San Diego Chargers 21
Denver Broncos 20
DENVER - The San Diego Chargers (14-2) kept their AFC West and #1 seed hopes alive with a dramatic late victory over the Denver Broncos 21-20.
QB Hendon Hooker was quiet for most of the game before leading the team to a dramatic TD with :22 left on the clock.
"It's a theme for us for sure," Hooker said. "Our defense is playing at an elite level and our offense does just enough to get us home. We can do more for sure."
The Chargers will now head home to take on the 14-2 Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC West and a first round bye in the playoffs.
Miami Dolphins 19
Baltimore Ravens 38
BALTIMORE - The Baltimore Ravens (11-5) clinched a playoff berth with a strange 38-19 victory over Sam Darnold and the Miami Dolphins.
The Ravens defense was dominant again while the Baltimore offense struggled to find their footing behind five interceptions by QB Jalen Hurts.
"The ghosts were seeing me today," Hurts said. "I was awful, flat out."
Rookie HB Bijan Robinson was magnificent again with 167 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Baltimore will close out their regular season against the Pittsburgh Steelers at home. The Ravens are locked into the AFC's #6 or #7 seed.
San Francisco 49ers 16
Washington Commanders 13
WASHINGTON DC - In a game that had little meaning for San Francisco, the Niners still managed a sloppy win over a Commanders team fighting for its playoff life. The 49ers (15-1) rotated both quarterbacks and ran a vanilla offensive scheme in what appeared to be a game treated more like a preseason matchup.
The 49ers will have one more game with no playoff implications as they take on the Rams to close out their season.
Arizona Cardinals 23
Philadelphia Eagles 26
PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles secured a playoff spot in the 2023 NFL playoffs with a win over the Arizona Carnivals 26-23. The Eagles (10-6) held off a late Cardinals charge to run the clock out with a three point lead.
Christian McCaffrey ran for 117 yards and was instrumental in ensuring the Eagles didn't give the ball back to Arizona in the last part of the 4th quarter.
Patrick Surtain II kept his interception streak alive with another pick in this one.
"I feel like I'm really seeing the field well right now," said the two-time defending 3GML defensive player of the year.
The Eagles head to New York to close out their season in a game that could decide the NFC East.
Tennessee Titans 30
Houston Texans 27
HOUSTON - The Texans lost in overtime after blowing an eleven point 4th quarter lead. Trey Lance played well all game, but there are two throws he'd probably like back. One in the fourth quarter with the Texans up eight where he telegraphed a pass to Sean Murphy-Bunting, who intercepted it and returned it for a touchdown. The other was in overtime, where Houston won the toss and were driving in the red zone. On a second and six from his the Titan 19 yard line, there seemed to be some miscommunication between Lance and the receiver and Caleb Farley intercepted the pass. Tennessee drove down the field and kicked the winning field goal as a result.
Josh Downs was a bright spot for Houston, however. The rookie from North Carolina caught four passes for 77 yards and two touchdowns.
With the loss, Houston is locked into the AFC's four seed and will play a game with very little meaning next week against the Colts.
Green Bay Packers 42
Minnesota Vikings 28
MINNEAPOLIS - Tua Tagovailoa stayed red-hot as the Green Bay Packers nearly put up 500 yards of offense for the second straight week in their 42-28 win over the Vikings. Tagovailoa threw for 417 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. The 4th year QB is currently sitting at number one in passing yards and has broken the 3GML record with one game remaining.
Defensively, Harold Landry once again shined for the Packers with two more sacks. However, in the second straight week, the Green Bay defense has given up more points than they would prefer against inferior opponents.
Green Bay is guaranteed the NFC's two seed and plays next week against rival Chicago in a game that means nothing for the Packers and everything for the Bears who are fighting for a playoff spot.
