📰 Table Of Contents
Eagles @ Commanders
The Washington Commanders were able to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 36-33 thanks to a touchdown pass with six seconds left in the game, preventing Philly from winning the NFC East. Washington pulled off the last-second win despite turning the ball over five times.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who left the game in the first quarter with a concussion, was replaced by former first-round pick Kenny Pickett, who finished the game with 143 passing yards and a four-yard touchdown to wide receiver A.J. Brown for his first TD pass since November 2nd, 2023.
Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels had a signature game, throwing for 257 yards and five touchdowns.
Commanders wideout Terry McLaurin went over the 1,000-yard receiving mark for a fifth consecutive season, setting a franchise record. He also caught a 32-yard touchdown pass to bring Philly’s lead to 21-14 at the half.
Wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus scored his first touchdown as a Commander early in the final frame to make it 27-21. On the next Washington drive, Zaccheaus caught another touchdown – this one 49 yards – to give the Commanders their first lead of the game.
Philly would answer back with a pair of field goals to take a 33-28 lead, but Washington got the ball back, scored a touchdown, and added on a two-point conversion in 1:52 seconds to secure the team’s first ten-win season since 2012, which was the rookie year of Robert Griffin III.
JAMISONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
📺 #PHIvsWAS FOX pic.twitter.com/k718liTMwK
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 22, 2024
Giants @ Falcons
Falcons rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. won his first career start to keep Atlanta’s playoff hopes intact as the Dirty Birds beat the Giants 34-7. The eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft finished the day with 202 passing yards and six rushing yards.
Giants QB Drew Lock extended his interception streak to three games. He threw two pick-sixes in this matchup with the second interception giving Atlanta a 24-7 lead early in the third quarter.
Falcons running back Bijan Robinson tallied 94 rushing yards and two touchdowns, the second of which gave Atlanta a 31-7 lead in the third quarter.
Atlanta would kick another field goal and win the game 34-7, putting them half a game ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for first place in the NFC South.
Browns @ Bengals
Cincinnati continued its playoff push with a 24-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns.
Joe Burrow looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, completing 23 of 30 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns. Burrow leads the NFL with 38 passing TD this season.
Cincy kicker Cade York hit a career-long 59-yard field goal attempt to put the Bengals ahead 17-0 at halftime.
Cincinnati’s defense also did its part in the win, holding the Browns scoreless until the 5:50 mark in the third quarter when running back Jerome Ford scored his third rushing touchdown of the 2024-25 campaign to make it 17-6 after a missed extra point.
Bengals Wideout Ja’Marr Chase scored his league-leading 16th receiving touchdown of the season to put the game away 24-6.
If the Denver Broncos lose out, and the Dolphins and Colts lose at least one more regular-season game, then Cincinnati will make the playoffs if they win out.
Titans @ Colts
Indianapolis kept its postseason aspirations alive by scoring a season-high 38 points in their win over the Tennesee Titans.
The Colts’ rushing attack was the difference in this game. Indianapolis finished the day with 335 rushing yards, including 184 yards on the ground in the first half. Jonathan Taylor contributed 218 rushing yards and three touchdowns to that team effort. His second TD was a 70-yarder to put Indianapolis ahead 31-7 with most of the third quarter left.
The Tennessee Titans stormed back with 23 unanswered points to bring the score to 38-30 with 2:56 left in the game.
The Titans got the ball back with three seconds left to tie the game, but Mason Rudolph threw his third interception of the game, sealing the win for Indianapolis.
Though Indianapolis staved off elimination for another week, they’ll still need to win their final two games and get some additional help from the Chargers’ and Broncos’ opponents in order to reach the playoffs.
Lions @ Bears
Detroit moved a step closer to locking up the number one seed in the NFC with a 34-17 win over Chicago.
The Lions went up 20-0 early after forcing two fumbles on the Bears’ first three drives. Those turnovers led to a rushing touchdown by running back Jahmyr Gibbs – his 15th TD of the season – and an 82-yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Jameson Williams, the longest reception of his three-year career and his sixth TD of the season.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams had a good game, going 26 of 40 for 334 passing yards and two touchdowns. His second TD pass – a 45-yarder to wide receiver Keenan Allen – cut the lead to 27-14 at the break.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff had his fifth game with at least 300 yards passing and tacked on another three passing touchdowns. His third TD put Detroit on top 34-14. Goff has 11 touchdown passes and just one interception over his last three games.
The Lions are still neck-and-neck with the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles for first place in the NFC, so they’ll be closely watching the Vikes’ road game against the Seahawks in the late afternoon.
.@JaredGoff16 delivering the deep dish 🎯 @bigsgjamo#DETvsCHI | 📺 FOX#ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/nPm4Gn6Az1
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 22, 2024
Rams @ Jets
LA was able to overcome a halftime deficit to extend their win streak to four games and take a one-and-a-half-game lead for first place in the NFC West.
Rams running back Kyren Williams ran for 122 yards and a TD. His lone rushing touchdown tied the game at 6-6 in the second quarter, but the Kets would kick a 21-yard field goal as time expired to go into the half with a 9-6 lead.
An almost ten-minute drive by the Jets to open the second half ended with a turnover on downs. LA then followed that up with a field goal to tie the game 9-9.
On the ensuing drive, Jets QB Aaron Rodgers was the victim of a strip-sack and fumble, which led to a Rams touchdown to give Los Angeles its first lead of the day 16-9. That was Rodgers’ fourth lost fumble of 2024-25, his most in a single season since 2009.
The Rams were able to force their second turnover on downs of the half, leading to a field goal to put this one out of reach as LA would win 19-9, which would be the final score.
The victory puts the Rams in sole possession of first place in the NFC West with a 9-6 record.
Cardinals @ Panthers
The Arizona Cardinals were eliminated from the playoffs after losing to the Carolina Panthers on the road 36-30.
Panthers QB Bryce Young had one of his best games as a pro, with 187 rushing and passing yards, three total touchdowns, and zero turnovers.
A rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown by Bryce Young put Carolina up 20-3, but Arizona responded with a four-play touchdown drive. James Connor recorded 43 scrimmage yards on that possession and scored Arizona’s first TD to cut the lead and 20-10. Conner went over 1,000 rushing yards for a second consecutive season, making him the first Cardinal to achieve that feat since Edgerrin James did it in 2006 and 2007.
A ten-play, 63-yard touchdown drive with 11 seconds left in the second quarter made it a 20-17 game at halftime.
Panthers Wide receiver David Moore caught his second touchdown of the season early in the fourth to extend Carolina’s lead to 30-20.
Kyler Murray scored his fifth rushing touchdown of the campaign on a 20-yard scramble to bring the score to 30-27.
After getting the ball back with 1:47 on their own 26, the Cards orchestrated a seven-play, 35-yard drive, setting up a field goal by Chad Ryland to tie the game as time expired. That 58-yard field goal signifies a new career long for the placekicker who was signed to the Cards’ active roster in mid-October.
After both teams had a possession in overtime, Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard dashed into the end zone on a 21-yard run to give Carolina the overtime victory.
