Ravens 16, Chargers 13 (OT)
Justin Tucker kicked a 38-yard field goal with 1:07 left in overtime to complete a stunning comeback for Baltimore over host San Diego on Sunday.
San Diego led 13-3 on Nick Novak’s 30-yard field goal with 7:51 to go in regulation and seemed headed for its first win against a team with a winning record this season.
But the Ravens converted on fourth-and-29 from their 37 when Ray Rice caught a short pass from Joe Flacco and weaved through the defense to the San Diego 33 with 1:37 to play. After a review, the ball was moved back to the 34 and the refs measured. The new spot gave the Ravens a first down by the length of the ball. Six plays later, Tucker kicked a 38-yard field goal to tie the game as regulation expired.
Baltimore (9-2) won its fourth straight and took a firmer grip on the AFC North, increasing its lead to three games over Pittsburgh.
San Diego (4-7) was pushed closer to elimination from the playoffs for the third straight season, and with it, most likely the end of the Norv Turner era.
Bengals 34, Raiders 10
Andy Dalton threw three touchdown passes as host Cincinnati showed its former quarterback, Carson Palmer, that it has moved on without him.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran for 129 yards and a touchdown against the NFL’s most generous defense. He had runs of 48 and 39 yards — the longest of his career — to set up scores.
Palmer had a rough day in his former town, going 19-of-34 for 146 yards with four sacks and an interception. The Raiders got Palmer in a midseason trade last season after he decided to hold out rather than play for the Bengals again.
He was booed by the 56,503 fans — the smallest crowd of the season at Paul Brown Stadium — when he went out for the coin toss.
Dalton was 16-of-30 for 210 yards with two touchdown passes to Mohamed Sanu and one to Jermaine Gresham.
With their third straight win, the Bengals (6-5) are back in the playoff chase. Oakland (3-8) lost its fourth in a row.
Giants 38, Packers 10
Eli Manning threw for three touchdowns, giving him 200 for his career, and New York sacked Aaron Rodgers five times in a rout of visiting Green Bay.
Coming off their bye, the Giants (7-4) put to rest concerns about a dormant offense and a tired arm for Manning. He connected with rookie Rueben Randle, Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks for scores, and Ahmad Bradshaw had a combined 119 yards, including a 59-yard sprint on a screen pass to begin the onslaught.
The Giants opened a two-game lead in the NFC East.
Green Bay (7-4) snapped a five-game winning streak and fell out of a tie atop the NFC North with Chicago.
Falcons 24, Buccaneers 23
Matt Ryan threw for 353 yards and overcame two big turnovers by leading a late touchdown drive to give Atlanta a win over host Tampa Bay.
Ryan teamed with Julio Jones on an 80-yard touchdown in the third quarter, but the NFC South leaders found themselves trailing 23-17 after the Bucs marched for a touchdown, then forced a fumble by Ryan to set up a field goal that put the Falcons in catchup mode.
Michael Turner’s 1-yard touchdown run put Atlanta ahead for good with 7:55 left. Connor Barth missed a 56-yard goal for Tampa Bay (6-5) in the closing minutes, and the Bucs’ four-game winning streak ended when Josh Freeman’s desperation pass fell incomplete in the end zone with no time remaining.
The win enabled the Falcons (10-1) to keep pace with Houston for the NFL’s best record. Turner also scored a fourth-quarter touchdown that helped the Falcons overcome mistakes to beat Arizona 23-19 last week.
Broncos 17, Chiefs 9
Peyton Manning threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns, and visiting Denver rallied for its sixth straight win.
Manning hit tight end Jacob Tamme late in the first half and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas in the third quarter, and that was more than enough to overcome three field goals by the Chiefs’ Ryan Succop as Kansas City lost its eighth straight game.
Knowshon Moreno added 85 yards rushing for the AFC West-leading Broncos (8-3). Moreno got the start in place of Willis McGahee, who went on injured reserve this week with a knee injury.
Jamaal Charles ran for 107 yards for the Chiefs (1-10), who failed again to punch the ball into the end zone. They still haven’t scored a touchdown since the first quarter against Pittsburgh on Nov. 12, a span of more than 11 quarters and 173 minutes of game time.
Bears 28, Vikings 10
Jay Cutler threw for 188 yards and a touchdown after missing a game because of a concussion as host Chicago ended a two-game losing streak.
Tied with Green Bay for the NFC North lead and just a game ahead of Minnesota (6-5) coming in, the Bears (8-3) grabbed a 25-3 halftime lead thanks to Cutler’s pinpoint passing.
The defense held Adrian Peterson in check early on, although he finished with 108 yards rushing.
The win could prove costly. The Bears lost wide receiver Devin Hester (concussion), running back Matt Forte (ankle), cornerback Charles Tillman (ankle) and both starting guards to injuries.
49ers 31, Saints 21
Ahmad Brooks and Donte Whitner returned interceptions for touchdowns, Drew Brees was sacked five times, and San Francisco ended host New Orleans’ three-game winning streak.
Colin Kaepernick was solid in his second-career start while Alex Smith, deemed healthy enough to suit up, watched from the sideline. Kaepernick passed for 231 yards, including a short touchdown to Frank Gore.
He also ran for a 7-yard score. He threw his first career interception, but it was inconsequential.
Brees finished with 267 yards and three touchdowns. After rushing for 140 yards or more in each of its previous three games, New Orleans (5-6) managed only 59 yards against San Francisco (8-2-1).
One of Brees’ scoring passes went to Marques Colston, who set a Saints record with his 56th career touchdown with the club
Colts 20, Bills 13
T.Y. Hilton scored on a 75-yard punt return and caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Luck as Indiana beat visiting Buffalo.
Hilton is the first player in franchise history to score by punt return and pass reception in the same game. Indy improved to 7-4.
Luck was 20-of-37 for 240 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Buffalo (4-7) ended its red-zone drought with 11:30 left with a 1-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick to Lee Smith to make it 20-13.
Jaguars 24, Titans 19
Chad Henne threw two touchdown passes, sparking the NFL’s worst offense for the second consecutive week.
Jacksonville (2-9) snapped a seven-game losing streak and was competitive at home for the first time this season.
Henne, making his first start in more than 13 months, found Cecil Shorts III on a 59-yard touchdown play in the third quarter and hooked up with rookie Justin Blackmon for a 7-yard score in the fourth.
The Titans (4-7) cut the lead to 21-19 on Jake Locker’s 6-yard pass to Kenny Britt with 4:52 remaining and had the ball with a chance to take the lead. But Russell Allen tipped Locker’s pass over the middle, and Dwight Lowery — back on the field after a five-week absence — intercepted it.
Dolphins 24, Seahawks 21
Dan Carpenter kicked a 43-yard field goal on the final play, and host Miami scored 17 points in the last 8:08 minutes.
Rookie Ryan Tannehill drove Miami 65 yards in the final 92 seconds to set up the winning kick. He finished 18-for-26 for 253 yards and a score.
Leon Washington returned a kickoff for a touchdown for the eighth time to tie the NFL career record and put Seattle ahead with eight minutes left. Miami answered with an 80-yard drive capped by Tannehill’s 29-yard scoring pass to Charles Clay, making it 21-all.
Miami (5-6) broke a three-game losing streak. The Seahawks (6-5), who are unbeaten at home this year, lost for the fifth time in six road games.
Rams 31, Cardinals 17
Janoris Jenkins became the first player in Rams history and the first NFL rookie since 1960 to return two interceptions for touchdowns in the same game and St. Louis dominated the second half to hand host Arizona its seventh loss in a row.
Arizona rookie Ryan Lindley was intercepted four times in his first NFL start.
Jenkins’ returns of 36 and 39 yards ended the Rams’ streak of five straight games without an opponent turnover.
Sam Bradford had two 37-yard touchdown passes — to Lance Kendricks and Chris Givens — for the Rams (4-6-1), who snapped a five-game winless streak and beat Arizona (4-7) for the second time this season.
