Pats clinch division with wild win over Steelers
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Damiere Byrd catches a touchdown as Green Bay Packers free safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (left) and cornerback Josh Hawkins (right) defend in the third quarter of their NFL game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, on December 17, 2017. The Panthers won 20-17.
Tom Brady piloted Super Bowl champion New England to the winning touchdown with 56 seconds left on Sunday as the Patriots clinched the AFC East with a gut-wrenching 27-24 win over the Steelers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
On a day when the puzzle pieces of the National Football League playoffs were dropping into place, the Patriots thwarted Pittsburgh's bid to clinch a first-round bye and potentially homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.
Making matters worse, the Steelers' star receiver Antonio Brown was transported to hospital for examination and treatment of a calf injury suffered in the first half. The US media reported that Brown would miss the rest of the regular season but might be available for the playoffs.
And in a final heartbreaker for the Steelers, a 10-yard TD catch from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to Jesse James, which would have given Pittsburgh the lead, was overturned on review with less than 30 seconds remaining, as officials judged that the leaping James had not completed the catch.
Roethlisberger scrambled to give Pittsburgh two more chances to win, but his final pass was intercepted by New England's Duron Harmon with five seconds to play.
"The ball bounces in weird ways and I'm glad it bounced our way today," Brady said.
On the Patriots' game-winning drive at Heinz Field, Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski connected three straight times for 69 yards, setting up Dion Lewis's eight-yard TD run.
Brady looked to Gronkowski again for a 2-point conversion.
"Football is a crazy game," Brady said. "You just keep fighting and fight till the end."
With the victory, which ended Pittsburgh's eight-game winning streak, the Patriots gained the edge in the hunt for homefield advantage in the AFC playoffs.
"We have a lot of football ahead of us," Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward said. "We can be dejected, but I like where we are at."
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (right) catches a 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter as Pittsburgh Steelers safety Sean Davis defends at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on December 17, 2017. The Patriots won 27-24.
In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Nick Foles, standing in for injured Philadelphia quarterback Carson Wentz, threw four TD passes as the Eagles held off the New York Giants 34-29 to clinch a first-round bye.
The Jacksonville Jaguars booked their first playoff appearance in a decade, thumping the Houston Texans 45-7, and the Minnesota Vikings clinched the NFC North division crown with a 34-7 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Eagles, who lost Wentz to a season-ending knee injury last week when they clinched the NFC East, rallied from a 14-point deficit behind Foles, spoiling a three-TD effort from Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
It was never in doubt in Jacksonville, where Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles passed for three TDs in the first half on the way to a 31-0 lead at the interval.
"It's unbelievable," said Jaguars owner Shad Khan, whose team totaled just 17 wins over the past five seasons. "To win it and win it the way we did today — mind-blowing."
The Los Angeles Rams took control of the NFC West with a 42-7 rout of the Seahawks in Seattle.
Todd Gurley ran for three TDs and caught a scoring pass for the Rams.
Los Angeles scored on six of its seven possessions in the decisive first half and opened a two-game lead over the Seahawks atop the division with two games left to play.
The Baltimore Ravens kept their playoff hopes alive with a 27-10 victory over the winless Cleveland Browns.
The Ravens can clinch a wildcard berth with victories over the Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Bengals in their last two games.
The Browns must win at either Chicago or Pittsburgh to avoid joining the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only teams to go 0-16 in a season.
The NFC South remained tight at the top as the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers both won.
Drew Brees threw two TD passes in the Saints' 31-19 victory over the New York Jets.
The Panthers spoiled Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers' return from injury with a 31-24 victory over the Packers.
In the late game, Oakland quarterback Derek Carr fumbled into the end zone in the closing seconds as the Dallas Cowboys held on to beat the Raiders 20-17 and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr fumbles the ball out of the end zone against the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California, on December 17, 2017. The Cowboys won 20-17.
