NFL roundup: Jets knock out Miami, Carolina eliminates Atlanta

Aaron Rodgers threw a season-high four touchdown passes to reach 503 for his storied career in what could’ve been his final NFL game to lead the New York Jets to a 32-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins. The 41-year-old Rodgers has said he’s uncertain if he wants to continue playing for a 21st season and it’s unclear if the Jets will want to move forward with him. But became the fifth player to throw 500 regular-season TD passes. The Dolphins needed a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive. But that became moot when Denver routed Kansas City.

Carolina 44, Atlanta 38

Bryce Young passed for three touchdowns, ran for two scores and led a 70-yard drive capped by Miles Sanders’ 1-yard TD run on the opening possession of overtime to give the Carolina Panthers a 44-38 win over the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons’ playoff hopes had already ended minutes earlier when Tampa Bay rallied past New Orleans. Rookie Michael Penix Jr. threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns for the Falcons — both to Drake London, who had 10 catches for a career-best 187 yards. The Falcons finished 8-9 while the Panthers went 5-12. Both teams missed the playoffs for a seventh straight season.

Houston 23, Tennessee 14

C.J. Stroud completed all six of his passes for 50 yards and a touchdown Sunday on the Texans’ opening drive before going to the bench as Houston snapped a two-game skid going into the AFC playoffs with a 23-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans. The Texans also avoided being swept by the team they replaced in Houston. They will host the Los Angeles Chargers in a wild-card game. The Titans' loss combined with New England’s win over Buffalo ends Tennessee's season of misery with the No. 1 pick overall in the NFL draft in April.

Arizona 47, San Francisco 24

Kyler Murray threw for 242 yards and four touchdowns, two to Greg Dortch, and the Arizona Cardinals beat the injury-depleted San Francisco 49ers 47-24. Arizona finished 8-9 to win four more games than last year, but still missed the playoffs for a third straight season. San Francisco lost seven of its final eight to finish 6-11. That's the Niners' worst record since 2018. Rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. had a touchdown catch to finish with eight, tying the Cardinals rookie record held by Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Joshua Dobbs threw for 326 yards with two TDs and two interceptions for the 49ers.

L.A. Chargers 34, Las Vegas 20

Justin Herbert passed for 346 yards and two touchdowns, and the Los Angeles Chargers secured the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs with a 34-20 victory Sunday over the Las Vegas Raiders. The Chargers closed the regular season with a three-game winning streak under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh. They will visit the fourth-seeded Houston Texans in the next weekend’s wild-card playoff round. Las Vegas, which had won back-to-back games, finished 4-13 with coach Antonio Pierce facing an uncertain future. This was the Chargers’ first victory at Las Vegas since 2020 and their first season sweep of their AFC West rival since 2018.

Seattle 30, L.A. Rams 25

Geno Smith passed for 223 yards and threw his career-best fourth touchdown pass to Noah Fant with 3:19 to play, and the Seattle Seahawks finished their 12th winning season in 13 years with a 30-25 victory over the playoff-bound Los Angeles Rams. Jimmy Garoppolo passed for 334 yards and two TDs in his debut for the Rams, who had already clinched the NFC West title through strength of schedule before they hosted the Seahawks. The Rams rested Matthew Stafford and nearly all of his offensive starters to stay healthy for a home playoff game next weekend.

Philadelphia 20, N.Y. Giants 13

Tanner McKee threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns in a game full of backups to help the Philadelphia Eagles tune up for the playoffs with a 20-13 victory over the New York Giants. The NFC East champion Eagles are the No. 2 seed in the conference and will host Green Bay next weekend in a wild-card game. With making a run at the Super Bowl a priority, the Eagles rested their core starters, notably running back Saquon Barkley, quarterback Jalen Hurts, wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and offensive linemen Landon Dickerson and Lane Johnson. Barkley lost his shot at breaking Eric Dickerson’s NFL single-season rushing record.

Washington 23, Dallas 19

Marcus Mariota threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin with 3 seconds left, lifting Washington to a 23-19 victory over the Dallas Cowboys and clinching the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs for the Commanders. Mariota threw for two scores and ran for a TD after replacing Jayden Daniels. The Commanders sat their dynamic rookie quarterback at halftime since playoff seeding was the only thing on the line. Washington will visit either Tampa Bay or the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round next weekend. Brandon Aubrey kicked four field goals for the Cowboys in the first regular-season start for QB Trey Lance since Week 2 of 2022.

Indianapolis 26, Jacksonville 23

Jonathan Taylor ran for 177 yards, including 33 yards on six consecutive carries in overtime to set up Matt Gay’s go-ahead 38-yard field goal, and the Indianapolis Colts beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-23. Taylor closed the season by matching a career-best streak with four straight 100-yard games. He also ran for a touchdown Sunday to reach six scores during that span. Joe Flacco was 23 of 40 for 263 yards, including a 40-yard TD pass to Alec Pierce, in his 105th career victory — perhaps the last of the 39-year-old former Super Bowl MVP’s 17-year career. Indy finished at 8-9 while Jacksonville fell to 4-13.

New England 23, Buffalo 16

The New England Patriots have fired coach Jerod Mayo after one season, beginning another reboot for the franchise just a year after it parted with longtime coach Bill Belichick. Owner Robert Kraft announced the firing in a statement shortly after New England closed its 4-13 season with a 23-16 win over the Buffalo Bills. Kraft called it “one of the hardest decisions” he's had to make. A former Patriots linebacker who worked as an assistant under Belichick, Mayo started the season with a strong endorsement from Kraft. But he struggled to get the most out of a young roster that included rookie quarterback Drake Maye.