{"id":374356,"date":"2025-12-29T03:34:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T03:34:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/374356\/"},"modified":"2025-12-29T03:34:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T03:34:17","slug":"nfl-roundup-patriots-win-first-afc-east-title-since-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/374356\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL roundup: Patriots win first AFC East title since 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry, left, celebrates after a touchdown against the New York Jets with teammate Drake Maye (10) on Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J.Frank Franklin\/The Associated Press<\/p>\n

Drake Maye threw a career-high five touchdown passes before getting the rest of the game off in the third quarter, New England scored a TD on its first six drives and the Patriots finished the regular season undefeated on the road by dominating the New York Jets 42-10 on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Rhamondre Stevenson had a TD run and catch for the Patriots (13-3), who, thanks to Buffalo\u2019s loss to Philadelphia, won their first AFC East title since 2019. <\/p>\n

Maye was 19 of 21 for 256 yards and a 157.0 quarterback rating with TD tosses to Stevenson, Stefon Diggs, Austin Hooper, Hunter Henry and Efton Chism III before being lifted by coach Mike Vrabel for Joshua Dobbs with 5:31 left in the third quarter. Maye joined Tom Brady (11 times) and Drew Bledsoe (twice) as the only New England quarterbacks to reach 4,000 yards passing in a season.<\/p>\n

Dobbs\u2019 first drive ended the Patriots\u2019 touchdown run, with New England settling for a field goal on its seventh possession \u2013 but Andy Borregales clanked the 41-yard attempt off the right upright.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t matter much by then, though, as the Patriots cruised to their eighth 13-win season in team history. Only San Francisco has more with 11.<\/p>\n

In a road game that looked and sounded more like a Patriots home game with all the red, white and blue-clad fans who made the trek down to MetLife Stadium, New England finished 8-0 away from Gillette Stadium. It\u2019s the third time in franchise history the Patriots had no regular-season road losses. Only San Francisco (1984, 1989 and 1990) has also gone undefeated on the road in three seasons since 1970.<\/p>\n

Bengals 37, Cardinals 14<\/p>\n

Ja\u2019Marr Chase caught two touchdown passes from Joe Burrow, who threw for 305 yards as Cincinnati beat Arizona.<\/p>\n

Chase finished with seven catches for 60 yards and became the first player in NFL history with at least 80 receptions, 1,000 receiving yards and seven TD catches in each of his first five seasons.<\/p>\n

Burrow passed for 300 yards or more for the 28th time, tying Andy Dalton for the most in franchise history. Chase Brown ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns as the Bengals (6-10) improved to 3-2 since Burrow returned from left toe surgery.<\/p>\n

Arizona\u2019s Trey McBride had 10 catches, giving him 119 this season to break the NFL single-season record for a tight end, topping Zach Ertz\u2019s 116 in 2018. He also broke DeAndre Hopkins\u2019 Cardinals record of 115 catches, set in 2020.<\/p>\n

The Cardinals (3-13) had the seventh-ranked pass offence the league, but the improved Bengals defence held them to 233 total yards. Jacoby Brissett threw for 212 yards and two TDs.<\/p>\n

The Bengals scored on their first two possessions.<\/p>\n

Dolphins 20, Buccaneers 17<\/p>\n

Rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers threw for 172 yards and two touchdowns, including a 63-yard toss for his first career score, and Miami beat slumping Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n

The Bucs (7-9) remained one game behind the Carolina Panthers (8-8) in the NFC South after the Panthers\u2019 27-10 loss to Seattle on Sunday. The Buccaneers would still clinch their fifth consecutive division title and sixth straight playoff berth by beating Carolina in next week\u2019s regular-season finale.<\/p>\n

But Tampa Bay has lost four straight games, seven of its last eight and has barely looked like a playoff team during that stretch. The Buccaneers\u2019 last four losses have all been by one possession.<\/p>\n

Despite three turnovers and being outgained 145-53 on the ground Sunday, Tampa Bay pulled within three after a three-play, 91-yard drive that Baker Mayfield capped with a four-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans with 54 seconds left.<\/p>\n

A busted coverage by the Dolphins defence led to a 59-yard reception by Chris Godwin that set up the score, but Miami recovered the ensuring onside kick to end Tampa Bay\u2019s comeback attempt.<\/p>\n

Mayfield completed 33 of 44 passes for 346 yards with a five-yard touchdown pass to Godwin on the game\u2019s opening drive. The former No. 1 pick has thrown an interception in each game of the Buccaneers\u2019 losing streak, including two on Sunday. The first was an underthrow to receiver Jalen McMillan that was picked off by rookie cornerback Jason Marshall Jr.<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) and Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) hug after their game at Huntington Bank Field.Ken Blaze\/Reuters<\/p>\n

Browns 13, Steelers 6<\/p>\n

Shedeur Sanders threw for 186 yards and a touchdown, Cleveland\u2019s defence kept Pittsburgh out of the end zone and the Browns held on for a victory, preventing the Steelers from clinching the AFC North.<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh (9-7) came into the weekend needing either a win or loss by Baltimore for its first division title since 2020.<\/p>\n

Instead, the Steelers will host the Ravens to close the regular season the winner getting the division and the AFC\u2019s fourth seed in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

The Browns (4-12) snapped a four-game losing streak, along with a seven-game skid in division games. It is the first time since Dec. 10, 2009, that the Browns defeated the Steelers and held them without a touchdown.<\/p>\n

Cleveland scored on its first two possessions and jumped out to a 10-0 lead.<\/p>\n

Sanders completed 17 of 23 passes, including a touchdown and two interceptions as he improved to 2-4 as an NFL starting quarterback.<\/p>\n

Jaguars 23, Colts 17<\/p>\n

Trevor Lawrence ran for two scores, Cam Little kicked a tiebreaking 42-yard field goal with 6:58 left, and Jacksonville beat Indianapolis, moving within one victory of its first AFC South title since 2022.<\/p>\n

The Jags (12-4) won their seventh straight game one day after two-time defending division champ Houston beat the Los Angeles Chargers to remain in contention for the title. The Texans\u2019 victory also eliminated the Colts from playoff contention.<\/p>\n

Jacksonville\u2019s Liam Coen became the first coach in NFL history to take over a four-win team and win 12 games the next season.<\/p>\n

Lawrence went 23 of 37 for 263 yards, though his streak of consecutive games with at least 225 yards passing, two TDs and a passer rating over 100 ended at four. He did not have a touchdown pass and he threw his first interception in five weeks.<\/p>\n

The Jags kept 44-year-old Colts quarterback Philip Rivers winless in three games since he returned to the league following a five-year retirement.<\/p>\n

Indy (8-8) has lost six straight and seven of eight to become the sixth team since 1970 \u2013 and the first since the 1995 Oakland Raiders \u2013 to miss the postseason after starting 7-1.<\/p>\n

Saints 34, Titans 26<\/p>\n

Tyler Shough threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Austin Jr. with 6:22 left to put New Orleans ahead to stay as they rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat Tennessee.<\/p>\n

Shough improved to 5-3 as a starter, helping the Saints (6-10) win their fourth straight. He outplayed Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, in this NFL\u2019s third game between starting rookie quarterbacks this season. Shough was 22 of 27 for a career-best 333 yards and two touchdowns with a 142.7 passer rating.<\/p>\n

Audric Estime added a 32-yard TD run with 3:44 left as New Orleans dominated the second half. The Saints both outscored the Titans 24-6 and outgained them 331-152 after halftime.<\/p>\n

Chase Young had 1 1\/2 of the Saints\u2019 four sacks and also stripped Ward and returned the fumble 33 yards for a touchdown. Charlie Smyth kicked a pair of field goals. Young got a half-sack with 5:16 left to force the Titans in a three-and-out.<\/p>\n

The Titans (3-13) now go into the 2026 season trying to string together consecutive wins. That\u2019s something this franchise hasn\u2019t done since Nov. 13 and Nov. 17 of the 2022 season. They are 1-8 at home this season.<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) carries the ball during the second half of his team’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday in Las Vegas.John Locher\/The Associated Press<\/p>\n

Giants 34, Raiders 10<\/p>\n

The Las Vegas Raiders moved into position to snag the top pick in next year\u2019s draft after losing to Jaxson Dart and New York in a matchup of teams with the NFL\u2019s two worst records.<\/p>\n

Las Vegas (2-14) would secure the top pick with a loss next week to Kansas City. The Raiders\u2019 skid reached 10 games, which matches last season\u2019s streak for fifth-longest in franchise history.<\/p>\n

The Giants (3-13), who snapped a nine-game losing streak, could still wind up with the top pick if they lose to Dallas next weekend and the Raiders beat Kansas City. Interim coach Mike Kafka got his first win after losing his first five, and the Giants had their largest margin of victory since defeating Indianapolis 38-10 in Week 17 of the 2022 season.<\/p>\n

Dart, taken by the Giants with the No. 25 pick in the 2025 draft, showed his dual-threat ability by passing for 207 yards and rushing for 48 yards and two touchdowns.<\/p>\n

Wan\u2019Dale Robinson caught 11 passes for 113 yards to become the first player 5-foot-8 or shorter to reach the 1,000-yard mark since 5-foot-7 Richard Johnson in 1989. Robinson also is just the third since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, according to Sportradar.<\/p>\n

Linebacker Brian Burns recorded 1 1\/2 sacks, giving him a career-high 16 1\/2 for the season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry, left, celebrates after a touchdown against…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":374357,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[436],"tags":[901,888,902,879,877,903,49,48,876,895,896,891,878,875,46,549,295,894,887,914,880,881,893,889,890,884,904,885,909,910,514,912,907,911,905,908,882,898,899,714,897,906,82,865,61,900,892,886,883,913],"class_list":["post-374356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-alberta","tag-arts-news","tag-bc","tag-breaking-news","tag-breaking-news-video","tag-british-columbia","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canada-news","tag-canada-sports","tag-canada-sports-news","tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","tag-canadian-breaking-news","tag-canadian-news","tag-economy","tag-education","tag-environment","tag-federal-government","tag-foreign-news","tag-globe-and-mail","tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","tag-government","tag-life-news","tag-lifestyle","tag-local-news","tag-manitoba","tag-national-news","tag-new-brunswick","tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","tag-nfl","tag-northwest-territories","tag-nova-scotia","tag-nunavut","tag-ontario","tag-pei","tag-photos","tag-political-news","tag-political-opinion","tag-politics","tag-politics-news","tag-quebec","tag-sports","tag-sports-news","tag-technology","tag-travel","tag-trudeau","tag-us-news","tag-world-news","tag-yukon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=374356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374356\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/374357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}