KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Philip Rivers came through when the San Diego Chargers needed him most.
Rivers threw for 392 yards and three touchdowns, the final one a 26-yarder to Seyi Ajirotutu with 24 seconds remaining to give the Chargers a 41-38 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday and end a three-game losing streak.
The Chiefs had taken the lead when Alex Smith hit Dwayne Bowe for a go-ahead score with 1:22 left. But the Chargers (5-6) still had two timeouts, and they used both as they quickly move downfield. Ajirotutu’s TD in tight coverage was just his third catch of the season.
It also represented the eighth and final lead change in the game.
Smith threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns for the Chiefs, who dropped their second straight after a 9-0 start. They also lost top pass rushers Tamba Hali and Justin Houston to injuries and now have to turn their attention to the Denver Broncos next week.
Jamaal Charles added 115 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Donnie Avery had four catches for 91 yards and a score as Kansas City produced its best point total of the season.
PACKERS 26, VIKINGS 26
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Backup quarterback Matt Flynn threw for 218 yards to help the Packers storm back from a 16-point deficit, but Minnesota and Green Bay could only muster field goals in overtime.
Mason Crosby hit from 20 yards at 10:28 of the extra period and Blair Walsh connected from 35 with 3:54 left.
One last chance for the Vikings went nowhere with 1 second left, and the teams walked off with the first tie in the NFL since the Rams and 49ers ended 24-24 on Nov. 11, 2012. It was the first game under the tiebreaking rules instituted in 2012 that ended in a tie after both teams kicked field goals to begin the extra period. It was the second time a game had each team make field goals to open overtime; Houston won the other last November over Jacksonville.
COWBOYS 24, GIANTS 21
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Tony Romo threw two touchdowns and led a drive that set up Dan Bailey’ 35-yard field goal on the final play. Dallas ended the Giants’ four-game winning streak and most of their playoff hopes.
The victory moved the Cowboys (6-5) into a first-place tie with idle Philadelphia in the NFC East and left the Giants (4-7) wondering about what they gave away in two losses to Dallas.
Romo hit two crucial third-down passes on the 14-play drive that covered the final 4:45 after New York tied the game on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Louis Murphy Jr. and a 2-point conversion run by Andre Brown.
BUCCANEERS 24, LIONS 21
DETROIT — Matthew Stafford’s fourth interception went in and out of Calvin Johnson’s hands to rookie Johnthan Banks inside the Tampa Bay 5 in the final minute, allowing the Buccaneers to hold on. Tampa Bay (3-8) has won three straight after losing its first eight, joining the 1978 St. Louis Cardinals as the only team to do that.
Tampa Bay rookie Mike Glennon, meanwhile, avoided mistakes. Glennon was 14 of 21 for 247 yards and threw two touchdowns to Tiquan Underwood, whose second score was an 85-yard reception early in the fourth quarter.
PANTHERS 20,
DOLPHINS 16
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Make it seven wins in a row for Carolina, and two consecutive late comebacks led by Cam Newton.
The Panthers quarterback converted a fourth-and-10 at his 20 with a completion to keep alive the winning drive, and Carolina went on to score a touchdown with 43 seconds left. Newton hit Greg Olsen with a 1-yard pass to cap a 12-play drive.
RAMS 42, BEARS 21
ST. LOUIS — Tavon Austin’s 65-yard touchdown run — his fourth straight this season from beyond midfield — jump-started a 21-point first quarter.
The Rams (5-6) followed a 30-point rout of Indianapolis in front of their largest crowd of the season, about half of them clad Bears orange, with another big win. Late scores by rookie backup running back Benny Cunningham and defensive end Robert Quinn helped finish off the Bears (6-5), who remained tied for the NFC North lead with Detroit.
Josh McCown passed for 352 yards and two touchdowns with an interception for Chicago.
CARDINALS 40, COLTS 11
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Carson Palmer threw two touchdown passes to Larry Fitzgerald, Karlos Dansby returned an interception 22 yards for a score and Arizona won its fourth in a row.
Cardinals coach Bruce Arians beat the team that propelled him to coaching prominence last season, when he took over as Colts interim coach while Chuck Pagano fought leukemia. Arians was the NFL’s Coach of the Year for 2012.
Fitzgerald caught five passes for 52 yards, becoming the youngest player in NFL history to reach 11,000 yards receiving.
RAVENS 19, JETS 3
BALTIMORE — Joe Flacco threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones, Justin Tucker kicked four field goals and Baltimore shut down New York’s sputtering offense.
The defending Super Bowl champion Ravens (5-6) had lost four of five before bouncing back to beat New York (5-6) and keep their playoff hopes alive. Jones had four catches for 103 yards and returned five punts for 108 yards.
Baltimore won on the strength of its defense, however, as the Jets committed three turnovers and went 1 for 12 on third-down conversions.
STEELERS 27, BROWNS 11
CLEVELAND — Ben Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes and beat Cleveland again as the Steelers moved back into the playoff picture.
Roethlisberger connected on a 41-yard TD pass to Antonio Brown in the first half, and hit Emmanuel Sanders on a 4-yarder in the third quarter for the Steelers.
TITANS 23, RAIDERS 19
OAKLAND, Calif. — Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Kendall Wright with 10 seconds remaining to cap a mistake-free performance that put the Titans back in playoff contention.
Fitzpatrick also threw a 54-yard TD pass to Justin Hunter and Rob Bironas added three field goals to give Tennessee (5-6) its second win in seven games. But despite the recent slump, the Titans find themselves in a six-way tie for the sixth and final playoff spot in the AFC with five weeks left in the regular season.
A woman jumped from the third level deck of the stadium, injuring herself and a man who pleaded with her not to jump and tried to catch her, authorities said.
The woman, who was not identified, plunged about 45 feet in the final seconds of the game, O.co Coliseum officials said in a statement. A good Samaritan who tried to break her fall was injured in the process, the statement said.
The woman was taken to the hospital in “very critical” condition, officials said. The man was taken to the hospital with serious injuries and is expected to survive, police said.
JAGUARS 13, TEXANS 6
HOUSTON — In a matchup of the AFC’s worst teams, Houston couldn’t stop its skid.
Maurice Jones-Drew ran for a season-high 84 yards and a touchdown and Jacksonville extended the Texans’ losing streak to a franchise-record nine games. The two-time AFC South champions haven’t won since Sept. 15.
