Packers rally to earn first-round NFC bye
DETROIT – Aaron Rodgers was on the money when the Packers needed him most, overcoming one of his worst games this season.
Rodgers threw a short and accurate pass to Aaron Jones, whose 31-yard reception set up Mason Crosby’s 33-yard field goal as time expired to lift Green Bay to a 23-20 win over the Lions that earned the Packers a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs.
“We’re going to be a tough team to deal with in the playoffs,” Rodgers said.
The Packers (13-3) fell behind the last-place Lions by two touchdowns in the second quarter and didn’t lead until Crosby made his second game-winning kick against Detroit this season.
Green Bay won a fifth straight game despite Rodgers struggling for much of the afternoon. Rodgers was 27 of 55 for 323 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He connected on less than half of his attempts for the second time this season and finished with his second-lowest rating of the year.
“Too many missed throws,” Rodgers acknowledged after throwing the most passes he has in 2019, tying the thirdhighest total of his career. “I felt good about the throws. That’s the crazy thing. We were just a little bit off at times. When we had to make a play, we made the play.”
The Lions (3-12-1) closed with nine straight losses for their longest losing streak in a season since going 0-16 in 2008.
❚ Bears 21, Vikings 19: Eddy Piñeiro’s fourth field goal of the game for Chicago came from 22 yards with 10 seconds left, lifting the Bears past Minnesota in Minneapolis with the Vikings resting their regulars for the playoffs.
Piñeiro, the latest attempt by the Bears (8-8) to solve their persistent kicking trouble, finished the season with 11 straight made field goals.
David Montgomery had 23 carries for 113 yards and a TD to cap a strong rookie season and help the Bears beat the Vikings
(10-6) for the fourth consecutive time.
❚ Saints 42, Panthers 10: New Orleans took care of business against reeling Carolina in Charlotte, North Carolina, and finished off a 13-3 regular season but still might not get a week of rest in the playoffs. Drew Brees threw for 253 yards and three TDs, Alvin Kamara ran for two scores and the Saints handed the Panthers their eighth straight loss.
But the runaway NFC South champions’ chances at home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs ended when Green Bay beat Detroit on a lastsecond field goal. New Orleans needed the Seahawks to beat the 49ers on Sunday night to earn a first-round bye. If the 49ers win, the Saints will be the No. 3 seed and host the Vikings in the wildcard round next weekend.
The only thing that went right for the Panthers (5-11) was Christian McCaffrey joining Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk as the third player in NFL history to record 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season. McCaffrey needed 67 yards receiving coming
in and got there with a 17-yard reception late in the third quarter.
❚ Cowboys 47, Redskins 16: Dak Prescott threw four TD passes to help Dallas beat Washington (3-13), a win rendered meaningless when the Cowboys were eliminated from the playoffs by the Eagles’ victory over the Giants.
The Cowboys (8-8) lost control of their playoff fate with a 17-9 loss at the Eagles last week. Last season’s NFC East champions will now wait to see how much longer Jason Garrett will be coach after underachieving in the final year of his contract.
Dallas could have made the playoffs without a winning record for the third time in franchise history.
Instead, the Eagles won the division for the second time in three years by beating the Giants 34-17.
Case Keenum had a TD toss as the Redskins (3-13) secured the No. 2 pick in the draft in what could be their final game under interim coach Bill Callahan. The former Dallas assistant replaced Jay Gruden, fired in October with Washington at 0-5.
❚ Rams 31, Cardinals 24: Tyler Higbee and Robert Woods caught TD passes from Jared Goff in the fourth quarter, and the Rams bade farewell to Los Angeles Coliseum and secured their third straight winning season with a victory over Arizona.
Goff passed for 319 yards and hit Cooper Kupp for 99 yards and an early TD, while Los Angeles’ defense made four takeaways in the final NFL game at the 96-year-old Coliseum. The Rams (9-7) are moving into palatial SoFi Stadium in Inglewood next season.
The 2018 NFC champions were eliminated from playoff contention last week, but they improved to 6-0 against Arizona during coach Sean McVay’s tenure while securing this franchise’s first string of three straight winning records since 1999-2001.
Kyler Murray wrapped up his stellar rookie season with 327 yards passing for the Cardinals (5-10-1), who finished coach Kliff Kingsbury’s debut year with their fourth consecutive losing record.
❚ Falcons 28, Buccaneers 22: Deion Jones intercepted Jameis Winston on the first play of overtime and returned the ball 27 yards for a touchdown to give Atlanta the road victory. The Falcons (7-9) tied the score with a field goal on the last play of regulation and won for the sixth time in eight games when Jones became the seventh opposing player to score on a pick-6 off Winston this season.
Matt Ryan completed 30 of 51 passes for 313 yards and one touchdown for the Falcons, who saved coach Dan Quinn’s job by rebounding from a 1-7 start to go 6-2 over the second half of the season. Atlanta finished second in the NFC South despite posting a losing record for the second year in a row.
Winston became the first Tampa Bay quarterback to pass for 5,000 yards in a season, finishing with 5,109, as he threw for 201 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, hiking his NFL-leading total to 30. The Bucs finished 7-9 and missed the playoffs for the 12th consecutive year.