St. Louis Rams tight end Jared Cook (89) carries the ball into the end zone for a touchdown under pressure from Washington Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland (26) and strong safety Phillip Thomas (41) during the first half of an NFL football game in Landover, Md., Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014.Patrick Semansky/The Associated Press
Colts 25, Browns 24
Cleveland Andrew Luck threw a one-yard touchdown pass to T.Y. Hilton with 32 seconds left, rallying Indianapolis to a 25-24 win on Sunday over the Browns. Cleveland contained the Colts quarterback until the final minute, but couldn't finish him off. Before Luck connected with Hilton, Colts running back Daniel Herron picked up two yards on fourth down to keep the drive alive. Luck, who threw two interceptions and spent the day being harassed by an energized Browns defence, then fired his second TD pass to Hilton. The Colts (9-4) trailed 21-7 in the third quarter, but stormed back behind Luck.
Steelers 42, Bengals 21
Cincinnati Ben Roethlisberger threw three touchdown passes, including a 94-yarder to rookie Martavis Bryant in the fourth quarter that was the longest play from scrimmage this season. The win turned the AFC North into a wide-open race. In a game they had to win, the Steelers (8-5) caught up and ran away with 25 points in the fourth quarter.
Texans 27, Jaguars 13
Jacksonville, Fla. Arian Foster ran for 127 yards and a touchdown, and the Texans won consecutive games for the first time since Week 2. Foster's one-yard run on the second play of the fourth quarter gave Houston (7-6) a comfortable cushion in what had been a back-and-forth game.
Rams 24, Redskins 0
Landover, Md. The Rams have back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 1945, giving them their first winning streak of the season. Jared Cook caught two touchdown passes, Tavon Austin returned a punt 78 yards for a score, and the defence allowed 206 total yards. The Rams (5-7) sacked Colt McCoy six times.
Cardinals 17, Chiefs 14
Glendale, Ariz. Kerwynn Williams rushed for 100 yards two days after being elevated from the Arizona practice squad and the Cardinals rallied to beat Kansas City in a matchup of teams that had lost two in a row. The NFC West-leading Cardinals (10-3) took the lead when Drew Stanton threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jaron Brown in the third quarter. Jamaal Charles scored two first-half touchdowns on a 63-yard run and 18-yard pass from Alex Smith, but the Chiefs (7-6) were shut out in the second half.
Ravens 28, Dolphins 13
Miami Gardens, Fla. The Baltimore Ravens played more than 17 minutes before picking up a first down, then overcame a 10-point disadvantage to win. The Ravens rallied with consecutive touchdown drives of 97 and 75 yards, and added the clinching score after a favourable replay reversal. The victory gave Baltimore (8-5) a significant edge over Miami (7-6) in the AFC's scramble for a wild-card playoff berth.
Panthers 41, Saints 10
New Orleans Cam Newton passed for three touchdowns, appeared to incite a scuffle with frustrated New Orleans players after he went over the pile for another score, and the Panthers ended a six-game skid. Jonathan Stewart added a 69-yard touchdown as the Panthers (4-8-1) pulled closer to NFC South leader Atlanta (5-7), which plays at Green Bay on Monday night.
Lions 34, Buccaneers 17
Detroit Matthew Stafford threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns – including one off a fluky deflection late in the game. The Lions (9-4) trail first-place Green Bay by a half-game in the NFC North, with the Packers hosting Atlanta on Monday night. Calvin Johnson had eight catches for 158 yards and a touchdown for Detroit, which snapped a nine-game losing streak in December.
Vikings 30, Jets 24, OT
Minneapolis Jarius Wright's 87-yard touchdown reception from Teddy Bridgewater in overtime gave the Vikings the win. After forcing the Jets to punt to start the extra period, the Vikings faced third-and-five. Bridgewater was blitzed and threw high on a bubble screen to his right. Wright jumped, made an off-balance grab, slipped by Jaiquawn Jarrett and outran defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson the rest of the way. Bridgewater finished 19 for 27 for 309 yards and two touchdowns.
Giants 36, Titans 7
Nashville Eli Manning threw for 260 yards and a touchdown, and the Giants snapped a seven-game skid.
The Giants (4-9) won for the first time since Oct. 5 with two rookies having big games. Odell Beckham Jr. set a team rookie record with his fourth game with 100 yards receiving this season: 11 catches for 130 yards and a TD. Andre Williams ran for a season-high 131 yards, including a 50-yard TD. Tennessee (2-11) lost its seventh straight and for the 11th time in 12 games.
Raiders 24, 49ers 13
Oakland Derek Carr threw three touchdown passes and the Oakland Raiders put a major dent into San Francisco's dwindling playoff hopes with a victory over the 49ers in the Battle of the Bay. Carr completed 22 of 28 passes for 254 yards and completely outplayed counterpart Colin Kaepernick as the Raiders (2-11) won their second straight home game.
With a second straight loss, the 49ers (7-6) are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in coach Jim Harbaugh's four-year tenure.