Sunday 14 December 2014 22:12, UK
The New England Patriots have won the AFC East title for the sixth season in a row after romping to a 41-13 victory over their division rivals the Miami Dolphins in Foxborough.
The Patriots led by just one point at half-time after Miami’s Ryan Tannehill connected with Mike Wallace on a 32-yard touchdown pass five seconds from the end of the second quarter to make the score 14-13.
But the Patriots then scored on four consecutive series as they piled up 24 points in the most prolific third quarter in team history.
Tom Brady had two touchdown throws for the Patriots, to Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, and the Patriots also scored on a first quarter blocked field goal return by Kyle Arrington.
New England (11-3) can secure home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs if they beat the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, while Miami slipped to 7-7 and their postseason hopes are slim.
The Indianapolis Colts have clinched their playoff spot after a 17-10 win at home to the Houston Texans earned them a second AFC South title in a row.
The Colts offence was not as dynamic as usual but quarterback Andrew Luck tossed second-quarter touchdowns to Hakeem Nicks and Dwayne Allen, having had an interception returned for a touchdown by Kendrick Lewis in the first quarter.
Pittsburgh and Baltimore stayed on the heels of the Bengals in the competitive AFC North, both winning to improve their records to 9-5.
The Ravens sacked rookie quarterback Blake Bortles eight times and returned a blocked punt for a touchdown as they ground out a 20-12 win over the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars (2-12).
And Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 360 yards while Le’Veon Bell had a pair of rushing touchdowns as the Steelers won 27-20 at the Atlanta Falcons (5-9).
The Buffalo Bills (8-6) are also very much in the AFC playoff picture after a 21-13 upset win over NFC powerhouses the Green Bay Packers (10-4) in Orchard Park.
The Packers entered the game on a five-game winning streak but superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers was off-colour, tossing a pair of interceptions.
Marcus Thigpen scored on a 75-yard punt return for the Bills, Dan Carpenter kicked four field goals and they also scored a safety when Rodgers fumbled and Eddie Lacy was tackled in the end zone.
The Kansas City Chiefes (8-6) are also in the hunt for a playoff berth, after halting a three-game losing streak with a 31-13 win at home to Oakland Raiders (2-12).
Alex Smith threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns for the Chiefs, and Knile Davis had touchdowns rushing and receiving.
Derek Anderson threw for 277 yards and a touchdown while Graham Gano kicked four field goals as the Carolina Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19-17 to remain alive in the NFC South playoff race.
