The NFL had to move some games around this weekend because of the COVID situation plaguing so many teams. Therefore the complete recap will go later than normal because of the Tuesday action taking place in two games as the L.A. Rams host Seattle and Washington is at Philadelphia. The Monday night game between Chicago and Minnesota is still a go and also the Las Vegas Raiders at Cleveland Browns is being played on Monday.
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| Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce celebrates his game winning TD |
As for the games already in the books, the Kansas City Chiefs (10-4) got an early Christmas gift from the Los Angeles Chargers (8-6) last Thursday night in their 34-28 overtime victory in L.A.. The Chiefs scored on their initial drive in the OT session when quarterback Patrick Mahomes (410 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception) hooked up with tight end Travis Kelce (10 receptions for 191 yards and two TD) on a 34-yard score to win it.
The Chargers left at least six (or more) points on the scoreboard by deciding to go on fourth down several times in the game rather than kicking short field goals. In the first half, in which they led 14-10 at halftime, the Chargers failed twice on fourth-and-goal from inside the Kansas City five yard-line. Chargers QB Justin Herbert had two TD passes and one interception along with 236 passing yards in the loss.
The Indianapolis Colts (8-6) defeated the visiting New England Patriots, 27-17 on Saturday night as running back Jonathan Taylor took over the game, going for 170 rushing yards and two scores, including the game deciding TD on a 67-yard run with 2:01 to play in the fourth quarter.
The Colts built a 20-0 lead before New England (9-5) scored 17 points in the final quarter with QB Mac Jones throwing a pair of scoring passes to tight end Hunter Henry. Jones passed for 299 yards with the two TD and also had two interceptions. Colts QB Carson Wentz had a TD pass and the Colts also had a blocked punt for another touchdown. The loss snapped the Patriots seven game win streak.
The Green Bay Packers (11-3) held off the host Baltimore Ravens, 31-30 to clinch their third consecutive NFC North division title. The Ravens (8-6) dropped their third straight game as they went for the two-point conversion with 42 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, but the pass failed.
The Ravens were down 31-17 midway through the final quarter before backup QB Tyler Huntley (215 passing yards and two passing TD) ran for two touchdowns to get it to the final margin. Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers passed for three scores and 268 yards in the win.
The Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6-1) rallied back from a ten point halftime deficit to defeat the visiting Tennessee Titans, 19-13 as kicker Chris Boswell made four field goals in the game, including three in the final quarter while QB Ben Roethlisberger had a one-yard TD run. The Titans (9-5) also got a one-yard scoring run from QB Ryan Tannehill along with two field goals by kicker Randy Bullock, but it wasn't enough to get the win. The Pittsburgh defense forced four turnovers, including three fumble recoveries and made a big stop on fourth down to seal the win.
Tampa Bay was shut out at home, 9-0 on Sunday night as the New Orleans Saints defense dominated the Buccaneers (10-4), sacking QB Tom Brady four times and also getting an interception and a fumble recovery. Three field goals by kicker Brett Maher made the difference as the Saints (7-7) stayed in the wild card chase in the NFC playoff picture.
Elsewhere Around the NFL . . . . . . . . . . .
The Detroit Lions (2-11-1) stunned the Arizona Cardinals, 30-12 for the home win as they built a 24-3 lead in the third quarter with QB Jared Goff passing for three touchdowns. The Cardinals dropped to 10-4 with their second consecutive defeat . . . The Buffalo Bills (8-6) throttled the visiting Carolina Panthers, 31-14 with QB Josh Allen passing for three scores and the defense getting four QB sacks and an interception . . . The host San Francisco 49ers (8-6) won for the fifth time in six games as they blasted the Atlanta Falcons, 31-13 with a balanced offense (162 rushing yards and 235 passing yards) that included a passing TD by QB Jimmy Garoppolo. The Falcons fell to 6-8 with the setback . . . The Dallas Cowboys (10-4) got a big road win as they hammered the listless New York Giants, 21-6 with the defense getting four turnovers (three picks and one fumble) while Ezekiel Elliott ran for a score and QB Dak Prescott passed for another one to lead the way . . . The surging Miami Dolphins (7-7) won for the sixth straight time as they beat the visiting New York Jets, 31-24 to stay in contention in the AFC playoff race. Dolphins RB Duke Johnson (107 rushing yards) had a pair of rushing scores and QB Tua Tagovailoa passed for two more scores to pace the offense. The Jets (3-11) raced out to a 10-0 lead, but could not sustain the momentum as Miami's defense had six sacks and limited the Jets to 228 total yards in offense . . . The Cincinnati Bengals (8-6) took over first place in the AFC North division as they topped the host Denver Broncos, 15-10 with kicker Evan McPherson drilling three field goals and QB Joe Burrow throwing a 56-yard TD pass to WR Tyler Boyd with just thirty seconds remaining in the game. Backup Broncos QB Drew Lock threw a 25-yard TD pass to WR Tim Patrick with 1:22 left in the fourth quarter. The Broncos (7-7) saw their starting QB Teddy Bridgewater leave the game with a concussion . . . The Houston Texans (3-11) beat the host Jacksonville Jaguars, 30-16 behind a pair of TD passes by QB Davis Mills and a 98-yard kickoff return for TD by Tremon Smith. James Robinson scored a rushing TD for the Jaguars (2-12) in the loss . . . In the Monday games, the Las Vegas Raiders got a game winning 48-yard field goal from Daniel Carlson as time expired to defeat the host Cleveland Browns, 16-14. The Browns had gone ahead 14-13 with 3:45 left in the final quarter when reserve QB Nick Mullens threw a six-yard TD pass to tight end Harrison Bryant. But the Raiders drove downfield, led by QB Derek Carr, who had a scoring pass along with 236 passing yards (and one INT) in the win. Both teams now have 7-7 records . . . In Chicago, the Minnesota Vikings (7-7) won the road game, 17-9 as QB Kirk Cousins had a pair of scoring passes. The Bears (4-10) scored their only touchdown on the final play of the game as their defense played well, limiting the Vikings to just 193 yards in total offense. The big difference in the game was Chicago committing three turnovers . . . On Tuesday night, the Philadelphia Eagles handled Washington, 27-17 for the home victory that put them at 7-7 for the season. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (296 passing yards) had two rushing scores and also passed for a touchdown to pace the offense. Washington (6-8) had a pair of rushing scores from two different backs and were out gained by the Eagles, 519-237 in total yardage as they dropped their second straight game . . . The Los Angeles Rams (10-4) knocked off the visiting Seattle Seahawks (5-9) by a 20-10 score as the defense limited the 'Hawks to just 214 total yards in offense, including just 80 rushing yards. Rams WR Cooper Kupp (nine receptions for 136 yards) had two receiving touchdowns from Matthew Stafford (244 passing yards) in the win, which put the Rams into a tie for first place with Arizona in the NFC West.
WEEK FIFTEEN RESULTS
Kansas City 34, L.A. Chargers 28 (OT)
Indianapolis 27, New England 17
Houston 30, Jacksonville 16
Dallas 21, N.Y. Giants 6
Miami 31, N.Y. Jets 24
Detroit 30, Arizona 12
Buffalo 31, Carolina 14
Pittsburgh 19, Tennessee 13
San Francisco 31, Atlanta 13
Cincinnati 15, Denver 10
Green Bay 31, Baltimore 30
New Orleans 9, Tampa Bay 0
Las Vegas 16, Cleveland 14
Minnesota 17, Chicago 9
Philadelphia 27, Washington 17
L.A. Rams 20, Seattle 10
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