Josh Allen's 4 TDs and Christian Benford's pick-6 lead Bills in 39-34 comeback win over Bengals

Benford’s interception — the cornerback leaped to snag Burrow’s lob intended for Ja’Marr Chase — gave Buffalo its first lead with 5:25 remaining.

The Bills then went up 39-28 after Epenesa’s interception, which he caught after Burrow’s pass was tipped by defensive tackle Jordan Phillips. On fourth-and-goal from the 3, Allen found tight end Jackson Hawes for a touchdown.

The Bills (9-4) have won two straight for the first time in a month, and they kept pace in a tightly packed AFC race.

The Bengals (4-9) saw their already shaky playoff prospects dim even further. Their only realistic shot entering the weekend was winning the AFC North, but they fell three games behind Pittsburgh.

Burrow’s boost to the Bengals lasted only one week after he oversaw Cincinnati’s 32-14 win over Baltimore in the starter’s first game after missing nine with a toe injury.

The interceptions were Burrow’s first in four starts this season. He finished 25 of 36 for 284 yards and four touchdowns while losing for the first time in nine starts dating to last season.

PACKERS 28, BEARS 21

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Keisean Nixon intercepted Caleb Williams’ pass in the end zone with 22 seconds remaining to preserve Green Bay’s victory over Chicago that moved the Packers into first place in the NFC North.

The Bears were facing fourth-and-1 from Green Bay’s 14-yard line when Williams faked a handoff and rolled to his left. Tight end Cole Kmet had gotten behind Nixon in the end zone, but Nixon made a leaping catch of the underthrown pass.

Josh Jacobs scored the tiebreaking touchdown on a 2-yard run with 3:32 remaining as the Packers (9-3-1) won their fourth straight and snapped a five-game winning streak by the Bears (9-4).

Packers coach Matt LaFleur improved his record against the Bears to 12-1, the lone loss coming in the final week of the 2024 regular season. It came in his first head-to-head matchup with rookie Bears coach Ben Johnson.

SAINTS 24, BUCCANEERS 20

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough ran for two touchdowns and New Orleans upset Tampa Bay to tighten the NFC South race.

The lowly Saints (3-10), who were 8 1/2-point underdogs, frustrated Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers (7-6) in a sloppy game mostly played through a driving storm.

The four-time defending division champion Bucs lost for the fourth time in five games and fell into a first-place tie with Carolina. The Bucs and Panthers face off twice in the final three games.

After Chris Godwin Jr. couldn’t hold onto Mayfield’s pass on fourth-and-2 from the Saints 47, New Orleans drove for the go-ahead score.

Shough spun away from Logan Hall and Vita Vea in the backfield and scrambled 13 yards for a touchdown and a 24-17 lead near the midpoint of the fourth quarter.

The Buccaneers had a chance to tie it but Emeka Egbuka dropped Mayfield’s pass in the end zone, and they settled for a 37-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin that cut the deficit to 24-20 with under five minutes remaining.

The Bucs had another chance in the final two minutes but Mayfield ran out of his early-season magic.

First, Deion Jones dropped a potential interception that would’ve set Tampa Bay up near its own 40. Instead, the Bucs got the ball after a punt at their 20 with 1:48 remaining and no timeouts.

STEELERS 27, RAVENS 22

BALTIMORE (AP) — Aaron Rodgers threw for 284 yards and a touchdown and even ran for TD in perhaps his best game with the Steelers, and Pittsburgh took sole possession of first place in the AFC North, holding on for a win over the Ravens when a Baltimore touchdown with 2:43 remaining was overturned by a replay review.

Isaiah Likely secured a pass from Lamar Jackson with two hands in the end zone, and both his feet came down, but as he was about to complete another step with his right foot, Joey Porter Jr. of the Steelers knocked the ball free. It was initially called a touchdown but then changed to incomplete. The Ravens eventually turned the ball over on downs.

Baltimore (6-7) held defensively and then reached the Pittsburgh 30-yard line, but Jackson took a sack when the Ravens had no timeouts left, and the clock expired.

Rodgers didn’t complete a pass longer than 31 yards in the whole month of November, but he had four of at least that distance Sunday, plus two more for more than 20. The first offensive play for Pittsburgh (7-6) was a 52-yard throw to DK Metcalf, which set up a 1-yard run by Rodgers that put the Steelers up 7-3.

That was the 42-yard quarterback’s first rushing touchdown since the 2022 season.

TITANS 31, BROWNS 29

CLEVELAND (AP) — Tony Pollard rushed for a career-high 161 yards and two touchdowns, Cam Ward passed for two scores and Tennessee held off Cleveland to snap a seven-game skid.

Cleveland’s Shedeur Sanders passed for 364 yards and three touchdowns in his third start, and he also ran for a score in a matchup of rookie quarterbacks. However, Sanders threw a costly interception in the third quarter that led to Tennessee’s go-ahead TD.

Sanders’ father, Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, was in attendance. Coach Prime was at his son’s first NFL start on Nov. 23 at Las Vegas, but missed last week’s home game against San Francisco.

The Titans (2-11) had a 31-17 lead with 6:17 remaining before the Browns scored a pair of touchdowns. Sanders had a 7-yard scramble with 4:27 left and threw a 7-yard TD pass to Harold Fannin Jr. with 1:03 remaining, but the Browns (3-10) missed both of their 2-point conversion attempts.

Cleveland attempted an onside kick, but it was recovered by Tennessee’s Chimere Dike and the Titans ran out the clock.

Ward, the top overall pick in April’s NFL draft, completed 14 of 28 passes for 117 yards and had his first game with at least two touchdowns. The victory was interim coach Mike McCoy’s first in seven games since he replaced the fired Brian Callahan.

SEAHAWKS 37, FALCONS 9

Atlanta (AP) — Rashid Shaheed returned the second-half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, Seattle’s defense came up with three turnovers and the Seahawks won for the seventh time in eight games, beating hapless Atlanta.

Sam Darnold threw for 249 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair of scores to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and another to Cooper Kupp. The Seahawks (10-3) broke away from a 6-6 tie at halftime with a 31-point beatdown of the Falcons over the final two quarters.

With their seventh loss in eight games, the Falcons (4-9) sealed an eighth straight losing campaign — matching the worst stretch in franchise history — and were officially eliminated from playoff contention with a month still to go in the regular season.

Atlanta hasn’t made the postseason since 2017, a year after its infamous Super Bowl meltdown to Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Seattle is a team with soaring expectations, coming into the day as one of three NFC West teams with nine wins and its sights on a division title, maybe even a top seed in January.

Shaheed sparked the second-half outburst on the very first play after the break, marking the second week in a row that Atlanta has given up a huge kickoff return.

Shaheed took the kick at his own goal line, found a seam and was barely touched on his way to the other end of the field for the longest touchdown of the NFL season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. It also was the longest return for the Seahawks since Tyler Lockett had a 105-yarder against Chicago in 2015.

BRONCOS 24, RAIDERS 17

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Bo Nix passed for 212 yards and rushed for a touchdown, and the Denver Broncos didn’t fall behind for the first time this season as they defeated Las Vegas Raiders.

The Raiders lost quarterback Geno Smith, who injured his right hand and shoulder in the third quarter and was replaced by Kenny Pickett.

The Broncos (11-2) appear to be on the verge of ending Kansas City’s nine-year reign in the AFC West, and they tied idle New England for the top seed in the conference. Denver owns the tiebreaker because of its 6-0 record against common opponents; the Patriots lost to the Raiders.

JAGUARS 36, COLTS 19

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Trevor Lawrence threw two touchdown passes, Travis Etienne ran for two scores and Jacksonville moved atop the AFC South with a victory against rivals Indianapolis.

The Jaguars (9-4) won their fourth consecutive game and extended the Colts’ misery in Jacksonville. Indianapolis (8-5) most recently won at EverBank Stadium in 2014, an 11-game skid that includes a matchup in London.

This latest one could have a lasting impact.

Colts quarterback Daniel Jones injured his right Achilles tendon in the second quarter and could be out for the season. The injury often includes a nine-month rehab, meaning Jones could be one-and-done in Indy and the Colts could be looking for a starting quarterback in March.

Jones dropped to the ground after throwing incomplete and immediately grabbed the back of his right leg. He slammed his helmet to the ground several times before team trainers arrived. He eventually limped off the field and into the locker room for tests. The Colts quickly ruled him out.

Jacksonville led 14-7 at that point, and the Colts never threatened with backup Riley Leonard in the game. The only other quarterback on Indy’s roster is Brett Rypien, who is on the practice squad.

Indy lost its third in a row and fourth in five games, a late-season slump that allowed Jacksonville and potentially Houston to move ahead in the division. Now, with Jones hurt and a daunting schedule down the stretch, it’s fair to wonder whether the Colts win again.

DOLPHINS 34, JETS 10

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa remained unbeaten against the New York Jets and put his cold weather woes on ice, and Miami had three rushing touchdowns to run away with a victory.

With Miami’s fourth straight win, Tagovailoa improved to 7-0 against the Jets as a starter and 8-0 overall in games in which he has played against the AFC East rivals. And with the temperature 41 degrees at kickoff, Tagovailoa moved to 1-7 in his career when the temperature is 46 or colder.

De’Von Achane ran for 92 yards and a touchdown before leaving in the second quarter with a rib injury. Jaylen Wright filled in and had a career-high 107 yards and a score. Rookie Ollie Gordon II also ran for a TD for Miami (6-7), which ran for 239 yards and has won five of its last six after starting the season 1-6.

Tagovailoa was 13 of 21 for 127 yards with a touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle before sitting for the final minutes with the game well in hand. Zach Wilson, New York’s No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft, finished up for Miami.

Zach Sieler had 2 1/2 of the Dolphins’ six sacks of the Jets (3-10), who were officially eliminated from playoff contention with the loss. It’s the 15th straight year — the NFL’s longest active drought — without a postseason appearance for New York.

RAMS 45, CARDINALS 17

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Matthew Stafford threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns, Puka Nacua and Blake Corum both scored twice and Los Angeles rolled past Arizona to stay tied for the NFC West lead.

The Rams (10-3) scored 35 unanswered points to bounce back from last week’s turnover-filled loss to the Panthers and win for the seventh time in eight games. They are tied with the Seahawks atop the division, one game ahead of the 49ers.

The reeling Cardinals (3-10) have lost five straight and 10 of their past 11 after starting the season at 2-0.

Los Angeles fell into an early 7-0 hole but rallied for a 24-10 lead by halftime, scoring just before the break on a beautiful 28-yard throw over the middle from Stafford to Nacua, who had six catches for 136 yards in the first half. The Rams also scored touchdowns on a pair of 2-yard runs — one each by Kyren Williams and Corum.

VIKINGS 31, COMMANDERS 0

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — J.J. McCarthy threw a career-high three touchdown passes in his first turnover-free game, returning from his latest injury absence in prime form for the Minnesota in a victory that sent Washington to its eighth straight loss.

McCarthy went 16 for 23 for 163 yards in his seventh NFL start, after sitting out last week in Seattle with a concussion while the Vikings were shut out for the first time in 18 years and dropped their fourth consecutive game with the offense in disrepair.

McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie season after knee surgery and five games earlier this season with a sprained ankle, targeted his tight ends for all three scores — the first two to Josh Oliver and the last one to T.J. Hockenson.

As smooth as the afternoon went for the Vikings (5-8), the return of the starting quarterback for the Commanders (3-10) produced nothing positive — only pain.

Jayden Daniels, the 2024 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award winner, was forced out midway through the third quarter when he was blocked during an interception return and landed hard on the left elbow he dislocated last month to require a three-game absence. Daniels missed three games to injury earlier this season, too.

Marcus Mariota, who is 1-5 as the starter this season, threw an interception and lost a fumble as the Vikings finally enjoyed a stellar performance from every position group after stumbling badly through November to fall out of realistic contention for the playoffs.

TEXANS 20, CHIEFS 10

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — C.J Stroud threw for 203 yards and a touchdown, the Texans leaned on the NFL’s top-ranked defense to shut down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, and Houston came away from Arrowhead Stadium with a victory.

Nico Collins contributed four catches for 121 yards, and Dare Ogunbowale added a go-ahead touchdown run in the fourth quarter as the Texans (8-5) won their fifth straight overall and remained a game back of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South.

Mahomes, operating behind an ailing offensive line, was just 14 of 33 for 160 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions, the last of them late in the fourth quarter when Kansas City was trailing by a touchdown and trying to get the game to overtime.

While the win gave a big boost to Houston’s playoff chances, whether it be a division title or wild-card spot, it dealt a crippling blow to the defending AFC champs. Kansas City dropped to 6-7, its worst record through 13 games since a 2-11 start to the 2012 season.