Pro Sports

Ravens win AFC North, Eagles get NFC wild card

Posted December 30, 2018 6:00 am

By BARRY WILNER

Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker C.J. Mosley, center, celebrates his interception with teammates Kenny Young, left, and Patrick Onwuasor in the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018, in Baltimore. Baltimore Ravens won 26-24. (AP Photo/Gail Burton) The Associated Press

The playoff chase went down to the final minutes of the season Sunday, when Baltimore squeezed in as AFC North winner, and defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia got some help to secure an NFC wild card.

That left Pittsburgh and Minnesota out.

Kansas City (12-4) grabbed the AFC's top seed, followed by New England (11-5), Houston (11-5) and Baltimore (10-6). The Chargers (12-4) own the first wild card and will play at the Ravens next Sunday at 1 p.m. EST. The winner of the night game between the Colts and Titans at Tennessee will have the other wild card and travel to Houston on Saturday afternoon.

The Saints (13-3) have the top seed in the NFC, and the Rams (12-4) got the No. 2 spot when they beat San Francisco. Chicago (12-4), whose win at Minnesota knocked out the Vikings and put the Eagles into the postseason, is seeded third and gets Philadelphia (9-7) next Sunday at 4:40 p.m.

Dallas (10-6) is the fourth seed and will play Seattle (10-6) on Saturday night.

C.J. Mosley intercepted a fourth-down pass by Baker Mayfield to preserve the Ravens' 26-24 win as Baltimore rushed for a season-best 296 yards. A year ago, Baltimore missed the playoffs by losing its finale at home to the Bengals, who rallied with a last-minute touchdown.

Steelers players remained on the field after they edged Cincinnati 16-13 and watched the drama from Baltimore on the videoboard. But their archrival Browns couldn't help them against the equally hated Ravens, and unless Indianapolis and Tennessee tie in the prime-time game, Pittsburgh (9-6-1) is out.

Nick Foles, who led the Eagles to the Super Bowl title over the Patriots in Minneapolis last February, guided them to a resounding 24-0 victory at Washington. Then the Bears helped out at Minnesota with a 24-10 win even though they had nothing to play for, being set as the NFC's third seed.

Earlier, the Texans rallied from losing their first three games to win the AFC South and become the No 3 seed.

Houston easily handled Jacksonville 20-3 Sunday as Deshaun Watson threw for 234 yards and ran for a touchdown, and DeAndre Hopkins had 147 yards receiving.

The Texans finished last in the division in 2017. They and the Bears have done the worst-to-first turnaround this season, making it 15 of the past 16 seasons that has occurred in the league.

"It's do or die now, so you've got to put everything on the line now," Watson said. "Prepare harder than you did before and anything can happen at this point. The tournament is wide open and it's my first playoff, so I'm just excited to get in and see how things go."

New England, meanwhile, will get a week off in early January for the 13th time since 2001, most in the NFL during that span. The Patriots routed the Jets 38-3, and because they defeated Houston during the season, they get the bye.

"Eleven and five is nothing to be sad about," Tom Brady said. "We fought pretty hard and put ourselves in good position."

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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) watches from the bench during the second half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn) The Associated Press

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Golden Tate (19) celebrates with fans after the NFL football game between the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018 in Landover, Md. The Eagles defeated the Redskins 24-0. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The Associated Press

Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Matt McCrane (3) celebrates after he made a field goal to get the lead against the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018, in Pittsburgh. The Steelers won 16-13. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) The Associated Press

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) and defensive end J.J. Watt (99) embrace after their win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) The Associated Press

Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) runs past Jacksonville Jaguars middle linebacker Myles Jack (44) after making a catch during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) The Associated Press

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