Penix wins debut as Atlanta QB in rout of Giants

ATLANTA — Michael Penix Jr. won his debut as Atlanta’s starting quarterback, thanks largely to a defense that returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns, and the Falcons bolstered their playoff hopes by handing the hapless New York Giants their franchise-record 10th straight loss, 34-7 on Sunday.

Jessie Bates and Matthew Judon each had a pick-6 to carry Atlanta (8-7) to its second straight win after a four-game losing streak put its postseason hopes in jeopardy. The Falcons came into the week a game behind Tampa Bay in the NFC South and holding the tiebreaker edge over the Buccaneers, who were playing Sunday night at Dallas.

Penix, the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft, got his first NFL start against the Giants (2-13) after the Falcons decided to bench turnover-prone Kirk Cousins, just nine months after signing him to a four-year, $180 million contract that included $100 million in guaranteed money.

RAMS 19, JETS 9

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Matthew Stafford threw a go-ahead 11-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Higbee early in the fourth quarter after a turnover by Aaron Rodgers and Los Angeles beat New York for their fourth consecutive victory.

The Rams (9-6), who have won five of six, maintained their spot atop the NFC West standings with the victory after a slow start against the Jets (4-11) on a day when it was a frosty 23 degrees (minus-5 Celsius) at kickoff.

But Los Angeles’ defense, which struggled most of the game against Rodgers and New York’s offense, came up with a momentum-turning play.

With the game tied at 9 early in the fourth quarter, Kam Curl sacked Rodgers on a blitz and forced a fumble that Jared Verse recovered at the Jets 21.

BENGALS 24, BROWNS 6

CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow threw three touchdown passes, including one as he was falling to the turf, and Cincinnati kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a victory over Cleveland.

The Bengals (7-8) need to win their last two games and get some help to reach the postseason.

Burrow passed for three or more TDs for the seventh consecutive game and finished 23 of 30 for 252 yards. Ja’Marr Chase had six catches for 97 yards and a garbage-time touchdown for Cincinnati to reach 1,510 yards this season and break his own franchise record of 1,455 yards set in 2021.

LIONS 34, BEARS 17

CHICAGO — Jared Goff threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns, and Detroit remained on top of the NFC with their franchise-record 13th win, over Chicago.

Jameson Williams had a career-high 143 yards receiving on five catches, including an 82-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 109 yards and a score, and Detroit (13-2) broke a tie with the 1991 and 2023 teams for the most wins in franchise history. The Lions also set a single-season record for scoring with 493 points.

The Lions took control early against the Bears (4-11), and they even flexed their dominance by executing a trick play in which Goff intentionally stumbled while dropping back. With Detroit players yelling “Fumble!” and Gibbs pretending to dive for the ball, Goff threw to Sam LaPorta for a 21-yard touchdown that made it 34-14.

COMMANDERS 36, EAGLES 33

LANDOVER, Md. — After Jalen Hurts left with a concussion, Jayden Daniels threw five touchdown passes while running at will in the rookie quarterback’s latest masterful performance, and Washington ended Philadelphia’ winning streak at 10 by rallying to defeat the NFC East leaders.

Daniels’ heroics culminated with a 57-yard touchdown drive in the final 1:58, finding Jamison Crowder in the end zone with 6 seconds left. He bounced back from throwing an interception on the previous possession and led the Commanders (10-5) back after they fell behind by 14 points seven minutes into the game and trailed by 14 going into the fourth quarter.

They are now on the verge of making the playoffs after handing Philadelphia (12-3) its first loss since Sept. 29. The Eagles played without Hurts for the vast majority of the game and failed to clinch the division and one of the conference’s top two seeds despite Saquon Barkley running for 109 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter alone.

Daniels was the primary reason for that, beating the Eagles a month after losing to them on the road. He was 24 of 39 for 258 yards with a pair of TDs to Crowder and Olamide Zaccheaus and one to Terry McLaurin — and Daniels was Washington’s leading rusher with 81 yards on nine carries.

COLTS 38, TITANS 30

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Jonathan Taylor rebounded from perhaps the most embarrassing moment of his career by rushing for 218 yards and scoring three times including runs of 65 and 70 yards, leading Indianapolis past Tennessee.

Indy rushed for a franchise-record 335 yards as Taylor posted the second-highest single-game rushing total in the league this season and also of his five-year career. The three rushing scores were the most since he scored four TDs against Buffalo in 2021.

Taylor’s big day came one week after he dropped the ball before the goal line, and it bounced out of bounds for a touchback in a crushing loss at Denver.

This time, Taylor made sure that didn’t happen again this week by holding onto the ball all the way through the end zone. Indy (7-8) won its fourth straight in this AFC South series.

PANTHERS 36, CARDINALS 30, OT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Chuba Hubbard ran for a 21-yard touchdown in overtime, and Carolina eliminated Arizona from playoff contention with a victory.

Hubbard finished with 152 yards and two TDs on 25 carries. He rushed for 49 yards on the decisive drive in OT.

Kyler Murray threw for 202 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and his 20-yard TD run helped rally Arizona (7-8) from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force the extra period. But it wasn’t enough for the Cardinals, who led the NFC West in early November but have lost four of five since.

VIKES 27, SEAHAWKS 24

SEATTLE — Sam Darnold connected with a well-covered Justin Jefferson with 3:51 left for his third TD pass of the game, and Minnesota outlasted Geno Smith and Seattle to keep pace with Detroit for the top spot in the NFC.

After the Seahawks took the lead on Smith’s third TD pass, Darnold led a 30-second drive that was aided by a 15-yard facemask penalty. He stepped up in a collapsing pocket and launched a deep ball that Jefferson hauled in just short of the goal line with two defenders closing in.

Jefferson finished with 10 catches for 148 yards as the Vikings (13-2) won their eighth straight. If they can beat Green Bay and Detroit to close out the season, they will earn the top seed in the conference and a first-round playoff bye.

DOLPHINS 29, 49ERS 17

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Tua Tagovailoa threw for 215 yards and a touchdown, Jason Sanders nailed five field goals, and Miami kept their playoff chances alive by beating San Francisco.

The 49ers were eliminated from the playoffs before the game because of wins by the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Commanders earlier Sunday. The loss ensured that last year’s NFC champions will have a losing season for the first time since 2020.

BILLS 24, PATRIOTS 21

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — James Cook scored two touchdowns, Buffalo’s defense forced three second-half turnovers and the AFC East champion Bills overcame a 14-0 deficit to pull out a win over New England.

With trainers examining Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s right throwing elbow on the sideline, cornerback Taron Johnson secured the victory by recovering a fumble in the end zone to put Buffalo up 24-14 with 10:10 left. Allen returned on the Bills next possession on which he completed two of three attempts and finished 16 of 29 for 154 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.

RAIDERS 19, JAGUARS 14

LAS VEGAS — Aidan O’Connell returned from an injury and passed for 257 yards, and Las Vegas ended a 10-game losing streak with a victory over Jacksonville.

The Raiders, whose skid was the longest active streak in the NFL, won for the first time since beating the Cleveland Browns 20-16 on Sept. 29.

COWBOYS 26, BUCCANEERS 24

ARLINGTON, Texas — Cooper Rush threw for a touchdown, Brandon Aubrey kicked two 58-yarders among four field goals and Dallas beat Tampa Bay, costing Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers control of their playoff fate.

The end of a four-game winning streak left the Bucs (8-7) even with Atlanta atop the NFC South with two games remaining, but the Falcons have the tiebreaker because they won both meetings with Tampa Bay.