The Pittsburgh Steelers strengthened their grip on the AFC North and pushed Detroit closer to the brink Sunday, escaping with a 29-24 win over the Lions after a dramatic final-play touchdown was wiped out by an offensive pass-interference call on Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Pittsburgh leaned on Jaylen Warren, whose two 45-yard touchdown runs in the fourth quarter capped a career day (143 rushing yards) and highlighted a lopsided ground advantage. The Steelers, now 9-6 and division leaders with two games left, have won three straight.
In the NFC East, Philadelphia secured the division title Saturday with a win at Washington, a result that also eliminated Dallas from playoff contention. The Cowboys were then handled 34-17 by the Chargers on Sunday as Justin Herbert threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score. Los Angeles (11-4) has won four straight and moved within striking distance of clinching a postseason berth.
Kansas City’s season continued to unravel in a 26-9 loss at Tennessee. One week after Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending ACL tear, backup Gardner Minshew exited early with a knee injury, leaving the Chiefs short-handed at quarterback again. Rookie Cam Ward threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns as the Titans snapped a long home skid.
Buffalo inched closer to a playoff spot with a 23-20 win over Cleveland, with James Cook rushing for 117 yards and two scores while Josh Allen played through a foot injury. New Orleans extended its winning streak to three by routing the Jets 29-6, and Carolina took over first place in the NFC South with a 23-20 win over Tampa Bay, sealed by a late interception of Baker Mayfield. Cincinnati erupted for 28 second-half points to beat Miami 45-21, while Jacksonville snapped Denver’s long winning streak 34-20 to tighten the AFC West race. Houston won its seventh straight, 23-21 over Las Vegas, and New England rallied past Baltimore 28-24 on Sunday night.
On the college side, the first round of the 12-team College Football Playoff produced two tight road wins and two emphatic home victories. Alabama erased a 17-point deficit to beat Oklahoma 34-24. Miami outlasted Texas A&M 10-3 in windy conditions, Ole Miss rolled Tulane 41-10, and Oregon advanced with a 51-34 win over James Madison after building a massive early lead.
Quarterfinal matchups are set: Miami faces Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31, with three games on Jan. 1 — Oregon vs. Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl, Alabama vs. top-seeded Indiana in the Rose Bowl, and Ole Miss vs. Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
Sunday’s scoreboards stayed busy in the NBA and NHL. In the NBA, Chicago edged Atlanta 152-150, New York beat Miami 132-125, San Antonio topped Washington 124-113, Brooklyn defeated Toronto 96-81, Minnesota beat Milwaukee 103-100, and Sacramento outlasted Houston 125-124 in overtime.
In the NHL, Detroit beat Washington 3-2 in overtime, Ottawa routed Boston 6-2, the Mammoth topped Winnipeg 4-3 in overtime, Buffalo beat New Jersey 3-1, Edmonton edged Vegas 4-3, Colorado handled Minnesota 5-1, Nashville beat the Rangers 2-1, Dallas downed Toronto 5-1, and Pittsburgh beat Montreal 4-3 in a shootout.
Source: ESPN, The Athletic, The Guardian, nba.com, nhl.com