Goff leads Rams by Saints in battle of NFC leaders
LOS ANGELES — Jared Goff passed for 354 yards and hit Sammy Watkins and rookie Josh Reynolds for touchdowns as the Los Angeles Rams snapped New Orleans’ eight-game winning streak with a 26-20 victory Sunday in a meeting of NFC division leaders.
NFL scoring leader Greg Zuerlein kicked four field goals for the Rams (8-3), who earned their fifth victory in six games. For the first time since 2006, this revitalized franchise is guaranteed not to finish the regular season with a losing record.
Los Angeles turned in a gritty defensive effort against the high-scoring Saints (8-3), holding Drew Brees to 246 yards passing and sacking him three times.
EAGLES 31, BEARS 3
Carson Wentz tossed three touchdown passes, and NFL-leading Philadelphia won at home for its ninth consecutive victory.
The Eagles (10-1) reduced their magic number to clinch the NFC East to one with their fourth consecutive win by at least 23 points and third in a row by exactly 28. Philadelphia will secure its first division title since 2013 if the Cowboys (5-6) lose or tie Washington on Thursday night.
TITANS 20, COLTS 16
Tennessee got its first victory in 10 tries at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis when DeMarco Murray scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 5:59 left.
The Titans (7-4) pulled off their first series sweep since 2002. And they did it by rallying from a 10-point, third-quarter deficit again — just as they had six weeks earlier against the Colts (3-8).
CARDINALS 27, JAGUARS 24
Phil Dawson kicked a career-long 57-yard field goal with one second to play at Glendale, Ariz., lifting Arizona to victory and snapping Jacksonville’s four-game winning streak and dropping the Jaguars (7-4) into a tie with Tennessee for the AFC South lead.
The 42-year-old kicker, who had uncharacteristically missed six field goals this season, also was good from 34 and 42 yards as the Cardinals (5-6) beat a team with a winning record for the first time this season.
STEELERS 31, PACKERS 28
Chris Boswell kicked a career-long, 53-yard field goal as time expired to give Pittsburgh the victory over visiting Green Bay.
The Steelers (9-2) won their sixth game in a row thanks in large part to wide receiver Antonio Brown. Brown caught 10 passes for 169 yards and two scores and also made a pair of catches on the deciding drive, including a 23-yard grab on the sideline that put the Steelers in Green Bay territory.
Brown added a 14-yard reception on the next play. Two snaps, later Boswell drilled the winner and his teammates mobbed him at midfield
FALCONS 34, BUCS 20
Julio Jones hauled in 12 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns in one of the best games of his career as Atlanta won at home.
Rekindling memories of the Super Bowl, the Falcons (7-4) nearly squandered a big lead to a team playing its third game without injured quarterback Jameis Winston. The Buccaneers (4-7) rebounded from a 27-6 deficit behind backup Ryan Fitzpatrick and drove deep into Atlanta territory after forcing a fumble at the other end of the field.
But Keanu Neal battled down Fitzpatrick’s pass on fourth-and-1 at the Atlanta 18 with just over seven minutes remaining, and the Falcons drove for a clinching touchdown on Tevin Coleman’s 14-yard run with just under two minutes to go.
Jones, who had only one touchdown catch through the first 10 games, doubled that total in the first half. He hauled in a 51-yard scoring pass from fellow receiver Mohamed Sanu and went 25 yards for a TD on a throw from Matt Ryan, finishing off the play with a spectacular dive for the pylon.
PATRIOTS 35, DOLPHINS 17
Tom Brady tossed four touchdown passes — including two to Rob Gronkowski — as New England won at Foxborough, Mass.
The Patriots (9-2) posted their seventh consecutive victory and third straight win over Miami. The Dolphins (4-7) have lost five in a row for their longest slide since 2011.
It was Brady’s 28th career game with four or more touchdown passes, ranking third all-time.
BENGALS 30, BROWNS 16
Rookie Joe Mixon ran for a season-high 114 yards and a touchdown as Cincinnati won at home.
Cleveland heads into December winless for the second year in a row.
BILLS 16, CHIEFS 10
Tyrod Taylor threw for 183 yards and a touchdown in his return to the starting lineup, and Tre ’Davious White intercepted Alex Smith with just over a minute remaining to clinch the victory for visiting Buffalo.
Zay Jones had the touchdown reception and Stephen Hauschka kicked three field goals for the Bills (6-5), but the story was their defense. The Chiefs (6-5) totaled only 236 yards while losing for the fifth time in six games.
SEAHAWKS 24, 49ERS 13
Russell Wilson threw for two touchdowns to give him 150 career TDs passing and ran for a short score in Seattle’s victory at Santa Clara, Calif.
Wilson connected on a 17-yard touchdown pass to Nick Vannett in the third quarter, and a 1-yarder early in the fourth to Jimmy Graham, whose 16 TD receptions passed Jerramy Stevens for most by a Seattle tight end.
Jimmy Garoppolo made his San Francisco debut with 1:07 remaining after starting quarterback C.J. Beathard went down on a hit by Michael Bennett as he threw a pass.
RAIDERS 21, BRONCOS 14
Derek Carr threw two touchdown passes after losing starting receiver Michael Crabtree to an ejection for his role in a brawl, and Oakland won at home to spoil Paxton Lynch’s first start of the season.
PANTHERS 35, JETS 27
Luke Kuechly returned a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown, and Kaelin Clay had a 60-yard punt return for a score to cap a stunning swing in the fourth quarter that lifted Carolina to victory at East Rutherford, N.J.