PHILADELPHIA - Dez Bryant caught a career-best three touchdown catches from Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys rallied to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-27 on Sunday night after wasting a 21-0 lead.
DeMarco Murray had a pair of touchdown runs to help the Cowboys (10-4) move ahead of the Eagles (9-5) into first place in the NFC East. The Eagles dominated the Cowboys in a 33-10 road win on Thanksgiving, but Dallas now has control of the division with two weeks left.
The Cowboys jumped to a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter before Philadelphia rallied behind Mark Sanchez. Chris Polk had TD runs of 1 and 5 yards and Darren Sproles ran in from the 1 to give the Eagles a 24-21 lead late in third quarter. But Romo and the Cowboys answered quickly with two touchdowns in a span of 2:51.
Murray scored on a 2-yard run to cap a 78-yard drive. J.J. Wilcox then intercepted Sanchez's pass and the Cowboys started the fourth quarter at the Eagles 42. Romo then hit Bryant in stride for a 25-yard scoring pass.
Patriots 41, Dolphins 13
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - New England clinched the AFC East title for the sixth straight season as Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes in a big third quarter.
Leading 14-13 at halftime, the Patriots scored on four consecutive series while piling up 24 points, the most in any third quarter in team history.
New England (11-3) can secure home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs by beating the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills. Miami (7-7) saw its slim postseason hopes dwindle further.
Broncos 22, Chargers 10
SAN DIEGO - Peyton Manning played through a thigh injury and flu-like symptoms and Connor Barth kicked five field goals to lead Denver to a fourth straight AFC West title.
Manning came out of the game late in the second quarter. He apparently hurt his thigh while blocking linebacker Donald Butler on a run by C.J. Anderson.
He returned for the start of the third quarter and on Denver's second possession threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas to give the Broncos a 16-3 lead.
The Broncos (11-3) won their fourth straight game. Denver's 12th straight division road win tied San Francisco's NFL record set from 1987-90.
The Chargers (8-6) entered the game as the AFC's No. 6 seed and saw their wild-card chances diminished. They've lost two straight.
Colts 17, Texans 10
INDIANAPOLIS - Andrew Luck threw two touchdown passes and the Colts won their second straight AFC South title.
Indianapolis (10-4) has won four straight.
It sure wasn't easy. Luck was 18-of-34 with 187 yards and one interception on the same day Reggie Wayne passed Peyton Manning for the most games and wins in franchise history. Wayne has played in 209 games, 142 of them victories.
Houston (7-7) lost starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick with a left leg injury in the second quarter. Rookie Tom Savage replaced Fitzpatrick and was ineffective, going 10-of-19 for 127 yards.
The Texans took a 7-0 lead on Kendrick Lewis' 27-yard interception return. Luck tied it with a 26-yard pass to Hakeem Nicks. Luck hooked up with Dwayne Allen on a 3-yard pass to make it 14-7 before halftime. Indy sealed it with a late field goal.
Seahawks 17, 49ers 7
SEATTLE - Marshawn Lynch rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown, Russell Wilson threw a touchdown pass to rookie Paul Richardson, and the Seahawks knocked archrival San Francisco from playoff contention.
The defending Super Bowl champions remained in contention for a division title and No. 1 seed in the NFC.
After a sluggish, sloppy first half, Seattle (10-4) awoke in the final 30 minutes behind the running of Lynch and a defense that shut out the 49ers, holding them to 67 yards. Colin Kaepernick was sacked six times and the 49ers didn't run a play past the Seattle 38 in the second half.
Lynch scored on a 4-yard run late in the third quarter and the Seahawks took advantage of a short field on their next drive, capped by Wilson's strike to Richardson.
The loss and Detroit's win eliminated San Francisco (7-7) from contention.
Lions 16, Vikings 14
DETROIT - Matt Prater's 33-yard field goal with 3:38 remaining lifted Detroit into a tie for first place in the NFC North.
The Lions (10-4) are now even atop the division with Green Bay, which lost to Buffalo. But Detroit didn't have an easy time, spotting the Vikings (6-8) a 14-0 lead before a pair of second-quarter interceptions helped the Lions start their rally.
Even at the end, Detroit had to sweat out a 68-yard field goal attempt by Minnesota's Blair Walsh on the game's final play. The kick was short.
Bills 31, Packers 13
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - Bacarri Rambo intercepted two Aaron Rodgers passes and Marcus Thigpen scored on a 75-yard punt return.
Defensive end Mario Williams also forced Rodgers to fumble, which led to a safety with 1:51 left.
Dan Carpenter hit all three field goal attempts, including a 51-yarder in the second half to help keep Buffalo (8-6) in the AFC playoff picture.
The Bills also have their first eight-win season since going 9-7 in 2004.
The Packers (10-4) had a five-game win streak snapped, blowing an opportunity to get closer to their sixth consecutive playoff berth. Rodgers finished 17-of-42 for 185 yards and two interceptions.
Steelers 27, Falcons 20
ATLANTA - Ben Roethlisberger threw for 360 yards and William Gay returned an interception for a touchdown as the Steelers (9-5) remained a half-game behind Cincinnati in the AFC North with their second straight win.
The Falcons (5-9) ensured themselves of a losing season and slipped out of first place in the NFC South.
Pittsburgh led 13-0 after Gay picked off Matt Ryan's pass over the middle on the first play of the second quarter, returning it 52 yards. The Steelers extended the lead to 27-13 with Le'Veon Bell's 1-yard run in the opening minute of the fourth period.
The Falcons made a game of it, pulling within a touchdown on Ryan's 4-yard pass to Roddy White. But the Steelers clinched the victory with their final possession, converting twice on third down to run out the clock.
Ravens 20, Jaguars 12
BALTIMORE - The Ravens sacked rookie quarterback Blake Bortles eight times and returned a blocked punt for a touchdown.
Baltimore (9-5) gained only 31 yards rushing through three quarters and scored just once with its offense on the field. But the defense was solid, and special teams helped the Ravens stay in the thick of the AFC playoff chase.
Terrell Suggs was credited with 21/2 sacks and rookie Timmy Jernigan, starting for the suspended Haloti Ngata, had two.
Jacksonville (2-12) tried just about everything in its bid to pull off an upset, including an onside kick and a fake punt. Both worked, but it wasn't enough to earn the Jaguars their first win on the road.
Panthers 19, Buccaneers 17
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Derek Anderson threw for 277 yards and a touchdown, Graham Gano kicked four field goals and the Panthers improved their chances in the NFC South playoff race.
The win, coupled with Atlanta's loss to Pittsburgh, put the Panthers percentage points in first place ahead of New Orleans in the division. The Saints (5-8) play tonight at Chicago.
Anderson was 25-of-40 and improved to 2-0 as a starter in place of Cam Newton, sidelined while recovering from a car accident Tuesday that left him with two fractures in his lower back.
Josh McCown threw a touchdown pass and ran for another for the Bucs (2-12).
Giants 24, Redskins 13
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Eli Manning threw three touchdown passes to rookie Odell Beckham Jr. and the Giants took advantage of an overturned touchdown at the end of the first half.
Manning and Beckham combined 12 times for 143 yards, with touchdown passes covering 10, 35 and 6 yards. The win was the second straight for the Giants (5-9) after seven consecutive losses.
The Redskins (3-11) blew a touchdown and command of the game on a fumble by Robert Griffin III as time expired in the first half. Griffin scrambled for an apparent 8-yard touchdown for a 17-7 lead, diving over the pylon, then running on to the field and spiking the ball with emphasis.
A video review by referee Jeff Triplette determined that Griffin lost control of the ball diving over the pylon and the play was ruled a touchback.
The call incensed Redskins receiver Santana Moss so much he bumped an official while arguing and was ejected. Instead of a 10-point lead, the Redskins led 10-7.
Jets 16, Titans 11
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Chris Ivory scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 3:09 left in a game marked by a brawl between teams playing only for pride, with the loser hoping for better draft position.
The Jets (3-11) got their first road win this season in the first NFL game to end with a 16-11 score. They also snapped a three-game skid.
The Titans (2-12) now have lost eight straight and 11-of-12 in their worst skid since 1994 when home was in Houston. They got the ball twice late, and reached the Jets' 9 after three laterals on the final play came up short.