Panthers 38 Falcons 0
Quarterback Cam Newton threw three touchdown passes, including two in the first half to Ted Ginn Jr, as unbeaten Carolina overwhelmed Atlanta to remain undefeated at 13-0 and clinch an opening-weekend bye in the playoffs.
Atlanta (6-7) lost their sixth game in a row, further damaging remote chances to reach the playoffs.
Newton, who relaxed on the bench in the fourth quarter, completed 15 of 21 passes for 265 yards, with scoring strikes of 74 and 46 yards to Ginn in the first quarter.
Panthers tight end Greg Olsen, a favorite receiver of Newton, sat out the second half after hurting his left knee.
Steelers 33 Bengals 20
Ben Roethlisberger passed for 282 yards and DeAngelo Williams rushed for two touchdowns to lift Pittsburgh past Cincinnati, who lost quarterback Andy Dalton to a fractured thumb on his throwing hand in the costly home defeat.
Dalton will miss at least one game for the 10-3 Bengals and is scheduled to see a hand specialist on Monday. He was replaced by A.J. McCarron who completed 22 of 32.
The loss damaged the Bengals’ hopes of securing the top seed in the AFC, while the Steelers (8-5) moved closer to snaring a wild card.
Chiefs 10 Chargers 3
Kansas City extended their winning streak to seven games with a rain-soaked victory over San Diego at Arrowhead Stadium.
The victory moved the Chiefs to 8-5 overall and kept them in the lead for a wild card slot in the AFC playoffs.
The result was in the balance up to the final play when San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers’ bid for a touchdown pass in the end zone was broken up as time expired.
Seahawks 35 Ravens 6
Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson threw five touchdown passes, leading the Seahawks in a romp over Baltimore (4-9), who started third-string quarterback Jimmy Clausen.
Wilson completed 23 of 32 passes for 292 yards and wide receiver Doug Baldwin had three touchdown receptions for Seattle (8-5), winners of six of their last seven games.
Redskins 24 Bears 21
Quarterback Kirk Cousins passed for 300 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another touchdown, as Washington held on to beat Chicago and end a nine-game road losing streak.
Washington (6-7) tight end Jordan Reed hauled in nine passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Jay Cutler completed 19 of 31 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears (5-8), who dropped to 1-6 at home.
Eagles 23 Bills 20
Philadelphia kept pace in the NFC East race by beating Buffalo at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Eagles (6-7) stayed tied for first in the NFC East with the Washington Redskins, and are now a half-game ahead of the New York Giants, who play Miami on Monday night.
Philadelphia scored the game-winning points on Caleb Stugis’ 30-yard field goal with 3:26 left to play, which was set up by a 41-yard catch-and-run by tight end Zach Ertz, who broke two tackles and stiff-armed another defender.
Jets 30 Titans 8
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three first-half touchdown passes and New York remained in the thick of the AFC wild card race by cruising past Tennessee.
Fitzpatrick completed 21-of-36 for 263 yards without an interception as the Jets (8-5) extended their winning streak to three games with the victory over the Titans (3-10).
Browns 24 49ers 10
Cleveland snapped a seven-game losing streak and running back Isaiah Crowell rushed for two touchdowns to beat San Francisco in Johnny Manziel’s return as starting quarterback.
Manziel, banished to the bench two weeks ago for lying to the team about partying, threw for 270 yards on 21-of-31 passing and one touchdown and one interception for Cleveland (3-10) as the 49ers slipped to 4-9.
Saints 24 Buccaneers 17
Drew Brees tossed two touchdown passes and converted third downs all day, leading New Orleans over Tampa Bay at Raymond James Stadium.
The Bucs (6-7) saw their wild card hopes take a hit as they were not able to take advantage of the NFL’s worst defence.
The Saints (5-8) converted 12 third downs, including two key conversions on their final drive. Brees threw for 312 yards and Tim Hightower rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown.
Rams 21 Lions 14
Running back Todd Gurley’s 49-yard run in the third quarter led to his go-ahead touchdown two plays later as St. Louis snapped a five-game losing streak against visiting Detroit.
The loss eliminated the 4-9 Lions from playoff contention, while St. Louis improved to 5-8.
Gurley finished with 140 yards on 16 carries, despite being held to 13 yards on seven carries in the first half.
Jaguars 51 Colts 16
Jacksonville (5-8) struck for three scoring plays of 49 yards or more in a little more than four minutes and quarterback Blake Bortles threw three second-half touchdown passes to rout AFC South co-leaders Indianapolis (6-7).
Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who is filling in for injured Andrew Luck, was hurt a couple times in the game. He returned after the first injury but suffered a rib injury in the fourth quarter and did not return.
Packers 28 Cowboys 7
With head coach Mike McCarthy back in charge of play-calling duties, Green Bay beat Dallas and just about ended the playoff hopes of the Cowboys.
The Packers got touchdown passes from Aaron Rodgers on back-to-back possessions in the first half and 239 total yards from scrimmage by running backs Eddie Lacy and James Starks to improve to 9-4 and take a one-game lead in the NFC North.
Dallas (4-9) appear finished in the NFC East.
Raiders 15 Broncos 12
Derek Carr threw for two touchdowns in the second half and the Raiders defense, led by Khalil Mack’s five sacks, did not allow an offensive touchdown as Oakland shook off a sluggish start to beat Denver 15-12.
Carr completed 12 of 29 for 135 yards in helping Oakland (6-7) snap an eight-game losing streak to the Broncos (10-3).
Quarterback Brock Osweiler lost for the first time in four starts in place of injured Bronco Peyton Manning.
Patriots 27 Texans 6
After quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski connected on a pair of timely conversions in the first half, the New England Patriots unleashed their ferocious defense in the second half to pummel Houston 27-6.
The Patriots (11-2) regained possession of the top spot in the AFC standings, while the Texans (6-7) missed a chance to take over top spot in the AFC South.
