With a 45-29 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, the San Francisco 49ers extended their winning streak to six games and secured the NFC West.
Quarterback Brock Purdy of San Francisco added another outstanding component to his breakout season with four touchdowns and 242 passing yards, further solidifying his MVP credentials.
With a touchdown in the first two minutes, Arizona applied some pressure, but the 49ers answered with back-to-back touchdowns of their own and never let up after that.
The Buffalo Bills’ 31-10 thrashing of the Dallas Cowboys, fellow contenders, forced them back into the real world.
The running game of Buffalo seemed to overwhelm the defense of the 10-win Cowboys, as Latavius Murray, Josh Allen, and James Cook all found the end zone on the ground.
Even with the defeat, the Cowboys’ participation in the postseason was guaranteed due to other outcomes from the previous day.
The Cleveland Browns defeated the Chicago Bears 20–17 thanks to 13 points in the fourth quarter.
After touchdowns from tight ends Cole Kmet and David Njoku tied the score at seven points at halftime, the Bears led by ten points going into the fourth quarter when Tremaine Edmunds returned an interception 45 yards for a score.
The 38-year-old Joe Flacco, who threw for 374 yards, helped the Browns save their best for last, as they won with two field goals from Dustin Hopkins and a touchdown pass from Amari Cooper.
With a 27-17 victory over the New England Patriots, the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs got back to their winning ways.
While Patrick Mahomes threw for 305 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions, running back Jerick McKinnon caught one touchdown pass and completed another to Rashee Rice.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the defending champion Green Bay Packers 34–20 thanks to four touchdown passes from quarterback Baker Mayfield.
To help seal a convincing victory, the 28-year-old quarterback amassed 381 passing yards during the contest, going to four different scorers: David Moore, Mike Evans, Rachaad White, and Ko Kieft.
The Miami Dolphins defeated the New York Jets 30-0 thanks to two touchdowns from Raheem Mostert on the ground.
The 31-year-old started the scoring in the first quarter, but Jaylen Waddle’s 60-yard touchdown earlier in the half had given the home team a comfortable lead and moved them up to second in the AFC. When he ran over for his double in the second quarter, the damage was done.
The New Orleans Saints defeated the New York Giants 24-6 thanks to 17 points in the second half.
The Giants were unable to respond as the Saints took control in the second half thanks to three touchdown passes from quarterback Derek Carr.
The Tennessee Titans were defeated 19–16 by the Houston Texans thanks to a field goal made in overtime by Ka’imi Fairbairn.
With two field goals in the last quarter, the Carolina Panthers defeated the Atlanta Falcons 9–7 to record just their second victory of the season.
In other games, the Detroit Lions easily defeated the Denver Broncos 42-17, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Washington Commanders 28-20, and the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-7.