PHILADELPHIA >> Saquon Barkley rushed for 167 yards to top 2,000 on the season, backup quarterback Kenny Pickett ran and threw for scores before departing with injured ribs, and the Philadelphia Eagles clinched the NFC East title by routing the Dallas Cowboys 41-7 on Sunday.
Barkley has 2,005 yards and needs 101 in next week’s mostly meaningless regular-season finale to top Eric Dickerson and his 2,105 yards for the Los Angeles Rams in 1984.
The Eagles (13-3) led 24-7 in the third quarter when Pickett was drilled by defensive end Micah Parsons, ending his first start in place of the concussed Jalen Hurts. Tanner McKee, a career third-stringer, entered the game and the Eagles finished the drive with a field goal.
McKee later threw two TD passes, a 20-yarder to A.J. Brown and a 25-yarder to DeVonta Smith, in front of a roaring crowd delighted to watch the Eagles dominate their fiercest rival to wrap up the division title and at least the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
Jaguars 20, Titans 13 >> Mac Jones threw two touchdown passes, including one to standout rookie Brian Thomas Jr., and Jacksonville beat Tennessee in the rain to sweep the season series for the fourth time in 30 years.
Jones completed 15 of 22 passes for 174 yards, with most of them going to Thomas. The first-round draft pick from LSU finished with seven receptions for 91 yards. His 11-yard TD catch with 7:05 remaining gave him his eighth game with at least 60 yards and a score, tying him with Hall of Famer Randy Moss for the most by a rookie in NFL history.
Thomas, who has five TD catches in his past four games, also became the fifth player in Jaguars history with double-digit TD receptions in a single season. He joined Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Marcedes Lewis and Reggie Williams.
Buccaneers 48, Panthers 14 >> Baker Mayfield threw for 359 yards and five touchdowns to help Tampa Bay keep its division and playoff hopes alive with a rout of Carolina.
Tampa Bay’s fifth win in the past six weeks nudged the first-place Bucs (9-7) a half-game ahead of Atlanta for the best record in the NFC South, with the Falcons set to play on the road later Sunday night at Washington.
Atlanta holds the tiebreaker in the division race and can end Tampa Bay’s three-year reign as NFC South champions by beating the Commanders.
Raiders 25, Saints 10 >> Aidan O’Connell passed for two touchdowns, tight end Brock Bowers broke two rookie NFL records, and Las Vegas won for just the fourth time this season, over struggling New Orleans.
Bowers’ seven catches for 77 yards gave him 108 receptions for 1,144 yards this season, eclipsing Mike Ditka’s 1961 rookie tight end mark of 1,067 yards receiving and Puka Nacua’s 2023 mark of 105 catches by a rookie at any position. Bowers also surpassed Darren Waller’s franchise mark of 107 receptions in a season, which had stood since 2020.
Bills 40, Jets 14 >> Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and Buffalo clinched the AFC’s No. 2 seed with a rout of the unraveling and undisciplined New York Jets.
The Bills put the game away by capitalizing on two Jets turnovers and scoring three touchdowns over a 5:01 span in the closing minutes of the third quarter. Buffalo’s defense forced three takeaways overall and sacked Aaron Rodgers four times, including a 2-yard loss for a safety in the second quarter.
Giants 45, Colts 33 >> New York snapped a franchise-record 10-game losing streak and ended Indianapolis’ slim playoff hopes as Drew Lock threw four touchdown passes and ran for another.
New York earned its first home win of the season and it no longer has control of the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.