NFL Week 18: Trevor Lawrence stopped short of goal line as Jags eliminated from playoff race in loss to Titans

NASHVILLE — 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.

TANNEHILL. HOPKINS. @Titans take a 28-13 lead.

????: #JAXvsTEN on CBS
????: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/X0vcyHUoyR pic.twitter.com/fn0gq6VDPq

— NFL (@NFL) January 7, 2024

Lawrence tried to rally the Jaguars from a 15-point deficit with a 14-yard TD pass to Evan Engram at the start of the fourth quarter.

The Titans, with the NFL’s stingiest defense inside their 20, stopped Lawrence a foot short as he tried to reach the ball to the goal line on fourth-and-goal from the 1.

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.

#SteelersNation is HERE @steelers pic.twitter.com/8paPAjonDM

— NFL on CBS ???? (@NFLonCBS) January 7, 2024

Pittsburgh now needs Miami to beat Buffalo to clinch the No. 6 seed, though the Steelers would be the seventh seed with a Bills’ win. Some Steelers fans waved Terrible Towels at Nissan Stadium, cheering as the Titans helped their team reach the playoffs.

Derrick Henry ran for a season-high 153 yards and a touchdown, helping the Titans (6-11) finish on a winning note after they had been eliminated from playoff contention earlier than at any prior point in coach Mike Vrabel’s six-season tenure.

"@Titans fans... Thank you for the greatest 8 years of my life." ???????? @KingHenry_2 pic.twitter.com/3CpEHq4PiC

— NFL (@NFL) January 7, 2024

This win snapped a three-game skid and also gave them a measure of revenge after the Jaguars kept the Titans from a third straight AFC South title in last season’s finale.

Henry, fresh off being voted to his fourth Pro Bowl, got a huge ovation when introduced last. He turned 30 on Thursday, and this is his last game under contract. The two-time NFL rushing champ put on a show. Henry ran for an 18-yard touchdown to put Tennessee up 7-3 early.

Henry broke off a 69-yard run on the first drive of the third, setting up Tannehill’s 6-yard TD pass to DeAndre Hopkins for a 28-13 lead. Tannehill also started his last game under contract with rookie Will Levis sidelined by an injured right foot.

Tennessee, with only four interceptions all season, got two on consecutive drives in that quarter to take a 21-13 lead into halftime.

Safety Terrell Edmunds got his hands under a ball dropped by Engram for the Titans’ fifth interception this season. Tyjae Spears finished the short drive with a 3-yard TD run for a 21-10 lead late in the second.

Lawrence overthrew Zay Jones on the next drive, and cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting got the pick.

Lions 30, Vikings 20

DETROIT — Sam LaPorta had a 2-yard touchdown catch midway through the first quarter but later limped off the field with a knee injury, an ominous development for the NFC North champion Detroit Lions as they closed out the regular season with a 30-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Detroit (12-5) matched a franchise record for wins and will host a playoff game for the first time since the 1993 season when it played at the Pontiac Silverdome.

The Lions will spend the upcoming week hoping LaPorta, who set an NFL record for receptions by a rookie tight end with 86, is healthy enough to help them earn a second playoff victory since winning the 1957 league title.

Detroit coach Dan Campbell opted to play all his starters even though the best the Lions could hope for was to improve their playoff seeding from No. 3 to No. 2 in the NFC. They needed the Cowboys to lose at Washington later Sunday for that to happen.

Week 18 included top plays, forced fumbles, lots of TDs, and clinched playoff berths ???? (by @StateFarm) pic.twitter.com/x0VAjImslk

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) January 8, 2024

Minnesota (7-10) was eliminated from playoff contention, losing four straight games and six of seven in a season stunted by Kirk Cousins’ torn Achilles tendon and the team’s inability to replace him.

Nick Mullens, one of three quarterbacks to start for the Vikings’ over their final five games, lofted a 38-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson in the final minute of the third quarter and had a 42-yard pass to Jordan Addison for another score on his next possession to keep Minnesota within a touchdown.

Jared Goff, who completed 23 of 32 passes for 320 yards without a turnover, threw his second TD pass on a 70-yard toss to Amon-Ra St. Brown in the fourth. He also set the Lions up for Michael Badgley’s 39-yard field goal that gave them a 30-20 lead with 8:14 left.

Mullens threw interceptions to Cam Sutton and C.J. Gardner-Johnson late in the fourth, ending Minnesota’s comeback hopes. He finished 30 of 44 for 396 yards.

As usual, Jefferson did his part for the Vikings.

He had a career-high-matching 12 catches for a season-high 192 yards and a score. Jefferson, who missed seven games with a hamstring injury, joined Wes Chandler (1982) and Jim Benton (1945) as the only players in league history to have 1,000 yards receiving in 10 or fewer games.

Jets 17, Patriots 3

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Breece Hall rushed for 174 yards and a late touchdown and the New York Jets snapped a 15-game losing streak against the Patriots with a 17-3 win Sunday in what could have been Bill Belichick’s final game as New England’s coach.

With snow covering the field and flurries swirling throughout Gillette Stadium, Greg Zuerlein kicked three field goals to help the Jets (7-10) earn their first victory over the Patriots since an overtime win on Dec. 27, 2015. It marks the Jets’ first win in New England since the 2010 AFC divisional playoff round.

The Patriots’ 4-13 record is the worst finish in Belichick’s 29-year NFL coaching career. Sunday’s loss also marked the 178th of Belichick’s career, including the playoffs, tying him with Tom Landry for the most ever. It also ties the record of 165 regular-season losses held by Jeff Fisher and Dan Reeves.

New England now shifts to its most uncertain offseason of the past two-plus decades, with Belichick’s future with the team in the spotlight after 24-year tenure during which the Patriots won six Super Bowl titles.

Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft are expected to meet Monday to discuss the coach’s future with the franchise.

Kraft will have to decide whether to part ways with Belichick, only the third coach who has worked for him since purchasing the team in 1994. With 333 victories, Belichick is currently 14 wins shy of equaling Hall of Fame coach Don Shula’s record of 347, including the playoffs.

The Jets led 9-3 when they went for it on fourth-and-1 at New England’s 37 with less than four minutes left, but Hall was stopped short and New York turned it over on downs.

But on New England’s ensuing play Bailey Zappe was sacked for a 16-yard loss and then intercepted on the next play by Ashtyn Davis. But Davis was stripped of the ball by Mike Gesicki and Vederian Lowe recovered for the Patriots.

New England’s momentum didn’t last, with Zappe intercepted two plays later by Tony Adams. Two plays later, Hall sealed it with a 50-yard TD run and 2-point conversion run.

The weather affected both offenses, particularly in the passing game.

In what has been a microcosm of the entire season, New England struggled to sustain drives and managed a season-low 120 yards. Zappe completed 12 of 30 passes for 88 yards and two interceptions.

With injured quarterback Aaron Rodgers looking on from the sideline, Trevor Siemian made his third consecutive start in his place of Zach Wilson, who remained out with a concussion.

Siemian finished 8 of 20 for 70 yards.

Buccaneers 9, Panthers 0

CHARLOTTE — Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals, the Tampa Bay defense 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 offense with Baker Mayfield held to 137 yards in his return to Carolina, but the defense — 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.

Carolina, which lost 26-0 to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, became the first team to be shutout in back-to-back games since the Cleveland Browns in 2008. It marked the first time in the Panthers’ 29-year history they’ve been blanked in consecutive games.

The Panthers (2-15) finished with the NFL’s worst record and the franchise’s second-worst winning percentage, topping only a 1-15 season in 2001 under George Seifert. However, Carolina won’t get the benefit of the No. 1 overall draft pick, as that will go to the Chicago Bears as part of the trade for Young.

Mayfield spent last season with the Panthers, but went 1-5 as a starter and was released midseason. He played through some sore ribs, and completed 20 of 32 passes. Rachaad White ran for 75 yards for Tampa Bay.

The Bucs took a 6-0 lead at halftime behind field goals of 36 and 57 yards from McLaughlin. McLaughlin added a 39-yarder in the fourth quarter.

The Panthers repeatedly made key mistakes, just as bad teams do.

In the second quarter, DJ Chark caught a pass from Young and raced 43 yards down the sideline for an apparent touchdown. But replays confirmed Chark fumbled as he attempted to jump across the goal line, and the Bucs recovered in the end zone for a touchback.

And, at the end of the third quarter, fill-in kicker Matthew Wright missed a 52-yard field goal after Young took a sack — his 61st of the season — on third down, resulting in a costly 9-yard loss.

And running back Raheem Blackshear had a 28-yard touchdown run called back in the fourth quarter when the Panthers were flagged for an illegal formation.

Saints 48, Falcons 17

NEW ORLEANS — Derek Carr passed for four touchdowns to lift the New Orleans Saints over the Atlanta Falcons 48-17 Sunday, but both teams missed out on a chance to win the division when Tampa Bay beat Carolina.

Either New Orleans (9-8) or Atlanta (7-10) would have won the NFC South by winning their regular-season finale if the Buccaneers lost. Baker Mayfield and Tampa Bay finished a 9-0 victory while the Saints and Falcons were still on the field.

New Orleans can still back-door into an NFC wild-card spot with losses by both Seattle and Green Bay later Sunday.

The Saints’ Jamaal Williams had a 1-yard TD run in the final two minutes after New Orleans lined up as if planning to take a knee and run out the clock. The play appeared to upset both the Falcons and Saints coach Dennis Allen.

Carr passed for 264 yards and rookie receiver A.T. Perry caught two scoring passes to double his season total for New Orleans.

In the Atlanta locker room, speculation swirled around the future of third-year coach Arthur Smith following his third-straight losing campaign.

Saints receiver Rashid Shaheed, named to the Pro Bowl as a returner, caught a 39-yard touchdown pass. Chris Olave hauled in a 26-yard touchdown on a contested pass that the receiver tipped to himself in the end zone. New Orleans running back Kendre Miller, returning from a Week 9 ankle injury, rushed for a 3-yard touchdown in the first half.

After Atlanta ruled out quarterback Taylor Heinicke because of an ankle injury, 2022 third-round draft choice Desmond Ridder got his 13th start this season. His day was highlighted by a swing pass that Bijan Robinson turned into a 71-yard touchdown down the left sideline in the first quarter.

Ridder’s day was marred by two turnovers that led to Saints touchdowns in the second half. Defensive back Alontae Taylor, who’d been benched for mistakes on a pair of explosive Falcons plays in the first half, intercepted Ridder after returning as an injury replacement. That set up Olave’s score that gave New Orleans the lead for good at 24-17 early in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Ridder shotgun fumble was recovered by defensive end Payton Turner, who was playing for the first time since his Week 1 toe injury. That play set up Perry’s second TD catch.

Ridder finished 22 of 30 for 291 yards and two touchdowns. Robinson had seven catches for 103 yards.

Ridder’s incomplete passes included one that was nearly intercepted on fourth-and-goal late in the third quarter.

That miss — one play after unblocked defensive end Carl Granderson pulled Cordarrelle Patterson down from behind for a loss on third-and-goal from inside the 1 — concluded a pivotal sequence on which Atlanta missed an opportunity to pull within one touchdown.

Ridder was replaced late in the game by Logan Woodside, who was intercepted by Tyrann Mathieu. It was the veteran’s fourth interception of the season, and he returned it 74 yards before being tackled at the Atlanta 1.

Packers 21, Cardinals 20

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Geno Smith threw two touchdown passes and the Seattle Seahawks rallied for a 21-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, but the Seahawks still missed the playoffs after the Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears earlier in the afternoon.

Arizona’s Matt Prater missed a 51-yard field attempt, wide right, at the buzzer. It was his second missed field goal of the fourth quarter.

The Seahawks came into Week 18 of this regular season in a familiar position, needing a win in the finale and some help from another team to squeeze into the playoffs. It worked out last season after the Seahawks beat the Rams and the Lions beat the Packers.

This time around, it didn’t.

The Seahawks had to beat the Cardinals and hope the Bears could upset the Packers. The games were played at roughly the same time on Sunday and both were tight, but the Packers polished off their 17-9 win — knocking the Seahawks out of postseason contention — midway through the fourth quarter of the Arizona-Seattle game.

Around that same time, the Cardinals made their move against the Seahawks with some trickery. On fourth-and-3 at the Seattle 8, the Cardinals looked like they were going to settle for a field goal, but Prater abruptly moved over to receiver as quarterback Kyler Murray sprinted back under center.

Murray then found McBride in the back of the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown and a 20-13 lead. Murray finished with 262 yards passing.

The Seahawks rallied on their final offensive drive, despite knowing they were eliminated from the playoff bracket. Smith hit Tyler Lockett for a 34-yard touchdown pass with two minutes left, cutting the margin to 20-19.

Seattle then converted a 2-point conversion, with Smith finding Lockett in the back of the end zone.

Conner tied it at 13-all early in the third quarter with a 29-yard touchdown run, slicing through Seattle’s defense without much resistance. He finished with 1,040 yards rushing this season — despite missing four games with a knee injury — topping the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career.

Arizona (4-13) had a 3-5 record after Murray returned at mid-season following an 11-month layoff due to an ACL tear in his right knee. Seattle (9-8) misses the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

Smith threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns.

The Seahawks inched ahead 3-0 in the first quarter on a 33-yard field goal from Jason Myers. The Cardinals responded to tie the game early in the second on Prater’s 23-yard kick.

Seattle scored the first touchdown of the afternoon on a 19-yard pass from Smith to a wide open Will Dissly for a 10-3 lead. It was Arizona’s second blunder in coverage during the drive after Lockett caught an uncontested pass for a 37-yard gain.

Myers made his second field goal of the first half — this one from 29 yards out — at the halftime buzzer for a 13-6 lead.

Raiders 27, Broncos 14

LAS VEGAS — Aidan O’Connell passed for 244 yards and two touchdowns, Zamir White rushed for 112 yards and a relentless Las Vegas pass rush helped the Raiders continue their dominance over the Denver Broncos with a 27-14 victory Sunday.

This was the Raiders’ eighth consecutive victory over their AFC West rivals and 10th in 11 games. That included a 4-0 record in Las Vegas.

Both teams ended their season at 8-9 and out of the playoffs with a number of questions facing both franchises. That includes whether Raiders own Mark Davis makes interim Antonio Pierce the full-time coach or searches for someone outside the organization. Las Vegas went 5-4 since Pierce replaced Josh McDaniels on Halloween night, and fans chanted “AP!” toward the end of the game.

O’Connell overcame a injury to the index finger on his throwing hand — he didn’t play the Raiders’ first drive of the second half — to complete a 33-yard touchdown pass to Jakobi Meyers on the first play of the fourth quarter to put the Raiders ahead 24-7.

Meyers also scored a TD in the second quarter, turning what was designed to be a wide receiver pass to a 5-yard run when the play broke down.

Teammate Davante Adams reached 100 catches for the fourth straight season, joining Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs as the only players to accomplish that over the same span. Antonio Brown, who had six such consecutive seasons with Pittsburgh from 2013-18, holds the NFL record.

Las Vegas committed no penalties, the second time that has happened this season. The Raiders also weren’t penalized Nov. 26 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham made his second start in a row in favor of the benched Russell Wilson. Stidham passed for 272 yards with a TD and interception and was sacked five times and hit 11 times. He quarterbacked the Raiders over their final two games last season in place of Derek Carr, who also was benched.

After the teams traded lengthy first-half touchdown drives, Las Vegas took the lead for good on a 49-yard field goal by Daniel Carlson and a 3-yard touchdown pass from O’Connell to Adams. The TD occurred with 7 seconds left and capped a 12-play, 98-yard drive that took just 1:36.

Chiefs 13, Chargers 12

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Mike Edwards returned a fumble 97 yards for a touchdown, Harrison Butker made a 41-yard field goal with 49 seconds remaining, and the AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs beat the Los Angeles Chargers 13-12 on Sunday while resting most of their starters.

With the Chiefs (11-6) locked into the AFC’s No. 3 seed for the playoffs, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were inactive. Kelce finished with 984 receiving yards, ending the All-Pro tight end’s bid for an eighth straight 1,000-yard season.

Kansas City will host either Buffalo or Miami in next weekend’s wild card round.

The Chargers (5-12) closed the season with five straight losses, the last three after coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco were fired on Dec. 15.

Easton Stick, who started the last four games after Justin Herbert suffered a season-ending finger injury, was 28 of 47 passing for 258 yards and had 77 yards rushing on 13 carries. Donald Parham had five receptions for 83 yards.

Cameron Dicker kicked four field goals for the Chargers. Los Angeles ended the season without a touchdown in its last 10 quarters.

Blaine Gabbert, making his first start since 2018 with Tennessee, completed 15 of 30 passes for 154 yards. Gabbert had scrambles of 25 and 14 yards during a nine-play, 51-yard drive late in the fourth quarter that resulted in Butker’s second field goal.

Kansas City’s go-ahead drive followed Dicker’s 20-yard field goal with 4:06 remaining that put the Chargers on top for the first time.

The Chargers were on the 18th play of their opening possession when Stick was sacked by Chiefs defensive lineman Charles Omenihu at the Kansas City 5-yard line and fumbled. Edwards scooped the ball at the 3 and went 97 yards for the fourth touchdown of his five-year career.

It was the longest scoop-and-score in the NFL this season and the third-longest in Chiefs history.

According to Sportradar, it was the seventh time since 2000 a team had a drive of at least 18 plays and turned it over. It was the first of those on which a defensive touchdown was scored.

Butker extended the lead to 10-0 in the second quarter when he connected from 22 yards. The Chargers got field goals from Dicker on their final two drives of the half.

Dicker’s 43-yarder with 4:11 remaining in the third quarter got Los Angeles within 10-9.

Packers 17, Bears 9

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Jordan Love threw for 316 yards and connected with Dontayvion Wicks on a pair of touchdowns to send the Green Bay Packers to the playoffs with a 17-9 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

The Packers (9-8) needed a win to earn an NFC wild-card berth. Green Bay delivered by winning their third straight overall and beating the Bears (7-10) for a 10th consecutive time.

The Packers were in a similar situation for their regular-season finale last year, but lost 20-16 at the Detroit Lions in four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ last game with Green Bay. The Packers traded Rodgers to the New York Jets less than four months later.

Love now has the Packers reaching the postseason in his first year as a starter. The Packers are the NFC’s No. 7 seed and will visit the Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card round.

He went 27 of 32 as Green Bay never punted all day. Love threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Wicks that put Green Bay ahead for good midway through the second quarter and found the rookie fifth-round pick in the end zone again for a 12-yard score in the third.

Green Bay’s Jayden Reed caught four passes for 112 yards, the rookie second-round pick’s first career 100-yard game. Aaron Jones rushed for 111 yards on 22 carries, his third straight 100-yard performance.

Chicago now heads into the offseason facing a major question about its quarterback situation.

The Bears have the top overall pick in the upcoming draft by virtue of a trade they made last year with the Carolina Panthers, who own the NFL’s worst record. They now must decide whether to keep Justin Fields as quarterback or select his potential replacement with that No. 1 selection.

Fields went 11 of 16 for 148 yards, but couldn’t get the Bears into the end zone. He was sacked five times and had eight carries for 27 yards.

The Bears reached Packers territory on each of their first six series, but had only nine points to show for it.

Cairo Santos capped the game’s first series with a 50-yard field goal that bounced off the left upright before going through. Santos also had a 39-yarder late in the second quarter and a 35-yarder early in the fourth.

The Bears got inside Green Bay’s 35 midway through the fourth quarter, but a holding penalty and a sack caused the drive to stall and forced a punt. Green Bay took over at its own 6 with 6:08 left and held the ball the rest of the game.

Rams 21, 49ers 20

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Carson Wentz threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score to lead the Los Angeles Rams to a 21-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in a game filled with backups.

Wentz scored on a 12-yard run with 4:56 to play and then converted a 2-point conversion pass to Tutu Atwell to give the Rams (10-7) a 21-20 lead.

Los Angeles held on from there and clinched the sixth seed in the NFC and a trip to Detroit in the wild-card round next weekend.

The game had little meaning with the 49ers (12-5) having clinched the top seed in the NFC and a first-round bye and the Rams clinching a playoff spot last week.

That led both teams to sit several starters, including both quarterbacks, with Brock Purdy getting the day off for San Francisco and Matthew Stafford for Los Angeles.

That provided an opportunity for former top-three picks Wentz and Sam Darnold to get their first starts of the season.

Darnold went 16 for 26 for 189 yards with a TD run and a TD pass to Ronnie Bell.

The biggest drama might have been Rams receiver Puka Nacua’s chase of the rookie records for catches and yards receiving. Nacua caught a 19-yard TD pass from Wentz in the first quarter to tie Bill Groman’s record of 1,473 yards that had stood since 1960.

He then broke the mark with a 7-yard catch on the opening drive of the third quarter. Nacua stayed in the game for one more play and caught a 6-yard pass to give him 105 catches — one more than the record set by Miami’s Jaylen Waddle in 2021.

Nacua’s day was done and he went to the sideline to get a hug from his mother.

The Rams scored on a TD pass from Wentz to Tyler Johnson. Brett Maher missed the extra point as Los Angeles’ kicking woes continued.

The Rams have missed a league-high 16 combined extra points and field goals this season. They waived Lucas Havrisik after he missed two extra points last week and brought back Maher, who missed six FGs and one PAT in seven games earlier this season. That didn’t seem to help the cause.

San Francisco had its own kicking woes with rookie Jake Moody missing a 38-yard field goal for his first miss of any kind since Week 7. Moody then missed his first extra point after 60 straight makes late in the first half.