Aaron Rodgers’ Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday clung on for a dramatic 29-24 win against the Lions, leaving Detroit’s playoff hopes hanging by a thread as three NFL teams confirmed their post-season berths.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff twice thought he had delivered a winning touchdown in the game’s final seconds, only for both to be ruled out for offensive pass interference, sparking furious scenes at Ford Field.
“Crazy game ... so happy to get a win,” said Rodgers, describing the high-stakes clash’s final moments as “chaos.”
Photo: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Pittsburgh’s win means the Chicago Bears and the San Francisco 49ers are guaranteed spots in the NFL playoffs.
A dour first half in Detroit saw Pittsburgh receiver D.K. Metcalf reach into the stands and throw a punch at a Lions fan. Although the Detroit supporter did not appear to be hurt, Metcalf could face disciplinary action.
Pittsburgh took a third-quarter lead with a two-point safety for sacking Goff in his own end zone, and never relinquished the advantage.
Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell made one of the catches of the season, seizing the ball one-handed from the floor before rising to sprint for a touchdown.
With barely two minutes left, Steelers kicker Chris Boswell missed a 37-yard field goal that could have put the game almost beyond reach, but the Lions could not quite capitalize, with an Amon-Ra St Brown catch and a Goff rush across the line both ruled out after extensive discussion among officials.
Victory took the Steelers closer to the post-season themselves, two wins clear of divisional rivals Baltimore with two to play.
The Ravens lost to the New England Patriots, who confirmed their own playoff spot with a 28-24 victory after trailing 24-13.
“It’s a great team we played, and just glad we got it done this week,” said quarterback Drake Maye, whose Patriots had failed to clinch the playoffs last week against Buffalo.
His Ravens counterpart Lamar Jackson departed Sunday’s game with a back injury late in the first half, the latest ailment to hamper the two-time former Most Valuable Player’s season.
Elsewhere, a battle of two of the NFL’s most in-form teams saw the league-leading Denver Broncos’ 11-game winning streak snapped by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The impressive Jaguars triumphed 34-20 for a sixth win in a row, moving to an 11-4 record.
Asked if Jacksonville — now dark horses for the No. 1 seed spot — would finally get respect from other teams, quarterback Trevor Lawrence said: “Honestly, I hope not.”
“Hope we don’t get any. Everybody out there, just keep it up — it’s great,” he said.
Justin Herbert threw two touchdowns and rushed for another as the Los Angeles Chargers beat the already-eliminated Dallas Cowboys 34-17.
The Buffalo Bills also powered toward the playoffs with a 23-20 win over the Cleveland Browns, with running back James Cook rushing for two touchdowns and 117 yards.
The faltering Tampa Bay Buccaneers stumbled to a 23-20 defeat on the road to the Carolina Panthers in a crucial National Football Conference South divisional tussle.
The Panthers vaulted into first place in the division. The loss was another hammer blow for Tampa Bay, who have taken just one win from their past seven games, allowing Carolina to edge past them.
Kansas City, eliminated from post-season contention last week, endured another miserable afternoon in a 26-9 defeat to the lowly Tennessee Titans (3-12) in Nashville.
The Chiefs’ defeat was compounded by a possible anterior cruciate ligament injury to backup quarterback Gardner Minshew.
Chiefs starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered an identical injury last week.
Elsewhere, the Texans overcame the Raiders 23-21, the Bengals sank the Dolphins 45-21, the Saints routed the Jets 29-6, the Falcons soared past the Cardinals 26-19 and the Vikings downed the Giants 16-13.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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