Detroit Lions end 364-day winless streak with last-gasp win over Vikings – The Guardian

The Lions finally found a victory when Jared Goff threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St Brown as time expired, lifting previously winless Detroit to a 29-27 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Not only was the finish dramatic, it was stunning. Goff led the Lions on a 75-yard decisive possession without a timeout after Kirk Cousins threw a go-ahead three-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson with 1:50 left. The Vikings failed on a two-point conversion for the third time; those missed opportunities proved costly.

Goff threw two touchdown passes in the first half to put Detroit ahead by 14 points, their biggest lead this season. Then he turned over the ball twice in the second half to help Minnesota rally. He came through in the end, leading the long drive and delivering a sharp pass to the rookie receiver, who took advantage of the Vikings secondary playing too deep in the end zone.

The Lions (1-10-1) ended a 15-game winless streak that lasted 364 days since winning at Chicago last season, giving first-year coach Dan Campbell his first victory with the franchise.

Denver Broncos 9–22 Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs won their fifth game in a row after beating the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football. Kansas City’s defense was blamed for the team’s disappointing start to the season but the unit has performed well in recent weeks and helped dampen Denver’s chances again. They intercepted Teddy Bridgewater twice as the Chiefs moved to 8-4 and control of the AFC West.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30–17 Atlanta Falcons

Tom Brady threw for 368 yards and four touchdowns, two of them to longtime favorite target Rob Gronkowski, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers moved to the brink of clinching the NFC South title with victory over the Atlanta Falcons. The Bucs (9-3) won their third straight game and pushed their division lead to four games over Atlanta, Carolina and New Orleans (all 5-7), with five games remaining.

Baltimore Ravens 19–20 Pittsburgh Steelers

John Harbaugh went for the win. The gamble cost the Baltimore Ravens and kept the Pittsburgh Steelers in the mix in the AFC North.

Pittsburgh topped Baltimore 20-19, thwarting a two-point conversion attempt after Lamar Jackson’s touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins got the Ravens within one with 12 seconds to go. Rather than turn to star kicker Justin Tucker for an almost automatic 35-yard extra point, the Ravens (8-4) went for the knockout punch. Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews couldn’t haul in a flip by Jackson. The Steelers (6-5-1) recovered an onside kick to seal the game.

Jacksonville Jaguars 7–37 Los Angeles Rams

Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson and Odell Beckham Jr. caught touchdown passes from Matthew Stafford, and the Los Angeles Rams snapped their three-game losing streak.

Stafford passed for 295 yards while Sony Michel rushed for 121 yards and a score for the Rams (8-4), who rebounded from a winless November with a solid all-around effort against a struggling opponent. Kupp had his 100th reception of a remarkable season among his eight catches for 129 yards.

Stafford also snapped back into form, playing turnover-free football after giving the ball away six times during the three-game skid that threatened to derail the Rams’ playoff plans. Los Angeles still has never lost four straight in coach Sean McVay’s half-decade in charge.

San Francisco 49ers 23–30 Seattle Seahawks

Russell Wilson played his best game since returning from finger surgery throwing for 231 yards and two touchdowns, and the Seattle Seahawks made a late goal line stand to beat the San Francisco 49ers. Seattle (4-8) snapped a three-game losing streak but it wasn’t easy as a number of mistakes gave the 49ers a chance for a tying touchdown in the final moments.

Arizona Cardinals 33–22 Chicago Bears

Kyler Murray threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more in his return from an ankle injury, and the Arizona Cardinals beat the struggling Chicago Bears.

The Cardinals (10-2) got back Murray and three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins after both players missed three games because of injuries. The NFC West leaders, who have the NFL’s best record, intercepted Andy Dalton four times. The Cardinals, who were coming off a bye, improved to 7-0 on the road, with each win by 10 points or more.

Los Angeles Chargers 41-22 Cincinnati Bengals

Justin Herbert threw all three of his touchdown passes in the first half and the visiting Los Angeles Chargers survived a late scare to earn victory.

Keenan Allen caught two TD passes from Herbert in the first quarter alone as the Chargers (7-5) rebounded from a road defeat at Denver last week. Herbert was 26 of 35 for 317 yards with an interception.

Los Angeles overcame two fumbles from Austin Ekeler but wedged some late breathing room on a Cincinnati turnover. The Chargers’ Tevaughn Campbell returned a fumble by Joe Mixon 61 yards for a touchdown and a 31-22 lead with 13:43 remaining. The Chargers’ 16 points in the first quarter were their most since September 2012. They lost star defensive end Joey Bosa in the first quarter to a head injury.

Washington 17-15 Las Vegas Raiders

Taylor Heinicke threw two touchdown passes and set up new kicker Brian Johnson‘s game-winning 48-yard field goal with 37 seconds remaining to lead Washington to its fourth straight win, 17-15 over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Heinicke threw a seven-yard TD pass to Logan Thomas on the opening drive and a four-yarder to Antonio Gibson early in the fourth quarter after extending the drive with a key third-down scramble.

Indianapolis Colts 31–0 Houston Texans

Jonathan Taylor ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns and the Indianapolis Colts rolled to an easy win over the hapless Houston Texans. The Texans turned the ball over twice in the first quarter and quarterback Tyrod Taylor was benched in the third quarter as Houston (2-10) lost for the ninth time in 10 games.

Jonathan Taylor, who leads the NFL in yards rushing, has 16 rushing touchdowns this season, which ties the franchise record set by Lenny Moore in 1964. It’s the 10th straight game where he’s ran for a touchdown, the longest streak in the NFL since LaDainian Tomlinson did it in 18 straight in the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

New York Giants 9–20 Miami Dolphins

Tua Tagovailoa threw a pair of short touchdown passes, and the Miami Dolphins extended their winning streak to five games by topping the New York Giants. Isaiah Ford and Mack Hollins had the scoring grabs for Miami (6-7), who have shaken off a 1-7 start. Jaylen Waddle had nine catches for 90 yards for the Dolphins, and rookie Jaelan Phillips had two more sacks giving him five in his last two games. Tagovailoa completed 30 of 41 passes for 244 yards and the two scores.

Philadelphia Eagles 33–18 New York Jets

Gardner Minshew started in place of an injured Jalen Hurts and led the clock-eating Philadelphia Eagles to scores on their first seven possessions in a 33-18 victory over the New York Jets. Minshew was 20 of 25 for 242 yards and two touchdowns to Dallas Goedert. Kenneth Gainwell ran for a score, Jake Elliott kicked four field goals and the Eagles (6-7) improved to 12-0 all-time against the Jets (3-9).