Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Jalen Hurts threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Philadelphia outlasted Carolina on Sunday and clinched an NFL playoff berth while Minnesota routed Atlanta to reach the brink of the post-season. Hurts completed 14-of-21 passes for 108 yards and ran eight times for 59 yards as the Eagles (11-2) held off stubborn Carolina 22-16 and stretched their win streak to nine games while the Panthers slid to 3-10.
NFL rushing leader Saquon Barkley, who ran 20 times for 124 yards, set the Eagles one-season rushing record, breaking by 15 yards the old mark of 1,607 yards set by LeSean McCoy in 2013. Hurts scored on a one-yard plunge early in the second quarter and connected with DeVonta Smith on a 4-yard touchdown pass 14 seconds before half-time for a 14-10 lead. After the Panthers grabbed the lead on Chuba Hubbard’s 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, the Eagles answered early in the fourth, scoring the deciding points on a four-yard Hurts touchdown pass to Grant Calcaterra and a two-point conversion run by Barkley.
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At Minneapolis, Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold completed 22-of-28 passes for career highs of 347 yards and five touchdowns to power Minnesota over the Atlanta Falcons 42-21. Not since 2004 had a Vikings passer tossed five touchdowns in a game. The Vikings spoiled the return of ex-Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins, who threw for 344 yards but was intercepted twice.
The Eagles sealed their playoff spot when Seattle won 30-18 at Arizona behind 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns by Zach Charbonnet. That left Minnesota needing only a loss by the Los Angeles Rams to clinch a post-season trip, but the Rams held off a fourth-quarter fightback to beat Buffalo 44-42 in a wild matchup with the most total points of any NFL game all season. Matthew Stafford threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns, and Kyren Williams ran for two touchdowns for the Rams. Buffalo’s Josh Allen scored a career-high six touchdowns but couldn’t rally the Bills for victory despite 342 passing yards and 82 rushing yards. The Bills fell to 10-3, a key stumble in their bid to catch Kansas City (11-1) for home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs, even with Buffalo owning a tie-breaker edge after inflicting the Chiefs’ lone defeat this season. Defending champion Kansas City will entertain the Los Angeles Chargers in a later game. The Chiefs, Detroit, and Buffalo had secured playoff berths before Sunday’s contests.
– Dolphins win in OT – Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jonnu Smith in overtime to give the Dolphins a 32-26 home triumph over the New York Jets. The Pittsburgh Steelers improved to 10-3 as Russell Wilson threw for two touchdowns and Najee Harris ran for another in a 27-14 home victory over Cleveland. Baker Mayfield threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns to spark the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over visiting Las Vegas 28-13.
At San Francisco, Brock Purdy threw for 325 yards and two touchdowns, and Isaac Guerendo ran for two touchdowns to give the host 49ers a 38-13 victory over Chicago. Derek Carr threw for 219 yards and a touchdown as the New Orleans Saints edged the host New York Giants 14-11, while Tank Bigsby’s eight-yard touchdown run with 6:46 remaining gave Jacksonville a 10-6 victory at Tennessee.
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