The Philadelphia Eagles knocked Aaron Rodgers out of the game as they beat the Green Bay Packers 40-33 to strengthen their Super Bowl title credentials.
Rodgers left a wild game with a side strain injury, while opposite number Jalen Hurts had another huge game with 157 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Rams were likely knocked out of play-off contention with a defeat at the Kansas City Chiefs, while the Jacksonville Jaguars upset the Baltimore Ravens.
Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered an overtime loss in Cleveland against the Browns, while the Las Vegas Raiders were also overtime winners as they pipped the Seattle Seahawks.
The San Francisco 49ers defence pitched a shutout against New Orleans as they continued their ominous winning streak, while the Miami Dolphins and the Cincinnati Bengals also maintained their winning ways to continue their play-off push.
Packers feeling the Hurts as Jalen leads Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Hurts became just the second player ever with 150 passing and 150 rushing yards and two touchdown passes in a single game – after Colin Kaepernick, who also did it against the Packers in a 2012 play-off game.
Hurts’ running ability has been key to the Eagles holding the NFL’s best record at 10-1, as he piled up another 157 yards and Miles Sanders added 143 and two TDs in a punishing ground attack that simply proved too much for the Packers.
Rodgers left the field in the second half with an oblique injury after being sacked, but Green Bay fought on and back-up Jordan Love was excellent as he threw a late touchdown to cut the gap.
It was not enough though as the Packers slipped to 4-8 and with Rodgers hurt and their play-off chances all-but gone, we may see a lot more of first-round pick Love as Rodgers’ eventual successor.
Chiefs lead AFC race after handing another loss to struggling champs
The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Los Angeles Rams 26-10 to move to 9-2 and lead the AFC standings, and a fifth straight defeat for the banged-up champions means they’re now 3-8 with any thoughts of defending their Super Bowl title long gone.
It’s the first time the Rams have lost five in a row under coach Sean McVay and matches the worst 11-game record of any defending Super Bowl champion – along with the 1987 New York Giants.
Patrick Mahomes was not pleased with a scrappy Chiefs performance, and the “the one dumb play I make every game” despite making it six wins in seven.
“You like the win but we have a lot to get better at, especially me,” said Mahomes, as the Chiefs prepare to face the Cincinnati Bengals next week in a pivotal clash in the battle for top AFC seed.
The Bengals, who beat the Chiefs in the AFC title game to make last year’s Super Bowl, held off the Tennessee Titans 20-16 in another rematch from last year’s play-offs to win a third in a row and tie for the lead in the AFC North with a 7-4 record.
Landmark game for Lawrence as Jags stun Ravens
The Bengals are tied with the Ravens after Baltimore suffered a late 28-27 defeat at the Jacksonville Jaguars, thanks to a late TD throw and two-point conversion from Trevor Lawrence.
The number one overall pick of the 2021 draft has had a slow start to his NFL career but head coach Doug Pederson showed great confidence in him by opting to go for the win in the end instead of a tie and overtime.
Lawrence led a 75-yard drive inside the final two minutes to score with 12 seconds remaining against one of the league’s best defences – and it could just be the start of him really making his name in the NFL.
The Jaguars still had to survive Ravens kicker Justin Tucker just missing a 67-yard field goal attempt as they managed to come from seven points or more down in the final minute for the first time in 183 games.
49ers defence shuts out Saints; Brady beaten in overtime
The San Francisco 49ers haven’t allowed a single point in 94 minutes after they beat New Orleans 13-0 – handing the Saints their first blank in 332 games and almost 21 years as the league’s longest streak of scoring in games.
The Niners have also now had four straight games without conceding a point in the second half.
A fourth straight win puts the San Francisco on 7-4 and top of the NFC West before a huge game next week against another streaking team in the Miami Dolphins, who made it five in a row with a commanding 30-15 win over the Houston Texans.
The Cleveland Browns ran all over Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay 23-17 with Nick Chubb rushing for 116 yards and the winning TD in overtime, but they remain top of the NFC South after the Atlanta Falcons lost 19-13 at the Washington Commanders.
Former second overall pick Zach Wilson was benched by the New York Jets, who may have a big decision to make after back-up QB Mike White passed for 315 yards and three TDs in their 31-10 win over the Chicago Bears.
White is just the fifth player to have multiple 300-yard, three-touchdown games in his first four starts, and with the Jets right in the play-off mix, head coach Robert Saleh has to decide if White gives them the better chance down the stretch than their highly-drafted regular starter.
Josh Jacobs had one of the biggest games in NFL history as he produced a magnificent 86-yard touchdown run in overtime to give the Las Vegas Raiders a 40-34 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Jacobs had a team-record 229 rushing yards and two scores along with 74 yards receiving – with his 303 combined yards the seventh-highest in the modern Super Bowl era.
Justin Herbert rallied the Los Angeles Chargers to a 25-24 win over the Arizona Cardinals with a late TD and two-point conversion 15 seconds from the end, while Russell Wilson’s Denver misery continued with a 23-10 defeat for his Broncos against the Carolina Panthers.
