The final week of the NFL regular season brought lots of drama as it always does.
The biggest winners of Sunday were the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, as after the Tennesse Titans upset the Jacksonville Jaguars, both teams clinched a playoff spot in the AFC.
For a full look at all the remaining playoff scenarios, check out our NFL Playoff Tracker.
Here is a full roundup of Sunday’s action:
TITANS 28, JAGUARS 20
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Trevor Lawrence had every chance to play the Jacksonville Jaguars into the playoffs for a second straight year as the AFC South champs.
He wound up stopped short of the goal line with 7:13 left, and he also turned the ball over on downs with 1:47 left as the Tennessee Titans eliminated the Jaguars 28-20 Sunday in their regular-season finale.
The Jaguars (9-8) came in needing a win to clinch a second straight AFC South title for the first back-to-back crowns since 1998 and 1999. Their loss makes Houston the division champs, costing the Jaguars their only way into the postseason after Pittsburgh also won Saturday.
Jacksonville controlled its fate starting 8-3 and finished losing five of six. Lawrence, who returned after missing last week with a sprained shoulder, was intercepted twice. The Jaguars also turned the ball over on downs three times — twice in the final 7:10.
The Jaguars had one final chance, getting the ball back with 2:18 remaining and no timeouts left. Lawrence’s deep pass went off Calvin Ridley’s fingertips, then Lawrence threw incomplete on the next two downs with the last nowhere close to Engram.
Tennessee’s win makes the Texans the AFC South champs and the No. 4 seed, who will host No. 5 seed Cleveland in the wild-card round. Pittsburgh and Buffalo, who visits Miami in the final game of the regular season on Sunday night, both clinched playoff berths with Jacksonville eliminated.
BUCCANEERS 9, PANTHERS 0
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals, the Tampa Bay defence pitched a shutout and the Buccaneers won their third straight NFC South title with a 9-0 victory on Sunday over the Carolina Panthers.
Tampa Bay (9-8) was facing an all-or-nothing scenario entering Sunday’s game with a win clinching a playoff spot and a loss resulting in elimination.
The Buccaneers weren’t exactly impressive on offence with Baker Mayfield held to 137 yards in his return to Carolina, but the defence — aided by some self-inflected wounds by Carolina — did just enough to keep the Panthers off the board.
The Panthers became the first NFL team since at least 1991 to fail to run a single play while leading in the fourth quarter of a game. Both of Carolina’s wins this season came on field goals at the end of regulation when it was trailing.
Bryce Young finished 11 of 18 for 94 yards and the Panthers had two potential touchdowns overturned.
BENGALS 31, BROWNS 14
CINCINNATI (AP) — Jake Browning threw three touchdown passes, Joe Mixon rushed for a season-high 111 yards and a score, and the Cincinnati Bengals got an easy 31-14 win Sunday over a Cleveland Browns team resting most of its starters for the playoffs.
Locked in as the No. 5 seed in the AFC, Cleveland (11-6) was content to play out the regular season with backups before its first playoff appearance since 2020 and just its second in the last 21 seasons.
Quarterback Joe Flacco, star defensive end Myles Garrett, receiver Amari Cooper and cornerback Denzel Ward were among the Browns’ starters who didn’t play.
The Bengals led 24-0 at halftime. Browns quarterback Jeff Driskel — signed Dec. 29 from Arizona’s practice squad — didn’t fare well against Cincinnati’s defensive regulars until the fourth quarter, when he threw two touchdown passes to David Bell.
The Bengals (9-8) had a difficult season. Franchise quarterback Joe Burrow wasn’t at full strength to start the season and suffered a season-ending wrist injury in the 10th game. Other key players missed chunks of time.
