NFL Roundup
Panthers 21, Falcons 20 ATLANTA - Cam Newton threw two touchdown passes, and Greg Hardy had a team-record four sacks as Carolina clinched the NFC South with a win over Atlanta.
Panthers 21, Falcons 20
ATLANTA - Cam Newton threw two touchdown passes, and Greg Hardy had a team-record four sacks as Carolina clinched the NFC South with a win over Atlanta.
The Panthers (12-4) earned a first-round bye and home-field advantage for at least one game as the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
"Now we can cross that goal off," linebacker Luke Kuechly said. "Now we can concentrate, get guys healthy, and get ready to go."
The Panthers, who won 11 of their final 12 games, sacked Matt Ryan nine times.
Hardy said "consistent pressure from everybody" led to the deluge of sacks. Charles Johnson had two, while Mike Mitchell, Frank Alexander, and Star Lotulelei each added one.
The defense also produced a TD on Melvin White's 7-yard interception return in the second quarter.
Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez had four catches for 56 yards in his final game. He has announced plans for retirement.
A fumbled snap on Atlanta's final possession hurt the Falcons' hopes for a last-minute scoring drive. Center Joe Hawley snapped the ball as Ryan was at the line, pointing at the defense and calling the play.
Carolina 0 14 7 0 – 21
Atlanta 7 3 7 3 – 20
First quarter
Atl–Snelling 9 pass from Ryan (Bryant kick), 8:43.
Second quarter
Atl–FG Bryant 42, 10:00.
Car–White 8 interception return (Gano kick), 7:57.
Car–Ginn Jr. 3 pass from Newton (Gano kick), :19.
Third quarter
Atl–White 39 pass from Ryan (Bryant kick), 9:50.
Car–Olsen 7 pass from Newton (Gano kick), 4:20.
Fourth quarter
Atl–FG Bryant 37, 7:10.
A: 70,427.
Car Atl
First downs 16 20
Total Net Yards 283 307
Rushes-yards 29-134 20-76
Passing 149 231
Punt Returns 3-33 3-34
Kickoff Returns 1-31 0-0
Interceptions Ret. 1-8 1-3
Comp-Att-Int 15-27-1 28-40-1
Sacked-Yards Lost 1-0 9-49
Punts 6-48.7 5-48.4
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-0
Penalties-Yards 4-38 5-56
Time of Possession 25:34 34:26
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Car, Newton 12-72, D.Williams 10-33, Tolbert 7-29. Atl, Jackson 13-41, Snelling 5-36, Ryan 2-(minus 1).
Passing: Car, Newton 15-27-1-149. Atl, Ryan 28-40-1-280.
Receiving: Car, Olsen 6-42, Tolbert 3-10, D.Williams 2-75, Hixon 2-16, Ginn Jr. 2-6. Atl, White 8-91, Douglas 7-58, Jackson 5-53, Gonzalez 4-56, Snelling 2-15, D.Johnson 1-4, DiMarco 1-3.
Missed Field Goals: None.
Broncos 34, Raiders 14
OAKLAND, Calif. - Peyton Manning set the NFL single-season record for yards passing and threw four first-half touchdown passes to clinch the top seed in the AFC playoffs for Denver with a victory over Oakland.
Manning needed just one half to add the yards record to the touchdown mark he set last week and ensure that the Broncos (13-3) won't have to leave home again until the Super Bowl, if they make it that far.
He threw touchdown passes to Eric Decker and Knowshon Moreno in the first quarter and added two to Demaryius Thomas in the second quarter. He broke Drew Brees' record of 5,476 yards set in 2011 with a 5-yard pass to Thomas with 13 seconds left in the half to make it 31-0.
That ended the day for Manning, who completed 25 of 28 passes for 266 yards. He finished the season with 5,477 yards and 55 TD passes.
The Raiders (4-12) ended their 11th straight non-winning season with six consecutive losses and big questions about the future of second-year coach Dennis Allen.
Denver 14 17 0 3 – 34
Oakland 0 0 0 14 – 14
First quarter
Den–Decker 3 pass from Manning (Prater kick), 7:05.
Den–Moreno 7 pass from Manning (Prater kick), 5:39.
Second quarter
Den–FG Prater 34, 12:37.
Den–D.Thomas 63 pass from Manning (Prater kick), 5:37.
Den–D.Thomas 5 pass from Manning (Prater kick), :13.
Fourth quarter
Den–FG Prater 54, 6:36.
Oak–Streater 14 pass from Pryor (Janikowski kick), 4:24.
Oak–Kasa 9 pass from Pryor (Janikowski kick), :37.
A: 51,500.
Den Oak
First downs 28 17
Total Net Yards 458 255
Rushes-yards 29-124 20-64
Passing 334 191
Punt Returns 1-0 1-1
Kickoff Returns 1-0 2-51
Interceptions Ret. 0-0 0-0
Comp-Att-Int 34-41-0 21-38-0
Sacked-Yards Lost 3-17 2-16
Punts 4-30.0 5-45.8
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 3-1
Penalties-Yards 6-56 2-10
Time of Possession 35:29 24:31
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Denver, Ball 10-72, Hillman 12-30, Moreno 6-23, Osweiler 1-(minus 1). Oakland, Pryor 9-49, Jennings 4-9, D.McFadden 7-6.
Passing: Denver, Manning 25-28-0-266, Osweiler 9-13-0-85. Oakland, Pryor 21-38-0-207.
Receiving: Denver, D.Thomas 6-113, Moreno 5-41, J.Thomas 5-36, Decker 4-27, Caldwell 3-42, Tamme 3-29, Dreessen 3-26, Ball 3-22, Green 2-15. Oakland, Streater 5-40, D.Moore 4-63, Holmes 3-38, D.McFadden 3-15, Rivera 2-23, Jennings 2-8, Reece 1-11, Kasa 1-9.
Missed Field Goals: Oakland, Janikowski 42 (WR).
Steelers 20, Browns 7
PITTSBURGH - Le'Veon Bell ran for 90 yards and a touchdown as Pittsburgh (8-8) drubbed Cleveland, but the Steelers missed out on a playoff spot when San Diego beat Kansas City in overtime after both Baltimore and Miami lost.
Ben Roethlisberger passed for 179 yards and a TD against two interceptions as Pittsburgh won its third straight to avoid the franchise's first losing season since 2003.
The Browns (4-12) lost their final seven games and went just 1-10 since early October.
Multiple reports said that the Browns fired coach Rob Chudzinski Sunday night.
Cleveland 0 0 0 7 – 7
Pittsburgh 7 7 3 3 – 20
First quarter
Pit–Cotchery 9 pass from Roethlisberger (Suisham kick), 9:53.
Second quarter
Pit–Bell 5 run (Suisham kick), 4:22.
Third quarter
Pit–FG Suisham 30, 3:50.
Fourth quarter
Pit–FG Suisham 32, 8:26.
Cle–Whittaker 35 pass from Campbell (Cundiff kick), 2:46.
A: 56,361.
Cle Pit
First downs 15 17
Total Net Yards 293 292
Rushes-yards 20-79 29-120
Passing 214 172
Punt Returns 1-21 3-21
Kickoff Returns 0-0 0-0
Interceptions Ret. 2-12 1-3
Comp-Att-Int 23-41-1 19-31-2
Sacked-Yards Lost 3-26 1-7
Punts 5-38.4 4-41.8
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-0
Penalties-Yards 3-30 2-15
Time of Possession 29:43 30:17
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Cleveland, Baker 18-69, Campbell 1-6, Gray 1-4. Pittsburgh, Bell 20-90, F.Jones 2-11, Dwyer 3-10, Roethlisberger 4-9.
Passing: Cleveland, Campbell 23-41-1-240. Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger 19-31-2-179.
Receiving: Cleveland, Gordon 7-82, Cameron 5-69, Cooper 5-34, Whittaker 2-38, Baker 2-(minus 1), Little 1-9, Ogbonnaya 1-9. Pittsburgh, A.Brown 9-87, Cotchery 3-25, Sanders 2-26, Miller 2-17, Dwyer 1-9, W.Johnson 1-9, Bell 1-6.
Missed Field Goals: None.
Jets 27, Dolphins 7
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - Miami was eliminated from the scramble for the AFC's final wild-card berth by a New York squad relishing the role of spoilers against their archrivals.
Still, the Jets (8-8) will sit out the postseason themselves for the third year in a row.
The Jets' Geno Smith led three long scoring drives, ran for a TD, and threw for 190 yards, while two interceptions by rookie Dee Milliner and one by 35-year-old Ed Reed prevented a Miami comeback.
The Dolphins (8-8) squandered a shot at their first playoff berth since 2008 by losing their final two games.
N.Y. Jets 0 14 0 6 – 20
Miami 0 7 0 0 – 7
Second quarter
Mia–Wallace 5 pass from Tannehill (Sturgis kick), 11:51.
NYJ–Richardson 1 run (Folk kick), 3:20.
NYJ–Smith 7 run (Folk kick), :03.
Fourth quarter
NYJ–FG Folk 35, 4:18.
NYJ–FG Folk 26, 2:59.
A: 70,296.
NYJ Mia
First downs 22 18
Total Net Yards 374 296
Rushes-yards 42-154 22-92
Passing 220 204
Punt Returns 1-7 3-27
Kickoff Returns 1-16 4-53
Interceptions Ret. 3-29 0-0
Comp-Att-Int 18-28-0 20-40-3
Sacked-Yards Lost 0-0 0-0
Punts 5-42.0 5-48.8
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-Yards 5-36 5-38
Time of Possession 32:24 27:36
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: N.Y. Jets, Powell 21-76, Smith 10-44, Ivory 5-19, Bohanon 2-12, Richardson 2-2, Kerley 1-1, Green 1-0. Miami, Miller 17-73, Tannehill 2-19, Dan.Thomas 2-0, Clay 1-0.
Passing: N.Y. Jets, Smith 17-27-0-190, Powell 1-1-0-30. Miami, Tannehill 20-40-3-204.
Receiving: N.Y. Jets, Nelson 5-66, Kerley 5-40, Holmes 3-41, Winslow 1-34, Cumberland 1-30, Sudfeld 1-7, Salas 1-6, Powell 1-(minus 4). Miami, Wallace 5-25, Matthews 4-58, Clay 4-43, Mar.Moore 3-25, Hartline 2-38, Thigpen 1-11, Miller 1-4.
Missed Field Goals: N.Y. Jets, Folk 35 (WR).
Vikings 14, Lions 13
MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota rookie Cordarrelle Patterson scored two more TDs, including the go-ahead catch in the end zone in the fourth quarter, and the Vikings beat Detroit to win their last game at the Metrodome after 32 seasons playing in the crumbling arena.
With the Vikings (5-10-1) and the Lions (7-9) out of the playoffs, both coaches also faced the possibility of their last full day with their teams. Jim Schwartz fell to 29-52 in five years with the Lions. Leslie Frazier raised his record with the Vikings in three-plus years to 21-33-1.
The Metrodome will be torn down next month to make room for a new domed stadium on the same site.
Detroit 0 0 7 6 – 13
Minnesota 7 0 0 7 – 14
First quarter
Min–Patterson 50 run (Walsh kick), 2:41.
Third quarter
Det–Bush 19 pass from Stafford (Akers kick), 10:27.
Fourth quarter
Det–FG Akers 25, 14:25.
Det–FG Akers 53, 12:43.
Min–Patterson 8 pass from Cassel (Walsh kick), 9:19.
A: 64,134.
Det Min
First downs 14 19
Total Net Yards 245 345
Rushes-yards 22-63 20-174
Passing 182 171
Punt Returns 2-8 3-77
Kickoff Returns 1-20 3-51
Interceptions Ret. 1-42 0-0
Comp-Att-Int 22-33-0 20-33-1
Sacked-Yards Lost 5-35 3-18
Punts 7-50.7 6-40.7
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 1-1
Penalties-Yards 6-52 4-25
Time of Possession 32:37 27:23
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Detroit, Bush 14-32, Bell 8-31. Minnesota, Asiata 14-115, Patterson 2-54, Cassel 4-5.
Passing: Detroit, Stafford 22-33-0-217. Minnesota, Cassel 20-33-1-189.
Receiving: Detroit, Ogletree 5-75, Burleson 5-64, Bush 5-33, Bell 4-25, Fauria 3-20. Minnesota, Jennings 5-44, Ford 5-43, Simpson 3-29, Patterson 2-31, Wright 2-31, Asiata 2-(minus 2), Ellison 1-13.
Missed Field Goals: None.
Colts 30, Jaguars 10
INDIANAPOLIS - Andrew Luck threw for 282 yards and one touchdown, Robert Mathis reclaimed the NFL sacks lead with 191/2, and Adam Vinatieri became the seventh member of the 2,000-point club as Indianapolis routed Jacksonville (4-12).
But the Colts (11-5) saw their longshot hope of earning a first-round playoff bye vanish as New England and Cincinnati won.
"We're in the playoffs and that's what matters," Luck said before knowing next weekend's pairings. "We get to play at home, so it will be fun to not have to wait around to play."
Jacksonville 0 3 0 7 – 10
Indianapolis 17 3 7 3 – 30
First quarter
Ind–D.Brown 1 run (Vinatieri kick), 10:45.
Ind–Richardson 2 run (Vinatieri kick), 7:30.
Ind–FG Vinatieri 23, 1:22.
Second quarter
Jax–FG Scobee 37, 11:55.
Ind–FG Vinatieri 26, :00.
Third quarter
Ind–Whalen 7 pass from Luck (Vinatieri kick), 10:39.
Fourth quarter
Ind–FG Vinatieri 39, 8:00.
Jax–Taylor 14 pass from Henne (Scobee kick), :16.
A: 66,008.
Jax Ind
First downs 19 23
Total Net Yards 350 379
Rushes-yards 16-42 28-80
Passing 308 299
Punt Returns 0-0 1-5
Kickoff Returns 2-50 1-21
Interceptions Ret. 0-0 1-46
Comp-Att-Int 30-51-1 29-41-0
Sacked-Yards Lost 3-23 1-8
Punts 5-46.0 5-47.4
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-0
Penalties-Yards 5-50 2-10
Time of Possession 26:20 33:40
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Jacksonville, Jones-Drew 13-39, Todman 2-3, Henne 1-0. Indianapolis, D.Brown 12-31, Richardson 8-25, Choice 5-18, Luck 2-7, Hasselbeck 1-(minus 1).
Passing: Jacksonville, Henne 30-51-1-331. Indianapolis, Luck 26-37-0-282, Hasselbeck 3-4-0-25.
Receiving: Jacksonville, Taylor 8-75, Sanders 6-50, Jones-Drew 5-51, M.Lewis 3-70, Brown 3-43, Harbor 2-11, L.Thomas 1-18, Todman 1-12, Noble 1-1. Indianapolis, Hilton 11-155, Whalen 4-32, D.Brown 3-4, Rogers 2-20, Havili 2-18, Richardson 2-17, Fleener 1-25, Saunders 1-18, Brazill 1-11, Choice 1-5, Doyle 1-2. Missed Field Goals: None.
Titans 16, Texans 10
NASHVILLE - Chris Johnson ran for 127 yards and a touchdown in what might be his last game with Tennessee, a win over Houston that may help Titans coach Mike Munchak stay in his job.
With their 14th straight loss, the Texans (2-14) clinched the No. 1 selection in next May's draft for the next head coach that owner Bob McNair hires.
The Titans (7-9) scored 16 straight points in snapping a five-game home skid that was their longest since leaving Houston for Tennessee in 1997. They also won a second straight game for the first time since September.
Houston 7 0 0 3 – 10
Tennessee 0 6 7 3 – 16
First quarter
Hou–Grimes 3 run (Bullock kick), 9:37.
Second quarter
Ten–FG Bironas 42, 9:45.
Ten–FG Bironas 55, :00.
Third quarter
Ten–C.Johnson 11 run (Bironas kick), 5:39.
Fourth quarter
Ten–FG Bironas 37, 10:44.
Hou–FG Bullock 19, 2:53.
A: 69,143.
Hou Ten
First downs 19 17
Total Net Yards 288 311
Rushes-yards 22-65 36-151
Passing 223 160
Punt Returns 0-0 1-18
Kickoff Returns 3-83 2-54
Interceptions Ret. 1-0 2-5
Comp-Att-Int 22-34-2 15-24-1
Sacked-Yards Lost 1-6 1-6
Punts 5-45.8 6-42.2
Fumbles-Lost 2-2 2-0
Penalties-Yards 5-55 7-76
Time of Possession 27:45 32:15
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Houston, Grimes 16-50, R.Graham 4-8, Schaub 2-7. Tennessee, C.Johnson 27-127, Battle 1-16, Greene 6-10, Fitzpatrick 2-(minus 2).
Passing: Houston, Schaub 22-34-2-229. Tennessee, Fitzpatrick 15-24-1-166.
Receiving: Houston, Grimes 6-76, A.Johnson 6-49, Hopkins 4-35, Griffin 3-49, R.Graham 1-12, G.Jones 1-6, Martin 1-2. Tennessee, Wright 5-50, Walker 3-29, C.Johnson 3-14, N.Washington 2-39, Williams 1-32, Battle 1-2.
Missed Field Goals: None.
Giants 20, Redskins 6
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - New York's Jerrel Jernigan caught a 24-yard TD pass and ran 49 yards for another score for a win over Washington in what might be Mike Shanahan's final game as Redskins coach.
Shanahan has not only seen the Redskins (3-13) finish the season with an eight-game losing streak just a year after winning the NFC East, but his future is uncertain because of his shaky relationship with owner Dan Snyder and oft-injured QB Robert Griffin III.
The Giants (7-9) also aren't a playoff team, but they closed the season with a 7-3 record after losing their first six games.
Washington 0 6 0 0 – 6
N.Y. Giants 0 10 7 3 – 20
Second quarter
Was–FG Forbath 31, 8:16.
NYG–Jernigan 24 pass from Manning (J.Brown kick), 5:21.
NYG–FG J.Brown 34, 1:38.
Was–FG Forbath 49, :04.
Third quarter
NYG–Jernigan 49 run (J.Brown kick), :00.
Fourth quarter
NYG–FG J.Brown 38, 4:53.
A: 80,177.
Was NYG
First downs 12 14
Total Net Yards 251 278
Rushes-yards 23-91 35-122
Passing 160 156
Punt Returns 5-23 4-9
Kickoff Returns 5-93 3-66
Interceptions Ret. 2-25 2-17
Comp-Att-Int 19-49-2 12-32-2
Sacked-Yards Lost 3-9 1-7
Punts 9-40.4 8-44.0
Fumbles-Lost 3-2 4-1
Penalties-Yards 3-30 3-20
Time of Possession 28:21 31:39
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Washington, Morris 16-62, Helu Jr. 3-24, Young 2-4, Cousins 1-3, Al.Robinson 1-(minus 2). N.Y. Giants, Jernigan 2-57, Hillis 17-56, A.Brown 13-11, Painter 3-(minus 2).
Passing: Washington, Cousins 19-49-2-169. N.Y. Giants, Manning 10-24-1-152, Painter 2-8-1-11.
Receiving: Washington, Garcon 6-56, Paulsen 4-32, Al.Robinson 3-33, Morris 2-21, Helu Jr. 2-14, Moss 2-13. N.Y. Giants, Jernigan 6-90, Nicks 2-50, Myers 2-9, Murphy Jr. 1-8, Hillis 1-6.
Missed Field Goals: N.Y. Giants, J.Brown 50 (WL).
Patriots 34, Bills 20
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - LeGarrette Blount rushed for a career-high 189 yards and two TDs and had two long kickoff returns as New England (12-4) beat Buffalo (6-10) to clinch a first-round AFC bye.
Tom Brady kept handing the ball off during a steady downpour against a team leading the NFL in sacks and second in interceptions. Stephen Gostkowski helped make sure the Patriots wouldn't play a game next weekend with four field goals.
The Bills missed the playoffs for the 14th straight year, the league's longest current streak.
Buffalo 3 0 7 10 – 20
New England 6 10 0 18 – 34
First quarter
NE–FG Gostkowski 43, 9:41.
Buf–FG Carpenter 51, 6:14.
NE–FG Gostkowski 35, 2:41.
Second quarter
NE–Blount 36 run (Gostkowski kick), 12:14.
NE–FG Gostkowski 29, :00.
Third quarter
Buf–Graham 12 pass from Lewis (Carpenter kick), 1:29.
Fourth quarter
NE–Vereen 5 pass from Brady (Edelman pass from Brady), 14:56.
Buf–Jackson 5 run (Carpenter kick), 10:20.
NE–FG Gostkowski 35, 7:57.
Buf–FG Carpenter 37, 3:26.
NE–Blount 35 run (Gostkowski kick), 2:31.
A: 68,756.
Buf NE
First downs 19 24
Total Net Yards 393 382
Rushes-yards 35-169 43-267
Passing 224 115
Punt Returns 0-0 2-7
Kickoff Returns 1-28 4-189
Interceptions Ret. 1-0 0-0
Comp-Att-Int 16-29-0 14-24-1
Sacked-Yards Lost 4-23 1-7
Punts 4-42.3 3-45.7
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 4-0
Penalties-Yards 6-54 4-31
Time of Possession 27:13 32:47
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Buf, Spiller 19-105, Jackson 14-60, Lewis 2-4. NE, Blount 24-189, Ridley 12-74, Develin 1-4, Vereen 2-3, Brady 4-(minus 3).
Passing: Buf, Lewis 16-29-0-247. NE, Brady 14-24-1-122.
Receiving: Buf, Spiller 5-28, Graham 3-62, Chandler 3-55, Jackson 3-53, Woods 1-27, Goodwin 1-22. NE, Edelman 9-65, Vereen 3-42, Amendola 1-9, Dobson 1-6. Missed Field Goals: None.