Dec 19, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) throws the ball deep against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports
December 20, 2021
Jared Goff threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns and the host Detroit Lions upset the Arizona Cardinals 30-12 on Sunday.
Amon-Ra St. Brown caught eight passes for 90 yards and a touchdown for the Lions (2-11-1), who entered the week with the worst record in the NFL.
Riley Patterson finished 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts and 3-for-3 on extra-point attempts for the Lions, who jumped out to a 17-0 halftime lead.
Arizona’s Kyler Murray passed for 257 yards with one touchdown and was intercepted once by Amani Oruwariye, who ran the pick back 50 yards. Christian Kirk had nine catches for 94 yards and a touchdown for the Cardinals (10-4), who have lost four of their past seven games after a 7-0 start.
Packers 31, Ravens 30
Aaron Rodgers passed for 268 yards and three touchdowns as visiting Green Bay edged Baltimore to clinch the NFC North division title.
The Packers (11-3) won for the fourth time in five games and maintained control of the top seed in the NFC playoffs by sweating out a wild finish. Green Bay withheld a late Ravens surge, as Baltimore quarterback Tyler Huntley ran for an 8-yard score with 42 seconds left to pull the Ravens within one point.
Rather than attempt a point-after touchdown kick to tie the game, however, the Ravens elected for a two-point conversion. Huntley’s pass for Mark Andrews was incomplete. The Ravens (8-6) lost their third straight game to fall into a tie with the Bengals atop the AFC North.
Saints 9, Buccaneers 0
Brett Maher kicked three field goals and the New Orleans defense dominated Tom Brady and host Tampa Bay.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen served as the Saints’ acting head coach because Sean Payton was sidelined after testing positive for COVID two days earlier. The Saints (7-7) won their second straight after losing five in a row.
Brady completed 26 of 48 for 214 yards, threw an interception and lost a fumble as the Buccaneers (10-4) missed an opportunity to clinch the NFC South title. It was the first time Brady has been shut out since 2006.
Cowboys 21, Giants 6
Dak Prescott threw for 217 yards and a touchdown and Dallas forced four turnovers en route to a victory over New York in East Rutherford, N.J.
Prescott completed 28 of 37 passes, and Dalton Schultz had eight catches for 67 yards and a touchdown for the Cowboys (10-4). Tony Pollard rushed for 74 yards and Ezekiel Elliott had 52 yards and a score.
Trevon Diggs recorded his NFL-best 10th interception, and Jourdan Lewis and Malik Hooker also picked off passes from Mike Glennon (13 of 24, 99 yards). Jake Fromm completed 6 of 12 passes for 82 yards in relief during his NFL debut for New York (4-10), which has lost three straight.
Texans 30, Jaguars 16
Brandin Cooks recorded his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season while Ka’imi Fairbairn booted a pair of 50-plus-yard field goals as visiting Houston completed a season sweep of reeling Jacksonville.
Cooks capped the Texans’ opening possession with a 22-yard touchdown reception and sealed the win with a 43-yard touchdown with 2:22 left to play as Houston (3-11) sent the Jaguars (2-12) to their sixth consecutive loss. Cooks finished with seven receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
The Jaguars finished 3 of 14 on third downs in their first contest following the dismissal of coach Urban Meyer last week. Rookie Trevor Lawrence passed for 210 yards.
Bills 31, Panthers 14
Josh Allen threw for three touchdowns and Buffalo largely relied on defense for a much-needed victory over Carolina at Orchard Park, N.Y.
Allen completed 19 of 34 passes for 210 yards and an interception, though he was sacked four times. Devin Singletary rushed for 86 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown for Buffalo (8-6), which won for just the third time in its past seven games.
The Panthers (5-9) have lost four consecutive games, all since Cam Newton became the starting quarterback. He connected on 18 of 38 attempts for 156 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also scored on a touchdown run. Carolina managed just 275 yards of total offense.
Bengals 15, Broncos 10
Joe Burrow completed 15 of 22 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown, Tyler Boyd had five receptions for 96 yards and a score and visiting Cincinnati beat Denver.
Evan McPherson kicked three field goals, including a franchise-record 58-yarder, for Cincinnati (8-6), which snapped a two-game skid and moved into a tie for first place in the AFC North with Baltimore.
Drew Lock was 6 of 12 for 88 yards and a score for the Broncos (7-7) in relief of injured quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater went 12 of 22 for 98 yards before leaving with a head injury in the third quarter. He was expected to be hospitalized overnight for precautionary reasons.
49ers 31, Falcons 13
An early defensive stand gave San Francisco all of the momentum and it never looked back while coasting to a win over Atlanta in Santa Clara, Calif.
The 49ers stopped the Falcons four times from the 1-yard line on the opening possession of the game to set the tone. The win moves San Francisco (8-6) within two games of the NFC West lead and keeps them in one of the three NFC wild-card spots, while the Falcons (6-8) took a blow to their playoff hopes.
The 49ers scored four touchdowns and a field goal on a stretch of five consecutive possessions. Jimmy Garoppolo finished 18 of 23 for 235 yards and one touchdown, and most of the damage coming on six receptions for 93 yards by tight end George Kittle.
Steelers 19, Titans 13
Chris Boswell kicked four field goals and Pittsburgh forced four turnovers in a much-needed home win over Tennessee.
The Steelers (7-6-1) won for just the second time in six games despite getting outgained 318-168 and holding the ball for less than 21 minutes. Pittsburgh outscored the Titans 16-0 after halftime.
Tennessee (9-5) could have moved into the top spot in the AFC standings (and clinched the AFC South title) with a victory. Instead, the Kansas City Chiefs now sit alone atop the conference.
Dolphins 31, Jets 24
Tua Tagovailoa threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to DeVante Parker with 3:37 left in the game, leading Miami to a win over visiting New York.
Tagovailoa completed 16 of 27 passes for 196 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. One of those picks was ran back 20 yards for a Jets touchdown by Brandin Echols.
Miami (7-7) won its sixth straight game, thanks in large part to Duke Johnson, who rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Rookie Zach Wilson completed 13 of 23 passes for 170 yards, but he was sacked six times and lost one fumble as New York (3-11) lost its third straight game.
–Field Level Media
Source: One America News Network
