INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Andrew Luck threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Jack Doyle with nine seconds left Sunday to give the Indianapolis Colts a 24-20 victory over Jacksonville in their season finale.
Indy (8-8) went 75 yards in 84 seconds with no timeouts to avoid its first losing season since 2011, sending retiring linebacker Robert Mathis out with a win in his final NFL game.
Jacksonville (3-13) matched the second-worst record in franchise history despite scoring the game’s first 17 points – a 47-yard field goal, a 14-yard touchdown pass from Blake Bortles to Ben Koyack and a 57-yard TD run by Corey Grant, who finished with 122 yards.
Koyack, a tight end who starred at Oil City High School and the University of Notre Dame before being drafted by the Jaguars in 2015, finished with three catches for 25 yards and the touchdown was the first of his NFL career.
After spending the entire 2015 season on the Jaguars’ practice squad, Koyack emerged as a rookie this season. He appeared in 14 of the team’s 16 games, starting seven times and finished the year with 19 receptions for 161 yards.
PATRIOTS 35, DOLPHINS 14
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Tom Brady threw for 276 yards and three scores, and the Patriots clinched home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs by beating the Dolphins 35-14.
The Patriots (14-2), already assured of a first-round bye, became the ninth team since 1972 to go undefeated on the road during the regular season.
The Dolphins (10-6) had already earned an AFC wild-card berth. They play their first postseason game since 2008 next weekend at Pittsburgh.
JETS 30, BILLS 10
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two touchdown passes in what was likely his final game for the Jets.
Despite a 5-11 record, the Jets are making no changes in leadership, meaning both coach Todd Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan will remain with the team next season. The team announced the moves after the game.
The Bills (7-9) also face some uncertainty this offseason after firing coach Rex Ryan earlier in the week and elevating offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn to the interim role. Two other people with direct knowledge of the situation told the AP before the game that Lynn is the clear favorite to take over the job permanently.
TITANS 24, TEXANS 17
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A concussion that sidelined quarterback Tom Savage could have the biggest impact coming out of the Texans’ loss.
Savage started for the AFC South champions, left in the second quarter to be evaluated for a concussion and was cleared. He took a snap to kneel down on the final play of the first half and was diagnosed with a concussion after being re-evaluated at halftime.
That left Brock Osweiler, benched for Savage last month, running the offense. He threw for 253 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a 1-yard TD on fourth-and-goal in the fourth quarter.
Houston (9-7) will host an AFC wild-card game next weekend, possibly with uncertainty at quarterback.
DaQuan Jones recovered a fumble for a touchdown in the first quarter, and the Titans (9-7) never trailed to finish with their first winning season since 2011.
EAGLES 27, COWBOYS 13
PHILADELPHIA – Tony Romo threw his first touchdown pass in nearly 14 months and the playoff-bound Cowboys played it safe.
The Cowboys (13-3) locked up the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs when the Eagles (7-9) beat the Giants on Dec. 22. So Dak Prescott played only two series and Ezekiel Elliott watched from the sideline.
Carson Wentz tossed two TD passes to Zach Ertz to help Philadelphia finish with a two-game winning streak.
BUCCANEERS 17, PANTHERS 16
TAMPA, Fla. – Jameis Winston threw for 202 yards and one touchdown And the Buccaneers broke up Cam Newton’s 2-point conversion throw in the closing seconds for their first winning season in six years.
VIKINGS 38, BEARS 10
MINNEAPOLIS – Sam Bradford concluded his first season with Minnesota with three first-half touchdown passes. Bradford went 25 for 33 for 250 yards and one interception, finishing with a 71.6 percent completion rate to set an NFL single-season record. Drew Brees (71.2 for New Orleans) set the league mark in 2011.
BENGALS 27, RAVENS 10
CINCINNATI – Andy Dalton completed his first 10 passes, one for a touchdown, and Rex Burkhead ran for a pair of scores in the Bengals’ fifth straight win at home over the Ravens.
The Bengals (6-9-1) missed the playoffs for the first time in six years, and haven’t won a playoff game in 26 years, the sixth-longest streak in NFL history. Coach Marvin Lewis, 0-7 in the postseason, says he’ll return in 2017.
Baltimore (8-8) failed to reach the playoffs for the third time in four years. The Ravens played their final game as if they were emotionally hung over from a last-minute loss at Pittsburgh last Sunday that eliminated them.
BRONCOS 24, RAIDERS 6
DENVER – In a game that couldn’t have gone much worse, Oakland lost its latest starting quarterback, Matt McGloin, to a shoulder injury, then fell 24-6 to Denver, a team with nothing to play for and now in need of a new coach.
Gary Kubiak informed his players in an emotional postgame locker room that he’s stepping away for health reasons.
FALCONS 38, SAINTS 32
ATLANTA – Matt Ryan bolstered his MVP credentials with a brilliant first half, throwing four touchdown passes to lead the Falcons to a 38-32 victory over the Saints, securing a first-round playoff bye.
Atlanta is seeded second in the NFC to Dallas.
One consolation for New Orleans: Drew Brees became the first quarterback in league history to throw for 5,000 yards five times. He was 29 of 50 for 350 yards, giving him 5,208 on the season.
His 471 completions this season set an NFL record.
CARDINALS 44, RAMS 6
LOS ANGELES – Carson Palmer threw touchdown passes to Jeremy Ross, Darren Fells and Larry Fitzgerald, and the Cardinals wrapped up a frustrating season with a 44-6 victory over the freefalling Rams.
Fitzgerald caught five passes and took the overall NFL lead with 107 catches in perhaps his final game for the Cardinals (7-8-1).
CHIEFS 37, CHARGERS 27
SAN DIEGO (AP) – Alex Smith threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and the Chiefs clinched the AFC West title and a first-round playoff bye with a 37-27 victory against the Chargers in perhaps the final NFL game in San Diego.
The Chiefs (12-4) clinched the division with the win and Oakland’s loss at Denver.
After the game, the Chargers fired coach Mike McCoy following a second straight last-place finish in the AFC West and a third straight season out of the playoffs.
GIANTS 19, REDSKINS 10
LANDOVER, Md. – Facing an opponent with nothing to play for, the Redskins blew their chance to make the playoffs with an uninspired 19-10 loss to the Giants.
Eli Manning played the entire game for the Giants (11-5), going 17 of 27 for 180 yards despite the Giants opting for a conservative approach for much of the second half.
SEAHAWKS 25, 49ERS 23
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Russell Wilson threw for 258 yards and a touchdown and the Seahawks rallied from an early 11-point deficit to beat San Francisco 25-23 in what could be coach Chip Kelly’s final game with the 49ers.
The NFC West champion Seahawks (10-5-1) head to the playoffs as the third seed in the NFC.
The loss capped a disastrous season for the 49ers (2-14), who matched the franchise record for losses in a season previously reached in 1978, ’79 and 2004.
After the game, the 49ers fired coach Chip Kelly and general manager Trent Baalke.
PACKERS 31, LIONS 24
DETROIT – Aaron Rodgers threw three of his four touchdown passes in the second half, lifting the Packers to an NFC North-winning 31-24 victory over the Lions.
The Packers (10-6) closed the regular season with six straight wins and will host the fifth-seeded New York Giants in an NFC wild-card game on Sunday.
Detroit (9-7) will play at third-seeded Seattle on Saturday night in a wild-card game.
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