📰 Table Of Contents
Saints @ Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers rallied from a ten-point halftime deficit to beat the New Orleans Saints 27-19 to win the NFC South and clinch a playoff berth. That victory also eliminated the Falcons from postseason contention.
The Saints’ offense overwhelmed the Buccaneers early on by gaining 182 total yards on the ground and through the air. New Orleans was able to score on its first three drives of the game, to take a 13-3 lead late in the second quarter after a touchdown pass by quarterback Spencer Rattler.
These teams exchanged field goals to give the Saints a 16-6 lead at the break.
The Buccaneers scored their first touchdown of the game on the opening possession of the third quarter to cut the lead to 16-13. New Orleans was penalized twice on that series for 27 yards.
Tampa scored another touchdown to take its first lead of the day 20-19 in the fourth quarter on a 32-yard reception by rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan, his eighth touchdown reception of the campaign.
THE DIME 🎯 THE CATCH 🙌
📺: #NOvsTB on FOX pic.twitter.com/yog14jQpzx
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) January 5, 2025
Tampa scored one more touchdown late in the fourth quarter to put this game out of reach. The Bucs outscored the Saints 21-3 in the second half of the game.
With 89 receiving yards in this matchup, Mike Evans went over 1,000 receiving yards for an NFL record 11th straight season.
Panthers @ Falcons
The Falcons lost to the Panthers 44-38 in overtime on a walk-off rushing touchdown by Carolina running back Miles Sanders to end Atlanta’s season.
This was easily the best game of Carolina QB Bryce Young’s career. The former number-one overall pick finished the day with five total touchdowns and zero turnovers.
Faced with a 3-0 deficit, Bryce Young helped the offense gain 110 yards while scoring a touchdown and a field goal to take back a 10-3 lead. This was the fourth time in the last six games that Young recorded a rushing TD.
Though Falcons rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. missed on nine of his 15 passes, he did score his second career touchdown on a five-yard run to tie the game 10-10. Penix Jr. threw for over 300 yards in this contest and scored three total touchdowns.
Miles Sanders made his first start since Week 10 when he sprained his ankle against the New York Giants. He had a huge impact on this game with 116 total yards and two TDs, including a 33-yard touchdown reception to give the Cats a 17-10 advantage.
Falcons running back Bijan Robinson recorded 173 total yards and two rushing touchdowns in this game. His second-quarter TD – Robinson’s 13th rushing touchdown of the season – tied the game 17-17.
Drake London caught ten passes for a career-high 187 receiving yards and two touchdowns, his first game with multiple TD receptions. London’s second touchdown catch tied the game 31-31 in the fourth quarter.
Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson had 173 total yards and two touchdowns in this contest. His second touchdown tied the game 38-38 and eventually sent this one to overtime. Robinson finished the game with a career-high 170 rushing yards.
Carolina took the overtime kickoff and never gave the ball back. The Panthers marched 70 yards down the field and scored a touchdown on the first possession of overtime to end the game and Atlanta’s season.
Even if the Falcons had won, they still would’ve missed out on the playoffs due to Tampa Bay’s win over New Orleans.
Bears @ Packers
The Chicago Bears hit a 51-yard field goal as time expired to beat the Green Bay Packers and snap the team’s ten-game losing streak. With the loss, the Packers earned the seventh seed in the NFC, so they’ll have to travel to Philadelphia to face the Eagles in the first round of the playoffs.
Packers starting quarterback Jordan Love was replaced by Malik Willis after Love suffered an elbow injury early in the second quarter. He did not return to the game.
The Chicago Bears opened the scoring with a 94-yard punt return touchdown in the first quarter to gain a 7-0 advantage. That was the Bears’ first punt return touchdown since 2021.
Though Chicago had -6 yards of offense in the first frame, the Bears still started the second quarter ahead 7-3 thanks to a fumble by Green Bay wide receiver Jayden Reed. Chicago cashed in on that turnover and scored a touchdown on a four-yard run by running back D’Andre Swift to extend the lead to 14-3.
Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs, who had 46 total yards in the game, closed the gap with a rushing touchdown to make it 14-10. This was Jacobs’ eighth consecutive game with a rushing touchdown, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Paul Hornung for the longest streak of rushing TDs in Packers history.
Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore caught a team-leading nine passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. His sixth reception of the game – a 32-yard touchdown – put the Bears ahead 21-13 with a little over ten minutes left in the final quarter.
A 41-yard reception by Green Bay wideout Malik Heath led to a 21-yard touchdown run by running back Emmanuel Wilson to bring the lead down to 21-19. Unfortunately for Packers fans, Malik Willis hurt his hand on the failed two-point conversion attempt.
On a possession that could have put the game away, Green Bay forced a fumble and scooped it up, leading to a 55-yard field goal to go up 22-21 with 55 seconds left in the game.
That would be enough time for the Bears though, who kicked a 51-yard field goal as the clock ran out to clinch the win, giving the Bears their first win over the Packers in seven years.
Commanders @ Cowboys
The Washington Commanders scored a touchdown on the final offensive play of the game to beat the Dallas Cowboys 23-19. With that win, the Commanders locked up the sixth seed in the NFC, meaning they will play either the Los Angeles Rams or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the playoffs.
CLUTCHHHHHHH
📺 #WASvsDAL FOX pic.twitter.com/i5W55JC4JJ
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 5, 2025
Washington made many unfortunate mistakes in the first half. The Commanders allowed four sacks, were penalized twice, and lost a fumble in the first two quarters of the game. That lost fumble, which came on a punt, led to a Cowboys field goal.
Each team would make another field goal, and Dallas would go into the break ahead 6-3.
After the ‘Boys kicked another field goal on the first drive of the second half, the Commanders decided to bench rookie QB Jayden Daniels for the remainder of the game in order to ensure he’s healthy for the playoffs next week. Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota made his presence immediately felt by going 9/10 with 111 yards, a passing touchdown, and a rushing touchdown to give the Commanders a 16-12 lead in the final quarter.
The Cowboys wouldn’t be down long though as third-string QB Trey Lance would throw for 42 yards on the ensuing drive to retake the lead 19-16. Lance finished his fifth career start with 244 passing yards.
With six seconds left in the fourth quarter, Marcus Mariota connected with wide receiver Terry McLaurin for his second passing touchdown of the day to win the game.
Bills @ Patriots
The New England Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills 23-16 to lose out on the number one pick in the NFL Draft. The Pats are now expected to pick fourth in the upcoming draft.
Though rookie QB Drake Maye started the game for the Patriots, he was replaced by fellow rookie quarterback Joe Milton III, meaning that this would be a battle of backups since the Bills rested Josh Allen. Joe Milton III and Buffalo’s Mitchell Trubisky started the game a combined 15 for 15 passing with 169 total yards, a rushing touchdown, and two passing touchdowns to give the Pats a 14-10 advantage at halftime.
Buffalo running back James Cook scored his 16th touchdown of the year, putting him in a tie with Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson for the Bills’ single-season rushing touchdown record. That score gave the Bills a 16-14 advantage following a missed extra-point attempt.
The Pats responded with three unanswered field goals to take a 23-16 lead and secure the eventual win.
Giants @ Eagles
Without their top two quarterbacks, the Eagles beat the lowly Giants 20-13. Following the loss and the Patriots’ win, the Giants secured a top-three pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Even though Philly was starting a third-string QB in Tanner McKee, he still completed his first three pass attempts for 48 yards and a touchdown. Mckee finished the day with 269 passing yards and two touchdowns on 27 completions.
After kicking a field goal in the second quarter, Philadelphia took a 10-0 lead into the half. Moving the ball proved difficult for the Giants, who were outgained by the Eagles in the first half 211 yards to 84.
New York finally scored its first points in the third quarter with a field goal, bringing the score to 10-3. Giants quarterback Drew Lock, who finished the game with 138 passing yards and a touchdown, threw for 31 yards on that drive.
Eagles tight end E.J. Jenkins caught his first NFL pass, a seven-yard touchdown, on the first play of the fourth quarter to extend Philly’s lead to 17-3.
New York rookie wideout Malik Nabers caught five passes for 64 yards and a touchdown for his third TD catch over the last two games. His touchdown reception cut the Eagles’ lead to 17-10.
Both teams would connect on field goals, but there would be no comeback for the Giants as the Eagles would hold on for their 14th win of the season.
Texans @ Titans
The Tennessee Titans fell to the Houston Texans 23-14 to finish the season with a 3-14 record. With the loss, the Titans are guaranteed to have either the number-one or number-two pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Though Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud only started one drive, he went six for six passing with 50 yards and a touchdown to Nico Collins to go up 7-0. With their playoff spot locked up, Stroud was replaced by backup Davis Mills on the next possession. While Mills didn’t score a touchdown in this game, he completed over 54% of his passes for 128 yards.
Houston running back Dameon Pierce then increased the lead to 13-0 after a 92-yard touchdown run, the longest rush of his three-year career.
Joe Mixon was running the whole way with Dameon Pierce on this 92-yard touchdown 🔥@HoustonTexans | @FedEx pic.twitter.com/e5n3Irlbop
— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2025
Though Tennessee would make this close with a pair of field goals, a big-man fumble return for a touchdown by defensive end Derek Barrnett put this game out of reach with a score of 23-6. That was Barnett’s second defensive touchdown of the season.
Tennessee scored a touchdown and converted the two-point attempt, but it was too little too late as the Texans held on for the win.
Jaguars @ Colts
The Indianapolis Colts held on and forced a turnover on downs in overtime to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-23.
Colts QB Joe Flacco continued to show that he still has some gas left in the tank throwing for 264 yards and a touchdown. Flacco was three for three for 70 passing yards and a touchdown on the game’s opening drive to give Indy a 7-0 lead with just 1:10 gone in the first quarter.
Second-year running back Tank Bigsby showed his worth by rushing for 42 yards and a touchdown. His seventh rushing TD of the year tied the game 7-7.
Indianapolis running back Jonathan Taylor closed out the season strong with 177 rushing yards and a second-quarter touchdown to regain the lead 14-10.
After both teams connected on field goals, Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones orchestrated an 86-yard touchdown drive to tie the game 20-20 with under eight minutes remaining in the fourth, eventually sending this one to Overtime.
The Colts made a 38-yard field goal in OT while holding Jacksonville scoreless to win their eighth game of the season.
