Doug Martin carried the ball 28 times for 142 yards and a touchdown to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 22-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Josh Freeman completed 19-of-35 passes for 222 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while Mike Williams had six catches for 65 yards and a score for the Buccaneers (7-9), who failed to reach the postseason for the fifth straight season. Matt Ryan was 28-for-44 passing for 238 yards and a touchdown and Michael Turner added a rushing score for the Falcons (13-3), who have already locked up the top seed in the NFC and a first-round bye in the upcoming playoffs.
Final Score: Buffalo 28, NY Jets 9
Orchard Park, NY (Sports Network) - While the Buffalo Bills may have had a disappointing season, they finished on a high note with a 28-9 triumph over the New York Jets, who can finally put an end to an embarrassing campaign. Ryan Fitzpatrick passed for 225 yards on 12-of-26 efficiency for Buffalo (6-10), which got late rushing scores from Brad Smith and Tashard Choice in snapping a three-game losing skid. C.J. Spiller made two catches for 72 yards -- including a 66-yard TD reception -- and added 59 yards on 24 carries, while Steve Johnson eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving plateau on the season with six catches for 111 yards. New York (6-10) scored 10 points or less for the seventh time this year in its third straight defeat. Mark Sanchez capped a season plagued by inconsistent quarterback play by throwing an interception, losing a fumble and completing less than half of his passes (17- of-35) for the eighth time in 2012. Shonn Greene rushed for 74 yards on 19 carries and Bilal Powell added 56 yards on 12 touches for New York, which will head into the offseason early for the second consecutive year following back-to-back AFC Championship appearances in 2009 and 2010.
Final Score: Cincinnati 23, Baltimore 17
Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Josh Brown kicked three second-half field goals and Carlos Dunlap returned an interception for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter as the Cincinnati Bengals closed out the regular season with a 23-17 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Andy Dalton completed 10-of-15 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown before getting removed in favor of Bruce Gradkowski in the second half for the Bengals (10-6), who had already locked up the sixth seed in the playoffs and will face the Houston Texans in the first round of the playoffs. Marvin Jones recorded Cincinnati's lone offensive touchdown while catching five balls for 45 yards. Joe Flacco started the game for the Ravens (10-6) but was removed after just two offensive series. Tyrod Taylor replaced him and threw for 149 yards with the interception on 15-for-25 efficiency while also adding 65 yards and a score on nine carries. Bernard Pierce carried the ball 22 times for 89 yards for Baltimore, which rested most of its starters as they already had the AFC's fourth seed locked up entering the game. The Ravens had a chance to move up to the third seed with a win, but will now play the Indianapolis Colts in the opening round of the playoffs.
Final Score: Chicago 26, Detroit 24
Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - The Chicago Bears did their part in an attempt to get into the playoffs. Now the team has to wait. Jay Cutler threw a touchdown pass, Matt Forte ran one in and Olindo Mare kicked four field goals as the Bears took a 26-24 win over the Detroit Lions in the final game of the regular season for both teams from Ford Field. Now, Chicago (10-6) has to wait and see if it will make the playoffs as the NFC's last wild card. What the team needs to get to the postseason is a Minnesota loss, with the Vikings hosting Green Bay later in the day. Cutler went 18-for-31 with 257 yards while Forte had 24 carries for 103 yards in the win for the Bears, who won their final two games of the season after dropping five of six. Matt Stafford went 24-for-42 with 272 yards, three touchdowns and an interception for the Lions (4-12), who completed a highly disappointing season with eight straight losses. Stafford fell 33 yards short of 5,000 for the season, but he did become the first quarterback to throw over 700 pass attempts in one season as he finished the 2012 campaign with 727 attempts. Many of those passes went to superstar wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who broke the single-season reception yardage record last week. He posted five catches for 72 yards on Sunday for a total of 122 catches for 1,964 yards in 2012, although he had just five touchdown catches on the year.
Final Score: Indianapolis 28, Houston 16
Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Indianapolis had nothing to play for, but with Chuck Pagano back in charge, the inspired Colts may have shaken up the complexion of the AFC playoff picture. Already locked into the fifth seed in the AFC, Andrew Luck threw two touchdown passes and the Colts remained unbeaten at home against the Houston Texans with a 28-16 triumph. The 52- year-old Pagano, who was medically cleared by his doctor to return to his coaching duties last week, made his first sideline appearance since Week 3 following a successful battle with leukemia. Under interim head coach Bruce Arians' watch, the Colts went 9-4 and secured a spot in the postseason after their win over the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday. Luck finished with 191 yards through the air on 14-of-28 efficiency for the Colts (11-5), who moved to 11-0 all-time against Houston in Indy. Andre Johnson tallied 141 yards receiving on 12 catches for Houston (12-4), which dropped three of its last four games to close the season and could've locked up home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a victory. With wins by the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots later Sunday, the Texans will have to settle with the third seed. They will play the Cincinnati Bengals in the wild-card round next weekend.
Final Score: Carolina 44, New Orleans 38
New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - DeAngelo Williams ran for a Panthers-record 210 yards with a pair of scores, as Carolina wrapped up a solid finish to the season with a 44-38 victory over the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome. Mike Tolbert added 25 yards and three short touchdowns as part of a 273-yard rushing performance for the Panthers (7-9), who won their final four games and five of their last six, possibly saving coach Ron Rivera's job. Carolina improved upon last year's 6-10 mark in Rivera's first season. Cam Newton battled through a leg injury in the fourth quarter and threw for 248 yards with an interception in the victory. The Panthers rebounded nicely after a 1-6 start, with their lone victory in that stretch coming in Week 2 against a Saints team that had its own problems throughout an up-and-down 2012. New Orleans (7-9) had a chance to finish at .500 after a disastrous 0-4 start that followed numerous off-field issues, but instead wound up with a losing record for the first time since 2007. Trouble for the Saints began in the spring with the announcement of the bounty scandal that featured the season- long suspension of head coach Sean Payton, who worked out a multi-year contract extension earlier this week. A contract dispute in the summer with Drew Brees didn't help matters, although the star quarterback set an NFL record for most consecutive games with a TD pass and on Sunday reached 5,000 passing yards for the third time in his career while becoming the first player in league history with at least 40 TD passes in back-to-back years. Brees threw for 396 yards with four scores and one interception on Sunday, while Jonathan Vilma -- a key figure in the NFL's bounty investigation -- returned an interception for a score. Vilma eventually won an appeal of his season-long suspension for his alleged role in the scandal.
Final Score: NY Giants 42, Philadelphia 7
East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) - The New York Giants, while simultaneously being denied a chance to defend their Super Bowl title, delivered a resounding victory Sunday in what may have been Andy Reid's last game on the Philadelphia Eagles' sideline. Eli Manning threw a career- high five touchdowns passes despite windy conditions in leading the Giants to a 42-7 blowout win in what proved to be both teams' season finale. New York (9-7), the front-runner in the NFC East for most of the season, was eliminated from postseason contention when the Chicago Bears upended the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon. A 2-5 stretch coming into Week 17 proved too much for the reigning champions to overcome, though a pair of rookies showed promise heading into next season. Rueben Randle caught two TD passes, while fellow rookie David Wilson caught another from Manning, who finished with 208 yards on 13-of-21 passes. Ahmad Bradshaw gained 148 yards from scrimmage and ran for a touchdown in finishing off the Eagles' 4-12 campaign -- the worst in Reid's 14-year tenure in the City of Brotherly Love. Michael Vick, in his first start since suffering a concussion against the Cowboys in Week 10, completed just 19-of-35 attempts for 197 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the loss. The Eagles can opt of Vick's hefty contract in the offseason, leading many to speculate his days, like Reid's, are numbered in Philadelphia.
Final Score: Pittsburgh 24, Cleveland 10
Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Ben Roethlisberger had three touchdown passes, and the Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up the season by posting a 24-10 win over the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field. Roethlisberger was 15-of-23 for 134 yards and the Pittsburgh defense forced four turnovers. The Steelers (8-8) snapped a three-game skid and avoided their first losing season since going 6-10 in 2003. With rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden and backup Colt McCoy nursing right shoulder injuries, Thaddeus Lewis made his NFL debut for the Browns. Lewis, promoted from the practice squad earlier in the week, completed 22-of-32 passes for 204 yards with a touchdown and one interception. Benjamin Watson had 64 yards on seven receptions for Cleveland (5-11), which has dropped nine straight road games in this series.
Final Score: Tennessee 38, Jacksonville 20
Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - Darius Reynaud returned two punts for touchdowns, linebacker Zach Brown brought back two interceptions for scores and the Tennessee Titans closed out the regular season with a 38-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars at LP Field. Tennessee (6-10) became the first team in NFL history to return two punts and two interceptions for scores in the same game. Because of the exploits of the Titans defense and special teams units, the Jake Locker-led offense observed a large portion of the game from the sidelines. He was 9-of-15 for 152 yards, while Chris Johnson opened the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run. Tennessee finished with only 12 first downs and was outgained 375-221 by the Jaguars. Jacksonville quarterback Chad Henne completed 25-of-41 passes for 298 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. The Jaguars ended the season at 2-14, the worst mark in franchise history.
Final Score: Denver 38, Kansas City 3
Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Peyton Manning threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns as the Denver Broncos locked up the top seed in the AFC and home field advantage on Sunday with a 38-3 thumping of the Kansas City Chiefs at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Denver (13-3) entered the game as the No. 2 seed behind the Houston Texans, but were in position to take over the top spot by kickoff after the Texans lost to the Indianapolis Colts. Manning completed 23-of-29 passing in just three quarters of action, and wrapped up his regular season with team records in completions (400), passing yards (4,659), completion percentage (68.6), touchdown passes (37) and quarterback rating (105.8). Demaryius Thomas had a huge day through the air, catching seven passes for 122 yards and a touchdown, while Eric Decker snagged seven passes from Manning for 76 yards and two scores as the Broncos ended the regular season on an 11-game winning streak. Knowshon Moreno collected 44 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries and Lance Ball added 66 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries in the victory. Jamaal Charles rushed for 53 yards on 14 carries. He finished the regular season with 1,509 rushing yards, becoming just the third player in Chiefs history to eclipse the 1,500-yard mark. Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson also accomplished the feat. Brady Quinn struggled under center, completing just 7-of-16 passes for 49 yards for Kansas City (2-14), which will have the top pick next April's draft.
Final Score: Minnesota 37, Green Bay 34
Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Adrian Peterson came up just short in achieving his goal. His team did not. The superstar running back fell nine yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson's NFL record for most rushing yards in a season, but still put up 199 on a career-best 34 carries while scoring two touchdowns to help the Minnesota Vikings earn a berth in the NFC Playoffs with a thrilling 37-34 last-second victory over the Green Bay Packers. Peterson's final rush -- a 26-yard burst to the Green Bay 11 with three seconds remaining -- set up Blair Walsh's 29-yard field goal that snapped a 34-34 deadlock and earned Minnesota (10-6) the conference's No. 6 playoff seed after closing out the regular season with four straight wins. Walsh's kick also forced a rematch between the two NFC North rivals in next week's Wild Card Round, with Green Bay (11-5) denied a chance to claim the No. 2 seed and an opening-round bye after San Francisco defeated Arizona on Sunday. Exactly one year to the day of his surgery to repair a potentially career- threatening knee injury, Peterson finished his remarkable 2012 campaign with 2,097 rushing yards to become the seventh player in league history to surpass the 2,000-yard barrier. Christian Ponder aided Minnesota's cause by matching a personal best with three touchdown passes, including one to Peterson, while going an efficient 16-of-28 for 234 yards without a turnover. Jarius Wright finished with 90 receiving yards and a score on three catches for a Vikings squad that will reach the playoffs just one year removed from a 3-13 season. Aaron Rodgers threw for four touchdowns while amassing 365 yards on 28-of-40 passing for Green Bay, leading the Packers out of a 13-point first-half hole to tie the game twice in the fourth quarter. Greg Jennings hauled in two of Rodgers' scoring strikes while recording 120 yards on eight grabs.
Final Score: New England 28, Miami 0
Foxboro, MA (Sports Network) - Stevan Ridley rushed for two touchdowns and the New England Patriots secured a first-round bye in the playoffs with a 28-0 whitewash of the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. New England entered the final week of the regular season as the No. 3 seed in the AFC, but a loss by the Houston Texas to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday allowed the Patriots to steal one of the conference's coveted top two spots. The convincing shutout gave the Patriots (12-4) the second seed behind the Denver Broncos and capped their perfect run through the AFC East. Tom Brady threw a touchdown pass for the 48th straight game and in doing so moved past Johnny Unitas for the second longest streak in NFL history. Brady completed 22-of-36 passes for 284 yards and two scores, one to his favorite target in tight end Rob Gronkowski, who returned from a five-game absence. Justin Francis highlighted the defensive side of the Patriots' first shutout in over three years with three of the club's seven sacks. Miami's Ryan Tannehill ended his rookie campaign with a disappointing game. The eighth overall pick in the 2012 draft finished 20-of-35 through the air for 235 yards with an interception and a lost a fumble. Miami (7-9) had won two in a row coming in, but ended their fourth straight losing season on a sour note.
Final Score: San Diego 24, Oakland 21
San Diego, CA (Sports Network) - Philip Rivers tossed a pair of touchdown passes and the San Diego Chargers concluded their 2012 campaign with a 24-21 victory over the Oakland Raiders at Qualcomm Stadium. Rivers connected with Antonio Gates and Danario Alexander for scores and helped the Chargers (7-9) claim three of their final four contests. However the late season success probably won't be enough to save the job of head coach Norv Turner, who is expected to be let go following San Diego's third consecutive season without a postseason berth. In his first NFL start, Terrelle Pryor showed flashes of solid quarterback play and helped the Raiders (4-12) pull within a field goal late, but Oakland ultimately fell for the eighth time in nine tries to end its season. In replacing an injured Carson Palmer, Pryor threw for 150 yards with two touchdowns and an interception on 13-of-28 efficiency, while also rushing for 49 yards and a score on nine carries. Darrius Heyward-Bey and Denarius Moore each caught touchdown passes from Pryor, while Darren McFadden rushed for 57 yards on 19 carries in defeat.
Final Score: San Francisco 27, Arizona 13
San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - Michael Crabtree caught a pair of touchdown passes en route to a career-high 172 receiving yards as the San Francisco 49ers clinched the NFC West crown with a 27-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. The 49ers can also lock up a first-round bye in the playoffs with a loss or tie by the Green Bay Packers, who are currently playing the Minnesota Vikings. Crabtree finished with eight receptions for the 49ers (11-4-1), who ended the regular season with wins in three of its last four games. Colin Kaepernick completed 16-of-28 passes for 276 yards and the two touchdowns, while Frank Gore carried the ball 20 times for 68 yards and a score in the victory. Brian Hoyer, who was claimed by the Cardinals off waivers from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 10, made his first career start and threw for 225 yards with a touchdown and interception on 19-of-34 efficiency. Michael Floyd caught eight balls for 166 yards and a touchdown for Arizona (5-11), which closed out its season with losses in 11 of its last 12 games after starting 4-0.
Final Score: Seattle 20, St. Louis 13
Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Russell Wilson added to his case for NFL Rookie of the Year, completing 15-of-19 passes for 250 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for the game-winning score to lift the Seattle Seahawks to a 20-13 win over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. Wilson's touchdown pass tied Peyton Manning's rookie record for passing touchdowns in a season with 26. Marshawn Lynch carried the ball 18 times for 100 yards, Golden Tate caught three passes for 105 yards and Michael Robinson hauled in three passes for 33 yards and score for the Seahawks (11-5), who locked up the NFC's fifth seed in the upcoming playoffs. Seattle will play the winner of Washington and Dallas next weekend in the Wild Card round. The Seahawks won 11 games for the first time since going 13-3 in 2005. Sam Bradford was 25-for-42 passing for 252 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Rams (7-8-1), who haven't made the playoffs since 2004.
Final Score: Washington 28, Dallas 18
Landover, MD (Sports Network) - Alfred Morris saved his best game for the biggest stage, as the rookie running back rushed for a career-best 200 yards and three scores to help the Washington Redskins claim the NFC East crown with a 28-18 triumph over the Dallas Cowboys Sunday at FedEx Field. Washington's playoff hopes seemed dim after the team opened the season with just three wins in its first nine games, but the Redskins reeled off seven straight wins to earn their 14th division title in team history and first since 1999. Morris carried the ball 33 times in the victory, while Robert Griffin III finished just 9-of-18 passing for 100 yards to go with 63 rushing yards and a score on six carries for the Redskins (10-6), who will host their first playoff game in 12 years when the Seattle Seahawks visit for an NFC Wild Card game next Sunday at 4:30 p.m. (et). Morris finished the regular season with 1,613 rushing yards to pass Clinton Portis (1,516) for first on the club's all-time single-season rushing list. Tony Romo completed 20-of-37 passes for 218 yards with two touchdown passes and three interceptions, while DeMarco Murray added 76 yards on 17 carries for the Cowboys (8-8), who missed the postseason for the third consecutive season.
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