NFL scores: Kansas City Chiefs eliminated from playoff contention as Buffalo Bills beat New England Patriots in thriller
Kansas City Chiefs to miss NFL playoffs for first time since 2014 season following defeat to Los Angeles Chargers; Patrick Mahomes exits the game injured in the fourth quarter; Buffalo Bills meanwhile come from behind to beat New England Patriots to keep division title hopes alive
Sunday 14 December 2025 22:51, UK
Kansas City Chiefs will miss the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2014 after being officially eliminated from postseason contention on Sunday.
Andy Reid's side were beaten 16-13 by the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead, while additional victories for the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars sealed their fate.
The Chiefs have visited five of the last six Super Bowls, including three in a row, and have appeared in the playoffs in 10 straight seasons while winning nine consecutive AFC West titles in a row.
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Patrick Mahomes exited the game late in the fourth quarter after suffering an apparent knee injury. With just under two minutes, Mahomes scrambled toward the Kansas City sideline, threw the ball away and was spun to the ground by Chargers defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand.
Mahomes immediately grabbed his left knee, which appeared to hyperextend as he was going to the ground. He was taken to the blue injury tent on the Kansas City sideline, then helped to the locker room with a towel over his head.
Head coach Reid told reporters after the game that Mahomes will undergo an MRI on the knee, admitting it "didn't look good".
Justin Herbert, playing through a broken left hand, threw for 210 yards and a touchdown, as the Chargers (10-4) ensured consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time since 2006-07 by completing a rare regular-season sweep of Kansas City.
With 20 seconds to go, Gardner Minshew unloaded a pass intended for Travis Kelce, and Derwin James - his long-time divisional foil - leaped up to pick it off, allowing Los Angeles to escape.
Mahomes was held to 189 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. Kansas City (6-8) managed just 239 yards as a team.
Buffalo Bills 35-31 New England Patriots
Josh Allen threw three touchdown passes while James Cook ran for two touchdowns and caught another as the Buffalo Bills rallied from a 21-0 deficit to beat New England, preventing the Patriots from clinching the AFC East title.
Allen finished 19 of 28 for 193 yards. Cook ran 22 times for 107 yards for the Bills (10-4), who avoided being swept by a division opponent for the first time since 2019. Buffalo reached 10 wins for the seventh consecutive season.
The Patriots (11-3) lost their first division game of the season and their 10-game win streak ended. They haven't won the AFC East since 2019 but still lead the Bills by one game with three games left.
Drake Maye had a pair of touchdown runs, and TreVeyon Henderson ran for scores of 52 and 65 yards before finishing with 14 carries for 148 yards. Trailing 35-31 with 2:43 to play, the Patriots had fourth-and-five on their own 22, with Maye's pass batted down by Joey Bosa.
Cincinnati Bengals 0-24 Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson threw for two touchdowns, Kyle Van Noy and Alohi Gilman teamed up for a 95-yard pick-six and the Baltimore Ravens blanked the Cincinnati Bengals, the first time Joe Burrow has been shut out in his six-year career.
Derrick Henry rushed for 100 yards on 11 carries - his sixth game of 100 or more this season - as the Ravens (7-7) won their fourth straight road game and pulled within a half-game of Pittsburgh in the AFC North. The Steelers host Miami on Monday night.
Jackson threw first-half touchdown passes to Rasheen Ali and Zay Flowers and finished eight of 12 for 150 yards. It was the first score of Ali's two-year career. Cincinnati were eliminated from playoff contention. Burrow - who vented his frustration about the Bengals' disappointing season earlier this week - was picked off twice as he completed 25 of 39 passes for 225 yards.
Philadelphia Eagles 31-0 Las Vegas Raiders
Jalen Hurts rebounded from his worst NFL game to throw three touchdown passes, Saquon Barkley had a two-yard touchdown run and Philadelphia Eagles snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over Las Vegas Raiders.
The Eagles (9-5) were able to get their maligned offense under embattled coordinator Kevin Patullo right against the woeful Raiders and finally showed signs of life with a nice mix of play calling in bitter cold temperatures and topped 21 points for the first time in six games.
Hurts had his moments - that included a shovel pass for a score to Dallas Goedert on a day that started with the field blanketed in several inches of snow. Hurts also hit DeVonta Smith on a 44-yard reception on a drive that stalled in the second quarter and settled for a field goal by Jake Elliott and a 10-0 lead. He pitched a four-yard TD pass to Goedert in the third for a 24-0 lead.
Jacksonville Jaguars 48-20 New York Jets
Trevor Lawrence accounted for six touchdowns, including a career-high five passing, as the Jacksonville Jaguars overwhelmed the New York Jets from start to finish.
Lawrence completed 20 of 32 passes for 330 yards and didn't have a turnover for the third consecutive game. His passer rating of 136.7 was the best of his five-year NFL career. He also ran for 51 yards and a score, a 15-yard scramble in the first quarter that helped set the tone.
Jacksonville (10-4) scored touchdowns on its first three possessions for the first time since 1998 and topped 40 points through three quarters for the first time since 2005. It was a drama-free day for the home team, which reached double-digit victories for just the second time in the last 18 seasons.
Chicago Bears 31-3 Cleveland Browns
Caleb Williams threw two touchdown passes as the Chicago Bears beat Cleveland in one of the coldest games ever at Soldier Field even though the Browns' Myles Garrett moved within a sack of the NFL's single-season record.
The Bears (10-4) heated up early on a day when the gametime temperature was -13C, scoring two first-quarter touchdowns and breaking the game open with two more in the third.
Garrett had 1.5 sacks, giving him 21.5 on the season and leaving him one shy of the record shared by New York Giants Hall of Famer Michael Strahan (2001) and Pittsburgh's TJ Watt (2021). He got to Williams in the second quarter on a third down at the Cleveland eight, and he and Shelby Harris took down the quarterback early in the fourth.
A four-time All-Pro, Garrett has at least one sack in eight straight games and has 17.5 in that span.
Houston Texans 40-20 Arizona Cardinals
CJ Stroud threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns as the Houston Texans jumped out to a big early lead and cruised to victory over the slumping Arizona Cardinals.
The Texans (9-5) have won six straight games for the first time since a nine-game winning streak in 2018 to improve their playoff hopes. It's the sixth straight loss for the Cardinals (3-11), whose last win came on November 3 against the Cowboys.
Houston got going immediately with its fastest score of the season when Stroud connected with Nico Collins on a 57-yard touchdown strike on the second play of the game. Collins took the short throw, escaped two diving defenders at around the 40 and ran untouched into the end zone for the score.
Woody Marks made it 17-0 when he scored on a one-yard run on a direct snap later in the first quarter.
New York Giants 21-29 Washington Commanders
Jacory Croskey-Merritt ran for a touchdown, fellow rookie Jaylin Lane returned a punt 63 yards to the end zone and the Washington Commanders ended their season-derailing skid at eight games by beating the similarly woeful New York Giants.
The only NFL game this week with no playoff implications has a far bigger bearing on draft positioning. The Giants (2-12) lost their eighth in a row, moving a step closer to the top pick, a last-place finish in the NFC East and potentially front-office changes, with a coaching search already coming.
With Jayden Daniels out, it was Marcus Mariota who quarterbacked the Commanders to their first victory since October 5.
Mariota connected with top receiver Terry McLaurin on a 51-yard catch-and-run TD early in the fourth quarter. That was one of only 10 passes Mariota completed on 19 attempts for 211 yards, with a fumble.
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