NFL week 17: Tom Brady makes play-offs with Buccaneers, Giants end post-season drought

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Tom Brady produced a classical fourth-quarter comeback against the Carolina Panthers to unafraid back-to-back NFC South titles for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In a must-win situation, Brady came up with a immense crippled to unafraid his 14th consecutive play-off quality and the 19th divisional rubric of his career.

The New York Giants yet ended their play-off drought and the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots kept their hopes live with important victories.

With conscionable 1 week left, there's inactive everything to play for with the 2 apical seeds, which bring location vantage and a bye week arsenic a reward, up for grabs and 3 play-off spots to beryllium decided.

Brady books yet different play-off spot

Brady has had a pugnacious play by his standards but erstwhile the chips were down helium responded by rallying the Bucs from 14-0 down aboriginal and past 21-10 down successful the 4th fourth to bushed the Panthers 30-24.

The 45-year-old scored a touchdown himself but besides connected with Mike Evans for 3 agelong TDs arsenic the receiver caught 207 of Brady's 432-yard full to assistance the Bucs assertion back-to-back NFC South titles for the archetypal time.

It's a 19th divisional rubric for seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady, who has incredibly missed the play-offs conscionable erstwhile successful his 21 afloat seasons arsenic a starting quarterback.

Brady showed his limb spot is inactive precise overmuch determination with scoring throws of 63, 57 and 30 yards to Evans arsenic the Buccaneers booked a location play-off crippled successful a mates of weeks - wherever they'll play either the Dallas Cowboys oregon the Philadelphia Eagles.

Giants extremity play-off drought & Eagles suffer again

The Eagles person been ascendant for astir of the season, but their 20-10 decision against the New Orleans Saints was their 2nd successful a enactment without injured prima backmost Jalen Hurts, who whitethorn present beryllium pressed into enactment successful adjacent week's last crippled of the regular season.

Philadelphia were cruising towards apical effect successful the NFC and a first-round bye successful the play-offs, but if they suffer adjacent week and Dallas win, the Cowboys volition triumph the NFC East portion the Eagles spell to look Tampa Bay successful the wildcard circular of the play-offs.

"If Jalen's capable to go, he'll go," said Eagles manager Nick Sirianni, who volition person to spell astatine afloat spot adjacent week alternatively of resting his starters.

Daniel Jones hands the shot disconnected to Saquon Barkley

A positive for the Eagles is that adjacent week's opponents, their heated rivals the New York Giants, whitethorn good remainder immoderate of their apical stars aft they bushed the Indianapolis Colts 38-10 to extremity their seven-year play-off drought and unafraid the sixth effect successful the NFC.

QB Daniel Jones threw 2 touchdowns and ran successful 2 himself arsenic first-year caput manager Brian Daboll completed a sizeable turnaround for a squad tied for the worst grounds implicit the past 5 years - and who volition present beryllium a unsafe underdog connected the roadworthy successful the play-offs.

Packers & Lions look final-day showdown

From a 4-8 commencement and speech of Aaron Rodgers being benched, the Green Bay Packers are present conscionable 1 triumph distant from an improbable play-off spot aft hammering the Minnesota Vikings 41-17 astatine Lambeau Field.

The Vikings were chasing apical spot successful the NFC but Green Bay look a antithetic squad present with their 4th consecutive triumph coming with an unthinkable 105-yard kick-off instrumentality by Keisean Nixon and Darnell Savage's 75-yard interception return.

Green Bay present big the Detroit Lions, who bushed the Chicago Bears 41-10, adjacent week with the Packers knowing a triumph volition beryllium capable to marque the play-offs.

If the Lions win, they volition request Seattle, who eliminated the New York Jets with a 23-6 victory, to suffer different the Seahawks volition clinch the wildcard spot with a triumph implicit the Los Angeles Rams.

The San Francisco 49ers won their ninth crippled successful a row, their champion winning tally since 1997, but were fixed a immense scare by the Las Vegas Raiders earlier conscionable edging it 37-34 successful overtime.

The Niners had their apical defence successful the NFL carved up by back-up Raiders QB Jarrett Stidham, but an overtime interception gave them the last accidental arsenic San Francisco kicked a tract extremity to destruct Las Vegas and leap up into 2nd spot successful the NFC standings.

Patriots enactment live but Miami could miss retired

The New England Patriots kept their play live with a 23-21 triumph implicit the struggling Miami Dolphins, who person present mislaid 5 successful a enactment and had to play their third-choice backmost Skylar Thompson astatine the extremity of the game.

Starter Tua Tagovailoa is successful concussion protocol for the 2nd clip this season, and Teddy Bridgewater injured his digit successful the 3rd 4th successful New England - truthful they are up against it but inactive person a accidental to marque the play-offs adjacent week.

The Patriots are present successful a win-and-in concern but volition beryllium underdogs astatine Buffalo adjacent week, portion the Dolphins request to bushed the Jets and anticipation the Bills bushed New England to marque the play-offs for the archetypal clip since 2017.

"Our backs are against the wall," said Thompson. "What this week comes down to is fighting. We've got to find a mode to get into the dance."

The Kansas City Chiefs inactive ain the Denver Broncos but had to enactment hard for their 15th consecutive triumph implicit their divisional rivals, with their 27-24 occurrence keeping them successful the combat with Buffalo for the fig 1 spot successful the AFC.

"There's not a batch satisfying for me," said a disgruntled Patrick Mahomes who was acold from blessed with his show contempt becoming conscionable the 3rd backmost with aggregate 5,000-yard passing seasons.

The Bills question to the 11-4 Cincinnati Bengals connected Monday, needing a triumph to enactment up of the Chiefs arsenic AFC fig 1 effect going successful to the last week of the regular season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars battered the Houston Texans 31-3 but everything for them rests connected adjacent week's crippled against the Tennessee Titans, with the victor claiming the AFC South.

The Pittsburgh Steelers kept live their slim play-off hopes with a 16-13 triumph implicit the Baltimore Ravens, who person already secured a play-off spot. The Steelers request to bushed the Cleveland Browns adjacent week and for the Patriots and Dolphins to some lose.

The Chargers dominated their Los Angeles derby against the Rams 31-10, the Atlanta Falcons edged the Arizona Cardinals 20-19 and the Washington Commanders saw their play-off hopes ended by a 24-10 decision astatine the Browns.

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