Justin Herbert threw for 210 yards and one touchdown while counterpart Patrick Mahomes tore the ACL in his left knee while leading a drive in the final two minutes as the Los Angeles Chargers ensured the host Kansas City Chiefs will miss the play-offs for the first time since 2014 with a 16-13 win on Sunday.
Herbert hit 19 of 29 passes for the Chargers (10-4), who won their third in a row to stay in the AFC West chase. KeAndre Lambert-Smith caught his first touchdown pass and Cameron Dicker booted three field goals, including a 49-yarder late in the third quarter that gave Los Angeles its first lead.
Mahomes rushed for a 12-yard touchdown in the first quarter and hit 16 of 28 passes for 189 yards. He had the Chiefs driving in Chargers' territory in the final two minutes, but he injured his knee and left the game when he was tackled by Da'Shawn Hand.
Gardner Minshew entered and, on his fifth play, tossed an interception to Derwin James Jr at the Los Angeles 18 with 14 seconds left.
The Chiefs said after the game that an MRI exam confirmed Mahomes' injury and he and the club "are currently exploring surgical options."
CHARLIE SMYTH FOR THE @SAINTS WIN pic.twitter.com/mLMeZUfKoB
— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2025
Tyler Shough passed for 272 yards and a touchdown and helped set up Charlie Smyth's go-ahead field goal as the New Orleans Saints defeated the Carolina Panther 20-17 for a season sweep, having won 17-7 on 9 November in Charlotte.
Shough and the Saints (4-10) drove 62 yards in 51 seconds before giving way to Smyth for a 47-yard field goal, which split the uprights with two seconds left.
Bryce Young threw for 163 yards and rushed for 49 to lead the Panthers (7-7), who fell into a tie with Tampa Bay for first place in the NFC South. Carolina and the Buccaneers face each other twice in the final three weeks, beginning with a game in Charlotte next Sunday.
The Buffalo Bills rallied from a 21-0 deficit to take down the New England Patriots 35-31 (above) and move to within a game of their AFC East rivals.
New England were seemingly in control after Drake Maye rushed for two first-quarter touchdowns before TreVeyon Henderson ran in a 52-yard score in the second quarter.
Josh Allen found James Cook III with a five-yard touchdown pass to get the Bills on the board but the Patriots were up 24-7 at the break after Andy Borregales split the posts from 47 yards.
But it all changed in the second half as Dawson Knox pulled in two touchdown passes either side of Cook's score to put Buffalo 28-24 in front.
Henderson responded with his second big score, a 62-yard rushing touchdown as New England regained the advantage but it was only temporary as Cook had the final word in a stunning game.
Jason Myers kicked a franchise-record six field goals, the last a 56-yarder with 18 seconds remaining, as host the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Indianapolis Colts 18-16 and spoiled the return of quarterback Philip Rivers.
The 44-year-old Rivers, who retired after the 2020 season, was signed earlier in the week to replace the injured Daniel Jones. He completed 18 of 27 passes for 120 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The pick came on a desperation heave with 4 seconds left. Blake Grupe booted three field goals, with his 60-yarder with 47 seconds to go giving the Colts (8-6) a 16-15 lead.
But quarterback Sam Darnold completed a pair of passes to Rashid Shaheed to get the Seahawks (11-3) into range for Myers' winner. Myers also kicked a 30-yarder with 2:27 left to give Seattle its first lead of the day. Darnold was 22 of 36 for 271 yards, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba making seven receptions for 113 yards as the Seahawks won their fourth game in a row.
Bo Nix tied a career high with four touchdown passes, Courtland Sutton had seven receptions for 113 yards and a TD catch as the Denver Broncos beat the Green Bay Packers 34-26 in Denver.
Nix finished 23-for-34 for 302 yards passing for the Broncos (12-2), who have won 11 straight, hold the top seed in the AFC and clinched a play-off spot with the victory. Troy Franklin, Lil'Jordan Humphrey and Michael Bandy each caught touchdown passes, while RJ Harvey scored another on the ground.
Jordan Love completed 24 of 40 passes for 276 yards and threw a touchdown to Josh Jacobs, who also scored on the ground for the Packers (9-4-1). Love was intercepted twice. It was a costly game for Green Bay, which lost wide receiver Christian Watson to a chest injury and defensive end Micah Parsons to a left knee injury in the third quarter.
Matthew Stafford (above) threw for 368 yards, including two touchdowns to Colby Parkinson, as the Los Angeles Rams enjoyed a 41-34 home win over the Detroit Lions.
Kyren Williams rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns, while Blake Corum rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown for the Rams (11-3), who totaled 159 yards on the ground. Puka Nacua caught nine passes on 11 targets for 181 yards and Davante Adams hauled in four passes for 71 yards before he left the game in the fourth quarter due to a hamstring injury.
Jared Goff passed for 338 yards and three touchdowns for the Lions (8-6). Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 13 passes on 18 targets for 164 yards and two touchdowns, while Jameson Williams made seven receptions for 134 yards and a touchdown.
JJ McCarthy passed for two touchdowns and ran for one to lead the Minnesota Vikings to a 34-26 victory over the Dallas Cowboys at Arlington, Texas.
Jalen Nailor caught both scoring passes and CJ Ham rushed for a touchdown as the Vikings (6-8) won their second straight game. McCarthy completed 15 of 24 passes for 250 yards for the Vikings, who were eliminated from play-off consideration earlier Sunday.
Dak Prescott completed 23 of 38 passes for 294 yards for the Cowboys (6-7-1), who lost their second straight game. Playoff hopes are slim for Dallas. Javonte Williams (91 yards on 15 carries) and Malik Davis rushed for touchdowns. CeeDee Lamb caught six passes on 10 targets for 111 yards for the Cowboys.
Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes, two to Jauan Jennings, while Christian McCaffrey rushed for 73 yards and a score as the San Francisco 49ers outlasted the Tennessee Titans 37-24 for a fourth straight win.
George Kittle had eight catches for 88 yards and a TD for the 49ers (10-4) and Eddy Pineiro made two of his three field goals in the fourth quarter to help San Francisco finalise the win.
Trevor Lawrence enjoyed a big day out as he had a career-high five passing touchdowns and ran in another score as the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the New York Jets 48-20.
Lawrence threw for 330 yards and helped Jacksonville score on their first three possessions to take control of a win that moved them to 10-4 at the top of the AFC South.
The Houston Texans made it six straight wins to boost their play-off hopes as they beat the Arizona Cardinals 40-20. CJ Stroud threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns.
Caleb Williams threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns, while D’Andre Swift added two more and 98 yards on the ground as the Chicago Bears enjoyed a 31-3 rout of the Cleveland Browns.
The Philadelphia Eagles improved to 9-5 at the top of the NFC East with a 31-0 rout of the sorry Las Vegas Raiders. Jalen Hurts threw for 175 yards and three touchdowns and Saquon Barkley added another on the ground.
The Baltimore Ravens strengthened their hopes in the AFC North, levelling their record at 7-7 with a 24-0 rout of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Lamar Jackson threw for 150 yards and two touchdowns, but the Ravens sealed it in the fourth quarter when Kyle Van Noy picked off Joe Burrow and handed the ball off for Alohi Gilman to run 84 yards and score.
The Washington Commanders finally ended their losing streak at eight as they beat the New York Giants 29-21 in which rookie Jaylin Lane had a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown.
