The Latest: Jets' Darnold back after missing drive to injury
The Latest from Week 14 of the NFL season (all times EST):
7:30 p.m.
The Dallas Cowboys (8-5) have pushed their lead over Philadelphia and Washington in the NFC East to a commanding two games with three games to play, with a wild 29-23 overtime win over the Eagles.
Amari Cooper’s third touchdown of the game came with 1:55 left in the extra session, a 15-yard reception off a deflected third-and-8 pass by Dak Prescott to end it. Cooper finished with 217 yards on 10 catches. The Eagles never had the ball in overtime.
There were two touchdowns scored by each team in the final eight minutes of the fourth quarter.
Though the Cowboys came out on top, this was a tough afternoon for first-place teams around the league.
Pittsburgh lost at Oakland 24-21, when Derek Carr’s touchdown pass to Derek Carrier with 21 seconds left gave the Raiders the lead. The Steelers played four possessions with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who returned from a rib injury in the fourth quarter and threw the go-ahead touchdown pass with 2:55 left.
The Steelers (7-5-1) lead Baltimore (7-6) by a half-game in the AFC North.
New Orleans trailed 14-3 late in the third quarter at Tampa Bay, before coming back to win and clinch the NFC South title. Kansas City needed quite the rally to catch Baltimore and beat the Ravens in overtime.
New England failed to clinch the AFC East, losing 34-33 to Miami on a two-lateral play on the final snap. Houston’s nine-game winning streak ended at home in a loss to Indianapolis, cutting the Texans’ lead in the AFC South to two games.
The other two division leaders square off tonight in Chicago, with the Los Angeles Rams visiting the Bears.
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7:30 p.m.
In other action from the late-afternoon games, the Chargers reached 10 victories for the first time since 2009 with a 26-21 win over Cincinnati. Since starting 0-4 last season, the Chargers have won 19 of their last 25 games. They’re 9-2 at home in Southern California since Oct. 1, 2017.
The Chargers (10-3) have the fourth-best record in the NFL, despite being in second place behind Kansas City (11-2) in the AFC West, in firm control of the top wild card spot and still in position for a division title if the Chiefs slip.
Denver’s postseason bid was badly damaged with a 20-14 loss at San Francisco that ended a three-game winning streak. The Broncos allowed 210 receiving yards to 49ers tight end George Kittle and fell to 6-7, in 10th place in the conference. Four teams are 7-6, tied for the second wild card spot.
Detroit kept a faint hope for the playoffs alive with a 17-3 win at lowly Arizona, with the Lions improving to 5-8 under first-year coach Matt Patricia. Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald set a record in defeat, passing Jerry Rice for the most receptions with one team in NFL history.
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Ben Roethlisberger is back in the game at quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers after missing the first four drives of the second half with a rib injury.
Roethlisberger returned to replace Joshua Dobbs after Oakland scored on Derek Carr’s 3-yard touchdown pass that gave the Raiders a 17-14 lead with 5:20 to play in the game. The Steelers didn’t score when Dobbs was in the game.
Roethlisberger threw for 164 yards and a touchdown in the first half before leaving. He began the second half in the locker room before returning to the sideline during the third quarter. He wasn’t sent back in the game until late in the fourth quarter.
— Josh Dubow reporting from Oakland, California
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6:15 p.m.
Pittsburgh is playing the second half at Oakland with Joshua Dobbs at quarterback in place of Ben Roethlisberger, who’s been announced as questionable to return to the game because of a rib injury.
Roethlisberger went to the locker room a few seconds early before halftime after throwing a touchdown pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster with 10 seconds left in the second quarter that gave the Steelers a 14-10 lead over the Raiders.
— Josh Dubow reporting from Oakland, California
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5:45 p.m.
Dallas and Los Angeles each took three points into the locker room after long field goals on the last play of the first half in their games.
Brett Maher’s 62-yard kick was the longest in Cowboys history, giving them a 6-0 lead over Philadelphia in a battle for the NFC East lead. Maher’s make was 6 yards longer than any other in franchise annals, playoffs included. Dan Bailey, replaced by Maher this season, had three from 56 yards. Billy Cundiff had the other.
Michael Badgley made a team-record 59-yard kick to give the Chargers a 17-12 lead over the Cincinnati Bengals. Badgley, who is 11 of 12 on field goals since being signed in October, broke Nate Kaeding’s former team mark, a 57-yarder on Dec. 21, 2008.
The big legs flexed by Maher and Badgley were quite the special-teams contrast to the slate of early-afternoon games.
Miami had two punts blocked in the first half by New England’s Albert McClellan, though the Dolphins pulled out a 34-33 victory over the Patriots on the final play. New Orleans third-string quarterback and jack-of-all-trades Taysom Hill also blocked a punt by Tampa Bay in the third quarter with the Saints trailing 14-3, creating the momentum shift they needed to rally for a 28-14 victory over the Buccaneers.
Stephen Gostkowski missed a field goal and an extra point for the Patriots. Harrison Butker missed what would’ve been the game-winning field goal for Kansas City at the end of the fourth quarter, but he made amends by making his kick in overtime to beat Baltimore.
— Joe Reedy reporting from Carson, California, and Schuyler Dixon reporting from Arlington, Texas
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5:30 p.m.
Washington will have a fourth starting quarterback in five games.
Redskins coach Jay Gruden says he’ll prepare Josh Johnson to play next week at Jacksonville, after he replaced the struggling Mark Sanchez in the 40-16 loss to the New York Giants. Johnson hadn’t attempted a pass in an NFL game since 2011.
Starting quarterback Alex Smith broke his right leg on Nov. 18 against Houston and was replaced by Colt McCoy, who started the next two games before breaking his right leg last week. Sanchez took over, but he went 6 for 14 for 38 yards with two interceptions against the Giants before getting yanked.
Asked by a reporter afterward what “didn’t work” for Sanchez, Gruden answered: “What DID work? There was nothing that worked. Nothing worked. So everything did not work.”
Johnson’s last NFL regular-season start came in December 2011 for Tampa Bay, where Gruden was an assistant coach.
— Howard Fendrich reporting from Landover, Maryland
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5:20 p.m.
Cincinnati quarterback Jeff Driskel appeared to score a touchdown with five minutes remaining in the second quarter to bring the Bengals within four points of the Los Angeles Chargers, but replay officials overturned it in determining he was short of the goal line.
In the past, quarterbacks were safe to go head first and not considered to be giving themselves up, but a new point of emphasis in the NFL this season has eliminated that characterization. According to the league, “a quarterback does not have to slide feet first to be considered to be giving himself up. Regardless of whether the slide is feet first or head first, as long as he gives himself up, he should receive the protections afforded to him as a player in a defenseless posture.”
The ball was spotted inches short of the goal line, but Bengals guard Alex Redmond was called for a false start. Cincinnati had to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Randy Bullock to get within 14-6.
The Chargers lead 17-12 at halftime.
— Joe Reedy reporting from Carson, California
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4:50 p.m.
The Cowboys got a big break to avoid a lost fumble on the opening kickoff against NFC East rival Philadelphia.
Jourdan Lewis fumbled, but officials ruled him down. The Eagles appeared to come away with the loose ball.
Philadelphia coach Doug Pederson challenged the call, and referee Clete Blakeman said the review showed that Jordan fumbled. However, Blakeman said there was no clear recovery even though the Eagles came out of the pile with the ball.
Pederson lost the challenge and a timeout, and the Cowboys kept the ball instead of the Eagles starting their first possession at the Dallas 18.
The first-place Cowboys, who took a one-game lead on the Eagles in the division race into the game, lead 3-0 after the first quarter.
— Schuyler Dixon reporting from Arlington, Texas
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4:45 p.m.
New England’s bid to clinch the AFC East title has failed in spectacular fashion in Miami.
After the Patriots took a 33-28 lead on a 22-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski with 21 seconds remaining, the Dolphins had one last-ditch play left.
Ryan Tannehill, who had briefly left the game earlier because of a foot injury, completed pass to Kenny Stills just short of midfield. After two laterals, Kenyan Drake zig-zagged through New England’s defense and beat Rob Gronkowski to the edge of the end zone for a 69-yard touchdown to give Miami a 34-33 victory.
Gostkowski missed an extra point and a field goal earlier in the game.
The Patriots (9-4) lead the Dolphins (7-6) by two games in the division race with three games to play.
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4:30 p.m.
Kansas City has clinched a spot in the playoffs, after a wild finish that led to overtime against Baltimore.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes III completed an off-balance, on the-run 48-yard pass to Tyreek Hill on fourth down to keep alive the drive he finished with a fourth-down touchdown throw to Damien Williams to tie the game at 24 in the closing minute.
Then after Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson lost a fumble during a sack by Justin Houston at the Baltimore 23 with 38 seconds remaining, Kansas City’s Harrison Butker missed the winning field goal try from 43 yards out. Butker made amends with a
This was the first overtime game in the NFL for Mahomes, who completed 35 of 53 passes for 377 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Mahomes is the third first-year or second-year player in league history to pass for 4,000-plus yards and 40-plus touchdowns in a single season, joining Dan Marino (1984) and Kurt Warner (1999). Marino and Warner both won the NFL MVP award those years.
The Ravens are one of four AFC teams at 7-6 in the race for the second wild card spot, with Denver in position to join them if the Broncos beat San Francisco.
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4:15 p.m.
New Orleans survived a sluggish start at Tampa Bay, avoiding a season sweep by the Buccaneers and clinching the NFC South title with a 28-14 victory.
The Saints trailed 14-3 until late in the third quarter but outscored the Bucs 25-0 in the second half.
The Saints (11-2) lead Carolina (6-7) by four games with three games left. The Panthers lost 26-20 at Cleveland, their fifth consecutive defeat to further damage their postseason bid. The Browns have won three of their last four games.
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4:15 p.m.
Recapping the rest of the early-afternoon action from around the league, Houston’s nine-game winning streak has ended, with a 24-21 loss to Indianapolis.
The Texans (9-4) lead the Colts (7-6) and Titans (7-6) by two games in the AFC South race, but with New England’s loss they blew a prime chance to take control of the No. 2 seed for the playoffs that comes with a first-round bye.
Green Bay beat Atlanta 34-20 in the first game for the Packers under interim coach Joe Philbin. The Falcons have lost five straight games.
The New York Giants built a 40-0 lead on Washington and won 40-16 for their fourth win in five games. The Redskins, who replaced struggling quarterback Mark Sanchez with Josh Johnson, have lost four straight games. Rookie Kyle Lauletta made his NFL debut for the Giants while Eli Manning rested in the fourth quarter, throwing his first career interception.
The New York Jets beat the Buffalo Bills 27-23, with Sam Darnold getting the edge on Josh Allen in a quarterback matchup of first-round draft picks.
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3:10 p.m.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has set yet another record. His 24-yard touchdown pass to Randall Cobb with 12:44 left in the third quarter against Atlanta gave him 359 consecutive attempts without an interception, the longest streak in NFL history.
New England’s Tom Brady held the previous mark of 358, set in 2010-11.
The Packers have built a 27-7 lead on the Falcons in their first game under interim head coach Joe Philbin.
— Genaro C. Armas reporting from Green Bay, Wisconsin
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3:10 p.m.
Josh Johnson has made his first appearance in a regular-season NFL game since 2013, replacing Mark Sanchez at quarterback in the third quarter for the Washington Redskins against the New York Giants. Johnson is the fourth quarterback the Redskins have used in the last four weeks.
The Redskins were trailing 40-0, a game so lopsided the Giants are resting quarterback Eli Manning in the fourth quarter.
Johnson was signed during the week to be Washington’s backup QB. Sanchez was the team’s third starter this season; Alex Smith and Colt McCoy each went down with a broken right leg.
While Johnson appeared in one game for the Cincinnati Bengals five years ago, he hadn’t thrown a pass since 2011 until completing a 4-yarder to Vernon Davis against the Giants.
— Howard Fendrich reporting from Landover, Maryland
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2:55 p.m.
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill and running back Spencer Ware are back in Kansas City’s game against Baltimore, though left guard Cam Erving has been ruled out with a knee injury.
Hill hurt his heel late in the second quarter and went to the locker room ahead of his teammates before halftime. He also hurt his wrist in the first half, though he played through that injury. Ware hurt his right shoulder. But both of them are back, with the Ravens and Chiefs tied at 17 late in the third quarte.r
The Chiefs are short on skill-position players after releasing running back Kareem Hunt last week and with Sammy Watkins inactive because of a heel injury. They signed wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin this week, but he’s inactive for this game.
— Dave Skretta reporting from Kansas City, Missouri
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2:55 p.m.
Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy will not return to the game against the New York Jets after hurting his hamstring in the first quarter.
The Bills ruled him out just after the start of the third quarter. McCoy left in the first quarter and had just two carries for 1 yard.
— John Wawrow reporting from Orchard Park, New York
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2:45 p.m.
Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill is back in the game against New England after being hurt when a teammate inadvertently stepped on his right foot.
Tannehill limped off the field and to the locker room shortly before the end of the first half. He returned to start the second half.
The Patriots squandered a scoring chance at the first end of the first half after the second punting mishap of the game by Miami. With 14 seconds left and no timeouts, Tom Brady took the snap at the Miami 2. He was sacked by Robert Quinn and the clock ran out, leaving the Patriots with a 27-21 lead.
— Steven Wine reporting from Miami Gardens, Florida
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2:30 p.m.
Kansas City Chiefs running back Spencer Ware has hurt his right shoulder, after taking a shot from Baltimore safety Eric Weddle along the sideline in the closing minutes of the first half.
Ware caught a short pass from Patrick Mahomes and turned it into a 31-yard gain. He landed hard on his shoulder and immediately reached for his collarbone. Ware took over the starting job after Kareem Hunt was released just over a week ago.
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill also limped into the locker room ahead of the rest of the Chiefs, with time still on the clock. The Chiefs drove in position for a field goal by Harrison Butker to take a 17-10 lead on the Ravens at the half.
— Dave Skretta reporting from Kansas City, Missouri
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2:30 p.m.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill has left Miami’s game against New England, after teammate Ja’Wuan James inadvertently stepped on his right foot.
James was blocking when the contact caused Tannehill to stumble, and he was sacked by Adam Butler. Tannehill tried to rise before sinking back to the turf in pain. He eventually limped to the sideline and went directly to the locker room for examination.
Tannehill missed five games earlier this season with an injury to his throwing shoulder. He sat out all of 2017 after undergoing knee surgery.
The Dolphins trailed the Patriots 27-21 in the second quarter when Tannehill departed.
— Steven Wine reporting from Miami Gardens, Florida
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2:30 p.m.
As bad as the New York Giants have been this season, they’re sure looking like world-beaters against the collapsing Washington Redskins and third-string quarterback Mark Sanchez.
Eli Manning has thrown for two TDs and Saquon Barkley has run 10 times for 159 yards, including 78 for a score, to help the visiting Giants take a 34-0 lead at halftime against the Redskins.
Sanchez, meanwhile, is 5 for 13 for 30 yards with two interceptions, including a pick-six return for a score by Curtis Riley.
The Giants came into the game without a division win this season, but they’re well on their way to a fourth victory in the past five games.
The Redskins, who were booed off the field at the end of the second quarter, are headed for a fourth consecutive loss.
— Howard Fendrich reporting from Landover, Maryland
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2:30 p.m.
A scrum broke out at Lambeau Field after Falcons cornerback Brian Poole hit Aaron Rodgers.
The Packers quarterback slid at the end of a 21-yard scramble to get to the Atlanta 26 near the end of the second quarter, and Poole hit Rodgers hard in the shoulder, which angered the Packers.
Pushing and shoving ensued, with Falcons linebacker Deion Jones and Packers center Corey Linsley each getting whistled for offsetting personal fouls. Rodgers’ run set up a 48-yard field goal by Mason Crosby as time expired in the first half, to give the Packers a 20-7 lead in their first game under interim head coach Joe Philbin.
— Genaro C. Armas reporting from Green Bay, Wisconsin
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2:10 p.m.
New York Giants rookie Saquon Barkley has passed the 1,000-yard mark.
The second overall pick in the draft topped the milestone by breaking a 78-yard touchdown run in the second quarter at Washington to increase the visitors’ lead to 17-0 against the Redskins.
Barkley began the weekend ranked third in the NFL with 954 rushing yards. The long TD against Washington lifted him to 99 yards on seven carries for the afternoon, with plenty of time left to add to that.
Barkley also entered the game with 602 receiving yards.
— Howard Fendrich reporting from Landover, Maryland
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2:05 p.m.
Upon further review by the NFL, Packers interim head coach Joe Philbin has a set a replay record.
League researchers timed Philbin’s two challenges as coming within the first 64 seconds of Green Bay’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, the fastest that a team has used both of its challenges since teams were given the opportunity in 1999.
Philbin lost both challenges, within the first three plays of the game. The drive ended with a touchdown catch by Julio Jones, but the Packers have since surged ahead to take a 17-7 lead late in the second quarter.
— Genaro C. Armas reporting from Green Bay, Wisconsin
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1:45 p.m.
A TV cameraman tripped and fell running through the end zone in Miami, seconds after the Dolphins scored on a long touchdown run against the Patriots.
An official went over to check on the cameraman, who was sprawled on the turf with his equipment before he rose and sheepishly walked off the field.
— Steven Wine reporting from Miami Gardens, Florida
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1:45 p.m.
New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold is back on the field after an injury scare.
Darnold missed the last three games with a right foot injury. Then he was hurt on the opening series, appearing to aggravate the injury at Buffalo when the foot was caught underneath a Bills player after a 9-yard run that resulted from what looked like a botched play.
With the Jets facing third-and-10 from their own 14, Darnold took the snap and attempted to hand the ball off to his right, but there was no one there. He then immediately took off up the middle.
The Jets announced Darnold as questionable to return, but he missed only one series.
— John Wawrow reporting from Orchard Park, New York
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1:40 p.m.
Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy is questionable to return, after hurting his hamstring in the first quarter against the New York Jets.
McCoy left after being stopped for no gain from the Jets 6. He had two carries for 1 yard.
— John Wawrow reporting from Orchard Park, New York
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1:35 p.m.
Tom Brady has broken the NFL record for career touchdown passes including postseason. He threw to Julian Edelman for a 2-yard score at Miami.
That was the 580th TD throw of Brady’s career, one more than Peyton Manning. The score put the Patriots ahead 13-7 in the second quarter.
The pass was Brady’s ninth of the game, all completions.
— Steven Wine reporting from Miami Gardens, Florida
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1:25 p.m.
Green Bay Packers interim head coach Joe Philbin is already 0 for 2 on replay challenges, taking those losses in the first 83 seconds of the game against Atlanta at Lambeau Field.
Both of them involved long completions by the Falcons to Julio Jones, and both calls stood after review. The drive ended with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to Jones.
To make matters worse for the Packers, they’re out of challenges for the rest of the game. This is their first game without Mike McCarthy as head coach since Jan. 1, 2006. He was fired after last Sunday’s 20-17 loss at home to Arizona. Philbin was named the interim replacement this week.
— Genaro C. Armas reporting from Green Bay, Wisconsin
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1:20 p.m.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has eclipsed 3,000 yards passing for the eighth straight season.
Newton entered the game in Cleveland needing 1 yard for the milestone. His first completion was a 25-yarder to Curtis Samuel.
Newton joined Peyton Manning as the only quarterbacks in history to reach the 3,000-yard plateau in their first eight NFL seasons.
— Tom Withers reporting from Cleveland
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1:15 p.m.
The Baltimore Ravens are condemning racist and homophobic tweets made by fullback and defensive lineman Patrick Ricard six years ago as “totally unacceptable.”
The team issued a statement before kickoff at Kansas City. Ricard, who was not active for the game, posted at least six tweets in 2011 and 2012 in which he used a derogatory word. The second-year player’s tweets surfaced Saturday night.
The Ravens say they have “addressed the matter with Pat.” They’ll have more comments after the game against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Ricard is one of the rare players in the NFL who lines up on both sides of the ball. He’s appeared in 10 games and made four tackles at defensive tackle and played 90 snaps at fullback on offense.
— Dave Skretta reporting from Kansas City, Missouri
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The Los Angeles Rams already have won the NFC West and could have some company in the playoffs by the end of Sunday’s play.
Plus, the Rams can clinch a first-round bye with a victory at Chicago in the night game.
New Orleans will win the NFC South by beating or tying Tampa Bay or having Carolina lose or tie at Cleveland. The Saints get a playoff berth with a Minnesota defeat and losses or ties by Philadelphia and Washington. But the Vikings don’t play until Monday night at Seattle.
In the AFC, Kansas City secures a postseason spot by winning at home against Baltimore.
New England can take its 10th consecutive AFC East title if it wins at Miami.
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More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.
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