Charlie Smyth kicked two field goals and four extra points as the New Orleans Saints won their fourth consecutive game, defeating the Tennessee Titans 34-26 in Nashville.
The former Down footballer landed 56-yard and 57-yard field goals for the Saints, who had trailed 13-0 in the second quarter.
Earlier this month the 24-year-old joined the team's active roster on a three-year contract.
Rookie Tyler Shough passed for a season-high 333 yards and two touchdowns.
Shough completed 22-of-27 and one of his touchdowns went to Chris Olave, who finished with eight catches for 119 yards.
Charlie Smyth from 57 yards 🙌
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 28, 2025
A career long for the Irishman 🇮🇪#Saints | 📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/6wGc2GiuFz
Juwan Johnson added four catches for a career-high 95 yards as the Saints (6-10) improved to 5-3 with Shough as a starter.
Cam Ward had his fourth consecutive two-touchdown game, passing for 251 yards for the Titans (3-13).
Titans Pro Bowl receiver/return specialist Chimere Dike set an NFL rookie record for all-purpose yards, surpassing the 2,317 yards that Tim Brown had with the Raiders in 1988.
The Saints received the second-half kick-off and drove to Shough's 19-yard touchdown pass to Olave to get within 20-17.
Joey Slye kicked a 28-yard field goal, but Smyth answered with a 57-yarder, leaving the Titans with a 23-20 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Slye's 58-yarder increased the lead to six points early in the fourth quarter, but Shough's 10-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Austin Jr. to put the Saints ahead for the first time, 27-26 with 6:22 remaining.
Audric Estime, who rushed 14 times for 94 yards, had a 32-yard scoring run to push the lead to eight with 3:44 remaining.
Slye kicked field goals of 50 yards and 38 yards to give Tennessee a 6-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
On fourth and 2 Ward threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Chig Okonkwo to increase the lead to 13-0.
The Saints got their first points when Smyth (above) made a 56-yard field goal, and Chase Young took the ball away from Ward while sacking him and ran 33 yards for a touchdown that trimmed the lead to 13-10.
Ward threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Elic Ayomanor with 13 seconds left in the second quarter, increasing the lead to 20-10 at half-time.
The San Francisco 49ers will face the Seattle Seahawks for the top spot in the NFC West next week after holding off the Chicago Bears 42-38.
Quarterback Brock Purdy threw for three touchdowns and added another two on the ground to bring the hosts to the brink of victory as the clock wound down.
In response, Bears' playmaker Caleb Williams led a quickfire drive downfield to give Chicago a final shot at victory, but San Francisco's defence forced an incomplete pass at the two-yard line to seal a thrilling win.
A victory over the Seahawks in the final game of the regular season would clinch the NFC West for the 49ers and secure a bye for the first round of the play-offs.
The Philadelphia Eagles prevailed 13-12 over Buffalo after the Bills failed on a two-point conversion attempt as time expired.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen misjudged a pass in the end zone to open receiver Khalil Shakir, with the narrow loss handing the AFC East title to the New England Patriots.
The New York Giants picked up a third win of the season in a 34-10 trouncing of the two-win Las Vegas Raiders.
Earlier, the Carolina Panthers were beaten 27-10 in Charlotte by the Seahawks, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went down 20-17 at the Miami Dolphins.
Dolphins' rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers (above) threw for 172 yards and two touchdowns, including a 63-yard effort for his first NFL score.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were denied the AFC North title after they lost in Cleveland, with the Browns pulling off a major upset with a 13-6 win.
Browns' quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw for 186 yards and a touchdown as his side halted a four-game losing run.
Defeat for the Steelers keeps arch-rivals the Baltimore Ravens in the hunt for a play-off place and the two sides clash next week at the Acrisure Stadium to decide who will take the last spot.
The Jacksonville Jaguars edged closer to the AFC South title by defeating the Indianapolis Colts 23-17 on the road, making it eight wins in their last nine games to seal a play-off spot.
Jaguars' quarterback Trevor Lawrence ran in two touchdowns as his side made it seven successive wins.
The New York Jets were put to the sword by the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium, losing 42-10, with Pats quarterback Drake Maye throwing for five touchdown passes and 256 yards as he completed 19 passes from 21 attempts.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow tied with Carolina Panthers' Andy Dalton after passing for 300 yards or more for the 28th time in his side's 37-14 win at the Arizona Cardinals, which included two touchdown passes for Ja'Marr Chase.
Additional reporting: PA
