NFL Roundup: Cowboys Down Eagles in Pivotal NFC East Battle

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12/24/2022Updated: 12/24/2022

Brett Maher kicked a go-ahead, 48-yard field goal with 2:19 remaining to lift the host Dallas Cowboys to a 40–34 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday, preventing the Eagles from clinching in the NFC East and the conference’s top overall seed in the playoffs.

The Cowboys (11–4), who trailed 27–17 with nine minutes left in the third quarter, got the ball back one play after Maher’s field goal when Anthony Barr recovered Miles Sanders’ fumble on Philadelphia’s 21-yard line with 2:07 to go.

Maher’s 26-yarder—his fourth field goal in as many tries—made it 40–34 with 1:41 left. The Eagles (13–2) turned the ball over on downs when quarterback Gardner Minshew’s pass on fourth–and–10 from the Cowboys 19-yard line fell incomplete in the end zone with 19 seconds remaining.

Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott went 27 of 35 for 347 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, while Ezekiel Elliott ran for 55 yards and a score on 16 carries. CeeDee Lamb had 10 receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns for Dallas, which has won five of its past six games.

Ravens 17, Falcons 9

Tyler Huntley threw Baltimore’s first touchdown pass in a month and the defense kept Atlanta out of the end zone as the hosts won their 10th game and secured a playoff berth.

Starting for the third consecutive game with Lamar Jackson nursing a knee injury, Huntley connected with wide receiver Demarcus Robinson for the Ravens’ first TD pass to a wide receiver since Week 3. Huntley completed 9 of 17 passes for 115 yards and rushed for 26 yards. Gus Edwards had 99 rushing yards and J.K. Dobbins contributed 59 for the Ravens (10–5).

Atlanta (5–10) managed field goals in the second, third and fourth quarters and lost despite outgaining the Ravens 327–299. Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder had 218 yards passing and completed 22 of 33 passes, highlighted by seven connections with rookie wideout Drake London for 96 yards.

Panthers 37, Lions 23

D'Onta Foreman ran for 165 yards and Chuba Hubbard racked up 125 yards on the ground as Carolina got back on track by trouncing Detroit in Charlotte, N.C.

Foreman, Raheem Blackshear and quarterback Sam Darnold all scored rushing touchdowns as the Panthers (6–9) won for the third time in their last four games and remained within a game of first place in the NFC South. The Panthers’ quest for the divisional title will take them to road games against Tampa Bay and New Orleans to close the regular season.

Amid frigid conditions for Carolina’s home finale, Darnold threw for a touchdown as part of his 15–for–22 day with 250 yards through the air. DJ Moore made five catches for 83 yards and a score. Jared Goff threw three TD passes to Shane Zylstra for the Lions (7–8), but the result was damaging to Detroit’s wild-card aspirations. Goff finished 25–for–42 for 355 yards. DJ Chark made four catches for 108 yards.

Bills 35, Bears 13

Devin Singletary and James Cook combined for 205 rushing yards and each ran for a touchdown, Josh Allen had three total TDs and visiting Buffalo topped Chicago to clinch the AFC East title.

Buffalo (12–3) prevailed during a frigid afternoon at Soldier Field, stretching its winning streak to six while earning the franchise’s third consecutive division crown. The Bears (3–12) lost their eighth straight.

The Bills overcame two interceptions and a fumble to outgain the Bears 426–209. Chicago was unable to hold on after taking a 10–6 lead into halftime.

Saints 17, Browns 10

Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill each ran for a touchdown and visiting New Orleans shut out Cleveland in the second half to cruise to a win.

Neither team passed the ball effectively as the game was played in single-digit temperatures with winds gusting to about 30 mph. Hill and Kamara scored their touchdowns in the third quarter as the Saints (6–9) held the Browns (6–9) to 33 yards in the frame.

Andy Dalton passed for 92 yards with an interception for New Orleans. Deshaun Watson passed for 135 yards with an interception and rushed for Cleveland’s only touchdown.

Chiefs 24, Seahawks 10

Patrick Mahomes threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another as Kansas City remained tied with Buffalo in the AFC playoff race with a win against visiting Seattle.

Mahomes completed 16 of 28 passes for 224 yards for the Chiefs (12–3), who won for the eighth time in their past nine games. The Bills hold the potential tiebreaker, however, because of a 24–20 victory Oct. 16 at Kansas City. Isiah Pacheco rushed for 58 yards on 14 carries and Travis Kelce had six receptions for 113 yards.

The Seahawks (7–8) lost for the fifth time in their past six games to remain just below the playoff line in the NFC. Geno Smith was 25–of–40 passing for 215 yards for Seattle, with one touchdown and one interception. Kenneth Walker III rushed for 107 yards on 26 attempts and DK Metcalf had seven catches for 81 yards.

Vikings 27, Giants 24

Greg Joseph hit a 61-yard field goal as time expired to lead Minnesota to a win over New York in Minneapolis.

Kirk Cousins went 34–of–48 passing for 299 yards and three touchdowns, Justin Jefferson caught 12 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown and T.J. Hockenson caught 13 passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns for Minnesota (12–3).

Daniel Jones went 30–of–42 passing for 334 yards in defeat for the Giants (8–6–1). Saquon Barkley rushed for 84 yards and a score and Isaiah Hodgins caught eight passes for 89 yards and a TD.

Bengals 22, Patriots 18

Joe Burrow threw for 375 yards and three touchdowns and Cincinnati survived a second-half comeback to down New England in Foxborough, Mass.

After trailing 22–0 in the third, New England (7–8) clawed its way back to within 22–18 with 6:02 left after Jakobi Meyers caught a 48-yard TD pass. The Patriots had a chance to take their first lead with 59 seconds left to play, but Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled at the Cincinnati 8-yard line to seal the win for the Bengals (11–4), who clinched a playoff berth on Thursday when the Jets lost to Jacksonville.

Burrow completed 40 of 52 passes with a pair of picks, one of which was returned for a 69-yard TD by Marcus Jones. Tee Higgins had eight grabs for 128 yards and a TD, while Trenton Irwin had two receiving scores. For New England, Mac Jones (21–for–33 passing) threw for 240 yards and two TDs. Kendrick Bourne had six catches for 100 yards and a TD and Meyers finished with six receptions for 83 yards.

Texans 19, Titans 14

Davis Mills’ 6-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks with 2:52 left led Houston to a 19–14 win over Tennessee in Nashville, Tenn.

The outcome snapped a nine-game losing streak for Houston (2–12–1) and sent reeling Tennessee (7–8) to its fifth straight loss. Derrick Henry rushed for 126 yards and a score for the Titans, who fell into a first-place tie in the AFC South with Jacksonville.

Mills finished 17 of 28 for 178 yards with a touchdown and an interception, throwing for 69 yards on the winning drive. Houston’s defense came up with two stops to secure the win. Christian Harris intercepted Malik Willis at the Texans 42 with 1:39 remaining and Jalen Pitre picked off a Hail Mary pass in the end zone on the game’s last play.

49ers 37, Commanders 20

Brock Purdy hooked up with George Kittle for two touchdown passes and San Francisco stretched its winning streak to eight games with a victory over Washington at Santa Clara, Calif.

NFL sack leader Nick Bosa had two more to raise his season total to 17.5 and forced a fumble for the 49ers (11–4). Purdy completed 15 of 22 passes for 234 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for San Francisco. Kittle caught six passes for 120 yards and has four scoring receptions over the past two games.

Taylor Heinicke was 13–of–18 passing for 166 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for Washington (7–7–1) before being pulled in the fourth quarter. Carson Wentz entered for the first time since a Week 6 finger injury and completed 12 of 16 passes for 123 yards and one touchdown.