Fashionably late Vikings keep beating the clock
Confetti from an NFL weekend.
Minnesota 27, N.Y. Giants 24
— Two games remain, but the Vikings might be the most remarkable 12-3 team of all time. With a point differential of plus-5, they are within one game of the NFC’s first-round playoff bye because of a recurring ability to stretch the boundaries of time, and it continued when Greg Joseph, a South African native who grew up playing soccer, drilled a 61-yard field goal as zeroes flashed on the clock. It was the fifth time Joseph has won a game for the Vikings in the final minute of regulation or in overtime.
— All told, Minnesota has trailed six games in the fourth quarter and pulled them out. Kirk Cousins threw a TD pass to K.J. Osborn with :45 left to beat Detroit. Camryn Bynum intercepted the Jets’ Mike White in the end zone to win that game with :16 left, and Cousins hit Adam Thielen with a fourth-quarter TD to beat New England. Minnesota’s three losses have come by margins of 27, 37 and 13 points. Its only wins by more than one score were 23-7 over Green Bay in the season opener, and 34-16 at Miami.
— Cousins’ 17-yard third-down screen to Justin Jefferson put Joseph in position, with no time outs left. Since Week 8, the Giants are 2-4-1, but a win over the Colts on Sunday earns them a wild-card spot. An 84-yard day by Saquan Barkley in only 14 carries should inspire confidence.
Pittsburgh 13, Las Vegas 10
— Maybe this is the Immaculate Resurrection. The Steelers’ frigidly emotional win in the fourth quarter Saturday night raises them to 7-8, just one game out of the third AFC wild-card spot, with a Sunday night trip to Baltimore and a home game with Cleveland remaining. They were 3-7 six weeks ago, losing to Cincinnati in T.J. Watt’s first healthy game. Since then, the Steelers have not given up more than 17 points in any game, with a plus-four turnover ratio.
— Those who worried about Ben Roethlisberger’s line of succession were again encouraged by rookie Kenny Pickett. After his name was called by Franco Harris at the NFL draft last year, Pickett has looked progressively comfortable, and his 14-yard touchdown to George Pickens, at the end of a 76-yard drive, gave the Steelers this victory on the night Harris’ No. 32 was retired and the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception was celebrated. Harris passed away at 72 on Wednesday.
— Pickett sneaked to convert a fourth-and-one on the play before his game-winner to Pickens, with :50 left. Then Cam Sutton intercepted Derek Carr on a mis-thrown deep ball to clinch it. Carr was picked three times on a wicked night, with an 9-degree temperature at kickoff. The Raiders fell to 6-9.
Houston 19, Tennessee 14
— The signs weren’t good for the Titans. They carried a 4-game losing streak into this game with the improving Texans, and quarterback Ryan Tannehill was out. Sure enough, Houston’s Davis Mills put the Texans ahead with a 6-yard TD to Brandon Cooks, and Alabama rookie Christan Harris intercepted Malik Willis on the Houston 22.
— The loss drops the Titans (7-8) into a first-place AFC South tie with Jacksonville, winners of three consecutive, and the two will meet in the season finale, at Jacksonville. However, Tennessee has to play Dallas Thursday night.
— Rookie QB Malik Willis, struggling like most rookie QBs in this class, threw for only 99 yards. Tennessee quarterbacks, behind an offensive line laden with substitutes, have been sacked 18 times in the past four games.
Carolina 37, Detroit 23
— The team of the weekend was Carolina, which might petition the courts for a continuance of this season. It set club records for rushing yards (320) and total yards (570) and had the ball for 35:13 in the rout that upped their record to 6-9, one game behind the Bucs. It also had TD drives of 91 and 92 yards, and seven plays that went 30 or more yards, and three of them were runs. The Panthers, once 1-5, can now win the NFC South by beating the Bucs and Saints.
— Since they traded Christian McCaffrey going into Week 7, Carolina has had six 100-yard rushing games, including two on Sunday by D’Onta Freeman (21 for 165) and Chuba Hubbard (12 for 125). That brightened the possibilities for Sam Darnold, who threw for 250 yards in 22 attempts and is 3-1 as a starter this season.
— It was a sudden smackdown for the Lions (7-8), previously high-flying and seeking a playoff spot. They play host to Chicago before winding it up at Green Bay in a game that might be a win-and-in occasion. But they’ll have to fortify a run defense that gave up 16 rushing first downs in Charlotte.
Dallas 40, Philadelphia 34
— It wasn’t a monumental game in the standings, but it was a hate-fest with a cornucopia of yards and points, and CBS’ ratings will be bountiful indeed. The Cowboys (10-4) scored the final 13 points. But then they’re averaging 37.5 points in their past eight games.
— Dak Prescott threw 11 passes at CeeDee Lamb, and Lamb caught 10, for 120 yards and two touchdowns, including the tying score with 5:43 left. Despite that, Dallas seems locked into the fifth NFC playoff seed, since they trail Philadelphia (12-2) by two with two games left. The Cowboys play at Tennessee Thursday.
— Philadelphia took solace from backup quarterback Gardner Minshew’s play. The ex-Washington State star filled in for Jalen Hurts (shoulder) and threw two scores to Devonta Smith, who had 113 receiving yards as A.J. Brown had 103. Strangely, the Eagles have had 25 sacks in their past four games, but opposing QBs have had ratings of 100 or better in four of their past five. A deeper concern is the abdominal injury to premier right tackle Lane Johnson, who will be out for at least the rest of the regular season.
Green Bay 26, Miami 20
— One doesn’t expect to win road games if one goes 2-for-5 in the red zone and converts only two of 14 third downs, but the Packers (7-8) did, thanks to three interceptions of Tua Tagovailoa in the fourth quarter alone. It was Green Bay’s third consecutve win and, with home games against Minnesota and Detroit remainng, makes a playoff spot a little less impossible.
— The Dolphins (8-7) have to win at New England and beat the Jets at home to extend their season. They’ve lost three consecutive games. With six minutes to go they were on the Green Bay 30, down by three, but De’Vondre Campbell turned them away with an interception.
— Mason Crosby, 38, hit four of four field goals and became the Packers’ leader in consecutive games with 256, breaking a tie with Brett Favre. He and the Packers felt no discomfort at Hard Rock Stadium on a day when the temperature at kickoff was the second-lowest in the Dolphins’ home history (46).