Panthers dealt first loss; Pats’ OT gamble backfires

Carolina’s bid for an undefeated season ended Sunday when Julio Jones’ dramatic 70-yard touchdown reception powered the Atlanta Falcons to a 20-13 victory over Cam Newton and the Panthers.
Carolina (14-1) got the ball with 90 seconds left and no timeouts remaining. Newton completed a 19-yard pass to Corey Brown on first down but fumbled when stripped by Vic Beasley Jr. on the following play. Adrian Clayborn recovered for the Falcons, wrapping up the win.
Matt Ryan threw for 306 yards and one touchdown for the Falcons (8-7), and Devonta Freeman ran for 73 yards with a touchdown.
Newton threw for 142 yards and ran for 46 yards, including an 8-yard scoring run to cap the Panthers’ opening drive.
N.Y. Jets 26, New England 20, OT: Eric Decker’s 6-yard touchdown catch on the first drive of overtime – after New England chose to kick off – lifted the Jets into position to make the playoffs.
A win next week at Buffalo gives the Jets a wild-card berth.
New England (12-3) won the OT coin toss and surprisingly elected to give the ball to the Jets (10-5). New York used a career-long 48-yard reception by Quincy Enunwa and a 20-yard pass to Brandon Marshall to move into scoring position. And then, Ryan Fitzpatrick hit Decker on a fade behind Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler for New York’s fifth straight victory.
It was the first time since the 2012 rules change allowing both teams a possession in overtime that the team winning the coin toss opted to kick off and lost.
Arizona 38, Green Bay 8: Arizona sacked Aaron Rodgers eight times and returned two of his fumbles for touchdowns to clinch a first-round playoff bye.
Carson Palmer threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns for Arizona (13-2).
In all, the Packers were sacked nine times in their most one-sided loss of the season.
St. Louis 23, Seattle 17: Todd Gurley scored on a 2-yard TD run with 10:34 left, Akeem Ayers returned a fumble 45 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter as St Louis ended Seattle’s five-game winning streak.
St. Louis swept the season series from the Seahawks (9-6) having won 34-31 in overtime in Week 1. The Rams (7-8) flustered quarterback Russell Wilson.
Gurley rushed for 85 yards on 19 carries. Case Keenum won his third straight start for the Rams.
Kansas City 17, Cleveland 13: Alex Smith threw two touchdown passes for Kansas City, and the game clock finally stopped Johnny Manziel as the Chiefs won a team record-tying ninth consecutive game.
Smith threw for 125 yards and ran for 54, helping Kansas City (10-5) clinch a playoff berth when Pittsburgh lost to Baltimore moments later.
The Chiefs jumped to a 17-3 halftime lead, but the offense cooled off and Manziel pumped some life into the Browns (3-12).
The Heisman Trophy winner led Cleveland to 10 straight points, then took over at his 30 with 1:52 left and no timeouts. The Browns picked up three first downs, and Manziel hit Darius Jennings on fourth-and-10 from the Chiefs 32. But time expired before Manziel could get another snap off.
Houston 34, Tennesse 6: Brandon Weeden scored his first career rushing touchdown and threw for two more as Houston took a big step toward clinching the AFC South .
Houston (8-7), which wraps up the regular season by hosting Jacksonville, couldn’t clinch outright when Indianapolis beat Miami 18-12.
The Titans (3-12) did nothing to hurt their chances at the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Indianapolis 18, Miami 12: Third-string quarterback Charlie Whitehurst came off the bench again for Indianapolis, which made a last-minute defensive stand to keep alive their faint playoff hopes.
The Dolphins had a first-and-goal at the 5 with 40 seconds left, but after three consecutive incompletions, rookie center Jamil Douglas appeared to snap the ball prematurely, and Tannehill was sacked by three Colts.
Indy backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck departed with an injury for the fourth game in a row, and Whitehurst did just enough after entering in the second quarter.
Buffalo 16, Dallas 6: Buffalo rookie Mike Gillislee ran 50 yards for a touchdown with 2:25 remaining to secure the win for the Bills.
Gillislee finished with 93 yards rushing and led a ground attack that totaled 236 yards. Karlos Williams scored on a 1-yard run as the Bills overcame an injury-depleted offense playing without running back LeSean McCoy.
Chicago 26, Tampa Bay 21: Ka’Deem Carey caught a touchdown pass from Jay Cutler and the third-string running back also scored on a 1-yard run to help Chicago Bears end a three-game losing streak.
Carey’s 1-yard scoring reception put the Bears (6-9) ahead for good early in the fourth quarter. The second-year pro teamed with Matt Forte and Jeremy Langford to spearhead a rushing attack that produced 174 yards and kept Jameis Winston off the field for long stretches.
Detroit 32, San Francisco 17: Matthew Stafford threw for two touchdowns, including one to Calvin Johnson early in the fourth quarter for Detroit.
The Lions (6-9) have won five of their last seven games, perhaps giving coach Jim Caldwell a chance to keep his job for a third season. The 49ers (4-11) have lost three straight and five of six under first-year coach Jim Tomsula.
New Orleans 38, Jacksonville 27: Drew Brees passed for 412 yards and three touchdowns despite his injured right foot.
Brees, who tore his plantar fascia ligament during a loss to Detroit last Monday, showed no ill effects of the normally painful injury while completing 25 of 36 passes.
Running back Tim Hightower consolidated his recent resurgence with 122 yards and two touchdowns rushing for New Orleans (6-9).