Baltimore now shares the AFC's best record with New England following the Patriots' 28-22 loss to the Texans. Deshaun Watson had 234 yards passing and threw touchdown passes of 14, 13, and 35 yards as Houston built a 21-3 lead against New England's vaunted defense.
Watson also had a TD catch on a short flip from receiver DeAndre Hopkins on a trick play from the 6-yard line to help the Texans improve to 8-4. Tom Brady completed two of his three TD passes in the final 4 minutes to pull the Pats within six.
Aaron Rodgers was 21 of 33 for 243 yards and four touchdowns in the snow as the Packers dealt the Giants their eighth consecutive loss, 31-13. Rodgers hit Davante Adams on touchdown passes of 8 and 17 yards, found a wide-open Allen Lazard for 37 yards and capped the performance with a 1-yarder to Marcedes Lewis. The 9-3 Packers also intercepted Giants rookie Daniel Jones three times, with the picks setting up 10 points.
The Bengals finally picked up their first win of the season as Andy Dalton threw for 243 yards and a touchdown in his return to the lineup to lead a 22-6 victory over the Jets. Dalton became the team's all-time leader in passing touchdowns when he hit Tyler Boyd for a 17-yard score late in the first quarter to put the 1-11 Bengals ahead to stay. Robby Anderson was the top offensive threat for New York, grabbing seven passes for 101 yards as the 4-8 Jets ended a three-game winning streak.
Miami overcame a 14-point deficit in the second half with three touchdowns in less than 13 minutes of an eventual 37-31 victory over the Eagles. DeVante Parker made two acrobatic touchdown receptions and kicker Jason Sanders also had a circus-like scoring catch as the 3-9 Dolphins win for the third time in five games. Wentz threw for three touchdowns to help build a 28-14 lead, but the 5-7 Eagles were kept out of the end zone over the final 26 minutes to stay one game behind the NFC East-leading Cowboys.
Devlin "Duck" Hodges threw for 212 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his second career start as Pittsburgh knocked off the Browns, 20-13. Rookie Benny Snell ran for 63 yards and his first NFL touchdown to help the 7-5 Steelers win their first meeting with Cleveland since their game-ending brawl on Nov. 14. Baker Mayfield completed 18 of 32 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown for the Browns, who ended a three-game winning streak and dropped to 5-7.
Derrius Guice ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns in the Redskins' 29-21 win at Carolina. Adrian Peterson added 99 yards and a score as the Redskins (3-9) piled up 248 yards on the ground and scored their most points this season. The 5-7 Panthers wasted a 14-0 lead and were stopped on a late goal-line stand en route to their fourth consecutive loss.
Justin Tucker drilled a 49-yard field goal as time expired to give the Ravens their eighth consecutive win, 20-17 over the San Francisco 49ers. Lamar Jackson prolonged the winning drive with a three-yard run on fourth-and-one and finished with 101 yards under miserable conditions in Baltimore. Baltimore relied on its running game for points while Jackson completed just 14 of 23 passes for 105 yards and a lost fumble. Raheem Mostert ran for a career-high 146 yards and a touchdown for the 10-2 49ers, who are tied with New Orleans for the best record in the NFC. Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo went 15 of 21 for 165 yards.
The Chiefs seized control of the AFC West lead as Patrick Mahomes threw for a touchdown and ran for another in a 40-9 rout of the second-place Raiders. Juan Thornhill returned a pick 46 yards for another score to help Kansas City move to 8-4 and push two games ahead of Oakland. LeSean McCoy and Darwin Thompson also had TD runs for the Chiefs.
Jared Goff threw for 424 yards and two touchdowns as the Rams hammered the Cardinals, 34-7 to prop up their NFC playoff hopes. Robert Woods had 13 receptions for 172 yards to help Los Angeles improve to 7-5. Tyler Higbee caught seven balls for a career-high 107 yards and a touchdown for the Rams, who racked up 549 total yards.
Tye Smith returned a blocked field goal 63 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 5:02 remaining to help Tennessee beat Indianapolis for just the third time in their last 17 meetings, 31-17. Derrick Henry carried 26 times for 149 yards and one touchdown, and Ryan Tannehill was 17 of 22 with 182 yards and two TD passes to improve to 5-1 as Tennessee's starter. Jacoby Brissett was picked off twice and Adam Vinatieri missed three field goals as the 6-6 Colts dropped a game behind the second-place Titans in the AFC South.
Brandon McManus nailed a 53-yard field goal as time expired to complete the Broncos' 23-20 win over the Chargers. The game-winning kick was set up by a 38-yard pass interference call on Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward Jr. Drew Lock threw for 134 yards and two touchdowns for Denver, which became the first team to have two quarterbacks to start and win their first NFL debuts in the same season.
Jameis Winston was 21 of 33 for 268 yards and no interceptions to help the Buccaneers craft a 28-11 victory at Jacksonville. Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles ended his first three drives with turnovers that Tampa Bay turned into touchdowns. Peyton Barber scored his first two touchdowns for the winners.
NBA
The Heat held Brooklyn to one basket over the final four-plus minutes and closed on a 10-0 run to beat the Nets, 109-106. Goran Dragic led the Heat with 24 points, including a three-point play that ignited Miami's game-ending run over the final 1:45.
The Celtics downed the Knicks, 113-104 as Jayson Tatum scored 30 points and Jaylen Brown added 28. Kemba Walker had 15 points and 10 assists for Boston, which trailed by six in the final period before reeling off a 17-2 run.
The Dallas Mavericks continue to give notice that they are a true contender in the NBA's Western Conference. The Mavericks ended the Lakers' 10-game winning streak as Luka Doncic scored 21 of his 27 points in a dynamic second half to lead Dallas to a 114-100 triumph over Los Angeles. Doncic also had 10 assists and nine rebounds for the Mavs, who are 13-6 following their seventh win in eight games. Delon Wright had 17 points and nine assists to help the Mavericks overcome LeBron James' 25 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Davis had 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who now share the NBA's best record with Milwaukee a 17-3.
Kawhi Leonard poured in 34 points, Paul George added 31 in the Clippers' 12th consecutive home win against the Wizards, 150-125. Montrezl Harrell added 23 points and 15 rebounds, while Lou Williams contributed 22 points for Los Angeles.
Pascal Siakam scored 26 of his 35 points while the Raptors were building a 77-37 halftime lead in a 130-110 dismantling of the Jazz. Fred VanVleet had 21 points and 11 assists for Toronto, which set a team record for largest lead through two quarters.
Chris Paul scored seven of his 16 points in a late 12-0 run that carried the Thunder to a 107-104 triumph over the Pelicans. Danilo Gallinari led the Thunder with 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Steven Adams, Dennis Schroder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 17 points each.
Dillon Brooks scored 26 points and Grayson Allen added 13 to push the short-handed Grizzlies past the Timberwolves, 115-107. Bruno Caboclo finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds as Memphis ended a six-game slide.
Evan Fournier tied his career high with 32 points and Terrence Ross added 19 off the bench as the Magic got by the Warriors, 100-96. Jonathan Isaac had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Orlando.
The Pistons posted a 132-98 blowout over the Spurs behind Christian Wood's career-high 28 points. Luke Kennard added 20 points as Detroit won for only the third time in 11 games.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
In men’s college basketball, Yale defeated Vermont 65-52, and UConn topped Maine 64-40.
In women’s college basketball, UAlbany knocked off Central Connecticut State 73-63, and Saint Francis took down Vermont in double overtime 73-69.
In other top-25 basketball, the fifth-ranked Maryland Terrapins have continued their perfect start by capturing the Orlando Invitational championship game. Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 22 points and the Terrapins moved to 7-0 by trouncing Marquette, 84-63. Cowan captured tournament MVP honors with 72 points in three games, including a career-best 30 against Temple on Thanksgiving. Darryl Morsell had 17 points and 10 rebounds while shadowing Marquette star Markus Howard, who was held to six points on 1 of 12 shooting. Howard poured in 91 games in the Golden Eagles' first two games of the tournament, including 51 against Southern California in the semifinals.
Arizona won the Wooden Legacy championship game as Dylan Smith and Chase Jeter scored 17 points apiece in a 73-66 decision over Wake Forest. Arizona shot a season-low 43.1% from the field but had a 36-18 advantage in points in the paint.
Justin Moore delivered 25 points off the bench and Saddiq Bey scored 19 to carry No. 22 Villanova past La Salle, 83-72. The 5-2 Wildcats went on a 28-6 run midway through the first half to build a 48-28 cushion at halftime.
NHL
David Backes provided the deciding goal in his first game in nearly a month while the Bruins were scoring three times in the third period of their seventh straight win, 3-1 against the Canadiens. David Pastrnak added his league-leading 25th goal and Tuukka Rask turned back 28 shots as Boston handed Montreal its eighth consecutive loss.
The Dallas Stars managed to pick up a point on Sunday, but they also suffered their third consecutive loss since a 14-1-1 stretch. The Stars absorbed a 3-2 loss to the Wild as Zach Parise provided one of Minnesota's three shootout goals. Parise also tied the game by scoring on a power play with 2 ½ minutes left in regulation. Kevin Fiala also scored once in regulation and once in the shootout, but the Wild needed Mikko Koivu's shootout goal to clinch the win. Minnesota has won three in a row to climb over .500 for the first time all season.
Leon Draisaitl's second power-play goal of the night snapped a 2-2 tie 46 seconds into the Oilers' 3-2 win over the Canucks. Josh Archibald also scored for Edmonton, and Connor McDavid and Alex Chiasson each had two assists.
In NHL news, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be without defenseman Brian Dumoulin for at least eight weeks after he underwent left ankle surgery on Sunday. Dumoulin left Saturday night's 5-2 loss to St. Louis in the first period with what the team termed a lower-body injury. General manager Jim Rutherford said on Sunday that surgeons repaired lacerated tendons in Dumoulin's left ankle. Dumoulin has one goal and six assists in 23 games this season.
Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski is expected to miss four weeks with a shoulder injury suffered in the first period of Saturday's 2-0 loss to the Islanders. Werenski leads all Columbus blueliners in scoring this season with six goals and 16 points in 26 games.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Alabama has dropped to No. 9 in The Associated Press college football poll, snapping the Crimson Tide's record streak of 68 appearances in the top five. The Crimson Tide lost to Auburn in a wild Iron Bowl on Saturday to give it two regular-season losses for the first time since 2010. The four-spot drop by Alabama broke a string of top-five appearances that began Nov. 8, 2015. The top four teams in the AP Top 25 are unchanged, with LSU at No. 1, followed by Ohio State, Clemson and Georgia. Utah moved up to No. 5, followed by Oklahoma, Florida, Baylor, the Crimson Tide and Wisconsin.
In college football news, Greg Schiano is returning to Rutgers. Athletic director Pat Hobbs announced Sunday that the university and Schiano reached a contract agreement a week after talks to bring back the 53-year-old former coach fell apart. The contract still must be approved by the schools' board of governors. It is scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss the hiring. Schiano was coach at Rutgers from 2001-11. The Scarlet Knights went to a bowl game in six of Schiano's final seven seasons.
Mississippi has dismissed coach Matt Luke three days after his third non-winning season ended with an excruciating rivalry game loss. Ole Miss finished this season 4-8 overall and 2-6 in the SEC, including a 21-20 loss on Thanksgiving to Mississippi State.
UTSA has fired coach Frank Wilson after four seasons that produced a bowl appearance in year one and diminishing results afterward. Wilson went 19-29 at Texas-San Antonio, including 13-19 in Conference USA play. The Roadrunners completed a 4-8 season on Saturday with a loss to Louisiana Tech.
Former Auburn quarterback and 1971 Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan has died at 69. Sullivan had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2003. The College Football Hall of Famer also played four NFL seasons with the Falcons.
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