NFL scores: New England Patriots win first division title since Tom Brady as Philadelphia Eagles hold on to beat Buffalo Bills
The NFL playoff race heads to the final day of the regular season as the Pittsburgh Steelers battle the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC North while the NFC South title remains up for grabs between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers
Monday 29 December 2025 07:24, UK
The Philadelphia Eagles held off a dramatic late fightback from the Buffalo Bills, while the Pittsburgh Steelers were beaten by the Cleveland Browns to send the NFL playoff race to the final day of the season on Sunday.
Philadelphia Eagles 13-12 Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen sailed a two-point conversion attempt wide of open receiver Khalil Shakir in the back of the end zone with five seconds remaining as the Eagles hung on for a 13-12 win over the Bills on Sunday.
Dallas Goedert caught a one-yard touchdown pass, Jake Elliott hit field goals of 28 and 47 yards, and the Super Bowl champion Eagles barely avoided squandering a 13-0 fourth-quarter lead. Linebacker Jalyx Hunt had two of Philadelphia's four sacks and a team-leading three quarterback hits.
Defensive tackle Jalen Carter made a major contribution in his return after missing three games with injuries to both shoulders. Carter got his hand up to block Michael Badgley's extra-point attempt after Allen's two-yard touchdown run with 5:11 left.
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Allen scored on a tush push on fourth-and-goal to pull the Bills within one point with five seconds left. The Bills thought they had a touchdown one play earlier, but Dawson Knox was ruled short of the goal line after a replay review.
Rather than playing for overtime, coach Sean McDermott opted to go for two. Allen dropped back in the pocket and had a defender in his face when he released a pass that flew about a foot wide of Shakir, venting his frustration on his way back to the sideline.
The NFC East champion Eagles (11-5) are assured of at least the conference's third seed entering the playoffs. Buffalo (11-5), which clinched a playoff berth last week, dropped to the No 7 seed in the AFC as New England wrapped up the AFC East.
New England Patriots 42-10 New York Jets
Drake Maye threw a career-high five touchdown passes before getting the rest of the game off in the third quarter while New England found the end zone on their first six drives as the Patriots finished the regular season undefeated on the road by dominating the New York Jets 42-10.
Rhamondre Stevenson had a touchdown run and catch for the Patriots (13-3), who officially became AFC East champions for the first time since 2019 thanks to Buffalo's defeat to Philadelphia.
Maye was 19 of 21 for 256 yards and a 157.0 quarterback rating with touchdown tosses to Stevenson, Stefon Diggs, Austin Hooper, Hunter Henry and Efton Chism III before being lifted by coach Mike Vrabel for Joshua Dobbs with 5:31 left in the third quarter.
Maye joined Tom Brady (11 times) and Drew Bledsoe (twice) as the only New England quarterbacks to reach 4,000 yards passing in a season.
Pittsburgh Steelers 6-13 Cleveland Browns
Shedeur Sanders threw for 186 yards and a touchdown, Cleveland's defense kept Pittsburgh out of the end zone and the Browns held on for a 13-6 victory, preventing the Steelers from clinching the AFC North.
Pittsburgh (9-7) came into the weekend needing either a win or loss by Baltimore for its first division title since 2020.
Instead, the Steelers will host the Ravens to close the regular season the winner getting the division and the AFC's fourth seed in the playoffs.
The Browns (4-12) snapped a four-game losing streak, along with a seven-game skid in division games. It is the first time since December 10, 2009, that the Browns defeated the Steelers and held them without a touchdown.
Rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. scored a touchdown for the third time in four games and Andre Szmyt had two field goals, including one from 33 yards that put the Browns up 13-6 with 1:40 remaining.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17-20 Miami Dolphins
Rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers threw for 172 yards and two touchdowns, including a 63-yard toss for his first career score, as the Miami Dolphins beat the slumping Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-17.
The Bucs (7-9) remained one game behind the Carolina Panthers (8-8) in the NFC South after the Panthers' 27-10 loss to Seattle on Sunday. The Buccaneers would still clinch their fifth consecutive division title and sixth straight playoff berth by beating Carolina in next week's regular-season finale.
But Tampa Bay has lost four straight games, seven of its last eight and has barely looked like a playoff team during that stretch. The Buccaneers' last four losses have all been by one possession.
Ewers completed 14 of 22 passes in his second career start for the Dolphins (7-9). Rookie receiver Theo Wease Jr. took Ewers' first TD pass 63 yards into the end zone, and tight end Greg Dulcich caught an 11-yard scoring pass.
Jacksonville Jaguars 23-17 Indianapolis Colts
Trevor Lawrence ran for two scores, Cam Little kicked a tiebreaking 42-yard field goal with 6:58 left and the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Indianapolis Colts 23-17, moving within one victory of their first AFC South title since 2022.
The Jags (12-4) won their seventh straight game one day after two-time defending division champ Houston beat the Los Angeles Chargers to remain in contention for the title. The Texans' victory also eliminated the Colts from playoff contention.
Jacksonville's Liam Coen became the first coach in NFL history to take over a four-win team and win 12 games the next season.
Lawrence went 23 of 37 for 263 yards, though his streak of consecutive games with at least 225 yards passing, two touchdowns and a passer rating over 100 ended at four. He did not have a touchdown pass and he threw his first interception in five weeks.
Seattle Seahawks 27-10 Carolina Panthers
Zach Charbonnet ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns as the Seattle Seahawks turned two third-quarter Carolina turnovers into end zone visits to beat the Panthers 27-10 and close in on the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
Sam Darnold threw an interception in the end zone but finished 18 of 27 for 147 yards with a touchdown for the Seahawks, who can wrap up the NFC West title and the top seed if the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams both lose or tie.
Jaxson Smith-Njigba added nine catches for 72 yards as Seattle (13-3) won its sixth straight.
The Panthers (8-8) had a chance to win the NFC South because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost 20-17 at Miami on Sunday. Now the Panthers will likely need to win at Tampa Bay next weekend to win their first division title since 2015 and snap a seven-year playoff drought. Carolina could still claim the division with a loss to the Bucs if the Atlanta Falcons (6-9) win their final two games.
Arizona Cardinals 14-37 Cincinnati Bengals
Ja'Marr Chase caught two touchdown passes from Joe Burrow, who threw for 305 yards as the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Arizona Cardinals 37-14.
Chase finished with seven catches for 60 yards and became the first player in NFL history with at least 80 receptions, 1,000 receiving yards and seven TD catches in each of his first five seasons.
Burrow passed for 300 yards or more for the 28th time, tying Andy Dalton for the most in franchise history. Chase Brown ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns as the Bengals (6-10) improved to 3-2 since Burrow returned from left toe surgery.
Arizona's Trey McBride had 10 catches, giving him 119 this season to break the NFL single-season record for a tight end, topping Zach Ertz's 116 in 2018. He also broke DeAndre Hopkins' Cardinals record of 115 catches, set in 2020.
New York Giants 34-10 Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders moved into position to snag the top pick in next year's draft after losing 34-10 to Jaxson Dart and the New York Giants in a matchup of teams with the NFL's two worst records.
Las Vegas (2-14) will secure the top pick with a loss next week to Kansas City. The Raiders' skid reached 10 games, which matches last season's streak for fifth-longest in franchise history.
The Giants (3-13), who snapped a nine-game losing streak, could still wind up with the top pick if they lose to Dallas next weekend and the Raiders beat the Chiefs. Interim coach Mike Kafka got his first win after losing his first five, and the Giants had their largest margin of victory since defeating Indianapolis 38-10 in Week 17 of the 2022 season.
Dart, taken by the Giants with the No. 25 pick in the 2025 draft, showed his dual-threat ability by passing for 207 yards and rushing for 48 yards and two touchdowns.
New Orleans Saints 34-26 Tennessee Titans
Tyler Shough threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Austin Jr. with 6:22 left to put New Orleans Saints for good as they rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat the Tennessee Titans 34-26.
Shough improved to 5-3 as a starter, helping the Saints (6-10) win their fourth straight. He outplayed Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, in this NFL's third game between starting rookie quarterbacks this season. Shough was 22 of 27 for a career-best 333 yards and two touchdowns with a 142.7 passer rating.
Audric Estime added a 32-yard touchdown run with 3:44 left as New Orleans dominated the second half. The Saints both outscored the Titans 24-6 and outgained them 331-152 after halftime.
