The Kansas City Chiefs were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday, marking their first absence since 2014. A 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead, combined with wins by Buffalo, Houston and Jacksonville, ended the Chiefs’ run of 10 straight postseason appearances and nine consecutive AFC West titles. Kansas City had appeared in five of the previous six Super Bowls, but managed just 239 total yards in this defeat.
The game took a disastrous turn late in the fourth quarter when Patrick Mahomes went down after a hit from Chargers defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand. Mahomes grabbed his left knee, left for the injury tent and was taken to the locker room; head coach Andy Reid said an MRI was forthcoming and that it “didn’t look good.” The NFL Network later reported Mahomes suffered a torn ACL, ending his season. Mahomes finished with 189 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Justin Herbert, playing through a broken left hand, completed 210 yards and a touchdown as the Chargers (10-4) completed a rare regular-season sweep of Kansas City. With 20 seconds remaining, Gardner Minshew’s pass intended for Travis Kelce was intercepted by Derwin James to seal the Chargers’ win.
Buffalo Bills 35, New England Patriots 31
Josh Allen led a dramatic comeback, throwing three touchdown passes while James Cook ran for two scores and added a receiving touchdown as Buffalo rallied from a 21-0 deficit. Allen was 19-for-28 for 193 yards; Cook carried 22 times for 107 yards. The Bills (10-4) avoided a season sweep by a division rival for the first time since 2019 and reached 10 wins for the seventh straight year. New England (11-3) saw its 10-game winning streak snapped. Patriots QB Drake Maye had two rushing touchdowns, and rookie TreVeyon Henderson broke off runs of 52 and 65 yards en route to 148 yards on 14 carries. Trailing 35-31 with 2:43 to play, the Patriots faced fourth-and-5 at their own 22; Maye’s pass was batted down by Joey Bosa.
Green Bay Packers 26, Denver Broncos 34
Bo Nix matched a career high with four touchdown passes as Denver’s defense tightened in the second half to secure a 34-26 victory. The Broncos (12-2) recorded their 11th straight win, clinched a playoff spot and moved a game ahead of New England for the AFC’s top seed. Denver’s Pat Surtain II and Riley Moss each intercepted passes; the Broncos sacked Jordan Love three times and held Green Bay to a single touchdown on four red-zone trips.
Cincinnati Bengals 0, Baltimore Ravens 24
Lamar Jackson threw two touchdown passes and Baltimore turned a Joe Burrow interception into a 95-yard pick-six in a 24-0 shutout of Cincinnati — the first time Burrow has been blanked in his six-year career. Derrick Henry rushed for 100 yards on 11 carries. The Ravens (7-7) notched their fourth straight road win and moved within a half-game of Pittsburgh in the AFC North. Burrow finished 25-of-39 for 225 yards with two interceptions; the Bengals were eliminated from playoff contention.
Jacksonville Jaguars 48, New York Jets 20
Trevor Lawrence accounted for six touchdowns, including a career-high five passing scores, in Jacksonville’s 48-20 rout of the Jets. Lawrence completed 20 of 32 passes for 330 yards, added 51 rushing yards and a score, and protected the ball for the third straight game. The Jaguars (10-4) scored on their first three drives and reached double-digit wins for only the second time in 18 seasons.
Indianapolis Colts 16, Seattle Seahawks 18
Jason Myers booted a franchise-record six field goals, including a 56-yarder with 29 seconds left, to lift Seattle to an 18-16 win. Philip Rivers, 44, came out of retirement to start for Indianapolis and threw a touchdown; Blake Grupe briefly gave the Colts the lead with a 60-yard field goal late. Sam Darnold engineered Seattle’s final drive to set up Myers’ game-winner. The Seahawks improved to 11-3.
Detroit Lions 34, Los Angeles Rams 41
Matthew Stafford threw for 368 yards and connected twice with Colby Parkinson as the Rams rallied for a 41-34 victory over the Lions. Kyren Williams had two rushing touchdowns for Los Angeles, who clinched a playoff berth with the win. Amon-Ra St. Brown finished with 163 yards and two scores for Detroit.
Philadelphia Eagles 31, Las Vegas Raiders 0
Jalen Hurts tossed three touchdown passes and Saquon Barkley added a short rushing score as Philadelphia snapped a three-game slide with a 31-0 shutout of Las Vegas. The Eagles (9-5) topped 21 points for the first time in six games; Hurts also completed a 44-yard pass to DeVonta Smith on a pivotal drive.
Tennessee Titans 24, San Francisco 49ers 37
Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes as San Francisco scored on its first five possessions in a 37-24 win over Tennessee. The 49ers (10-4) received touchdown catches from Jauan Jennings and George Kittle and a rushing score from Christian McCaffrey, converting seven of their first seven third-down attempts.
Chicago Bears 31, Cleveland Browns 3
Caleb Williams threw two touchdown passes and the Bears defeated the Browns 31-3 in cold conditions at Soldier Field. Chicago (10-4) built an early lead and extended it in the third quarter. Cleveland’s Myles Garrett added 1.5 sacks to reach 21.5 on the season, one sack shy of the single-season record.
Houston Texans 40, Arizona Cardinals 20
C.J. Stroud completed 260 yards and three TDs as Houston rolled to a 40-20 victory over Arizona. The Texans (9-5) have won six straight and improved their playoff positioning. Nico Collins opened the scoring with a 57-yard touchdown catch on the second play from scrimmage.
New York Giants 21, Washington Commanders 29
Jacory Croskey-Merritt ran for a touchdown and rookie Jaylin Lane returned a punt 63 yards for a score as Washington snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 29-21 win. With Jayden Daniels sidelined, Marcus Mariota started and connected with Terry McLaurin on a 51-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Giants (2-12) lost their eighth straight.
Sunday’s results reshaped the playoff picture: Kansas City’s loss and Mahomes’ season-ending knee injury dominated headlines, while Buffalo, Denver, Jacksonville and Seattle all moved nearer to postseason seeding. Several other teams made significant strides or suffered setbacks, leaving the race for playoff spots wide open heading into the final stretch of the regular season.