📰 Table Of Contents
Chiefs @ Broncos
The Denver Broncos clinched the AFC’s final playoff spot with a 38-0 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, who were resting many of their starters with the top-seed in the AFC already locked up. This snaps Denver’s eight-season playoff drought, which was the second-longest active postseason drought in the NFL.
This win also officially eliminated the Miami Dolphins and the Cincinnati Bengals from playoff contention.
Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix was phenomenal, completing 89.6% of his passes for 321 yards and four touchdowns. He opened the game completing all 17 of his pass attempts for 183 yards and three touchdowns to give Denver a 21-0 lead in the second quarter.
This TD was wild. 🤯
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/HdqJ03p3w8
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) January 5, 2025
Denver wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. caught his third touchdown over his last two games to put the Broncos ahead 31-0.
The Chiefs couldn’t do anything against Denver’s fifth-ranked defense. KC gave up five sacks and was held to just 98 yards on offense.
After the Broncos scored their fifth touchdown of the game, Bo Nix was benched. He finished the regular season with 29 passing touchdowns, the second-most ever by a rookie.
The win earned Denver the seven-seed in the AFC. As a result, they will travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills in the first round of the playoffs.
Seahawks @ Rams
The Seattle Seahawks ended the season with a win after they beat the Los Angeles Rams 30-25. LA rested several key players, including quarterback Matthew Safford, running back Kyren Williams, and wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua to name a few.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith started the game seven for nine with 101 yards and two passing touchdowns to go up 14-3 in the second quarter.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who was starting in place of Matthew Stafford, threw a six-yard touchdown to bring the score to 14-10. That was Garoppolo’s first TD pass since October 15th, 2023 when he played for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Seattle rookie tight end AJ Barner scored his fourth touchdown of the season to give the Seahawks a 24-16 lead late in the third quarter. Barner has three touchdown receptions since the start of Week 13.
Jimmy Garoppolo threw another touchdown but missed on a two-point conversion, so the Seahawks still led in the fourth quarter 24-22. This was the first time since September 2023 that Garoppolo threw multiple passing TDs in a single game.
This was the first game in NFL history with three made field goals of 55+ yards. Thankfully, Joshua Karty only had to kick a 38-yarder to give the Rams their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter 25-24.
Though he suffered an injury and was clearly in pain late in the fourth quarter, Geno Smith threw four touchdowns and zero interceptions. His fourth TD of the contest put Seattle back on top 30-25, which would be the final score.
With that loss, the Rams will now play host to the loser of the Minnesota Vikings-Detroit Lions Sunday Night Football game. Meanwhile, the Washington Commanders will go on the road to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the playoffs.
Chargers @ Raiders
After going down 10-3 in the second quarter, the Los Angeles Chargers outscored the Las Vegas Raiders 31-7 to secure the team’s 11th win of the season by a final score of 34-20. With that victory in the books, LA will be the fifth seed in the AFC and will travel to Houston to face the Texans in the first round of the playoffs.
Las Vegas scored the game’s first touchdown to take a 10-3 lead. Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell connected with wide receiver Jakobi Meyers twice on that series for 47 yards and a touchdown. Meyers eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark this season for the first time in his career.
LA then woke up and responded with three straight scoring drives to take a 17-10 lead into the break. In the two drives following Vegas’ touchdown, the Raiders threw an interception and were held to eight total yards.
Raiders rookie tight end and Pro Bowler Brock Bowers finished the game with four receptions to bring his total to 112 on the season, which is a new NFL single-season rookie record. He passed Giants wideout Malik Nabers who set the record earlier in the day with 109 receptions on the year.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert had 346 passing yards, 43 rushing yards, and two TD passes in this game. His second touchdown put LA ahead 27-13. That was the sixth straight scoring drive for the Chargers.
Dolphins @ Jets
The Miami Dolphins, who were eliminated from postseason contention with Denver’s win, lost to the New York Jets 35-20 to finish the season 8-9
In what will likely be his last game in a Jets uniform, Aaron Rodgers threw for 274 yards and four touchdowns. Though he was picked off on his first pass of the game, the former MVP bounced back with a five-yard touchdown pass to take a 7-6 lead in the second quarter. That was Rodgers’ 500th regular-season passing TD.
While trying to answer back, Dolphins QB Snoop Huntley fumbled the ball away after being sacked, leading to a 13-yard touchdown catch by Jets wideout Allen Lazard. Gang Green then converted a two-point attempt to make it a two-score game and give them a 15-6 lead. Miami turned the ball over on three consecutive drives after kicking its second field goal.
Miami’s first touchdown didn’t come until the fourth quarter when De’Von Achane scampered into the end zone from 15 yards out to bring the score to 18-13. That was his 12th total touchdown of the season.
Former All-Pro receiver Davante Adams caught six passes for 88 yards and a touchdown. That TD catch, which put the Jets ahead 25-13, was the 83rd touchdown thrown by Aaron Rodgers to Davante Adams.
Classic connection! Rodgers to Adams touchdown! 👏
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/Qy3989V063
— New York Jets (@nyjets) January 6, 2025
Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith caught his eighth touchdown of the season to cut the lead to 25-20. Over his last five games, Smith has four TD catches.
Breece Hall put this game away by scoring a six-yard touchdown to go up 35-20. That was Hall’s first TD catch since November 17th.
49ers @ Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals beat the San Francisco 49ers in their final game of the season 47-24.
Following an exchange of field goals, 49ers backup QB Joshua Dobbs threw his first interception of the game to give the Cardinals excellent field position in San Francisco territory. On the next drive, Cards QB Kyler Murray completed a 23-yard touchdown pass to wideout Greg Dortch for his second TD reception of the season, giving Arizona a 10-3 advantage. Murray tied a career-high with four touchdown passes in this matchup.
Joshua Dobbs bounced back from that turnover with a 74-yard drive capped off by a one-yard touchdown run by the 29-year-old University of Tennesee product to tie the game 10-10.
Arizona Pro Bowl tight end Trey McBride had a team-high seven receptions for a team-leading 65 receiving yards and a touchdown. His second-quarter touchdown put the Cardinals ahead 17-10. In the game, McBride passed San Francisco tight end George Kittle for the most catches in NFL history by a tight end in his first three seasons.
Joshua Dobbs threw a touchdown to rookie wideout Ricky Pearsall to tie things up 17-17 at halftime. After being shot in the chest in the off-season during a robbery gone wrong, Pearsall closed out his first season in the NFL with touchdown receptions in back-to-back games.
Cards Rookie wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. caught his eighth touchdown of the campaign to put the score at 40-24. With that, Harrison Jr. tied Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin for the Cardinals’ single-season touchdown receptions record by a rookie.
