The Holiday Season

The last two weeks of the NFL season fall on a holiday. This week's set of games fall on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I won't lie, I love this time of year. The NFL's regular season hits it's finish and playoff races are always very interesting. There were some interesting games yesterday and some teams punched their ticket into the postseason and some team's chances died with their losses this past week. With all that being said, here is what happened on Sunday. 

Bills 24 Dolphins 16
Tyrod Taylor threw for 224 yards and a touchdown and also added 42 yards rushing and a touchdown. LeSean McCoy had 50 rushing yards and a touchdown. He would eclipse 10,000 yards rushing on his career as the Bills got one step closer to the playoffs with a home victory over the Miami Dolphins. Dolphins RB Kenyan Drake rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown.

Panthers 31 Packers 24
Cam Newton threw for 242 yards and four touchdowns and tight end Greg Olsen had nine catches for 116 yards and a touchdown as the Panthers stayed in first place with a victory over Green Bay. The Carolina defense forced four turnovers in the win. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers made his return and threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.

Ravens 27 Browns 10
QB Joe Flacco threw for 288 yards and a touchdown pass to Ben Watson as the Ravens kept the Browns winless with a road victory. Flacco also added a rushing touchdown. Browns RB Duke Johnson Jr had the lone touchdown for Cleveland.

Jaguars 45 Texans 7
QB Blake Bortles threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns and wideout Jaydon Mickens had four catches for 61 yards and two touchdowns as Jacksonville clinched their first playoff appearance since 2007 with a victory over the Texans. Texans QB TJ Yates threw for 128 yards and a touchdown pass to Deandre Hopkins.

Vikings 34 Bengals 7
QB Case Keenum threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns and RB Latavius Murray rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown as the Vikings clinched the NFC North Division title as they beat the Bengals. Bengals RB Giovanni Bernard had the lone touchdown for Cincinnati.

Saints 31 Jets 19
Saints QB Drew Brees threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns and RB Mark Ingram ran for 74 yards and two touchdowns as New Orleans stayed tied for first with the Panthers as they knocked off the New York Jets. Jets QB Bryce Petty threw for 179 yards and a touchdown in the loss.

Eagles 34 Giants 29
Eagles QB Nick Foles threw for 237 yards and four touchdowns in place of the injured Carson Wentz and wideout Nelson Agholor had seven catches for 59 yards and a touchdown as the Eagles took down the Giants as they got a first round bye with the victory. Giants QB Eli Manning threw for 434 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.

Redskins 20 Cardinals 15
QB Kirk Cousins threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns and wideout Jamison Crowder had five catches for 55 yards and a touchdown as Washington took down the Cardinals. Cardinals kicker Phil Dawson kicked five field goals in the loss.

Rams 42 Seahawks 7
RB Todd Gurley ran for 152 yards and three touchdowns and QB Jared Goff threw for 120 yards and a touchdown as the Rams took down the Seahawks on the road and are only one win away from clinching the NFC West. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson threw for 142 yards and a touchdown pass to Luke Willson.

49ers 25 Titans 23
Robbie Gould kicked six field goal, including the game-winner and QB Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 381 yards and a touchdown as the 49ers won their third straight game with a victory over the Titans. Titans QB Marcus Mariota threw for 241 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.

Cowboys 20 Raiders 17
Dallas QB Dak Prescott threw for 212 yards and had a rushing touchdown and Rod Smith added a rushing touchdown as the Cowboys took down the Raiders on the road. Raiders QB Derek Carr threw for 171 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.

NFL Standings
AFC
AFC East
1 Patriots 11-3 (clinched division)
2 Bills 8-6
3 Dolphins 6-8
4 Jets 5-9

AFC North
1 Steelers 11-3 (clinched division)
2 Ravens 8-6
3 Bengals 5-9
4 Browns 0-14

AFC South
1 Jaguars 10-4 (clinched playoff spot)
2 Titans 8-6 2 GB
3 Texans 4-10 E
4 Colts 3-11 E

AFC West
1 Chiefs 8-6
2 Chargers 7-7 1 GB
3 Raiders 6-8 E
4 Broncos 5-9 E

NFC
NFC East
1 Eagles 12-2 (clinched division)
2 Cowboys 8-6
3 Redskins 6-8
4 Giants 2-12

NFC North
1 Vikings 11-3 (clinched division)
2 Lions 8-6
3 Packers 7-7
4 Bears 4-10

NFC South
1 Saints 10-4
2 Panthers 10-4
3 Falcons 9-5 1 GB
4 Buccaneers 4-9 E

NFC West
1 Rams 10-4
2 Seahawks 8-6 2 GB
3 Cardinals 6-8 E
4 49ers 4-10

Playoff Picture
AFC
1 Patriots 11-3
2 Steelers 11-3
3 Jaguars 10-4
4 Chiefs 8-6

5 Titans 8-6
6 Bills 8-6

In the Hunt:
Ravens 8-6
Chargers 7-7 1 GB
Raiders 6-8 2 GB
Dolphins 6-8 2 GB


NFC
1 Eagles 12-2
2 Vikings 11-3
3 Rams 10-4
4 Saints 10-4

5 Panthers 10-4
6 Falcons 9-5

In the Hunt:
Lions 8-6 1 GB
Seahawks 8-6 1 GB
Cowboys 8-6 1 GB