A dominant Carolina Panthers shut down Aaron Rodgers on his return to action from a collarbone injury, forcing him into three interceptions and all but ending the Green Bay Packers' playoff hopes.
Carolina quarterback Cam Newton outshone Rodgers with 242 passing yards and four touchdowns as Carolina cruised to a 31-24 victory.
The first half had the feel of a playoff game, as a Christian McCaffrey-heavy drive put the Panthers up 7-0 on their first offensive possession. The rookie had 60 yards on nine touches and capped off the drive with a seven-yard TD.
Rodgers fired right back with an 11-play, 75-yard drive of his own. He threw a 13-yard laser to Davante Adams that tied the game at 7-7. After a Graham Gano field goal made it 10-7 Carolina, Rodgers then worked his magic with a four-play, 58-yard drive with a minute and a half to go before the break. Randall Cobb took a flip from Rodgers and danced his way into the endzone for a 33-yard score.
The second half was a different story for Green Bay's star QB, while Newton came alive. Newton threw touchdowns on back-to-back drives to Greg Olsen and Damiere Byrd, but Rodgers had a pair of picks on two straight possessions. Carolina were up 24-17 before Newton charged down the field again and found Byrd to make it 31-17. It looked to be all over.
Despite his rocky performance, Rodgers was able to lead a minute-long drive with three minutes remaining to bring his team back to within seven, and there was late drama when McCaffrey could not hold onto the onside kick and the Packers recovered with more than enough time to win the game.
But it was not to be. Rodgers had his team rolling towards the end zone, but James Bradberry ripped the ball out of Geronimo Allison's hands and the Panthers recovered to seal the victory.
Along with his 242 passing yards, Newton added 58 yards on the ground. McCaffrey had a great outing with 136 yards from scrimmage along with his score. Despite his three picks, Rodgers threw for a trio of TDs and had 43 yards with his legs, including some key conversions.
The Carolina win moves them to 10-4 and keeps the pressure on New Orleans in the NFC South. With an Atlanta Falcons win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night, Green Bay will be officially eliminated with the playoffs.
Elsewhere, in the other early games in the NFL....
Bengals 7-34 Vikings
Minnesota (11-3) clinched the NFC North title with its ninth win in the past 10 games. Case Keenum passed for 236 yards and two touchdowns as the Vikings dominated Cincinnati (5-9).
Texans 7-45 Jaguars
Jacksonville (10-4) clinched a first playoff berth since 2007 and remain in first place of the AFC South with a big win over divisional rivals Houston (4-10).
Quarterback Blake Bortles passed for three touchdowns in the first half as the Jaguars built a 31-0 lead at half-time, the largest margin in franchise history.
Eagles 34-29 Giants
Quarterback Nick Foles threw four touchdown passes in his first start for the Eagles (12-2) as they held off the Giants (2-12) to clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Foles was 24 of 38 for 237 yards, coming in for regular starter Carson Wentz, who was lost last week to a season-ending knee injury. Giants quarterback Eli Manning, meanwhile, finished 35 of 54 for 427 yards with three touchdowns.
Dolphins 16-24 Bills
LeSean McCoy became the 30th player in NFL history to surpass 10,000 career rushing yards, helping Buffalo (8-6) keep its playoff hopes alive with a win at home over AFC East rivals Miami (6-8).
McCoy had 96 total yards - 50 rushing, 46 receiving - and two touchdowns in the game.
Jets 19-31 Saints
Drew Brees threw two touchdown passes and the Saints (10-4) overcame three turnovers to defeat the Jets (5-9).
The victory keeps the Saints in first place in the NFC South even though they are tied with Carolina - the Saints swept the Panthers in their two games this season and so own the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Ravens 27-10 Browns
Ball-hawking Baltimore (8-6) forced four turnovers and converted two of them into touchdowns to defeat winless Cleveland (0-14).
The Ravens keep alive their playoff hopes as a Wild Card team alive in the AFC, while the Browns have lost 16 straight games to divisional opponents dating back to 2015.
Cardinals 15-20 Redskins
Kirk Cousins threw a pair of touchdown passes as Washington (6-8) held off Arizona (6-8). The Redskins never trailed in the game and stopped the Cardinals on downs at the Washington 21-yard line with 16 seconds left.