NFL scores and more, Week 13: What happened Sunday

The Cowboys clinched their playoff this weekend. They won Thursday night, and Washington’s loss to the Cardinals on Sunday made them the first team in the league to punch their ticket to the postseason.

I’m still not entirely sure which team in the NFC has the best shot at beating them, though it’s not an impossible task. Seattle looks like the second best team in that conference, but losing Earl Thomas changes the Seahawks. You saw that when Cam Newton immediately went after Thomas’ replacement with a deep shot touchdown to Ted Ginn.

That puts more burden on Seattle’s offense to carry the load, which they did just fine on Sunday night. That was also a home game, where the Seahawks have been a much better team. The playoffs go through Dallas.

The Panthers benched Cam Newton for the first series of their game in Seattle. It reportedly stemmed from a dress code violation; he didn’t wear a tie (though he was still very dressed up).

Look for yourself.

Hmmm, if that’s really what got Cam unceremoniously benched for a play, it seems pretty petty, even by the standards of a football coach.

It also came with a cost. Derek Anderson got picked off, and the Seahawks jumped out to a quick 3-0 on the turnover. Whoops! Lesson learned ... for someone.

The Chiefs find the strangest ways to win. Last week the Chiefs found a strange way to win with a game-winning doink shot. This week, it wasn’t so much a strange ending as it was Eric Berry taking over the damn game in front of his family in his hometown.

The last time Berry went to Atlanta during the season, he was getting chemotherapy. Needless to say he was pumped. He had a pick six in the second quarter, but the play that everyone’s going to be talking about at the water cooler on Monday was his game-winning interception return for two points on Matt Ryan’s on a two-point conversion attempt.

A pick two? I’m not really sure what to call it. Those don’t happen very often. It’s a new rule this season in the NFL.

Atlanta scored on the play before that to take a 28-27 lead. Berry stole the lead back for the Chiefs, and they held on for a 29-28 win.

The Chiefs are still trailing the Raiders by a game in the AFC West standings, but at 9-3, it’s going to be tough to knock them out of a Wildcard spot. I don’t know how the Chiefs keep winning, but they’re looking like the kind of team that can surprise just about anyone in the playoffs.

The Raiders scored 29 unanswered points to shrug off a 24-9 deficit in a 38-24 win over the Bills. Derek Carr is a legitimate candidate for the MVP, but don’t sleep on Khalil Mack.

At the very least he’s a top candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year award. Two game-killing drives show you why. With the Bills trailing by six late in the third, Mack tipped a Tyrod Taylor pass that ended up in the arms of his teammate Nate Allen. Drive over.

The Raiders scored on the ensuing possession. But the Bills still had a chance. In the fourth quarter, on the Bills’ next possession, Buffalo had driven all the way down to the Raiders’ 17-yard line. It was first-and-10 and Mack bullied his way into the backfield, sacked Taylor, forced a fumble and recovered it his own damn self!

The Bills were done. The Raiders moved to 10-2 and took over the No. 1 seed in the AFC, for now.

The Buccaneers tied the Falcons for first place in the NFC South with a 28-21 win over the Chargers. Just like you predicted!

That win was good enough to put the Bucs into the sixth and final playoff spot in the NFC. Now, that still has to hold for four more weeks. They still have to play the Cowboys in two weeks, while the Falcons get the change to pad their win total with games against the Rams and 49ers over the next two weeks.

Still, it’s major progress for the Bucs. How are they doing it? A +6 turnover differential during their current four-game win streak is helping. The 21 points the defense allowed this week is the most they’ve given up since Week 9.

And let’s not forget about the Jamies Winston-Mike Evans combo. The second-year quarterback has six touchdowns and three interceptions over his last four games, with 1,143 yards. Evans has become a bona fide No. 1 receiver this season. This was his worst game of the season, and the Bucs still managed to win.

The lead up to the Steelers 24-14 win over the sleepy Giants had a lot of people revisiting the 2004 NFL Draft, when Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning both joined the league.

Great. They’re both very good players. I’d probably Roethlisberger an edge overall, but they each have a pair of Super Bowl rings that they keep on the nightstand. There’s also Philip Rivers, poor, poor Philip Rivers. He had the misfortune of landing with the Chargers because Eli didn’t want to be there, and I can’ say I blame him. Rivers has toiled in obscurity for his entire career, while putting up outstanding numbers, because the Chargers are one of those franchises run by terrible owners who haven’t placed enough accountability on the coach and front office staff to build a winner.

And now the only Chargers headlines we’re hearing about is a looming move to Los Angeles. (Hey, at least L.A. will have a team that occasionally gets above .500).

The other guy from the 2004 draft that gets left out of the conversation all too often is the one picked between Manning and Rivers, Larry Fitzgerald. He caught his 1,103rd pass that gave him the third most receptions of all time. He caught 10 on the day, giving him 1,106 for his career. He also happens to be the youngest player to reach the 1,100 catch mark.

Tom Brady has become the most-winning quarterback of all time. He got his 201st against the Rams, the same team he beat in Super Bowl XXVI, the game that started the legend. (The Patriots broke out their inner troll to celebrate that Super Bowl win with the Rams in town too).

A 26-10 win was an easy one for the Patriots, who adjusted to losing Rob Gronkowski by running the hell out of the ball, 29 total carries for 133 yards, 4.6 yards per attempt and one touchdown.

That touchdown was a 43-yard breakaway by LeGarrette Blount, one that a Rams defender was not having any part of stopping with a one-on-one tackle.

Blount made it clear that Rams head coach Jeff Fisher wouldn’t be forgetting the names of the Patriots running backs anytime soon. Neither will the rest of us. The Patriots will lean even more on their ground game now that Gronk is out of the mix for the rest of the season and into their playoff run.

Speaking of Jeff Fisher, it was reported Sunday that he had already signed a two-year contract extension with the Rams, a reward for all that great work! How does this man stay employed for so long? His excuse-making is some next level shit.

For the first time this season snow fell on a pair of games in a measurable amount. Unfortunately the games weren’t all that great. But snow!

We also learned that snow angels can get you penalized sometimes.

The 49ers-Bears game turned out exactly like you’d expect, except for Chicago scoring 26 points and Colin Kaepernick getting benched after managing to throw for just 4 yards.

It was bad timing for Kaepernick. News broke Sunday morning that he had opted out of his contract with the 49ers for 2017. His recent play had him on the fast track to a big pay day this spring, but this week’s outing could give some weary general managers pause. He’s got a month to bounce back.

The game in Green Bay was a little better. Aaron Rodgers threw for 209 yards and a pair of touchdowns. That gives him 29 touchdown passes on the season, and he’s on pace to match his production from his MVP season in 2014. It’s the rest of the Packers offense that’s not very good, especially the run game or lack thereof.

At 6-6, Green Bay is still the hunt for a Wildcard spot. Catching the Lions will be a different story.

Speaking of the Lions, they beat the Saints 28-13 in New Orleans. And they didn’t even need a fourth-quarter comeback to do it. That’s the first time all season.

Matthew Stafford was 30-for-42 with 341 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s making it look easy, with a little help from the Saints defense.

Don’t overlook kicker Matt Prater either. He was five-of-five on field goal attempts, bringing his season total to 26-of-29, not bad in a year where kickers are costing their teams games.

It’s time to believe in the Lions.

The Ravens offense hasn’t been much to look at this season, nothing #elite about it. Prior to this week, they’d topped 25 points just three times. Someone figured something out this week though.

Joe Flacco worked the middle of the field against the Dolphins for his first four-touchdown game since October 2014. Dennis Pitta, who you may have forgotten, scored twice, his first touchdowns since 2013.

The Ravens haven’t been much to look at this season, but somehow defaulted their way into the AFC North lead. If they can keep the offense clicking, the playoff chase in that division could get interesting down the stretch. They have another game against the Steelers in Week 16 that might end up deciding it.

Dallas Cowboys 17, Minnesota Vikings 15

Kansas Chiefs 29, Atlanta Falcons 28

Baltimore Ravens 38, Miami Dolphins 6

Chicago Bears 26, San Francisco 49ers 6

Cincinnati Bengals 32, Philadelphia Eagles 14

Green Bay Packers 21, Houston Texans 13

Denver Broncos 20, Jacksonville Jaguars 10

New England Patriots 26, Los Angeles Rams 10

Detroit Lions 28, New Orleans Saints 13

Oakland Raiders 38, Buffalo Bills 24

Arizona Cardinals 31, Washington 23

Pittsburgh Steelers 24, New York Giants 14

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28, San Diego Chargers 21

Seattle Seahawks 40, Carolina Panthers 7

Indianapolis Colts at New York Jets, Monday, 8:30 p.m., ESPN

The 11-1 Cowboys didn’t play Sunday, but still became the first NFL team in 2016 to clinch a playoff berth.

Raiders punter Marquette King was flagged for celebrating a roughing the kicker penalty.

Le’Veon Bell fumbled for the first time since his rookie season.

Later in that game, the Steelers and Giants fought after Bell was tackled on his neck.

Larry Fitzgerald moved to third all-time in NFL history with his 1,103rd reception.

Sebastian Janikowski doinked an extra point inside the uprights on Sunday for the Raiders, the third such made kick in the last two weeks.

Chip Kelly coached the 49ers on Sunday even though his father passed away on Friday.

A receiver knows a good catch when he sees it. Odell Beckham Jr. was all smiles after this TD catch by Antonio Brown against the Giants.

The Giants couldn’t get out of their own way in the first half against the Steelers.

Calais Campbell tipped this Kirk Cousins pass, but then couldn’t find it until it hit him in the hand.

Legarrette Blount is pretty sure Jeff Fisher knows the names of all the Patriots’ running backs after a convincing New England win.

Chargers kicker Josh Lambo missed a field goal about as badly as possible, with this curveball.

Lots of people are slipping on the Raiders’ field in Oakland.

The Lions got their first win of the season that they didn’t have to come back from a deficit.

Eric Berry made sure his team kept the lead over the Falcons.

Pick six? Maybe it should be renamed the Bortles?

The Kansas City Chiefs put on a clinic on how to run a fake punt.

Some guys are just better at their jobs than others. Right, Mike Nugent?

Ummmm... Aren’t they supposed to call penalties like this?

Devontae Booker simply refused to be tackled.

Can you spell slow start? We can: B-E-A-R-S-vs-4-9-E-R-S

‘Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!’ — Live from Green Bay!

Even refs have to get in on the action now and then.

Sometimes, if you’re Nick Fairley, you just gotta smack a Lion in the face.

There are runs and then there are RUNS. LeGarrette Blount made this look easy.

Earl Thomas fractured his left tibia against the Panthers.

Joey Bosa suffered a left leg injury for the Chargers

Jason Pierre-Paul left the Giants’ game against the Steelers with a groin strain.

Dorial Green-Beckham has been sent by the Eagles for x-rays on his ribs.

Danny Amendola has been ruled out for the Patriots.

Braxton Miller is out with a shoulder injury and is questionable to return.

Atlanta offensive lineman Jake Matthews has left the game with a knee injury.

Dolphins had Kiko Alonso sidelined with an injury.

Lamar Miller left the Texans vs. Packers game with an injury but returned.