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Atlanta 13-23 New Orleans: Saints secure playoff spot with victory

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Highlights of the match between the Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints in week 16 of the NFL.

The New Orleans Saints clinched their first playoff berth since 2013 with a 23-13 victory over NFC South divisional rivals Atlanta Falcons.

Shortly before half-time, Ted Ginn caught a 54-yard pass for a touchdown for the Saints, which came just a few plays after Marshon Lattimore secured an incredible interception off of his backside.

In the second half, Mark Ingram used a sharp cutback to break loose for a 26-yard touchdown for New Orleans (11-4), who hold onto first place in the South, but have yet to win the division.

While the loss eliminated the Falcons (9-6) from the race, the Carolina Panthers (11-4) might still sneak into top spot with a win over Atlanta - and a Saints loss - in the final game of the regular season on New Year's Eve.

The Falcons squandered chances spectacularly in the game, including missing two opportunities to score a touchdown from down at the New Orleans goal line.

Early in the third quarter, Atlanta linebacker Deion Jones intercepted a Drew Brees pass that deflected off of Ginn's hands and returned it 41 yards to the New Orleans two, only for Devonta Freeman to fumble two plays later.

In the fourth quarter, Freeman was this time stopped short on fourth-and-goal from the one, preserving a 20-3 Saints lead. One play earlier, Julio Jones caught a third-down pass with his feet in the endzone, but he was unable to pull the ball across the goal line for the TD.

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Game's key stats

ATLANTA NEW ORLEANS
Passing C/A Yds TD Int Passing C/A Yds TD Int
Matt Ryan 22/36 288 1 1 Drew Brees 21/28 239 1 1
Rushing Att Yds TD Rushing Att Yds TD
Devonta Freeman 11 36 0 Mark Ingram 13 44 1
Tevin Coleman 6 12 0 Alvin Kamara 12 32 0
Receiving Rec Yds TD Receiving Rec Yds TD
Julio Jones 7 149 0 Ted Ginn 4 76 1
Tevin Coleman 4 40 1 Michael Thomas 4 66 0
Mohamed Sanu 4 31 0 Alvin Kamara 7 58 0
Total net yards 331 Total net yards 315

Elsewhere, in the other early games in the NFL....

Rams 27-23 Titans

Los Angeles running back Todd Gurley became the first player in 31 years to rush for 100-plus yards and produce 150-plus receiving yards in a single game, scoring two touchdowns, as the Rams (11-4) clinched the NFC West title with a win over Tennessee (8-7).

Los Angeles clinched its first division title since 2003 and first playoff berth since 2004. Tennessee lost its third straight game, officially sealing the AFC South title for Jacksonville. The Titans can still wrap up a playoff spot next week by beating Jacksonville.

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Todd Gurley reels off another huge touchdown run for the Rams

Buccaneers 19-22 Panthers

Cam Newton picked up his own bobbled snap and ran for a 2-yard touchdown with 35 seconds left, lifting Carolina to a playoff-clinching victory against Tampa Bay (4-11)

Carolina (11-4) converted a fourth down on the play prior to the touchdown to secure at least a wild card playoff spot,

Dolphins 13-29 Chiefs

Alex Smith surpassed the 4,000-yard season passing mark for the first time in his 12-year career as Kansas City (9-6) clinched back-to-back AFC West titles with a win over Miami (6-9)

Smith delivered again for the Chiefs (9-6) in the best season of his career, completing 25 of 39 passes for 304 yards and a touchdown.

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Sport Illustrated's Peter King reflects on the main talking points from week 16 in the NFL.

Chargers 14-7 Jets

Philip Rivers threw a touchdown pass to Antonio Gates and Melvin Gordon ran for a score as the Chargers (8-7) stayed alive in the AFC playoff race with a slim victory over the Jets (5-10).

Bilal Powell was the bright spot for the Jets' offense, rushing for 145 yards, including a 57-yard TD, on 19 carries.

Bills 16-37 Patriots

New England (12-3) moved a step closer to wrapping up the top seed in the AFC playoffs with a win over Buffalo (8-7), whose own hopes of ending their 17-year playoff drought were dealt a serious blow.

Dion Lewis ran for a career-high 129 yards and a touchdown for the Patriots. Lewis also scored on a 12-yard screen pass to help break the game open in the fourth quarter.

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New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski hauled in a stunning one-handed grab in the corner of the endzone for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills.

Browns 3-20 Bears

Jordan Howard rushed for two touchdowns and rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky ran for one as Chicago (5-10) kept Cleveland (0-15) winless.

If the Browns lose next week's finale at Pittsburgh, they would join the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only NFL teams to go 0-16 in a season.

Broncos 11-27 Redskins

Kirk Cousins threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns as Washington (7-8) earned a convincing win over Denver (5-10).

Lions 17-26 Bengals

Giovani Bernard rushed for 116 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown as Cincinnati (6-9) eliminated Detroit (8-7) from playoff contention.

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