Matthew Stafford inspired the Los Angeles Rams to a remarkable win over the Josh Allen's Buffalo Bills, while Kirk Cousins' struggles continued as the Atlanta Falcons were beaten by the Minnesota Vikings on NFL Sunday in Week 14 of the season...
Stafford passed for 320 yards and hit Puka Nacua for a 19-yard touchdown with 1:54 to play as the Los Angeles Rams overcame Allen's record six-touchdown performance to snap the Buffalo Bills' seven-game winning streak with a 44-42 victory.
Allen passed for 342 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 82 yards and three more scores for the Bills (10-3), who had not lost since October 6 in Houston. He became the first player in NFL history with three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in a game.
Allen capped his third long touchdown drive of the fourth quarter by scoring on a one-yard dive with 1:00 remaining. But Ronnie Rivers recovered the onside kick and Los Angeles (7-6) ran out the clock on its first win over Buffalo since 2012 and its first at home since 1983.
The Rams and Bills combined for 902 yards of offense without a turnover, while Buffalo's 42 points were the most scored in a loss in franchise history. A team scored at least 42 points and lost for just the 22nd time in NFL history.
Hunter Long returned a blocked punt 22 yards for a touchdown for the Rams, who have won six of eight after this improbable outing to stay in the NFC West race.
Nacua had 12 catches for 162 yards and also ran for a score, while Kyren Williams rushed for two touchdowns as the Rams never trailed while moving above .500 for the first time this season.
Los Angeles led 38-21 entering the fourth quarter before Allen stirred Buffalo from its post-division title-clinching hangover. But after Mack Hollins' 21-yard touchdown catch with 8:49 to play, Stafford led Los Angeles on a clock-consuming drive that included an 11-yard pass to Tutu Atwell on fourth-and-five near midfield with less than four minutes left.
After Nacua's catch-and-run touchdown on a pick play, Buffalo drew a 34-yard pass interference penalty against Quentin Lake on fourth-and-15 from midfield on a drive ending in Allen's third touchdown rush - but the Bills ran out of time.
Tua Tagovailoa threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jonnu Smith in overtime as the Dolphins spoiled Aaron Rodgers' first 300-yard passing game in nearly three years to beat the New York Jets for the ninth straight time in Miami.
After Jason Sanders tied it with seven seconds left in regulation with a 42-yard field goal, Tagovailoa quickly moved the Dolphins down the field.
That came after Anders Carlson gave the struggling Jets (3-10) - who were eliminated from postseason contention for the 14th straight year - the lead with a 42-yarder with 52 seconds remaining. But Malik Washington put the Dolphins in great position to help set up Sanders' field goal with a 45-yard kickoff return to Miami's 46-yard line.
Tagovailoa was 33 of 47 for 331 yards and two touchdowns. He had just one incompletion on Miami's eight-play, 70-yard scoring drive that was capped by Smith's fourth touchdown of the season. Smith didn't have a reception before catching three passes for 44 yards on the winning drive.
Rodgers was 27 of 39 for 339 yards, ending a drought of 34 regular-season games without a 300-yard passing game - dating to December 12, 2021, while with Green Bay - and had a touchdown pass to Davante Adams.
Tyreek Hill caught 10 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown while Waddle added 99 yards on nine catches.
Brock Purdy threw for 325 yards and two touchdowns as the San Francisco 49ers bounced back from two blowout losses to beat the Chicago Bears 38-13.
The 49ers (6-7) had been outscored by 53 points the past two weeks in losses at Green Bay and Buffalo that left their playoff hopes teetering with the lieks of Christian McCaffrey, Nick Bosa and Trent Williams sidelined by injuries.
But San Francisco delivered a performance more reminiscent of a year ago when the Niners went to the Super Bowl, handing the Bears (4-9) their seventh straight loss.
Purdy delivered his third 300-yard passing game of the season with two touchdowns to Jauan Jennings, fill-in back Isaac Guerendo gained 128 yards from scrimmage and scored on two touchdowns runs and George Kittle had six catches for 151 yards.
The defense did the rest with strong pressure from the four-man line that led to rookie Caleb Williams getting sacked seven times.
The Bears were looking for a boost from the first in-season firing of a head coach in franchise history after letting Matt Eberflus go following a late-game clock mismanagement on Thanksgiving at Detroit.
Instead they came up on the short end of one of the most lopsided first halves in recent memory. Chicago were outgained 319-4 in the first half for the ninth-largest discrepancy since 1991, managed only one first down and trailed 24-0 at the break.
Saquon Barkley rushed for 124 yards to break the Eagles single-season record, Jalen Hurts threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score, and Philadelphia won their ninth straight game in a 22-16 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
The Eagles (11-2) maintained their position as the No. 2 team in the NFC, behind Detroit (12-1), after a mostly lethargic effort against the Panthers (3-10).
Barkley added another milestone in his MVP push when he used a nine-yard run in the fourth quarter to surpass LeSean McCoy's Eagles record of 1,607 yards, set in 2013. Barkley now has 1,623 yards with four games left.
Hurts' passing numbers were a pedestrian 14 of 21 for 108 yards. He hit Grant Calcaterra with a four-yard touchdown pass and Barkley ran in the two-point conversion for a 22-16 lead early in the fourth.
Bryce Young gamely moved the Panthers into Eagles territory on the final drive. He completed a 13-yard pass on fourth down that moved the ball to the 38, and a second-down pass to Xavier Legette gave the Eagles a brief scare when the receiver seemed to have the ball in the end zone, only for replays to show the ball had come out.
Zach Charbonnet ran for a career-high 134 yards and two touchdowns, Geno Smith threw for 233 yards and a score, and the Seattle Seahawks beat the Arizona Cardinals 30-18 to remain atop the NFC West.
The Seahawks (8-5) won their fourth straight and swept the season series from the Cardinals (6-7). They have won seven in a row against their division rival.
Seattle shook off an early deficit to take a 24-10 lead by half-time. Charbonnet broke a tackle at midfield and sprinted 51 yards for a touchdown with 2:36 left in the second quarter.
The 23-year-old Charbonnet thrived in an increased role, taking over for injured starter Kenneth Walker III as he also caught seven passes for 59 yards.
Kyler Murray threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw interceptions on back-to-back passes in the first quarter. It's the first time in Murray's six-year career that he's had at least two interceptions in consecutive games.
Baker Mayfield threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Las Vegas Raiders 28-13 and take over sole possession of first place in the NFC South.
Mayfield tossed scoring passes of 15 yards and 29 yards to rookie Jalen McMillan, while Rachaad White scored on a five-yard reception and a three-yard run as the Bucs (7-6) won for the third straight week against a last-place opponent to revive their hopes for a fourth consecutive division title.
The Raiders (2-11) lost quarterback Aidan O'Connell to a knee injury in addition to extending the NFL's longest losing streak to nine games.
O'Connell was carted off the field after being shoved to the ground by Bucs defensive lineman Calijah Kancey after throwing a pass late in the third quarter.
White rushed for 90 yards on 17 carries, with his touchdown run in the fourth quarter putting Tampa Bay up 21-10.
McMillian's second touchdown finished an 80-yard drive and put the game out of reach after Desmond Ridder led the Raiders to a field goal that pulled Las Vegas within 21-13 with three minutes remaining.
Sam Darnold threw for 347 yards and five touchdowns, both career highs, as the Minnesota Vikings pulled away from Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons for a 42-21 victory.
Darnold added another highlight to his impressive first season in Minnesota following the departure of Cousins in free agency to Atlanta with a 22-for-28 performance and no turnover-worthy plays despite heavy first-half pressure.
Darnold passed for 250 yards after half-time to help the Vikings (11-2) break a 21-all tie early in the fourth quarter and stay one game behind NFC North-leading Detroit with a final-week matchup looming with the Lions.
Jordan Addison had eight catches for 133 yards and three scores while Justin Jefferson racked up seven receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns after going the past six games without scoring.
Cousins threw two more interceptions without a touchdown in his return to Minnesota, where he was greeted by loud boos and left with Atlanta's fourth consecutive loss to tumble out of first place in the NFC South and fall one game behind Tampa Bay.
Cousins has eight interceptions and no passing scores for the Falcons (6-7) over their four-game losing streak. He went 23 for 37 for 344 yards for the Falcons.
Bryan Bresee leapt over the Giants' line to block a potential game-tying field goal with 11 seconds left as the New Orleans Saints held on for a 14-11 victory over New York after losing quarterback Derek Carr to an injury late in the fourth quarter.
Carr, who finished 20 of 31 for 219 yards, was hurt with just under four minutes to play when he dived for a first down near the Saints 40.
New York got the ball back at its 27 with 1:21 to play and drove to the Saints' 12, with Drew Lock scrambling for 25 yards on fourth down and then finding Malik Nabers for 23 yards.
The Giants tried twice to throw to the end zone for a winning touchdown before sending out Graham Gano to try to force overtime. Gano's kick was a little low and the Giants couldn't defend the jumping Breese, who got a hand on the ball.
Carr threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Juwan Johnson in the third quarter, and Kendre Miller completed a 98-yard drive in the first when he carried a bunch of Giants to the end zone for an eight-yard score.
Tyrone Tracy scored from one yard out with 4:11 left in the fourth quarter and Lock hit Nabers on a two-point conversion to get New York within three, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Giants from falling to 0-7 at home.
Russell Wilson threw for 158 yards and two touchdowns as the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled away from the mistake-prone Cleveland Browns 27-14.
The Steelers (10-3) beat Cleveland at home during the regular season for the 21st straight time, even with leading receiver George Pickens watching from the sideline while missing the first game of his career due to a groin injury.
While it took Wilson a while to get going in the absence of Pickens, he found his footing in the second half by connecting on touchdown passes to Pat Freiermuth and Van Jefferson as the Steelers moved two games ahead of rival Baltimore for the AFC North lead with four weeks to go.
The Browns (3-10) saw their chance to sweep Pittsburgh for the first time since 1988 disappear behind a pair of missed field goals by Dustin Hopkins and an ill-advised throw by Jameis Winston in the second quarter that Steelers defensive tackle Keeanu Benton returned deep into Cleveland territory to jumpstart a Pittsburgh offense.
Winston finished 24 of 41 for 211 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Nick Chubb ran for 48 yards in his return to Pittsburgh after a devastating knee injury on the same field 15 months ago forced him to miss more than a year.
Tank Bigsby ran for an eight-yard touchdown with 6:46 left as the Jacksonville Jaguars snapped a five-game skid and ended the Tennessee Titans' slim playoff hopes by scoring the final 10 points for a 10-6 victory.
Jacksonville (3-10) came in already eliminated with Trevor Lawrence out for the rest of this season. The Jaguars leave with only their second victory in the past 11 trips to Music City and second in the past three.
The Titans (3-10) came in needing to win out to even have a chance of their first playoff berth since the 2021 season ended with a divisional loss on their home field. Tennessee has fired both a general manager and coach since then.
Their best chance ended with 1:11 left as Will Levis missed Nick Westbrook-Ikhine in the end zone on fourth-and-three at the Jaguars nine. The second ended with Levis missing Tyler Boyd on fourth-and-15 from the Tennessee 35 with 28 seconds remaining.
Mac Jones shook off two interceptions and threw for 220 yards, with rookie first-round receiver Brian Thomas Jr making eight catches for 86 yards.
Watch the Cincinnati Bengals take on the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football, live on Sky Sports NFL from 1.15am in the early hours of Tuesday.
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