nfl roundup | Sunday’s other games

Cardinals 40, Eagles 17

PHILADELPHIA

David Johnson ran for 187 yards and three touchdowns, Carson Palmer threw a TD pass and Arizona beat Philadelphia to clinch the NFC West title. The Cardinals (12-2) will earn a first-round bye with a win over Green Bay next week. They still have a chance to secure the No. 1 seed if they win out and Carolina loses its last two games. The Eagles (6-8) would win the NFC East title if they beat Washington at home and the Giants on the road. The Cardinals outclassed Philadelphia in every way on their way to their eighth straight win.

Bengals 24, 49ers 14

SANTA CLARA, CALIF.

Jeremy Hill ran for a pair of 1-yard touchdowns to back AJ McCarron’s first career start, and the patchwork Bengals clinched a fifth straight postseason berth by beating the 49ers. As Andy Dalton watched from the sideline with a large cast over his broken right thumb, McCarron threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Kroft just before halftime as the Bengals (11-3) forced three second-quarter turnovers by San Francisco (4-10) to take command. Vontaze Burfict and Adam “Pacman” Jones each made interceptions on balls that deflected off the hands of tight end Vance McDonald. Cincinnati capitalized with touchdowns on two of the turnovers.

Vikings 38, Bears 17

MINNEAPOLIS

Teddy Bridgewater threw a career-high four touchdowns and ran for another one, and the Minnesota Vikings took a significant step toward clinching a spot in the playoffs with a victory over the Bears. Bridgewater completed 17 of 20 passes for 231 yards without a turnover, connecting twice with Stefon Diggs for scores. Jerick McKinnon and Zach Line had the other touchdown catches on a remarkably productive afternoon for all of Minnesota’s running backs. Adrian Peterson missed some time because of an injury to his left ankle, but he still finished with 63 yards on 18 attempts to maintain his NFL rushing lead. The Vikings (9-5) stopped their two-game losing streak.

Redskins 35, Bills 25

LANDOVER, MD.

Kirk Cousins equaled his career high with four touchdown passes and ran 13 yards for another score, helping the Redskins win consecutive games for the first time in more than a year and stay atop the NFC East by beating the Bills. While the Redskins (7-7) moved closer to a playoff berth, the Bills (6-8) are now assured of missing the postseason for the 16th year in a row, the NFL’s longest active drought. Making first-year Bills head coach Rex Ryan’s defense look inept, and helped by a key fourth-down encroachment penalty on Buffalo, the Redskins scored TDs on each of their first three possessions for the first time since September 1999, grabbing a 21-0 lead in the second quarter.

Texans 16, Colts 10

INDIANAPOLIS

Brandon Weeden replaced injured quarterback T.J. Yates late in the first half and threw a go-ahead 8-yard TD pass to Jaelen Strong with 10:36 to play, giving Houston a victory — its first win in 14 tries at Indianapolis. The Texans (7-7) took sole possession of the AFC South lead by snapping a two-game losing streak. The Colts (6-8) have lost three straight and need help to make the playoffs. The battle of backup quarterbacks didn’t earn any style points. Yates was 6 of 10 for 68 yards with one interception before hurting his left knee. Weeden went 11 of 18 with 105 yards.

Patriots 33, Titans 16

FOXBOROUGH, MASS.

Tom Brady threw for two touchdowns to help the Patriots hold onto the top spot in the AFC, beating Tennessee and knocking Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota out with a knee injury in the first half. The 2014 Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, Mariota left the game and did not return after being sacked to end consecutive second-quarter drives. Brady completed 23 of 35 passes for 267 yards. Delanie Walker caught two passes, both for touchdowns, for 64 yards for Tennessee. Zach Mettenberger completed 20 of 28 passes for 242 yards, two TD and two interceptions after replacing Mariota.

Falcons 23, Jaguars 17

JACKSONVILLE, FLA.

Julio Jones scored for the first time in seven weeks, and the Falcons ended a six-game losing streak with a victory against the Jaguars. Jones finished with nine receptions for 118 yards and set the franchise record for catches in a season. He has 118, breaking teammate Roddy White’s mark of 115 set in 2010. The Falcons (7-7) had lost six straight and even had some wondering whether they had given up after losing 38-0 last week at Carolina. But they showed resiliency against Jacksonville and won for the first time since Oct. 25. The Jaguars (5-9), meanwhile, lost ground in the muddled AFC South and were all but eliminated in the division race.

Panthers 38, Giants 35

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.

Graham Gano’s 43-yard field goal as time expired kept Carolina perfect this season with a wild victory over the Giants. Cam Newton threw for five touchdowns in building a 28-point lead before New York stormed back to tie it with 1:46 remaining. Making yet another strong statement for NFL MVP honors, Newton led the Panthers (14-0) to their 18th straight regular-season victory. He has thrown for 19 touchdowns in the last five games and a career-best 33 in this so-far special season.

Chiefs 34, Ravens 14

BALTIMORE

The Chiefs capitalized on a variety of miscues by the Ravens and extended their winning streak to eight games. Tyvon Branch returned a fumble 73 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter and Marcus Peters clinched the victory with a 90-yard interception return for a score with 4:36 left. Kansas City (9-5) also scored touchdowns following a drive-extending penalty by Baltimore and a failed fake punt.

Packers 30, Raiders 20

OAKLAND, CALIF.

Aaron Rodgers threw a touchdown pass and Damarious Randall returned an interception for another score to help the Packers beat the Raiders after clinching their franchise-record seventh straight playoff berth. Green Bay (10-4) clinched a spot in the postseason in the first quarter when the New York Giants lost to Carolina. But the Packers still have their eyes set on a division title and remain one game ahead of Minnesota in the NFC North.

Chargers 30, Dolphins 14

SAN DIEGO

Danny Woodhead had his first career four-touchdown game and Philip Rivers recovered a fumble on a play that began with him throwing an interception as the Chargers beat the Dolphins in what might have been the final NFL game in San Diego. Woodhead caught TD passes of 20, 9 and 9 yards, and scored on a 2-yard run for the Chargers (4-10), who failed to score a touchdown in each of their previous two home games. Miami (5-9) lost for the fourth time in five games. The Chargers Cannon went off. The disco ditty “San Diego Super Chargers” blared for what might be the final time. It could all be over after 55 seasons if NFL owners allow Chargers Chairman Dean Spanos to move to an industrial suburb of Los Angeles and build a stadium with the rival Oakland Raiders.

Associated Press