Chiefs Bengals Football

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow celebrates after Cincinnati’s 34-31 win Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Jeff Dean/Associated Press

CINCINNATI — Evan McPherson kicked a 20-yard field goal as time ran out, and the Cincinnati Bengals earned their first AFC North title and postseason appearance in six years with a wild 34-31 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Rookie Ja’Marr Chase had a franchise-record 266 yards receiving and three touchdowns on 11 catches, Joe Burrow threw for 466 yards and four scores while outdueling Patrick Mahomes, and the Bengals rallied from three 14-point deficits against the AFC West champs.

The Bengals’ winning drive was filled with drama.

On fourth-and-inches with under a minute left, the Bengals (10-6) decided to go for a touchdown instead of calling on McPherson for a field goal and giving the Chiefs the ball back with a chance to win.

Burrow threw incomplete in the end zone, but Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was flagged for illegal use of hands, giving the Bengals a fresh set of downs. Backup quarterback Brandon Allen was called on to kneel twice before McPherson came on for the winner.

Burrow was outstanding again, completing 30 of 39 attempts. He was sacked four times and hit at least six more times but was as accurate as ever, and Chase caught everything that was thrown near him.

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Mahomes looked as if he had the game under control early. He threw two first-quarter touchdown passes to give the Chiefs the early lead, but he didn’t get another one.

The Chiefs (11-5), who had won eight in a rown, led 14-0, 21-7 and 28-14 in the first half. They were ahead 28-17 at halftime before the Bengals began the latest of several second-half surges this season.

TITANS 34, DOLPHINS 3: Ryan Tannehill threw two touchdown passes as Tennessee (11-5) clinched its second straight AFC South title and ended Miami’s seven-game winning streak, eliminating the Dolphins (8-8) from playoff contention.

The Titans earned back-to-back division titles for the first time since the start of the AFL when the franchise was the Houston Oilers and won three straight Eastern Division championships. They currently are the AFC’s top seed after Kansas City lost at Cincinnati.

On a cold and rainy day, the Titans ran more than they threw. Tannehill was 13 of 18 for 120 yards. D’Onta Foreman ran for 132 yards and a TD, Dontrell Hilliard ran for a 39-yard TD, and the Titans scored 10 points off a pair of turnovers by Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa.

BILLS 29, FALCONS 15: Buffalo (10-6) clinched a playoff berth when Devin Singletary rushed for two touchdowns in the second half to make up for Josh Allen’s sloppiness in a victory over visiting Atlanta (7-9) that eliminated the Falcons from playoff contention.

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The Falcons forced four turnovers, with an injury and COVID-19-depleted secondary intercepting Allen on three consecutive possessions spanning halftime.

Allen did a much better job running than throwing, scoring two touchdowns on a snow-dusted field with temperatures in the low 20s.

Buffalo won its third straight and needs only to beat the New York Jets in its finale next weekend to clinch its second consecutive AFC East title.

RAIDERS 23, COLTS 20: Derek Carr directed Las Vegas (9-7) to Daniel Carlson’s 33-yard field goal as time expired, and the visiting Raiders beat Indianapolis (9-7).

After Michael Badgley kicked a tying 41-yard field goal for Indianapolis with 1:56 left, Carr found Hunter Renfrow for 24 yards on third-and-10 in the final minute, setting the stage for Carlson’s third field goal of the game.

Carr passed for 255 yards and a touchdown, and Zay Jones had eight receptions for 120 yards.

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Indianapolis had won three straight and eight of 10 to move one win away from a postseason berth. But the Colts couldn’t hold a second-half lead despite 108 rushing yards and a touchdown from Jonathan Taylor. The NFL’s leading rusher broke Edgerrin James’ single-season franchise record of 1,709 yards rushing on a 9-yard carry midway through the third quarter. He has 1,734 yards.

CHARGERS 34, BRONCOS 13: Justin Herbert threw for two touchdowns and set the franchise single-season record, Andre Roberts returned a kick 101 yards for a score, and Los Angeles (9-7) moved back into an AFC playoff spot with a victory over visiting Denver (7-9).

Los Angeles is in the final wild-card spot but needs a win at Las Vegas next week to wrap up its first postseason berth since 2018. The Colts, Chargers and Raiders all have the same record, but the Chargers currently hold the tiebreaker over Las Vegas after their 28-14 victory on Oct. 4.

Denver has lost four of its last five, was eliminated from playoff contention and is assured of its fifth straight losing season.

RAMS 20, RAVENS 19: Matthew Stafford shook off three turnovers to guide a fourth-quarter rally that carried Los Angeles (12-4) to its fifth straight victory, at short-handed but stubborn Baltimore (8-8).

Stafford threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Odell Beckham Jr. with 57 seconds left immediately after completing a 5-yarder to Beckham on fourth-and-5. After Los Angeles failed on a 2-point conversion, the Ravens – playing a third straight game without injured quarterback Lamar Jackson– never got close enough for a field-goal try.

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The Ravens have lost five straight, their longest skid since a nine-game run in 2007 under Brian Billick paved the way for current coach John Harbaugh to take over in 2008.

CARDINALS 25, COWBOYS 22: Kyler Murray threw two touchdown passes to Antoine Wesley and Arizona (11-5) held on for a win at Dallas (11-5).

The outcome didn’t do much to change the races for the NFC’s No. 1 seed or the NFC West, but the Cardinals ended a three-game skid while stopping a four-game winning streak for the NFC East champion Cowboys.

EAGLES 20, WASHINGTON 16: Jalen Hurts scrambled out of trouble while showing no ill effects from a recent ankle injury, Boston Scott rushed for two touchdowns, and Philadelphia (9-7) clinched a playoff berth with a win at Washington (6-10) and Minnesota’s loss to Green Bay.

Hurts ran six times for 45 yards and was 17 of 26 passing for 214 yards in leading the Eagles to a fourth consecutive victory. Pending other results, they could have an NFC wild-card spot locked up by the end of the night.

Hurts narrowly escaped a railing collapse while walking to the tunnel after the game. Fans waiting for Hurts fell onto the field after a railing in the corner of FedEx Field gave way.

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49ERS 23, TEXANS 7: Rookie Trey Lance threw two touchdown passes in the second half of his second career start, and San Francisco (9-7) closed in on a playoff berth with a victory at home against Houston (4-12).

Lance got the nod for the 49ers for the first time since Week 5, with Jimmy Garoppolo sidelined by a thumb injury, and overcame an interception in the first half.

SAINTS 18, PANTHERS 10: Alvin Kamara turned a short pass into New Orleans’ first touchdown in more than 11 quarters, Brett Maher kicked four field goals, and the Saints (8-8) kept their playoff hopes alive by beating visiting Carolina (5-11).

BEARS 29, GIANTS 3: Robert Quinn broke Hall of Famer Richard Dent’s franchise single-season record with his 18th sack, and Chicago (6-10) pounded visiting New York (4-12).

Quinn broke Dent’s mark of 17 1/2 sacks set in 1984 when he took down Mike Glennon in the fourth quarter.

SEAHAWKS 51, LIONS 29: Rashaad Penny rushed for a career-high 170 yards and two touchdowns, Russell Wilson threw three of his four TD passes to DK Metcalf, and visiting Seattle (6-10) routed Detroit (2-13-1).


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