Miami Dolphins foil comeback bid by New England Patriots

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Desperate to stop Tom Brady’s latest comeback bid, the Miami Dolphins sought help from a reserve safety making his NFL debut after being signed Tuesday off the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad.

Michael Thomas came through, intercepting Brady’s fourth-down pass in the end zone with 2 seconds left Sunday to seal a seesaw 24-20 victory over the New England Patriots.

Thomas celebrated by flopping to his back and was swarmed by his new teammates.

“I didn’t know what his first name was,” defensive tackle Jared Odrick said. “That’s being thrown in the fire and reacting. That’s a pure athlete.”

The Dolphins (8-6) won their third game in a row to help their AFC wild-card chances. They also snapped a streak of seven consecutive losses to the Patriots (10-4), who missed a chance to clinch their fifth consecutive AFC East title.

Miami’s breakthrough win left even stoic second-year coach Joe Philbin in a mood to celebrate.

“I might jump in my pool,” he said. “I’ve been in it once since I’ve been here.”

Brady threw for 364 yards, but was frustrated by a succession of squandered scoring chances. He answered only two questions at his postgame news conference before cutting the session short.

“We didn’t do a good job in the red area, and didn’t do a good job finishing drives,” he said. “We came up on the short end of the stick. It wasn’t a good day. Just couldn’t make enough plays.”

The Patriots had mounted second-half rallies to win their past three games, and were on the verge of doing it again when Brady led them from their own 20 with 1:15 remaining to the Miami 14.

“The longest 75 seconds of my life,” said Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who squirmed on the sideline.

With New England out of timeouts, Brady threw for the end zone four times in a row. The first three passes went incomplete, including one intended for Danny Amendola that Thomas broke up on first down.

Then, Thomas stepped in front of Austin Collie to make his interception.

“I knew being the new guy that Tom Brady would come after me,” Thomas said. “He’s a great quarterback, and he’s going to exploit any weaknesses. I knew if I got in there I would have a chance. I saw the ball in the air and I made a play.”

Thomas was part of an injury-depleted secondary that also included backups at both cornerback spots on the final drive. A large supporting cast has played a significant role in the recent success of the Dolphins, who are 5-2 since tackle Jonathan Martin left the team in a bullying scandal that drew national notoriety.

“We’ve grown a lot,” Tannehill said. “Each of us has gotten stronger through the adversity we’ve faced off the field and on the field.”

Tannehill shook off four sacks to throw for 312 yards and three touchdowns, including a 14-yarder to Marcus Thigpen with 1:15 left that provided the winning margin. His other scoring passes covered 39 yards to Mike Wallace and 2 yards to Daniel Thomas.

Brady went 34 for 55 and threw two scores. Julian Edelman made 13 catches for 139 yards, and Amendola added 10 receptions for 131 yards.

New England took a 20-17 lead when Edelman scored on a 24-yard reception with four minutes left, but the Dolphins caught a break when the ensuing kickoff by Stephen Gostkowski went out of bounds, allowing them to start at their 40.

Charles Clay kept the driving going when he turned a short pass into a 6-yard gain on fourth and 5 at midfield, and Thigpen scored five plays later.

New England, accustomed to slow starts, took a 10-0 lead on Michael Hoomanawanui’s one-handed, 13-yard touchdown reception. But on other trips to the red zone they missed tight end Rob Gronkowski, who suffered a season-ending knee injury a week ago.

The Patriots mounted drives of 16 and 15 plays but settled for a field goal each time, and Gostkowski misfired on a field-goal try for only the third time this year when he sailed a 48-yard attempt wide left.

“Today just wasn’t my day,” Gostkowski said. “It stinks to play terrible and your team loses. It’s like salt on the wound.”

Special teams were only part of the Pats’ problem, coach Bill Belichick said.

“We were short in every area,” he said. “Nothing was really good enough.”

CHIEFS 56, RAIDERS 31

OAKLAND, Calif. — Jamaal Charles tied a franchise record with five touchdowns in a game and gained 215 yards from scrimmage as the Chiefs beat the Raiders and clinched at least a wild-card spot.

Alex Smith threw five TD passes, going 17 for 20 for 287 yards to make the Chiefs the fourth team ever to make the playoffs a year after losing at least 14 games. Kansas City (11-3) is tied for first place in the AFC West with Denver but needs help to win the division because the Broncos swept the season series.

Matt McGloin threw four interceptions and lost a fumble while sharing time with Terrelle Pryor as Oakland (4-10) allowed the most points in franchise history and lost its fourth straight game. The Raiders had seven turnovers overall.

Knile Davis’ 17-yard run midway through the fourth quarter gave the Chiefs the highest-scoring game in the NFL this season and the most points ever scored against the Raiders, breaking the mark of 55 last reached by Baltimore in 2012.

PACKERS 37, COWBOYS 36

ARLINGTON, Texas — Matt Flynn threw four touchdown passes in the second half, Eddie Lacy had the winning score on a 1-yard plunge after an interception by Tony Romo gave them another chance, and Green Bay rallied from 23 points down at halftime to beat Dallas.

Romo tossed two interceptions in the final 3 minutes, the first one giving Green Bay a chance for the go-ahead score with the Cowboys in position to run out the clock with a 36-31 lead. Lacy scored with just over 1 1-2 minutes left.

Playing on the same field where they won the 2011 Super Bowl, the Packers matched the 1982 team, which rallied past the Los Angeles Rams after trailing by 23.

The Packers (7-6-1) kept their playoff hopes alive with Aaron Rodgers possibly returning next week. The Cowboys (7-7) blew a chance to pull even with Philadelphia in the NFC East, remaining a game behind with two to play.

STEELERS 30, BENGALS 20

PITTSBURGH — Antonio Brown caught a touchdown pass and returned a punt for a score in a 64-second span in the first quarter and Pittsburgh beat Cincinnati.

Shaun Suisham added three field goals for the Steelers (6-8), who built a 24-point lead and hardly looked like a team playing out the string.

Ben Roethlisberger completed 20 of 25 passes for 191 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Le’Veon Bell added 117 yards of total offense.

The Bengals (9-5), looking to move closer to a third straight playoff berth, were undone by a series of special teams miscues.

Andy Dalton completed 25 of 44 for 230 yards and two second-half touchdowns, but Cincinnati never recovered after getting staggered early at frigid Heinz Field.

VIKINGS 48, EAGLES 30

MINNEAPOLIS — Matt Cassel passed for 382 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score to lead the injury-depleted Vikings over Philadelphia, snapping the Eagles’ five-game winning streak.

With Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart out, Matt Asiata rushed for the first three touchdowns of his career and Greg Jennings caught a career-high 11 passes for 163 yards for the Vikings (4-9-1). Asiata ran for 51 yards on 30 carries.

Nick Foles threw for 428 yards with three touchdowns and one interception and DeSean Jackson had 10 catches for 195 yards and a score for the Eagles (8-6). They started the day with a one-game lead over Dallas in the NFC East.

Playing for pride and probably coach Leslie Frazier’s job, the Vikings produced quite the spoiler performance against the previously surging Eagles.

FALCONS 27, REDSKINS 26

ATLANTA — Desmond Trufant deflected Kirk Cousins’ pass on a potential winning 2-point conversion with 18 seconds remaining, and the Atlanta Falcons edged the Washington Redskins.

The Falcons (4-10) scored 20 points off seven Washington turnovers. The Redskins (3-11) tied a team record with five lost fumbles.

Cousins passed for 381 yards and three touchdowns, but had three turnovers in his first start of the season after coach Mike Shanahan decided to bench Robert Griffin III. Griffin watched from the sideline. Cousins’ touchdown pass to Santana Moss gave Washington a chance to force overtime by kicking the extra point. Instead, Cousins’ attempted go-ahead 2-point pass for Pierre Garcon was deflected by Trufant.

Steven Jackson ran for two touchdowns for Atlanta. Alfred Morris had 98 yards rushing, but lost two fumbles for Washington.

49ERS 33, BUCCANEERS 14

TAMPA, Fla. — Vernon Davis caught a touchdown pass for the fifth straight game and Michael Crabtree scored his first TD since returning from injury to help the San Francisco 49ers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The victory was the fourth straight for Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers (10-4), who pulled away for good with a 10-minute, fourth-quarter drive that produced a field goal. Kendall Hunter put it well out of reach, scooping up a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and diving 2 yards into the end zone for a touchdown.

Tampa Bay got within 20-14 on Mike Glennon’s TD pass to Tim Wright on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Bucs (4-10) didn’t get the ball back until after Kaepernick used 17 plays to march the 49ers 77 yards into position for Phil Dawson to kick one of his four field goals, extending his franchise-record streak of consecutive successful attempts to 24.

Kaepernick completed 19 of 29 passes for 203 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Frank Gore rushed for 86 yards to go over 1,000 in a season for the seventh time in his career.

Glennon was 18 of 34 for 179 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

SEAHAWKS 23, GIANTS 0

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Richard Sherman had two interceptions, Marshawn Lynch scored on a twisting, triple-effort 2-yard run, and Steven Hauschka kicked three field goals as Seattle manhandled the New York Giants for its sixth road win.

Russell Wilson toyed with New York’s defense, running for 50 yards and throwing for 206 and a touchdown before sitting out the last few minutes. Wilson has 23 wins, the most for a quarterback in his first two seasons in the Super Bowl era.

The Seahawks (12-2) are closing in on the NFC West title and their best overall record; they went 13-3 in 2005 before losing to Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.

Eli Manning was picked off a career-worst five times, with Byron Maxwell also getting two. The Giants (5-9) have their first losing record since 2004, and lost top receiver Victor Cruz to a concussion in the fourth quarter. Cruz is 2 yards short of his third straight 1,000-yard season.

BEARS 38, BROWNS 31

CLEVELAND — Jay Cutler shook off some early rustiness and threw three touchdown passes in his first start since Nov. 10, leading Chicago past Cleveland.

Cutler, who missed Chicago’s previous four games with a sprained left ankle, threw a 4-yard TD pass to Earl Bennett with 5:41 left as Bears (8-6) rallied in the second half and stayed in contention for an NFC playoff spot. Cutler finished 22 of 31 for 265 yards and validated coach Marc Trestman’s decision to stick with him over backup Josh McCown, who had played well while filling in for Chicago’s starter.

Michael Bush’s 40-yard TD run with 2:17 left sealed it for the Bears, who completed a four-game sweep of the AFC North and won their first road game since Nov. 4, when McCown led them to a win over Green Bay.

Tashuan Gipson returned an interception 44 yards for a TD and T.J. Ward had a 51-yard TD fumble return for the Browns (4-10). Jason Campbell finished 23 of 39 for 273 yards and one touchdown, a 43-yarder to Josh Gordon.

COLTS 25, TEXANS 3

INDIANAPOLIS — Andrew Luck threw two touchdown passes, and Robert Mathis broke Indianapolis’ single-season and career sacks records by forcing a second-half safety to lead the Colts past Houston.

Luck finished 19 of 32 for 180 yards with one interception and needed only two quarters to put up 20 points, four short of Indy’s combined first-half point total from the previous six games. But the Colts (9-5) did it against a team that has lost 12 straight overall and is 0-12 all-time in Indy.

Mathis, the NFL sacks leader, now has 16½ this season and 108 in his career, breaking the franchise records held by longtime teammate and close friend Dwight Freeney.

Case Keenum was 18 of 34 for 168 yards for Houston (2-12), and also was stripped of the ball by Mathis in the end zone, which led to the safety.

BILLS 27, JAGUARS 20

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — EJ Manuel threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, leading the Buffalo Bills to a victory against the banged-up Jacksonville Jaguars.

Manuel bounced back from the worst game of his rookie season — a four-interception performance at Tampa Bay last week — and left his college state with his first win in five road starts.

The former Florida State star didn’t do anything spectacular, just dinking and dunking the Jaguars for 193 yards. He also ran for 37 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Manuel completed 17 of 24 passes.

The Bills (5-9) scored 10 points in the final 2:14 of the first half, taking a 20-10 lead into the locker room. The Jaguars (4-10) rallied to tie it in the fourth, evening the score on Chad Henne’s 13-yard TD pass to Marcedes Lewis.

Manuel answered, though, capping an 89-yard drive with a 1-yard TD pass to Frank Summers. With it, Manuel set the franchise’s rookie record for touchdown passes with 11.

PANTHERS 30, JETS 20

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Cam Newton threw for 273 yards and a touchdown, Captain Munnerlyn had two sacks and returned an interception for a score and the Panthers bounced back from their most lopsided loss of the season.

With New Orleans losing 27-16 to St. Louis, the Panthers (10-4) pulled even with the Saints with the rematch set for next Sunday in Charlotte. If Carolina wins its final two games, it will clinch the division and the first-round bye. The Panthers haven’t been to the postseason since 2008.

Carolina’s defense, which surrendered 313 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-13 loss to New Orleans, came up big limiting rookie quarterback Geno Smith to 167 yards passing, while sacking him four times.

The Jets (6-8) will be eliminated from playoff contention if Baltimore wins at Detroit on Monday night. Rookie defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson bulldozed his way for a 1-yard touchdown run on a goal-line play.

RAMS 27, SAINTS 16

ST. LOUIS — Drew Brees threw interceptions that led to touchdowns on New Orleans’ first two possessions, and St. Louis got big days from Zac Stacy, Robert Quinn and on special teams in the victory.

Quinn had two sacks, giving him an NFC-leading 15, and his quarterback hit on the Saints’ first snap of the game altered the flight of the ball on T.J. McDonald’s interception.

The Saints (10-4) missed their first chance to clinch a playoff berth, trailing 24-3 at the half, but made it look respectable with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Kellen Clemens threw for two TDs in the first quarter, matching his best performance in seven games as the fill-in starter for Sam Bradford. The Rams (6-8) recovered an onside kick to set up a field goal in the first quarter, and Michael Brockers blocked a field-goal attempt at the end of the half.

CARDINALS 37, TITANS 34, OT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Jay Feely kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime, and the Arizona Cardinals edged the Tennessee Titans in overtime after blowing a 17-point lead late in the fourth quarter.

Still, the Cardinals (9-5) won their sixth in seven games. With San Francisco and Carolina winning, they remained a game back of both for a NFC wild-card berth.

The Titans scored 17 points in the final 3:12 of regulation to force overtime with Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing two of his four TD passes to Michael Preston. They also recovered an onside kick to set up the tying TD with 10 seconds left in regulation. They won the toss and drove to the Cardinals 43 before Antoine Cason intercepted his second pass of the game.

Tennessee (5-9) lost its third straight and eighth in 10 games. The Titans also lost their fifth consecutive home game for the first time since moving to Tennessee in 1997.

By wire sources