Update

NFL results and highlights: Denver Broncos crush Kansas City Chiefs to clinch playoff spot on final day of regular season

Elsewhere Baker Mayfield starred as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the New Orleans Saints to win the NFC South division title ahead of the Atlanta Falcons, with Mike Evans tying Jerry Rice's NFL record for 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons

Monday 6 January 2025 07:15, UK

The Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers both clinched playoff spots on the final day of the NFL regular season, while the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons missed out...

Chiefs 0-38 Broncos

Rookie Bo Nix set a franchise record by completing his first 18 passes as the Broncos ended an eight-year playoff drought with a 38-0 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs backups.

Denver will return to the postseason for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 at the end of the 2015 season as they head into a wild card matchup against the Buffalo Bills.

Having already secured the AFC's No. 1 seed and sole first-round bye in their quest for an unprecedented three-peat, Chiefs coach Andy Reid sat Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and a host of other starters.

Carson Wentz got the start at quarterback and fizzled in his first extended action since Week 18 with the Los Angeles Rams last season. He was 10 of 17 for 98 yards and was sacked four times by the league's best pass rush (62 sacks).

Nix threw for four touchdowns, giving him 29 for the season, second-most by a rookie in NFL history, behind only Justin Herbert's 31 in 2020. He finished 26 of 29 for 321 yards, and his 18 consecutive completions also were the most ever by a Broncos quarterbacks.

Nix hit Marvin Mims twice, Courtland Sutton (five times for 98 yards) and Devaughn Vele for scores.

Saints 19-27 Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinched a fourth-straight NFC South title with a hard-fought 27-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

After trailing for most of the game, knowing defeat would open the door to the Atlanta Falcons to potentially pinch the division and postseason berth from them, Baker Mayfield fired a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan for the go-ahead score with 10 minutes to go.

Bucky Irving then all but clinched the victory and Tampa's title with an 11-yard score inside the final two minutes.

Despite only leading by eight, the Bucs took the risky move late on to telegraph a pass play to Mike Evans in pursuit of an 11th-straight 1,000-yard season receiving, but the wideout came up clutch in gaining the yards necessary on the final play of the game, seeing him tie Jerry Rice's NFL record.

When Evans got up, he spiked the ball and was mobbed by his teammates in a wild celebration.

Mayfield threw for 212 yards and two TDs, while also logging a career-high 68 yards rushing for the Buccaneers (10-7), who will now host the Washington Commanders as the No 3 seed in the wild card round of the playoffs.

Spencer Rattler had 240 yards passing and one TD for the Saints (5-12).

Panthers 44-38 Falcons (OT)

Bryce Young logged five touchdowns - three passing and two rushing - as the Carolina Panthers beat the Atlanta Falcons 44-38 in an overtime thriller.

The Falcons (8-9) needed to win and hope the Buccaneers lost at home to the Saints in order to sneak into the playoffs, and though Tampa trailed by 10 points at the half in their game, the Panthers (5-12) proved too tough for Atlanta to crack.

Rookie QB Michael Penix Jr had another strong game, passing for 312 yards and two touchdowns - both to Drake London, who had 10 catches for a career-high 187 yards - while Bijan Robinson ran for 170 yards and two scores, but the impressive offensive performance wasn't enough to extend the Falcons' season.

Robinson's second TD with 46 seconds to go took the game into overtime, but Miles Sanders' goal-line score in extra time - shortly after the Bucs' comeback win was confirmed - ended Atlanta's season with a loss.

Bears 24-22 Packers

Caleb Williams drove the Chicago Bears down the field to set up a Cairo Santos 51-yard game-winning field goal as time expired, clinching a 24-22 victory over the playoff-bound Green Bay Packers.

The Bears (5-12) victory is a first over the Packers (11-6) since 2018 and snapped a 10-game losing skid for Chicago.

Green Bay, looking to move up in the NFC playoff seedings from No 7 to 6 - and avoid a wild card meeting with the Philadelphia Eagles - played their starters, but lost quarterback Jordan Love and receiver Christian Watson to injuries during the defeat that books that Philly trip.

Now the Packers await news on the fitness of both Watson and Love. Watson was carted off the field with a knee injury in the second quarter and Love departed with an elbow issue later on that same series.

Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur said Love was held out as a precaution. The QB had some practice tosses on the sideline late in the game.

Brandon McManus had put Green Bay ahead by making a 55-yard field goal with 54 seconds left. But Williams got the Bears into field-goal range by throwing an 18-yard completion to DJ Moore, whose earlier fumble had set up McManus' kick.

Chargers 34-20 Raiders

Justin Herbert passed for 346 yards and two touchdowns as the Los Angeles Chargers secured the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs with a 34-20 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Chargers (11-6) closed the regular season with a three-game winning streak under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh and will visit the fourth-seeded Houston Texans (10-7) in the next weekend's wild-card playoff round.

Herbert showed off his arm and legs, taking off for a 41-yard run in the third quarter to set up a two-yard touchdown pass to Will Dissly for a 27-13 lead.

His top target was Quentin Johnston, the second-year pro who set career highs with 13 receptions for 186 yards. Ladd McConkey caught five passes for 95 yards, his 10th consecutive game with at least 50 yards to break the rookie record that Odell Beckham Jr. set in 2014. His 82 receptions for 1,149 yards are Chargers rookie records.

J.K. Dobbins rushed for 63 yards to finish with 905 on the season.

Aidan O'Connell passed for 214 yards and two touchdowns for the Raiders, and Jakobi Meyers caught nine passes for 123 yards and a touchdown while topping 1,000 yards for the first time in his six-year career. Brock Bowers had four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown to finish the season with 1,194 yards, falling just short of becoming the ninth tight end with 1,200 in a season.

Commanders 23-19 Cowboys

Marcus Mariota threw a touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin with three seconds left to lift the Washington Commanders to a 23-19 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

The Commanders' (12-5) win clinches the No 6 seed in the NFC, holding off Green Bay's challenge for that spot, while the Cowboys' (7-10) miserable campaign ends with a 10th defeat.

Mariota threw for two scores and ran in for another TD after replacing Jayden Daniels in the contest. The Commanders sat their dynamic rookie quarterback at half-time, and the move ended up sparking an offense that had produced just 64 yards before the break.

Brandon Aubrey kicked four field goals for the Cowboys, who had Trey Lance playing at QB in his first regular-season start since Week Two of the 2022 season, when he was still with the San Francisco 49ers. Lance was 20 of 34 for 244 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

Rico Dowdle's two-yard TD run had lifted the Cowboys into a 19-16 lead midway through the fourth quarter, before Mariota's late game-winning strike to McLaurin.

Seahawks 30-25 Rams

Geno Smith passed for 223 yards and threw his career-best fourth touchdown pass to Noah Fant with 3:19 to play as the Seattle Seahawks finished their 12th winning season in 13 years with a 30-25 victory over the playoff-bound Los Angeles Rams.

Jimmy Garoppolo passed for 334 yards and two touchdowns in his debut for the Rams (10-7), who had already clinched the NFC West title through strength of schedule before they hosted the Seahawks (10-7). The Rams rested Matthew Stafford and nearly all of his offensive starters to stay healthy for a home playoff game next weekend.

The Rams' first loss since November 24 dropped them to the fourth seed in the NFC playoff bracket behind Tampa Bay (10-7), who beat New Orleans. Los Angeles' visitor in the wild card round will be Minnesota, the fifth-seeds who lost their showdown with No. 1 seed Detroit on Sunday night.

DK Metcalf, Jake Bobo and AJ Barner also caught touchdown passes for Seattle. Jaxon Smith-Njigba had four catches to tie Tyler Lockett's single-season franchise record of 100 receptions.

The Seahawks won six of eight to close a solid - yet ultimately frustrating - first season under coach Mike Macdonald. Tyler Higbee and Tyler Johnson caught touchdown passes for the Rams, who had won five straight and nine of 11 since their bye week.

Dolphins 20-32 Jets

Aaron Rodgers threw a season-high four touchdown passes - Nos. 500, 501, 502 and 503 of his storied career - in what could mark his final NFL game to lead the New York Jets to a 32-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins.

The 41-year-old is uncertain if he wants to continue playing for a 21st season, and it is unclear if the Jets (5-12) - who will have a new general manager and coach next season - will want to move forward with him.

But if this was it for Rodgers, he left with a win and some history, becoming the fifth player to throw 500 regular-season touchdown passes. He also helped shut the door on the Dolphins (8-9), who needed a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive. That became moot when Denver routed Kansas City to clinch the final AFC postseason berth for the Broncos.

Rodgers finished 23 of 36 for 274 yards and touchdown passes to Tyler Conklin, Davante Adams, Allen Lazard and Breece Hall, and an interception.

Garrett Wilson had four catches to join Brandon Marshall as the only players in franchise history to have 100 receptions in a season. Adams caught six passes for 88 yards for his fifth straight season with 1,000 yards receiving.

Tyler Huntley started at quarterback for the Dolphins in place of the injured Tua Tagovailoa, who missed the past two games with a hip injury. Huntley was 25 of 41 for 227 yards and a touchdown.

Bills 16-23 Patriots

Joe Milton threw for a touchdown and ran in another on his NFL debut as the New England Patriots cost themselves the No 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with a 23-16 win over the AFC East-champion Buffalo Bills.

The Patriots (4-13) snapped a six-game skid when a loss would have guaranteed them the top draft pick. Instead they fall to No 4 in the pecking order, behind the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants.

Owner Robert Kraft announced in a statement after the game that the Patriots have moved on from first-year head coach Jerod Mayo, just a season after promoting him as successor to Bill Belichick.

Milton finished 22 of 29 for 241 yards in relief of rookie Drake Maye, who played only one series. Kayshon Boutte had seven catches for 117 yards and a TD, and Joey Slye kicked three field goals.

Mitchell Trubisky, meanwhile, was 15 of 21 for 101 yards for the Bills (13-4), who had already wrapped up the No 2 seed in the AFC playoffs and rested most of their starters.

Quarterback and MVP candidate Josh Allen played one snap, handing off to James Cook to extend streak of consecutive starts to 115 games, including the playoffs. Cook rushed for his 16th TD of the season in the game, tying OJ Simpson's Bills franchise record.

Texans 23-14 Titans

CJ Stroud completed all six of his passes for 50 yards and a touchdown before going to the bench as the Houston Texans easily overcame the Tennessee Titans in a 23-14 road win.

In doing so, the Texans (10-7) avoided being swept by the team they replaced in Houston, while the loss for the Titans (3-14) - combined with New England's victory over Buffalo - secured them the No 1 pick overall in the 2025 NFL Draft come April.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans had said he would decide how long his starters played based on how the game went, and that ultimately proved to cover only the 11-play, seven-minute opening drive capped with a two-yard Stroud score to Pro Bowl receiver Nico Collins.

Joe Mixon had five carries on that opening drive, before his day was done. He then turned cheerleader, running down the sideline, as backup Dameon Pierce took his second carry 92 yards for his second rushing TD of the season, on his way to a career-high 176 yards rushing.

First-year Titans coach Brian Callahan kept his promise to rotate quarterbacks Will Levis and Mason Rudolph, and it was Levis who had the better day as he finished with 175 yards passing and a 49-yard TD toss to Tay Martin.

Giants 13-20 Eagles

Tanner McKee threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns in a game full of backups to help the Philadelphia Eagles tune up for the postseason with a 20-13 victory over the New York Giants.

The NFC East-champion Eagles (14-3) are the No 2 seed in the NFC and will host the Packers on wild card weekend.

The rested Saquon Barkley lost his shot at breaking Eric Dickerson's NFL single-season rushing record, seeing him finish the season with 2,005 yards rushing, 101 yards shy of Dickerson's mark of 2,105 yards set with the Los Angeles Rams in 1984.

Third-string QB McKee, who impressed with a pair of touchdown passes in garbage time last week against Dallas, also opened strong against the Giants (3-14), who end a sorry season with an 11th defeat in 12.

McKee completed all three passes for 48 yards on the first drive and hit Ainias Smith for a 15-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. He later threw a seven-yard TD pass to EJ Jenkins in the fourth.

49ers 24-47 Cardinals

Kyler Murray threw for 242 yards and four touchdowns, two to Greg Dortch, as the Arizona Cardinals beat the injury-depleted San Francisco 49ers 47-24.

The Cardinals took a 33-24 lead with 14:16 left in the fourth quarter when Michael Carter sneaked into the end zone just inside the left pylon for a two-yard touchdown. Arizona put the game away with 5:47 remaining on Murray's 12-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison Jr. that made it 40-24.

Tony Jones Jr. ran for a 46-yard touchdown to conclude the scoring and give Arizona its highest point total since 2015.

Harrison finished with eight touchdown catches, tying the franchise's rookie record held by Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

Joshua Dobbs, starting for the 49ers in the place of injured Brock Purdy, threw for 326 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

He hit wide-open fullback Kyle Juszczyk for a 36-yard touchdown with 4:49 left in the third quarter to cut the Cardinals' advantage to 26-24, before a lost fumble and interception in the fourth quarter invited Arizona to take control.

Jaguars 23-26 Colts (OT)

Jonathan Taylor ran for 177 yards, including 33 yards on six consecutive carries in overtime to set up Matt Gay's game-winning field goal as the Indianapolis Colts beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-23.

Taylor closed the season by matching a career-best streak with four-straight 100-yard games. He also rushed for a touchdown to reach six scores during that span.

Colts QB Joe Flacco was 23 of 40 for 263 yards, including a 40-yard TD pass to Alec Pierce, in his 105th career victory - perhaps the last of the 39-year-old former Super Bowl MVP's 17-year career.

Despite the season-ending victory, the Colts (8-9) miss the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year, while the Jaguars (4-13) finish a dreadful campaign with a third defeat in four.

Mac Jones was 19 of 35 for 205 yards with one TD and an interception for Jacksonville. Brian Thomas Jr. caught six passes for 83 yards.

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