Miami (AFP) – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers secured a place in the NFL playoffs, winning the NFC South division thanks to a 27-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. The win for Tampa Bay denied the Atlanta Falcons a place in the playoffs as Atlanta lost their final game 44-38 to the Carolina Panthers.
The Washington Commanders, already in the post-season, took the sixth seed in the NFC with a 23-19 win over the Dallas Cowboys. The Buccaneers trailed 19-13 going into the fourth quarter before quarterback Baker Mayfield, facing a three-man rush, stepped out of the pocket and delivered a brilliant 23-yard touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan. Bucky Irving then wrapped up the win with an 11-yard rushing score with 1:51 left in the game.
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Mayfield threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns while receiver Mike Evans had 89 yards receiving, taking him past the 1,000-yard mark for the 11th straight season. Bijan Robinson’s 4-yard rushing touchdown for the Falcons tied up the game at 38-38 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. But the Panthers, who end a disappointing season with a 5-12 record, grabbed victory with three minutes remaining thanks to a one-yard rush from Miles Sanders.
With only playoff seeding on the line for Washington, the Commanders replaced rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels at the half, trailing 6-3 to Dallas. But back-up Marcus Mariota came in and threw the game-winning touchdown, a 5-yard pass to Terry McLaurin with just three seconds to play. Mariota completed 15-of-18 pass attempts and threw for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Washington will face either Tampa Bay or the Los Angeles Rams in the wildcard round.
The Green Bay Packers, already assured of a playoff spot, suffered injuries to quarterback Jordan Love and wide receiver Christian Watson in a 24-22 loss to the Chicago Bears. Watson suffered a knee injury in the second quarter, and Love followed shortly afterwards with an elbow problem, which was later described as a precautionary move by coach Matt LaFleur. The Packers will face the second-seeded Philadelphia Eagles in the wildcard round.
The Tennessee Titans will have the number one draft pick after they lost 23-14 to the Houston Texans, while the New England Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills 23-16. The Patriots would have had the first pick had they not pulled off the upset win over a playoff-bound Bills team that gave quarterback Josh Allen just one snap before he was replaced. Later on Sunday, the Denver Broncos can grab the final wildcard place in the NFC if they can beat the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. The Detroit Lions can clinch their first ever top seed in the NFC if they can beat divisional rivals the Minnesota Vikings.
© 2024 AFP
