NFL round-up: Chiefs down to QB3 as Minshew injured in loss to Titans | NFL

Cam Ward threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns, and the Tennessee Titans ended an 11-game home skid by beating the Kansas City Chiefs 26-9 on Sunday.

The Titans (3-12) improved to 1-7 at home this season with their first win at Nissan Stadium since Nov. 3, 2024. The skid matches the franchise’s worst since moving to Tennessee in 1997.

With two games remaining, the Chiefs (6-9) are assured of their first losing record since 2012 – their most recent season without Andy Reid as coach. Kansas City has lost four games in a row, its longest skid since 2017, and six of seven.

A week after Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending torn ACL, his replacement, Gardner Minshew, was knocked out of the game with a knee injury early in the second quarter.

Ward posted his best passer rating this season at 122.3, and he passed Marcus Mariota for the most yards by a franchise rookie. He helped the Titans total a season-high 377 yards of offense against a Chiefs defense that ranked eighth-stingiest in the NFL in yards allowed.

The rookie threw a shovel pass to Chig Okonkwo who raced for seven yards to give the Titans the lead and stay late in the first half. Ward also found fellow rookie Chimere Dike for a 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Minnesota Vikings 16-13 New York Giants

JJ McCarthy ran for a touchdown before leaving with an injury to his right hand and throwing hand, and backup quarterback Max Brosmer helped the Minnesota Vikings win their third straight game, beating the New York Giants 16-13 on Sunday in a clash of teams eliminated from the playoffs.

McCarthy was injured on a strip sack by Brian Burns in the final minute of the first half, when it looked like the Vikings (7-8) were going to let the clock run out. Instead, Burns forced McCarthy to fumble with a crushing hit and Tyler Nubin returned it 27 yards for a touchdown.

Brosmer led a go-ahead fourth quarter that ended with Will Reichard kicking a 30-yard field goal. The rookie completed 7 of 9 passes for 52 yards in his fourth NFL appearance and his first since four interceptions on Nov. 30 in a 26-0 loss at Seattle.

Before he was injured, McCarthy completed 9 of 14 passes for 108 yards and saw a possible pick 6 negated by an offsides penalty on Abdul Carter. After having his entire rookie year wiped out by a torn meniscus in his right knee, the 2024 No. 10 pick missed time this season with a concussion and sprained right ankle.

The Giants (2-13) lost their ninth straight game and fifth since Mike Kafka took over as interim coach when Brian Daboll was fired Nov. 10. They haven’t won since October 9.

Los Angeles Chargers 34-17 Dallas Cowboys

Justin Herbert threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score and the Los Angeles Chargers moved closer to a playoff spot with a 34-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

The Chargers’ fourth straight victory gave them a chance later in the day to clinch their second playoff berth in two seasons under coach Jim Harbaugh. LA (11-4) would be in the event of a loss or tie against Indianapolis or Houston.

Dak Prescott had TD passes on his first two drives but couldn’t find the end zone again for Dallas, which was eliminated from the playoffs for the second straight year thanks to Philadelphia’s decisive NFC East victory at Washington on Saturday.

The Cowboys (6-8-1) have lost three straight since a three-game winning streak that put them above .500 for the only time in coach Brian Schottenheimer’s first season.

In his third full game with his broken (left) hand heavily guarded, Herbert led the Chargers to touchdowns on all three first-half drives. Omarion Hampton scored on a five-yard run in the second half.

Buffalo Bills 23-20 Cleveland Browns

James Cook rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns, Josh Allen played through a foot injury and the Buffalo Bills moved closer to a playoff spot with a 23-20 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

Ty Johnson also had a rushing score for the Bills (11-4), who have won four in a row and five of six.

Allen played the second half despite injuring his right foot during the second quarter.

The reigning NFL MVP favored the foot after being sacked by Cleveland’s Myles Garrett and Alex Wright for a 22-yard loss to the Buffalo one-yard line with 60 seconds left in the first half. The half sack gave Garrett 22 points this season. He needs one more sack in the final two games for the Browns (3-12) to pass Michael Strahan and TJ Watt for the single-season mark.

Allen was 12 of 19 for 130 yards and also totaled 17 yards on seven carries.

New York Jets 6-29 New Orleans Saints

Chris Olave caught touchdown passes from Tyler Shough and Taysom Hill, Charlie Smyth tied a Saints record with five field goals and New Orleans extended its winning streak to three with a 29-6 win over the New York Jets on Sunday.

Cameron Jordan had two sacks for New Orleans (5-10), giving him 130 for his career and putting the 15th-year defensive end two ahead of Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson for 17th in NFL history. Jordan, who now has a team-high 8 1/2 sacks this season, has had at least eight sacks in nine seasons.

Shough, drafted 40th overall last spring, passed for 308 yards to eclipse 300 for the first time while improving to 4-3 as a starter. Hill totaled 116 yards, including 42 rushing, 36 receiving and his 38-yard scoring pass to Olave in the final minutes.

Undrafted rookie Brady Cook made his second start for the Jets (3-12), who have lost three straight and five of six.

Cook has been sacked eight times. He lost a fumble when former Jet Nathan Shepherd flattened him and defensive end Chase Young recovered, leading to Smyth’s 50-yard field goal. Cook was also intercepted by rookie safety Jonas Sanker on a fourth-down play in the fourth quarter, leading to Smyth’s final 39-yard field goal.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-23 Carolina Panthers

Bryce Young threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns, Lathan Ransom intercepted Baker Mayfield with 42 seconds remaining and the Carolina Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 on Sunday to take first place in the NFC South.

The Panthers (8-7) can win the division title next Sunday with a win against Seattle and a loss for the Buccaneers (7-8) against Miami. However, if both teams win or lose, the Panthers will have to beat Tampa Bay on the road again in Week 18 to win their first division title since 2015.

Tetairoa McMillan had six catches for 73 yards and a touchdown as the Panthers bounced back again with a huge win after a potentially devastating loss to the last-place New Orleans Saints.

Ransom made a huge mistake in that loss with a late hit on Saints quarterback Tyler Shough that led to New Orleans’ game-winning field goal.

But as the Bucs were cruising toward a tying field goal — or a go-ahead touchdown — there was a miscommunication on a second-and-9 passing play between Mayfield and Mike Evans at the Carolina 42 and Ransom got an easy pick to seal the victory.

Cincinnati Bengals 45-21 Miami Dolphins

Joe Burrow bounced back from his first shutout to throw for 309 yards and four touchdowns as the Cincinnati Bengals routed the Miami Dolphins 45-21 on Sunday.

Miami (6-9) and Cincinnati (5-10) were both eliminated from playoff contention last week, but the teams insisted they were still motivated for the final three games of the season.

It happened like this in the first half. Cincinnati held a 17-14 halftime lead before opening the game with 28 points off four straight Dolphins turnovers.

Burrow carved up Miami’s defense, completing 25 of 32 throws with a passer rating of 146.5 before being replaced by veteran Joe Flacco early in the fourth quarter. Two of Burrow’s touchdown passes went to running back Chase Brown, from 9 and 5 yards out. Brown, who finished with 66 yards rushing and 43 receiving, also had a 12-yard touchdown run. All of Brown’s touchdowns came on third down, making him the first player this season with three scores in a single quarter.

Ja’Marr Chase caught nine passes for 109 yards.