New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) looks to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Jets defeated the Dolphins 37-24.Lynne Sladky/The Associated Press
Ravens 20, Browns 10
Baltimore Baltimore earned a spot in the postseason Sunday, rallying to defeat the Cleveland Browns 20-10 while getting an assist halfway across the country.
Down 10-3 in the fourth quarter, the Ravens kicked a field goal and then took the lead on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to Torrey Smith with 7:33 left. Flacco's two-yard TD throw to Kamar Aiken clinched it.
To reach the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years, Baltimore (10-6) needed to beat the Browns (7-9) and have San Diego lose in Kansas City, which was precisely what happened.
Texans 23, Jaguars 17
Houston J.J. Watt had three sacks and a safety and Andre Johnson had 134 yards receiving and a touchdown. The Texans (9-7) had a shot at making the playoffs, but Baltimore beat Cleveland to claim the final AFC wild-card spot.
Bills 17, Patriots 9
Foxborough, Mass. Kyle Orton threw for one touchdown, Anthony Dixon ran for another and the Bills finished their first winning season in 10 years with a win over the going-through-the motions Patriots. With the top seed in the AFC playoffs already clinched, the Patriots used QB Tom Brady for only the first half and held out tight end Rob Gronkowski and five other starters.
Cowboys 44, Redskins 17
Landover, Md. DeMarco Murray and Dez Bryant broke franchise records as the Cowboys prepped for the playoffs. Murray rushed for 100 yards on 20 carries, passing Emmitt Smith for the team single-season mark. Bryant caught scoring passes of 65 and 23 yards to give him 16 touchdown receptions on the season, breaking Terrell Owens's team record of 15 set in 2007.
Saints 23, Buccaneers 20
Tampa Drew Brees threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Marques Colston with 1:57 remaining to keep the Buccaneers on course to land the top pick in the NFL draft. Brees shrugged off three interceptions – two of them stopping promising third-quarter drives – to throw for 281 yards. Mike Evans set a Tampa Bay record with his 12th touchdown reception.
Colts 27, Titans 10
Nashville Andrew Luck threw for 160 yards and two touchdowns before sitting out the second half. The Colts (11-5) bounced back from their worst performance this season by nearly matching at halftime what they did offensively in the loss at Dallas.
They wound up outgaining the Titans 378-192 as the AFC South champs swept their division a second straight season for the first time in franchise history.
Chiefs 19, Chargers 7
Kansas City Kansas City rolled to a win that eliminated San Diego from contention, but the Chiefs failed to get the help they needed to qualify for the playoffs. Baltimore and Houston both needed to lose in games happening at the same time, and both rallied in the second half for wins. Philip Rivers had 291 yards passing for the Chargers, going over 4,000 yards in a season for the sixth time in his career.
Seahawks 20, Rams 6
Seattle Marshawn Lynch scored on a nine-yard run with 12:07 remaining, Bruce Irvin returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown and the Seahawks wrapped up home-field advantage through the NFC playoffs with a win over the St. Louis Rams.
The two fourth-quarter touchdowns by Seattle (12-4) capped a six-game win streak to end the regular season. That earned the Seahawks a second straight NFC West title and the ninth division title in franchise history. The NFC playoffs will go through Seattle for the second straight season.
Eagles 34, Giants 26
East Rutherford, N.J. Mark Sanchez threw two touchdowns and the Philadelphia Eagles' special teams scored their seventh TD of this otherwise frustrating season in what could have been Tom Coughlin's final game as New York's coach.
Backup tight end Trey Burton returned a blocked punt 27 yards for a score in the third quarter, and Nate Allen iced the game with a late interception. The Eagles (10-6) snapped a three-game losing streak that knocked them out of playoff contention last week. The 10 wins matched their total last season when they won the NFC East. The Giants (6-10) missed the playoffs for the third straight season.
Vikings 13, Bears 9
Minneapolis Teddy Bridgewater threw the go-ahead 44-yard touchdown pass to Adam Thielen in the third quarter, putting one more blemish on a forgettable year for the Bears. Blair Walsh kicked two field goals, Audie Cole had 11 tackles in his first start of the season, and the Vikings (7-9) ended coach Mike Zimmer's first year on a winning note.
49ers 20, Cardinals 17
Santa Clara, Calif. Colin Kaepernick threw a go-ahead three-yard touchdown pass to Bruce Miller late in the third quarter, and Jim Harbaugh won in his last game leading the San Francisco 49ers, who beat the playoff-bound Arizona Cardinals (11-5). Anquan Boldin caught a 76-yard TD pass and went over 1,000 yards receiving. Frank Gore ran for 144 yards on 25 carries to go over 1,000 yards rushing for the eighth time in 10 NFL seasons with San Francisco (8-8).
Panthers 34, Falcons 3
Atlanta Roman Harper and Tre Boston returned interceptions for touchdowns as Carolina's defence led the Panthers over the Falcons to win the NFC South. Carolina (7-8-1) will hold a wild-card playoff game next week. The Panthers have won four straight, but still are the first team to enter the playoffs with a losing record since 2010, when Seattle was 7-9.
Broncos 47, Raiders 14
Denver C.J. Anderson ran for three touchdowns, and the Broncos earned a first-round bye and the AFC's No. 2 seed with a rout of the Oakland Raiders. Peyton Manning guided the Broncos (12-4) to at least a tie for the best record in the NFL for the third consecutive season since his arrival in Denver.
Jets 37, Dolphins 24
Miami Gardens, Fla. Geno Smith had his best game in a rocky season, throwing for a career-high 358 yards and three touchdowns in what might be Rex Ryan's final game as Jets coach. Smith's performance more than negated a 97-yard run by Lamar Miller, the longest play from scrimmage in Dolphins history. The Jets rallied from a 10-point third-quarter deficit, and Ryan ordered a fake punt with four minutes left to seal the win.