NFL Week 16 review: Saints chasing NFC's top seed rally to beat Titans

NASHVILLE — Drew Brees threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns and Alvin Kamara ran for two TDs as the New Orleans Saints kept their chase of the NFC’s No. 1 seed alive by rallying from a 14-point deficit to beat the Tennessee Titans 38-28 Sunday.

The Saints (12-3) had to win after San Francisco beat the Rams 34-31 on Saturday night. They scored 24 straight points to keep alive their chance at one of the NFC’s top two seeds and a first-round playoff bye going into their regular-season finale at Carolina.

Pro Bowl wide receiver Michael Thomas also set the NFL record for most catches in a season. The Saints receiver needed 10 to tie Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison’s mark of 143 catches in 2002. Thomas finished with 12 catches for 136 yards, his last reception a 2-yard TD with 2:10 left for a 38-28 lead.

The Titans (8-7) still have a shot at the AFC’s final playoff berth after Houston won the AFC South title beating Tampa Bay on Saturday. The Jets beating Pittsburgh 16-10 means the Titans must beat the Texans in Houston in the finale to earn their second playoff berth in three seasons.

Tennessee had the ball with 4:24 left and down 31-28. The Saints turned over the ball after lining up for a punt and snapping the ball short to Taysom Hill. He threw to a wide-open Justin Hardee Sr., who dropped the ball.

On the next play, Ryan Tannehill threw to Kalif Raymond to the New Orleans 40. Saints rookie safety C.J Gardner-Johnson hit Raymond, knocking the ball loose. Gardner-Johnson picked it up and ran 38 yards to the Titans 25.

Tennessee had one last chance. Tannehill threw incomplete to Tajae Sharpe in the end zone with 1:44 left to turn it over on downs.

The Titans sat Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry to rest the left hamstring that has limited him the past two weeks. Even without the NFL’s second-leading rusher with 1,329 yards, the Titans jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

Tannehill hit Jonnu Smith for a 41-yard touchdown. Then the Titans got creative, handing off to rookie wide receiver A.J. Brown, who ran 49 yards for another TD and the 14-0 lead.

Then the Saints got going on offense, defense and special teams. New Orleans sacked Tannehill four times by halftime and finished with five.

Wil Lutz kicked a 47-yard field goal in the second quarter, his 32nd of the season and a franchise record. Brees threw to Jared Cook who ran to finish off a 61-yard TD for the Saints’ longest play from scrimmage this season, pulling New Orleans within 14-10 by halftime.

Alvin Kamara scored his first touchdown since Week 3, ending the longest scoring drought of his career at nine games with a 40-yard run. He added a 1-yard TD run.

Tannehill threw two TD passes to Sharpe, the last with 7:27 left pulling them within 31-28. The Titans outgained the Saints 397-377.

Falcons 24, Jaguars 12

ATLANTA — Devonta Freeman scored two touchdowns for the Atlanta Falcons before Jacksonville took a snap, and that was enough to beat the woeful Jaguars 24-12 Sunday in a match-up between teams long since eliminated from the NFL playoff race.

Matt Ryan threw for 384 yards and Julio Jones had his biggest game of the year, hauling in 10 catches for 166 yards.

Before thousands of empty seats at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Falcons (6-9) won their third straight game while holding the Jaguars (5-10) to 288 yards in Atlanta’s final home game of a disappointing season.

The Falcons piled up 518 yards.

Jacksonville came out flat in its first game since the firing of top executive Tom Coughlin, who was let go on Wednesday after several questionable roster moves and a scathing critique from the players’ union over his draconian disciplinary methods.

The Jaguars have lost six of their last seven games and 20 of 27 since a 3-1 start to the 2018 season, which came on the heels of a surprising run to the AFC championship game.

The Falcons took the opening kickoff and drove 82 yards in six plays, capped by Freeman’s 17-yard touchdown run. He took a quick flip from Ryan and scampered to the end zone without being touched.

Colts 38, Panthers 6

NDIANAPOLIS — Nyheim Hines pulled off a rare feat Sunday for the Indianapolis Colts.

He scored on two punt returns, set up another touchdown with a 40-yard return four plays into the game and provided the jolt of energy the Colts needed to pull away from Carolina 38-6.

The Colts (7-8) snapped a four-game losing streak in their home finale and can avoid their second losing season in three years with a win next week.

Carolina (5-10), meanwhile, lost its seventh straight on a day it hoped new starting quarterback Will Grier could help the franchise change directions.

Instead, Hines never gave the Panthers a chance with a record-breaking performance.

His 195 yards on three returns is the highest single-game mark in franchise history — and the most by any NFL player since Eddie Drummond had 199 against Jacksonville in 2004.

And he wasted no time, either.

Just eight plays after Hines’ 40-yard return, Jacoby Brissett converted a fourth-and-goal with a 1-yard TD plunge for a 7-0 lead.

Hines made it 14-0 when he fielded the punt at his 16-yard line, found a lane in the middle of the field, cut left and eluded punter Michael Palardy right in front of the Colts’ bench before turning left in the end zone and running through the stadium tunnel. It was longest return by a Colts player in 12 years.

Giants 41, Washington 35, OT

LANDOVER, Md. — Daniel Jones put together the best performance of his rookie season fresh off an ankle injury, throwing for 352 yards and five touchdown passes.

Jones was 28 of 42 in his first action since missing the past two games with a sprained right ankle. He tossed two TDs to Kaden Smith — including the winner — and also connected with Sterling Shepard, Saquon Barkley and Cody Latimer. His career-best fifth TD pass, 3 yards to Smith, came with 4:15 left in overtime after the Redskins (3-12) tied it in the final minute of regulation on a 99-yard drive.

Barkley was the perfect complement for Jones and tormented a Redskins secondary missing several regulars. He was responsible for 279 total yards: 189 rushing and 90 receiving and a score each way.

The trio of Jones, Barkley and Shepard showed further evidence that whoever is running the Giants (4-11) next season has talented building blocks to work with on offense, along with a high draft pick.

With the loss, the Redskins moved into the driver’s seat to draft Ohio State pass rusher Chase Young.

Cardinals 27, Seahawks 13

SEATTLE — Kenyan Drake rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns, Larry Fitzgerald added a 21-yard TD reception, and the Arizona Cardinals stymied Russell Wilson and the injury-depleted Seattle Seahawks in a 27-13 win on Sunday.

The Seahawks (11-4) saw their hopes for the No. 1 seed in the NFC potentially vanish with another late-season loss to the Cardinals. Seattle can still claim the NFC West with a win next week over San Francisco, but will need major help to earn total home-field advantage after entering the week as the top seed in the NFC.

Drake had an 80-yard TD run in the first quarter and provided the capper with a 3-yard TD with 4:18 remaining to take a 27-13 lead. Drake’s 166 yards were a season high against Seattle.

The question now is Seattle’s health going into next week. Seattle faced the Cardinals without four key starters: left tackle Duane Brown, safety Quandre Diggs, cornerback Shaquill Griffin and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. The Seahawks depth was thinned further when starting running back Chris Carson went down with a hip injury early in the second quarter and backup C.J. Prosise suffered an arm injury only a few minutes later.

Seattle coach Pete Carroll said Carson and Prosise are done for the season. Carson was still undergoing tests, but Carroll said indications are Carson’s injury is similar to Lano Hill, who suffered a non-displaced hip fracture late last season. Prosise suffered a broken arm.

Brown will undergo minor knee surgery on Monday, Carroll said, and may have a chance to return later in the playoffs depending on how far Seattle advances.

Broncos 27, Lions 17

DENVER — By his own critique, Drew Lock’s celebratory shuffle dance was shaky at best.

His fancy footwork on the field, though, was anything but jittery. The rookie quarterback stood out even above those hard-to-miss, all-orange uniforms worn by the Denver Broncos.

Lock threw a sh ovel pass to DaeSean Hamilton to put Denver ahead, Phillip Lindsay sealed the game with a late TD scamper and the Broncos extended the Detroit Lions’ skid to eight straight with a 27-17 win Sunday.

Lock was under the weather, too. He had a sore throat, achy chest and a headache all week. This performance provided the perfect remedy.

“It was a blast,” Lock said. “I loved it.”

Trading the snow for much balmier conditions, Lock efficiently led the offense to a comeback win. He finished 25 of 33 for 192 yards in improving to 3-1 as the Broncos starter. His only loss was last weekend in Kansas City when the field was covered in snow.

No need to worry about blizzard-like conditions this time.

It was a mild 67 degrees at kickoff, the second-warmest December home game on record. The Broncos (6-9) improved to 9-2 all-time in December home games when the temperature is 60 or above.

Eagles 17, Cowboys 9

PHILADELPHIA — Carson Wentz ran off the field with his arms raised in triumph, a defining victory for a criticized QB that led an Eagles team limping toward the finish to first in the NFC East.

His shaky receivers, suddenly sure-handed.

The wins that got away, now sealed in crunch time.

“You can see the sense of belief that each of these guys have,” Wentz said.

Believe this, the Eagles need one more win to go from 5-7 to division champs.

Eagles cornerback Sidney Jones broke up Dak Prescott’s fourth-down pass to wide receiver Michael Gallup in the end zone with 1:15 left in the game, and Philadelphia denied Dallas a division crown in a 17-9 win on Sunday.

The Cowboys (7-8) would have clinched their second straight NFC East title with a win in Philadelphia. And, they would have eliminated the Eagles (8-7), who only need to win their final game next week against the Giants to clinch the East. The Cowboys can still win the East with a win next week against Washington and an Eagles loss to the Giants.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones left his suite with time left on the clock —- and perhaps with time running out on Dallas coach Jason Garrett. The difference between a division title and missing the playoffs could seal Garrett’s fate in Dallas.

“We all expected to leave here as NFC East champs,” Jones said. “We’re not.”

Raiders 24, Chargers 17

CARSON Calif. — Derek Carr threw for 291 yards and a touchdown as the Raiders kept their playoff hopes. The Raiders (7-8) had slim postseason chances coming into the day, but losses by Pittsburgh and Tennessee have given them renewed hope. They need a win over Denver next week and some help for only their second postseason trip since 2003.

Carr completed 26 of 30 passes and also ran for a score. The 86.7% completion rate is his second highest in a game and is the fifth time in his six-year career he has completed more than 80% in a game.

Oakland took control with touchdowns late in the first half and on the opening drive of the second half. Hunter Renfrow had his first 100-yard receiving game with seven receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown. DeAndre Washington added 85 yards rushing on 23 carries and a TD.

Melvin Gordon scored two touchdowns for the Chargers (5-10), who have dropped five of their last six. Philip Rivers was 27 of 39 for 279 yards in what could be his final home game with the Chargers. The 16-year veteran quarterback’s contract expires at the end of the season. Keenan Allen had five receptions for 71 yards.

It was the Chargers’ final game in Carson before they move into the new stadium at Hollywood Park next season with the Rams.