Hill scores 2 TDs as Chiefs beat Dolphins to clinch AFC West

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who had thrown just two interceptions in his first 52 quarters this season, was picked twice in Sunday’s first 14 minutes.

However, Mahomes recovered to pass for 393 yards and two touchdowns (with a career-high-tying three interceptions). Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce caught eight passes for 136 yards and one touchdown.

Miami (8-5) was led by rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who passed for a career-high 316 yards and two touchdowns — both to tight end Mike Gesicki, who left the game in the fourth quarter due to a shoulder injury.

Brady rebounds to lead Bucs past Vikings

Taking advantage of a late bye week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers emerged refreshed Sunday and improved their playoff prospects with a 26-14 victory over the visiting Minnesota Vikings.

Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady was 15 of 23 in the air for 196 yards and two touchdowns, including a momentum-changing 48-yard touchdown pass in the first half to Scotty Miller. Antonio Brown had five catches for 49 yards for Tampa Bay, while Ronald Jones II had 18 carries for 80 yards and a TD.

The Buccaneers (8-5) had lost three of four games before their bye but entered holding the No. 6 spot in the NFC’s playoff pecking order. The top seven teams in each conference advance to the playoffs.

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, who entered as the second leading rusher in the NFL had 102 yards on 22 carries, including his NFL-leading 14th touchdown. Quarterback Kirk Cousins was 24 of 37 for 225 yards and a touchdown as Minnesota lost for the second time in seven games.

The Vikings (6-7) dropped out of playoff eligibility with the loss and the Arizona Cardinals’ victory over the New York Giants.

Bears snap skid with blowout win over Texans

Mitch Trubisky tossed three touchdowns passes to three different receivers in a first-half eruption as the Chicago Bears parlayed a dominant defensive performance into a 36-7 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday at Soldier Field.

Trubisky helped the Bears (6-7) snap a six-game losing skid by thriving in his matchup against Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who was taken 10 spots after Trubisky in the 2017 NFL Draft. Trubisky closed the first half 18 of 21 for 178 yards with scoring strikes to Jimmy Graham, Darnell Mooney and Allen Robinson II as the Bears raced to a 23-point halftime advantage.

Watson, with his complementary skill talent ravaged by injury and suspension, could not keep pace. He passed for 219 yards and a touchdown but was sacked six times and briefly knocked from the game in the third quarter. Watson was tackled in the end zone for a safety for a second consecutive week as the Texans (4-9) failed to muster much of a competitive effort.

Lock throws 4 TDs as Broncos down Panthers

Drew Lock threw four touchdown passes and Diontae Spencer returned a punt for a score as the Denver Broncos posted a 32-27 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in Charlotte, N.C.

It marked the most scoring passes in a game for Lock, a second-year pro. He completed 21 of 27 throws for 280 yards, with two of the TD passes going to KJ Hamler.

Lock evened his touchdown-to-interception ratio for the season at 13 apiece as the Broncos (5-8) snapped a two-game skid.

The Panthers (4-9), coming off their bye week, lost their second game in a row and fell to 2-5 in home games.

Carolina quarterback Teddy Bridgewater completed 30 of 40 passes for 283 yards. He also scored on a 7-yard run to begin the fourth-quarter scoring.

Mike Davis, again filling in for the injured Christian McCaffrey, scored on two touchdown runs — including a 10-yard burst with 3:26 left. That play came just 28 seconds after Lock’s fourth TD throw helped the Broncos to a 32-20 lead.

Carolina used its timeouts on defense and regained possession with 2:48 remaining, but failed to secure a first down before a failed attempt at a fourth-down conversion.

Spencer raced 83 yards to open the scoring on the punt return. It was Denver’s first special teams return for a touchdown since 2015.

Seahawks dominate Jets to keep them winless

Russell Wilson threw four touchdown passes as the Seattle Seahawks’ offense got untracked in a 40-3 victory against the visiting New York Jets on Sunday.

The Seahawks (9-4) remained in a tie with the Los Angeles Rams atop the NFC West. The Jets (0-13) are three losses away from joining the 2008 Detroit Lions and the 2017 Cleveland Browns as the only 0-16 teams in NFL history.

After scoring 27 or more points in each of their first eight games of the season, the Seahawks had reached that mark just once since entering Sunday.

Wilson was 21-of-27 passing for 206 yards before being replaced late in the third quarter by Geno Smith, who played his first four seasons with the Jets after being drafted by them in the second round in 2013. Smith was 4-of-5 passing for 33 yards.

Hurts helps Eagles snap Saints 9-game win streak

Rookie Jalen Hurts threw a touchdown pass and rushed for 106 yards in his first NFL start as the host Philadelphia Eagles ended the New Orleans Saints’ nine-game winning streak, 24-21, on Sunday. The Eagles prevailed after leading 17-0 and 24-14.

Hurts, a second-round draft choice from Oklahoma, started in place of struggling Carson Wentz and completed 17 of 30 for 167 yards as the Eagles (4-8-1) ended a four-game losing streak.

Miles Sanders added an 82-yard touchdown run and finished with 115 yards as Philadelphia had two 100-yard rushers against a Saints defense that entered the game with an NFL-record 55 straight games without allowing a 100-yard rusher.

Taysom Hill passed for 291 yards and two touchdowns but threw an interception and lost a fumble as the Saints (10-3) lost for the first time in his four starts in place of injured Drew Brees.

Packers clinch NFC North with win over Lions

Aaron Rodgers passed for 290 yards and three touchdowns — including a record-setting score to Davante Adams — and ran for another score as the visiting Green Bay Packers clinched their second straight NFC North title with a 31-24 victory against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Green Bay (10-3) vaulted into possession of the top seed in the NFC with the New Orleans Saints’ loss at Philadelphia. The Packers, who own the tiebreaker against the Saints, play two of their final three regular season games at home.

Detroit (5-8) saw its flickering NFC playoff hopes take a hit as quarterback Matthew Stafford exited the game with a rib injury late in the fourth quarter. Stafford was shaken up on a hit by Kenny Clark one play before Kerryon Johnson scored on a 2-yard run to bring the Lions within 28-21 with 6:30 remaining and was later replaced by Chase Daniel.