NFL round-up: Cam Newton inspires Panthers to Vikings win

Philadelphia Eagles edge the Los Angeles Rams 43-35 to secure the NFL East title

The Buffalo Bills beat the Indianapolis Colts in New York. Photograph: Tom Szczerbowski/Getty
The Buffalo Bills beat the Indianapolis Colts in New York. Photograph: Tom Szczerbowski/Getty

Panthers 31 Vikings 24

Jonathan Stewart’s third touchdown run of the game, a one-yard leap with 1:47 remaining, lifted Carolina (9-4) past Minnesota and into a tie for first place in the NFC South with the New Orleans Saints.

The Vikings (10-3) had an eight-game winning streak snapped.

Carolina quarterback Cam Newton ran 62 yards on second down to take the ball to the Minnesota eight-yard line to set up the winning score.

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Newton completed 13 of 25 passes for 137 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Stewart gained 103 yards on 16 carries.

Jonathan Stewart and Cam Newton celebrate a touchdown in the Panthers’ win over the Vikings. Photograph: Grant Halverson/Getty
Jonathan Stewart and Cam Newton celebrate a touchdown in the Panthers’ win over the Vikings. Photograph: Grant Halverson/Getty

Eagles 43 Rams 35

Carson Wentz passed for four touchdowns before being injured and Jake Elliott added three field goals to help lift Philadelphia past Los Angeles and clinch the NFC East title.

Wentz did not play after suffering a knee injury in the third quarter. Nick Foles replaced him and got the Eagles (11-2) in position for Elliott’s final field goal.

Chris Long stripped Rams quarterback Jared Goff of the ball to set up Elliott’s go-ahead kick from 33 yards.

Los Angeles (9-4) had a two-game winning run halted.

Steelers 39 Ravens 38

The Pittsburgh Steelers won another game on a Chris Boswell field goal in the final minute to defeat the Baltimore Ravens 39-38 on Sunday night in a wild game at Heinz Field.

The Steelers (11-2) won their eighth straight game and clinched the AFC North Division title. The Ravens fell to 7-6.

It was the fourth time in the last five games that a late Boswell field goal gave Pittsburgh a win. Unlike the other three, the Steelers left time on the clock, but a T.J. Watt sack of Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco ended the game and wrapped up the division title.

The Steelers rallied from a 39-28 deficit with 2:31 left on a record performance by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He completed a career-high 44 passes on a career-high 66 attempts for 506 yards. Antonio Brown caught 11 passes for 213 yards.

Roethlisberger became the first quarterback with three 500-yard games. Drew Brees of New Orleans is the only other quarterback with two 500-yard games, a total that has been reached only 21 times in league history.

Bills 13 Colts 7 (overtime)

LeSean McCoy ran for a 21-yard touchdown with 1:39 remaining in overtime to give Buffalo the victory over Indianapolis in the snow.

McCoy rushed for 158 yards on a career-high 32 carries and surpassed 1,000 yards on the season as the Bills (7-6) weathered relentless snow, swirling winds and near whiteout conditions to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Frank Gore rushed for 130 yards on a career-high 36 carries for the Colts (3-10). Jacoby Brissett was 11-of-22 passing for 69 yards and a touchdown.

The Buffalo Bills take on the Indianapolis Colts in the snow. Photograph: Tom Szczerbowski/Getty
The Buffalo Bills take on the Indianapolis Colts in the snow. Photograph: Tom Szczerbowski/Getty

Chargers 30 Redskins 13

The win by Los Angeles over Washington set up a battle for first place in the AFC West on Saturday when the Chargers play at the Kansas City Chiefs. The teams are tied for first with 7-6 records.

The Chargers have won seven of their last nine games after starting the season 0-4.

Washington fell to 5-8 and were eliminated from playoff contention.

Packers 27 Browns 21 (overtime)

Green Bay overcame a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit and beat Cleveland in overtime on a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brett Hundley to wide receiver Davante Adams.

The Packers (7-6) kept their playoff hopes alive in the NFC. The Browns (0-13) missed out on their best chance to get into the win column.

Chiefs 26 Raiders 15

Kansas City shook off the absence of All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters, knocking off Oakland and remaining atop the tight AFC West race.

Alex Smith finished 20 of 34 for 268 yards with an interception and Kareen Hunt led the Chiefs on the ground with 116 yards and a touchdown as Kansas City (7-6) ended a four-game losing streak. Oakland (6-7) broke onto the scoreboard midway through the fourth quarter on a 22-yard touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch.

Jaguars 30 Seahawks 24

Blake Bortles passed for two touchdowns and Jacksonville Jaguars intercepted Seattle’s Russell Wilson three times.

The victory pushed the Jaguars (9-4) into sole possession of first place in the AFC South.

Wilson found Paul Richardson for a 61-yard touchdown and Tyler Lockett for a 74-yard touchdown for Seattle (8-5).

Lions 24 Buccaneers 21

Matt Prater kicked a 46-yard field goal with 20 seconds remaining, allowing Detroit to keep alive its flickering NFC playoff hopes.

Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 36 of 44 passes for 381 yards and one touchdown for the Lions (7-6).

Tampa Bay(4-9), which had five turnovers, rallied from a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth-quarter and tied it 21-21.

Cowboys 30 Giants 10

Running back Rod Smith had an 81-yard touchdown reception and a 15-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter as Dallas manhandled New York 30-10.

Dak Prescott completed 20-of-30 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns for the Cowboys (7-6). The Giants fell to 2-11 with Eli Manning back under center after being benched last week for Geno Smith.

49ers 26 Texans 16

Jimmy Garoppolo recorded his second victory in as many starts as San Francisco beat Houston.

Garoppolo passed for 334 yards and produced his first touchdown pass with the 49ers. The pass snapped a 16-16 tie and helped lift the 49ers (3-10) to their second consecutive road triumph.

San Francisco kicker Robbie Gould drilled field goals of 52, 35, 25 and 41 yards.

The 49ers knocked out Texans quarterback Tom Savage in the second quarter, but backup T.J. Yates engineered consecutive scoring drives for Houston (4-9).

Bears 33 Bengals 7

Mitchell Trubisky passed for 271 yards and a touchdown and Jordan Howard rushed for 147 yards and two scores, lifting Chicago over Cincinnati.

Kendall Wright had 10 catches for 107 yards, helping Chicago (4-9) snap a five-game losing streak.

Quarterback Andy Dalton passed for 141 yards with a touchdown and interception for Cincinnati (5-8). He was sacked twice.

Cardinals 12 Titans 7

Arizona’s Phil Dawson kicked four field goals and Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota was intercepted twice in the Cardinals’ victory.

Arizona (6-7) got two field goals from Dawson in the fourth quarter, the last after Mariota’s second interception, as the Titans (8-5) had their two-game winning streak snapped.