As the race for play-off places hots up, Green Bay impressed with victory against Seattle, while the Chiefs' victory over Oakland keeps the pressure on in the AFC West.
AFC EAST
New England Patriots (W 30-23 v Baltimore)
A regulation 406-yard, three touchdown display from Tom Brady gave the Patriots a huge early lead, but they had a few moments of worry in the fourth quarter until Brady linked up with Chris Hogan for a 79-yard score and they definitely showed some third quarter defensive issues. Grade A-
New York Jets (W 23-17 (OT) at San Francisco)
The Jets showed off a rare battling tendency to come back from a 17-3 half-time hole and claim just their fourth win of the season. Bilal Powell racked up 179 yards after taking over from an injured Matt Forte and claimed the winning touchdown as well. Rookie quarterback Bryce Petty had a mixed day, and their ground defence was awful, but a win is a win whatever the opponent. Grade B
Miami Dolphins (W 26-23 v Arizona)
The Dolphins stay alive in the play-off race but almost threw victory away in the final quarter and lost starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill, potentially for the rest of the season. Tannehill had played really well until injuring his knee and that seemed to affect the Dolphins in the last 15 minutes and they had to rely on a late field goal from Andrew Franks after leading by 12 points. Grade B
Buffalo Bills (L 20-27 v Pittsburgh)
An ugly first-half display from the Bills as Le'Veon Bell scored three touchdowns and went on to pile up 298 yards of offence, winning a number of fantasy teams their first week play-off matches as well. Buffalo woke up in the final quarter with Charles Clay and LeSean McCoy scoring touchdowns but their rally was too late and they will need help to make the post-season now. Grade C
AFC NORTH
Pittsburgh Steelers (W 27-20 at Buffalo)
The mark of a good team is when one star has a bad day another steps forward. This time it was Le'Veon Bell who came to the rescue with 236 yards and three rushing scores, and all of those points were needed as Ben Roethlisberger had a rare day to forget, throwing three picks as the Bills came within seven points before a failed onside kick ended their hopes of a remarkable rally. Grade B+ (A with as many +++++ as you want for Bell)
Cincinnati Bengals (W 23-10 at Cleveland)
The Bengals weren't at their best but they probably could have slowed up a couple of gears and still prevailed against the winless, hopeless and hapless Browns. Jeremy Hill passed the 100-yard mark for only the second time this season and Tyler Eifert was the recipient of two Andy Dalton touchdown passes in an easy win. Grade B
Baltimore Ravens (L 23-30 at New England)
The Ravens played well for 15 minutes, but that was never going to be enough against a team as good as the Patriots. Their defence was ripped to shreds by Tom Brady and, shock horror, the normally infallible Justin Tucker missed a field goal. Play-off hopes are still there though. Grade C
Cleveland Browns (L 10-23 v Cincinnati)
Another game, another quarterback and another defeat for the Browns. Robert Griffin III returned from injury and had a rushing score, but his passing (12-of-28 for 104 yards) was off target all game, and the Browns couldn't stop a Bengals offence even on a day when Cincinnati were barely out of second gear. Grade E
AFC SOUTH
Tennessee Titans (W 13-10 v Denver)
The Titans have proved they can do most things as a team now, out defending the defensive standout Broncos. Denver got absolutely nothing from their running game and although Trevor Siemian had success at times, Tennessee came up with big plays at the right time. Lucky they did, as quarterback Marcus Mariota had a really bad day. Grade A
Houston Texans (W 22-17 at Indianapolis)
It was all about running and kicking for the Texans, with Lamar Miller scoring their only touchdown and passing 100 yards on the ground. But this was Nick Novak's win, with the Texans kicker providing their remaining 16 points on a day when Brock Osweiler (once again) got very little going for Houston's passing game. Defensively, they were sound for the majority of the game. Grade B+
Indianapolis Colts (L 17-22 v Houston)
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck had one of 'those' days, mixing in a pretty touchdown pass to T.Y. Hilton with two interceptions and a costly fumble. With the Colts' running game ineffective, that all meant defeat at home in a game that could well, when the season is done, be as costly as any others they have suffered already. Grade D
Jacksonville Jaguars (L 16-25 v Minnesota)
Too many stalled drives for the Jaguars who, on three occasions in the second quarter alone, had to hand over to kicker Jason Myers for field goal attempts. Blake Bortles threw for 292 yards and a touchdown but two Vikings scores in the last 15 minutes condemned Jacksonville to an 11th defeat of the year. Grade D
AFC WEST
Kansas City Chiefs (W 21-13 v Oakland)
An absolutely massive win for the Chiefs and a game to remember for lightning-fast receiver Tyreek Hill, who scored two of their three touchdowns, all of which came in a remarkable second quarter. Hill caught a 36-yard Alex Smith pass and then ran home a 76-yard punt return as Kansas City's defence shut down Derek Carr and took the divisional lead. Grade A+
Denver Broncos (L 10-13 at Tennessee)
Their defence played superbly again, and Trevor Siemian threw for 334 yards, but they could not convert that into points until the fourth quarter when a fumble from the young quarterback ended any chance they had of completing their comeback. The play-off hopes remain intact but they have three very tough opponents (New England, Kansas City and Oakland) remaining. Grade C+
Oakland Raiders (L 13-21 at Kansas City)
Derek Carr looks to be bothered by the hand injury he suffered in week 13, but he was more bothered by his hopeless receiving corps in Kansas City, where dropped passes were one of the reasons behind his 17-for-41 Thursday night display. The Raiders lose top spot after a second defeat by their divisional rivals - now they have to bounce back against San Diego. Grade C-
San Diego Chargers (L 16-28 at Carolina)
Defeat in Raleigh means the post-season is a distant hope for the Chargers, who also lost star running back Melvin Gordon to a hip injury that could sideline him next week, and possibly longer. Rookie Kenneth Farrow rushed for 55 yards in his absence but San Diego were 23-0 down before Philip Rivers, who threw three more interceptions, finally woke up. Grade D
NFC EAST
Washington Redskins (W 27-22 at Philadelphia)
Quarterback Kirk Cousins didn't have his best game of the year, but still managed touchdown passes to DeSean Jackson (an 80-yard spectacular) and Pierre Garcon in a third-quarter which completely turned the game. Rob Kelley and Chris Thompson also scored on the ground, with Thompson's score the game-winner that kept them in the play-off hunt. Grade A
New York Giants (W 10-7 v Dallas)
A defensive game for the ages at MetLife Stadium where neither side could get much going and mistakes were the order of the day. There was just one highlight for Eli Manning, and that 61-yard pass to Odell Beckham Jr (who else would it have been?) proved to be their only touchdown and won the game to keep their hopes of catching the Cowboys alive. Grade A
Dallas Cowboys (L 7-10 at NY Giants)
Rookie sensation Ezekiel Elliott ran for 107 yards and Terrence Williams was left wide open for a 31-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter, but the other highlights were all on defence as Dak Prescott failed to get much going and the Cowboys lost for the first time since week one, which also came against the G-men. Grade C+
Philadelphia Eagles (L 22-27 v Washington)
Four defeats on the spin now for the Eagles, who are in need of a pre-Christmas miracle to force their way back into the play-off picture. Carson Wentz threw for 314 yards and a touchdown but the Eagles gave up a late touchdown to Chris Thompson which all but brought an end to what has turned into a very disappointing season. Grade C-
NFC NORTH
Green Bay Packers (W 38-10 v Seattle)
The Packers are showing signs of life at last and made the most of Russell Wilson's dreadful display to post their most impressive victory of the season. Aaron Rodgers completed 18-of-23 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns and two wide receivers - Ty Montgomery and Jeff Janis - had rushing scores. The Packers defence picked off Wilson on five occasions and sacked him three times in a superb display. Grade A+
Minnesota Vikings (W 25-16 at Jacksonville)
An escape for the Vikings, who came up with their only two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. Matt Asiata was ineffective on the ground but finally powered through for a one-yard score and Sam Bradford went on to win the game for Minnesota with just over two minutes left. Their defence did the rest with a fourth sack of Blake Bortles ending the game and keeping the Vikings in the play-off hunt. Grade B-
Detroit Lions (W 20-17 v Chicago)
This won't go down as one of Detroit's better wins of the season but it was just as vital. Matthew Stafford was having a poor day, throwing a pair of interceptions, but his seven-yard run past a series of awful Bears tackles saved them from an embarrassing defeat and kept them two games ahead atop the division with yet another fourth quarter comeback. Grade B-
Chicago Bears (L 17-20 at Detroit)
Just for a while, the Bears looked like getting things together. A Cameron Meredith touchdown reception was followed by a Crevon LeBlanc interception return for another score to give Chicago the lead in Detroit with seven minutes remaining. But some awful tackling allowed Matthew Stafford to score and two huge penalties on big first down plays condemned the Bears to a 10th defeat. Grade C-
NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons (W 42-14 at Los Angeles)
No Julio Jones for the Falcons but it made no difference against a Rams side that was almost invisible on offence and defence for the first three quarters. Matt Ryan added three more touchdown passes to his tally with Taylor Gabriel again proving to be a spark plug, while on defence Vic Beasley had a monster three-sack game capped by a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Grade A
Carolina Panthers (W 28-16 v San Diego)
Better from the Panthers but they are still nothing like the team that reached the Super Bowl last season. Cam Newton completed only 10 of his 27 pass attempts, not helped by a couple of ugly drops, but four Graham Gano field goals and some key turnovers saw them build a big lead they never looked like giving up. Grade B
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (W 16-11 v New Orleans)
A huge win for the Bucs, who stay bang in contention with the Falcons for the division but have three really tough games remaining. This one was mainly about defence with only one touchdown scored in 60 minutes, that a one-yard plunge from Doug Martin. Three interceptions of Drew Brees would prove the difference. Grade B+
New Orleans Saints (L 11-16 at Tampa Bay)
The Saints are all-but out of play-off contention now after a dreadful offensive display. Drew Brees looked ill at ease without the injured Michael Thomas but he was not helped by his receivers who dropped two surefire touchdown passes, including a key one by the normally-reliable Brandin Cooks in the third quarter as they looked to rally for the lead. Grade D-
NFC WEST
Arizona Cardinals (L 23-26 at Miami)
The Cardinals remain in the play-off hunt, just, but this defeat leaves them almost certainly needing to win their last three games. Carson Palmer had a bad day, throwing a pair of interceptions which meant his two fourth-quarter touchdown passes were not enough to get the win, while David Johnson was less effective than recent games, running for 'only' 80 yards. Grade C-
San Francisco 49ers (L 17-23 (OT) NY Jets)
The disappointments continue for the 49ers, who couldn't hold on to a 14-point lead despite a dominant performance on the ground from Carlos Hyde, who had 193 yards despite being handed the ball only 17 times. This Niners defence is just too inconsistent, albeit without some key performers because of injury. Grade C-
Seattle Seahawks (L 10-38 at Green Bay)
If anyone finds the real Russell Wilson, I am sure the Seahawks will be glad to have him back for their week 15 date at home to the Rams. Five interceptions from what seemed like an imposter playing against the Packers in a game that most Seattle fans will simply have to forget. At least they remain in pole position to claim the divisional title and should really clinch on Thursday night. Grade F
Los Angeles Rams (L 14-42 v Atlanta)
A ninth defeat of the season was too much to bear for Rams management, who sacked coach Jeff Fisher in the wake of a shambolic performance on both sides of the ball. Atlanta could have scored as many points as they wanted and the Rams were ineffective all over the field with two fourth quarter scores not lessening any of their agony. Quarterback Jared Goff still has much to learn about the pro game. Grade F