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The Philadelphia Eagles qualified for the play-offs after a 22-16 win over Carolina Pantherstogether with defeat for Arizona Cardinals.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts came from a yard out to set the Eagles on their way, and Devonta Smith’s late second-quarter touchdown put NFC East leader Philadelphia ahead 14-10, only for Chuba Hubbard’s 1-yard field goal to put the visitors back in front.
Hopes of an upset were dashed, however, when tight end Grant Calcaterra hauled in a four-yard touchdown pass and Saquon Barkley’s conversion saw the Eagles maintain their position as the NFC’s second seed, behind the Detroit Lions.
The Cardinals couldn’t overcome their early mistakes as they lost 30-18 against the NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith threw for 233 yards and a touchdown, completing 24 of 30 passes, while Zach Charbonnet rushed for 134 yards and two scores on 22 carries.
Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray threw two picks to go with his two touchdowns, racking up 259 yards as the Cardinals’ third straight loss dropped them to 6-7 and two games behind the division-leading Seahawks.
The Los Angeles Rams survived a comeback from the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills, holding on for a 44-42 victory.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw for three touchdowns and rushed for three more as the Bills trailed by 17 points in the third quarter.
Matthew Stafford threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns for the Rams, who moved to 7-6 and just one game behind the Seahawks in the congested NFC West.
Brock Purdy threw for 325 yards and two touchdowns as the San Francisco 49ers bounced back from two tough losses to beat the Chicago Bears 38-13.
The win moves the 49ers to 6-7 along with the Cardinals and marred interim coach Thomas Brown’s debut at the helm of the Bears, who have lost seven straight games.
The Pittsburgh Steelers won 27-14 over their AFC North rivals, the Cleveland Browns.
The Steelers led 13-7 at halftime after a touchdown by Najea Harris and two field goals by Chris Boswell, and further touchdowns by Van Jefferson and Pat Freiermuth made the game safe despite a brilliant catch by David Njoku.
The Minnesota Vikings improved their record to 11-2 with their sixth straight win, 42-21 over the Atlanta Falcons. Jordan Addison caught three touchdowns and Justin Jefferson two, the latter ending a two-month drought, before Aaron Jones ran in to put the score beyond doubt. Quarterback Sam Darnold threw for a career-high 347 yards.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took full control of the NFC South with a 28-13 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders at Raymond James Stadium, where Baker Mayfield threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns.
Jalen McMillan and Rachaad White each scored twice, while Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell ran for a one-yard score, but was later forced out with an injury and replaced by third baseman Desmond Ridder.
The Miami Dolphins kept their outside playoff hopes alive after rallying for a 32-26 overtime victory over the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium.
An early touchdown by De’Von Achane and three field goals by Jason Sanders – one from 57 yards – put the Dolphins up 15-13 at halftime.
Davante Adams answered as the Jets looked to snap an eight-game losing streak, but Tyreek Hill’s score helped send the game into overtime, when Tua Tagovailoa picked off Jonna Smith to seal the dramatic victory.
The New Orleans Saints beat the New York Giants 14-11, while the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the AFC South rival Tennessee Titans 10-6 in Nashville to snap a five-game losing streak.