Lions earn top seed as Broncos & Bucs reach play-offs

The Detroit Lions stormed to the apical effect successful the NFC, portion the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos grabbed the last 2 play-off spots connected the last Sunday of the NFL regular season.

As the last play-off representation was set, the Lions dominated the Minnesota Vikings successful their final-game showdown to guarantee the roadworthy to the Super Bowl successful the NFC would tally done Detroit.

The Broncos unopen retired the Kansas City Chiefs back-ups to punch their play-off ticket, portion the Tennessee Titans finished bottommost of the full NFL to triumph the archetypal prime astatine the adjacent draft.

Aaron Rodgers joined an exclusive nine with a large landmark connected what could good beryllium his last crippled for the New York Jets - and perchance his career.

The 272nd and last crippled of the regular play was a immense 1 with the NFC fig 1 effect up for grabs successful the archetypal gathering betwixt 2 14-win teams, but it was a one-sided matter successful Detroit.

Lions moving backmost Jahmyr Gibbs scored 4 touchdowns and the location defence hounded Vikings backmost Sam Darnold each nighttime successful a rampant 31-9 victory.

Gibbs topped the league with 19 touchdowns and Detroit's full of 68 by the offence is the 2nd highest successful NFL history.

Dan Campbell's side's reward is simply a bye week disconnected and location vantage passim the play-offs, truthful immoderate squad wanting to scope the Super Bowl indispensable spell to Detroit and win.

Judging by the mode the Lions dealt with the Vikings, that volition not beryllium an casual task.

While Detroit bask a week off, the 14-3 Vikings volition caput to the 10-7 Los Angeles Rams successful the wildcard round.

Bo Nix became lone the 2nd rookie backmost - aft the large John Elway - to pb Denver to the play-offs arsenic they hammered a second-string Chiefs broadside 38-0.

There was nary Patrick Mahomes, nary Travis Kelce and nary existent cohesion successful a Chiefs squad already locked into the apical seed, but Nix inactive enactment connected a session arsenic the Broncos ended their eight-year play-off drought.

Denver had started 12 antithetic quarterbacks since Peyton Manning won Super Bowl 50 successful 2016 to extremity his career.

Nix could good beryllium fortunate fig 13.

The Chiefs were unopen retired for the archetypal clip since 2012, but Andy Reid opted to springiness his stars what volition beryllium much than 3 weeks of remainder earlier they deed the play-offs successful the 2nd round.

Denver caput to the Buffalo Bills for a wildcard necktie betwixt the lone 2 teams to bushed the defending champions this play - albeit precise antithetic Chiefs teams.

The NFC South conflict went down to the ligament arsenic the Buccaneers produced a fourth-quarter comeback against the New Orleans Saints to instrumentality the part up of the Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons had been successful rod presumption arsenic they led the Carolina Panthers astatine half-time, but the Bucs winning ended their hopes - and they went connected to suffer successful overtime.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield led the Bucs to a 4th consecutive rubric with a typically all-action show with his limb and his legs arsenic they clinched the 3rd seed.

In the play-offs Tampa Bay volition big the Washington Commanders, who bushed the Dallas Cowboys 23-19 acknowledgment to a Terry McLaurin touchdown with 3 seconds near successful the game.

The 12-5 Commanders finished arsenic sixth effect up of the Green Bay Packers aft they mislaid 24-22 acknowledgment to a last-gasp Chicago Bears tract goal.

The Packers had won the erstwhile 11 games against their large rivals, but of bigger interest is not lone having to question to the Philadelphia Eagles adjacent week but besides the wellness of prima backmost Jordan Love, who near the crippled with an limb injury.

The Titans mislaid astatine the Houston Texans to decorativeness bottommost of the NFL - but that astatine slightest comes with the bonus of being handed the archetypal prime of the 2025 Draft.

Teams person been turned astir earlier by having the archetypal pick, and Titans fans volition beryllium hoping they tin beryllium 1 of those aft a frustrating 3-13 season.

The Cleveland Browns and the New York Giants, who some finished 3-13, volition prime 2nd and 3rd respectively.

The New England Patriots could person had the apical prime had they not beaten an under-strength Bills broadside successful their last game, which turned retired to beryllium Jerod Mayo's past arsenic caput manager arsenic helium was fired 1 play aft replacing Bill Belichick.

Rodgers became lone the 5th backmost successful NFL past to propulsion 500 touchdowns arsenic the Jets ended a bitterly disappointing play with a invited 32-20 triumph implicit the Miami Dolphins.

The 41-year-old threw 4 touchdowns to articulation Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Brett Favre successful the exclusive 500 nine and bring the curtain down connected a nightmare 5-12 play for a squad seemingly acceptable for a Super Bowl run.

Four-time MVP Rodgers joined adjacent person Davante Adams to locomotion disconnected the tract astatine MetLife Stadium successful what could beryllium the past crippled of his career.

"I conscionable request immoderate clip distant to deliberation astir my aboriginal successful the crippled and my aboriginal here, if they privation maine to beryllium a portion of the adjacent signifier oregon beryllium acceptable to determination on," said Rodgers.

"Either way, I'm thankful for my 2 years here."

11 January

(5) Los Angeles Chargers @ (4) Houston Texans (21:30 GMT)

(6) Pittsburgh Steelers @ (3) Baltimore Ravens (01:00, 12 January)

12 January

(7) Denver Broncos @ (2) Buffalo Bills (18:00)

(7) Green Bay Packers @ (2) Philadelphia Eagles (21:30)

(6) Washington Commanders @ (3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (01:00, 13 January)

13 January

(5) Minnesota Vikings @ (4) Los Angeles Rams (01:00, 14 January)

*Seeding successful brackets