no Hurts and he was unable to get a first down on a dive on fourth down late in the fourth quarter, a play that proved just as costly as the late interception he had. been a victim.

The Giants dominate the Colts

Daniel Jones threw two touchdown passes and scored two himself, and the New York Giants crushed the Indianapolis Colts 38-10.

The win puts the Giants (9-6-1) into the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Landon Collins, one of two players from the current edition who played with the Giants in 2016, put the game out of reach late in the second quarter by making an interception which he returned to the end zone, on a distance of 52 yards.

The Giants became the third NFC East team to earn a playoff berth after the Eagles and Cowboys.

Jones threw six-yard touchdown passes to Richie James and Isaiah Hodgins in the first half. He himself scored majors on 18 and 10 yard runs in the second half.

Jones finished his day with 19 completions on 24 attempts for 177 yards. He added 91 rushing yards on 11 carries.

The Packers crush the Vikings

In Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers threw a touchdown pass and scored one on the ground, and the Packers continued their unlikely quest for a playoff spot with a resounding 41-17 win over the Minnesota Vikings. .

Keisean Nixon scored a touchdown on a 105-yard kickoff return and Darnell Savage added a major for 75 yards after intercepting a pass from Kirk Cousins ​​to propel the Packers to a 27-3 halftime lead .

Cousins ​​has committed four turnovers.

The Packers (8-8) posted their fourth straight win and will be in the playoffs if they defeat the Detroit Lions at home next week.

The Packers’ win eliminated the Washington Commanders and New Orleans Saints.

Robbie Gould saves the 49^ers in overtime

In Las Vegas, Robbie Gould hit a 23-yard field goal with 6:53 left in overtime, and the 49^ers San Francisco recorded their ninth straight win, 37-34 over the Raiders.

Victory is important for the 49^ers (12-4) who can secure second place in the National Conference standings with a win over Arizona next week or a loss to the Vikings.

The 49^ers can even finish first in the standings if the Eagles lose to the Giants next Sunday.

Dan Geston, Tom Canavan, Fred Goodall, Steve Megargee and Mark Anderson, Associated Press

American Association

Chiefs narrowly defeat Broncos

In Kansas City, Patrick Mahomes racked up 328 yards through the air and threw three touchdown passes, including two to Jerick McKinnon, and the Kansas City Chiefs shrugged off another poor start to win 27-24 at the expense of the Denver Broncos.

As a result of his performance, Mahomes became the third quarterback in NFL history with more than 5,000 passing yards in one season. The other two are Tom Brady and Drew Brees.

Isiah Pacheco and Blake Bell also scored majors for the Chiefs (13-3), who overcame a 17-13 third-quarter deficit to beat the Broncos for 15^e consecutive time.

In doing so, they kept their hopes of securing first place in the American Conference and the only living second-round bye alive. The Chiefs started the day tied with the Buffalo Bills (12-3), who face the Cincinnati Bengals (11-4) on Monday night, to determine the best record in the conference.

For a moment, the Broncos (4-12) seemed intent on ending a chaotic week, which began with the firing of head coach Nathaniel Hackett, by picking up a surprise victory.

However, a late downturn from one of the league’s best defenses and another intercepted pass from quarterback Russell Wilson led to interim head coach Jerry Rosburg’s first loss.

Wilson rushed for 222 yards and completed a touchdown pass while scoring two more rushing majors.

The Seahawks make short work of the Jets

In Seattle, Geno Smith threw two touchdown passes in the first half, Kenneth Walker III rushed for 133 yards and the Seattle Seahawks can still dream of the playoffs thanks to a 23-6 victory on Sunday against the Seattle Jets. New York — now eliminated from the race in the American Association.

The Seahawks (8-8) snapped a three-game losing streak and secured their game in the 18^e week of activities against the Los Angeles Rams is important.

The Seahawks must win and hope for a Green Bay Packers loss or tie against the Detroit Lions to reach the conference playoffs.

Following their fifth straight loss, the Jets will not advance to the playoffs for 12^e consecutive season, a record in club history. The Jets (7-9) last reached the playoffs in 2011 and will finish with a negative record for the seventh straight season.

Kyle Hightower, Dave Skretta and Tim Booth, Associated Press