SCOREBOARD
Monday, Dec. 17
New Orleans at Carolina, 8:15 p.m. Drew Brees and the Saints (11-2) are out in front in the NFC and looking to stay a step ahead of the Los Angeles Rams in the battle for the top seed and home-field advantage in the playoffs. Cam Newton and the Panthers have lost five straight and need a victory to keep their slim postseason hopes alive.
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STARS
Passing
- Mitchell Trubisky, Bears, was 20 of 28 for 235 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in Chicago’s 24-17 victory over Green Bay.
- Matt Ryan, Falcons, had two touchdown passes and finished 22 of 36 for 231 yards in Atlanta’s 40-14 win over Arizona.
- Josh Johnson, Redskins, threw for 151 yards and a touchdown and capped his first NFL start in more than seven years with a 16-13 victory for Washington against Jacksonville, snapping the Redskins’ four-game losing streak.
- Nick Mullens, 49ers, threw for 275 yards and a touchdown to help San Francisco win consecutive games for the first time this season with a 26-23 overtime victory.
- Lamar Jackson, Ravens, picked apart Tampa Bay’s defense on a soggy field, running for 95 yards and throwing for 131 to carry Baltimore to a 20-12 victory.
- Nick Foles, Eagles, stepped in for the injured Carson Wentz and threw for 270 yards in Philadelphia’s 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
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Rushing
- Derrick Henry, Titans, rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns on a career-high 33 carries in Tennessee’s 17-0 victory over the New York Giants.
- Jaylen Samuels, Steelers, ran for a career-high 142 yards and made a critical third-down reception in the fourth quarter of Pittsburgh’s 17-10 win over New England.
- Marlon Mack, Colts, rushed for a career-best 139 yards and two scores to help Indianapolis roll past Dallas 23-0.
- Tevin Coleman, Falcons, had 145 yards and a TD on 11 carries in Atlanta’s 40-14 win over Arizona.
- Dalvin Cook, Vikings, had a career-best 136 yards and two touchdowns on a season-high 19 carries in Minnesota’s 41-17 victory over Miami.
- Joe Mixon, Bengals, ran for 129 yards and a pair of touchdowns to help Cincinnati snap a five-game losing streak with a 30-16 victory over Oakland.
- Kalen Ballage, Dolphins, set a career high with 123 yards rushing and a TD on 12 carries in Miami’s 41-17 loss at Minnesota.
- Wendell Smallwood, Eagles, rushed for two touchdowns in Philadelphia’s 30-23 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
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Receiving
- Kenny Golladay, Lions, had a career-best 146 yards receiving on seven receptions in Detroit’s 14-13 loss at Buffalo.
- Alshon Jeffery, Eagles, made eight catches for 160 yards in Philadelphia’s 30-23 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
- Robert Foster, Bills, caught four passes for 108 yards and a touchdown in Buffalo’s 14-13 win over Detroit.
- Mike Evans, Buccaneers, had 121 yards receiving on four catches in Tampa Bay’s 20-12 loss at Baltimore.
- Davante Adams, Packers, had eight receptions for 119 yards in Green Bay’s 24-17 loss at Chicago.
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Special Teams
- Robbie Gould, 49ers, kicked a 36-yard field goal with 3:06 left in overtime to help San Francisco snap a 10-game losing streak against Seattle with a 26-23 win.
- Dustin Hopkins, Redskins, made a 36-yard field goal on the final play to give Washington a 16-13 victory at Jacksonville.
- Dede Westbrook, Jaguars, returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown late in the second quarter of Jacksonville’s 16-13 loss to Washington.
- Denico Autry, Colts, blocked a field-goal attempt in Indianapolis’ 23-0 shutout victory over Dallas.
- Marcus Sherels, Vikings, set up a field goal with a 70-yard punt return and totaled 116 yards on five returns in Minnesota’s 41-17 win over Miami.
- Richie James Jr., 49ers, returned a kick 97 yards for a touchdown in San Francisco’s 26-23 overtime win over Seattle.
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Defense
- Deion Jones, Falcons, returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown in Atlanta’s 40-14 rout of Arizona.
- Geno Atkins and Sam Hubbard, Bengals. Atkins had three sacks in Cincinnati’s 30-16 win over Oakland, and the rookie Hubbard had two sacks and forced a fumble.
- Minkah Fitzpatrick, Dolphins, ran back an interception 50 yards for a TD in Miami’s 41-17 loss at Minnesota.
- Khalil Mack, Bears, had 2½ sacks in Chicago’s 24-17 win over Green Bay.
- Anthony Barr and Danielle Hunter, Vikings, each had two of the nine sacks of Ryan Tannehill in Minnesota’s 41-17 victory over Miami.
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MILESTONES
Atlanta’s Julio Jones, who leads the NFL with 1,511 receiving yards, is the fifth player in NFL history with at least three seasons with 1,500 or more yards receiving, joining Jerry Rice (four seasons) and Marvin Harrison, Antonio Brown and Andre Johnson (three each). Jones, who also has 100 receptions this season, joined Harrison, Brown and Johnson as the only players in NFL history with at least 100 catches and 1,500 receiving yards in three seasons.
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STREAKS & STATS
Chicago’s Eddie Jackson ended Aaron Rodgers’ NFL-record streak of 402 pass attempts without an interception, picking him off in the fourth quarter of the Bears’ 24-17 win over Green Bay. It was Rodgers’ first INT since Sept. 30 against Buffalo. … Oakland’s Derek Carr was 21 of 38 for 263 yards and a touchdown and no interceptions for the ninth straight game. With his 14th pass, Carr broke Rich Gannon’s club record for the longest stretch without throwing an interception - 277 in 2001. He was lucky to get that far: Bengals safety Shawn Williams dropped a ball thrown directly to him on Oakland’s first possession. … Tennessee’s Derrick Henry rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns in the Titans’ 17-0 victory over the New York Giants. He had 238 yards rushing and four touchdowns last week, joining LaDainian Tomlinson (2006), Deuce McAllister (2003), Clinton Portis (2003) and Ricky Williams (2002) as the only players with at least 170 yards rushing yards and two TD runs in consecutive games. … Baltimore, led by rookie running back Gus Edwards (104 yards rushing) and rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson (95 yards), had 242 yards rushing yards in the Ravens’ 20-12 victory over Tampa Bay. They have rushed for at least 190 yards in five consecutive games and are the first team to accomplish the feat since the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers did it in five straight. … With 202 yards, Minnesota gained the highest first-quarter total in the NFL during its 41-17 victory over Miami. It was the Vikings most points in the opening 15 minutes since a 28-point output on Oct. 9, 2011, against Arizona.
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TICKETS PUNCHED
Chicago defeated Green Bay 24-17 to clinch the NFC North title for the first time since 2010. The Bears, who finished in fourth place in the division last season, completed a worst-to-first turnaround. … The Los Angeles Chargers, who beat Kansas City 29-28 on Thursday night, also clinched a playoff berth this week - their first postseason trip since 2013.
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STINGY
Tennessee’s shutout of the New York Giants was its first since a 31-0 win over Dallas on Christmas Day in 2000. … Indianapolis’ 23-0 victory over Dallas was its first shutout since a 27-0 win over Cincinnati in 2014. It was the first time the Cowboys were held off the scoreboard since losing 12-0 to New England in 2003.
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PURPLE PEOPLE EATERS
Minnesota had nine sacks, including two each from Danielle Hunter and Anthony Barr, in a 41-17 win over Miami. The Vikings, who recorded 10 sacks in the team’s victory over Detroit in Week 9, are the second team since 1990 to register at least nine in multiple games in a single season, joining Jacksonville, which had two such games last season.
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MACK ATTACK
Indianapolis’ Marlon Mack rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns in the Colts’ 23-0 victory over Dallas. Mack, who also had 132 yards rushing and two scores in Week 8 against Oakland, is the third player in franchise history to have multiple games with at least 125 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in a single season, joining Eric Dickerson (two games, 1987) and Edgerrin James (two, 1999 and 2005).
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WORST TO FIRST
Chicago won the NFC North a year after finishing in fourth place, completing a worst-to-first turnaround. It made for 15 of the past 16 seasons with at least one NFL team finishing in first place in its division the season after finishing in last or tied for last place.
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SLOPPY
New England was penalized 14 times for 106 yards in its 17-10 loss at Pittsburgh. … Seattle committed three personal fouls on one drive in the third quarter of its 26-23 overtime loss at San Francisco. The Seahawks finished with 14 penalties for 148 yards.
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SIDELINED
Miami’s Frank Gore hurt his left ankle on the second-to-last play of the first quarter and didn’t return to the Dolphins’ loss at Minnesota. Gore, the NFL’s active rushing leader, had five carries for 14 yards. … Chicago safety Eddie Jackson was injured during his interception in the fourth quarter of the Bears’ win over the Packers. Jackson had to be helped off the field with a sprained right ankle after his leg bent awkwardly as he tried to slide on the return. … Green Bay running back Aaron Jones left with a knee injury in the first quarter and wide receiver Randall Cobb was evaluated for a concussion following a hard hit by Jackson late in the game. … Cincinnati’s Tyler Boyd reached 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in his career before hurting his right knee late in the first half of the Bengals’ win over Oakland. … Atlanta wide receiver Julio Jones injured his ribs on a TD catch in the second quarter and only played a few snaps in the third period with the outcome all but assured during the 40-14 rout of Arizona.
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SPEAKING
“He said, ’Give me the freaking ball,’ and then he said, ’Pat, push me,’ He’s competitive. He’s tough. He’s everything you want as a leader. This franchise is going to be good with him around.” - Buffalo fullback Patrick DiMarco on rookie quarterback Josh Allen, whose 2-yard leap on a fourth-and-1 helped the Bills to a 14-13 win over Detroit.
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“He makes you play 11-on-11 football instead of 11 on 10. We had him wrapped up a couple of times and he squirted out of there and was able to extend plays.” - Tampa Bay coach Dirk Koetter on Baltimore rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson after the Ravens’ 20-12 victory.
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“I know every opportunity I get could be my last one. It’s the reality of my situation, so I just wanted to leave it all on the field. I owe the game that much because I love it that much. For me to go out there and not leave it on the field, I would be disrespecting it. If I had the opportunity to go out and make a play, I’m going to do it.” - Washington’s 32-year-old quarterback Josh Johnson, after leading the Redskins to a 16-13 win at Jacksonville in his first NFL start in more than seven years.
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