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• Tennessee Titans' Joshua Kalu (46) celebrates after an NFL football game against the Houston Texans on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, in Houston. The Titans won 41-38. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

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HOUSTON — The Tennessee Titans won the AFC South on Sunday. All it took was Derrick Henry surpassing 2,000 yards rushing and rookie Sam Sloman’s 37-yard field goal that bounced off the upright and through for a 41-38 victory over the Houston Texans.

Henry ran for a career-high 250 yards in the victory that gave Tennessee (11-5) its first AFC South title since 2008 and is the fifth straight loss for the Texans (4-12). The Titans needed the air game to set up Sloman’s winner, though: a 52-yard reception by A.J. Brown moments after a 51-yard field goal by Houston tied it with 18 seconds left.

There are a few NFL teams we're not entirely sure if they are playoff contenders or pretenders, including the Cleveland Browns and the Chicago Bears.

• The Chicago Bears and the Cleveland Browns straddle the fence of contender or pretender. With a good chunk of NFL Week 6 action in the books, it's time to look at a handful of playoff-contending t.
• Week 16 features 14 teams with various playoff clinching scenarios, including the Ravens, Browns, Colts, Dolphins, Titans, Cardinals, Bears, Cowboys, Packers, Rams.

Tennessee will host Baltimore (11-5) next weekend.

Henry finished the regular season with a franchise-record 2,027 yards rushing to become the eighth player in NFL history to run for 2,000 yards. He passed Chris Johnson, who had 2,006 yards in 2009.

Henry had touchdown runs of 52 and 6 yards in his third straight 200-yard rushing game against the Texans.

COLTS 28, JAGUARS 14

INDIANAPOLIS — Jonathan Taylor rushed for a franchise-record 253 yards and two scores, capping Indianapolis’ playoff-clinching victory over Jacksonville with a 45-yard touchdown run with 3:35 to go.

Philip Rivers threw for another score and the Colts’ defense shut out the Jaguars over the final quarter to help preserve the victory.

Indianapolis (11-5) will make its first postseason appearance since 2018 and its second since 2015. The Colts will be the No. 7 seed and face Buffalo on the road.

Jacksonville (1-15) lost its final 15 games and will have the No. 1 overall draft pick in April.

Taylor was sensational, carrying 30 times while joining Hall of Famer Edgerrin James as the only players in franchise history to run for 200 yards in a game. James set the franchise record of 219 yards at Seattle in October 2000. James also rushed for 204 yards at Chicago in November 2004.

WASHINGTON 20, EAGLES 14

Alex Smith threw two touchdown passes and Washington captured the lowly NFC East.

The Washington franchise, which changed its nickname in July after years of protests about it, became the first team in the Super Bowl era to reach the playoffs following a 2-7 start.

Led by Smith and first-year coach Ron Rivera, who overcame a form of skin cancer during the season, Washington (7-9) is the third team to win a division title with a losing record during a full 16-game season. Seattle (2010) and Carolina (2014) previously did it and each won a playoff game.

Washington earned the NFC’s No. 4 seed and will host Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5) in a wild-card game next Saturday night.

RAMS 18, CARDINALS 7

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — John Wolford passed for 231 yards and rushed for 56 more in his NFL debut, and Los Angeles is headed to the playoffs with a victory over Arizona.

Troy Hill returned an interception 84 yards for a touchdown to lead yet another dominant defensive performance by the Rams (10-6), who earned their third postseason berth in four years under coach Sean McVay.

Wolford bounced back from an interception on his first career throw with a steady effort in place of Jared Goff for the Rams, who would have gotten into the playoffs even with a loss because Green Bay beat Chicago while a few minutes were left at SoFi Stadium.

Despite failing to score an offensive touchdown for the second straight game, Los Angeles still snapped its two-game skid heading to the postseason with its eighth consecutive win over Arizona (8-8).

PACKERS 35, BEARS 16

CHICAGO — Aaron Rodgers threw for four touchdowns, breaking his franchise record for scoring passes in a season, and Green Bay clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC by beating playoff-bound Chicago.

The Packers (13-3) earned a bye while winning their sixth in a row and beat Chicago (8-8) for the 19th time in 22 games, counting the postseason.

The Bears are headed to the playoffs for the second time in coach Matt Nagy’s three years despite the loss because Arizona fell to the Los Angeles Rams. Chicago will be at New Orleans (12-4).

Rodgers joined Peyton Manning (2004 and 2013) as the only players to throw for at least 45 touchdowns in multiple seasons. He now has 48, surpassing his previous high of 45 in his first MVP season of 2011.

Davante Adams broke Sterling Sharpe’s record for receptions in a season and tied his mark for touchdown catches in a year. Adams had six receptions to bump his total to 115 and surpass Sharpe’s mark of 112 in 1993. His 6-yard score late in the game gave him 18 TDs, matching Sharpe’s team record in 1994.

RAVENS 38, BENGALS 3

CINCINNATI — Baltimore used a club-record 404 yards rushing to clinch a playoff spot, beating Cincinnati as Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes and became the first NFL quarterback to rush for more than 1,000 yards in two consecutive seasons.

The Ravens rolled up 525 total yards, and the 404 rushing yards were the most surrendered by a Bengals defense. Rookie J.K. Dobbins rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns, including a 72-yard scoring romp in the third quarter.

Baltimore won its fifth straight game and advanced to the postseason for a third consecutive season.

Jackson rushed for 97 yards and threw for 113 before taking a seat in the third quarter. He has run or passed for at least one touchdown in 36 straight starts, the longest active streak in the NFL.

Another Ravens playoff appearance didn’t look likely just a few weeks ago. They started 5-1 but slumped amid a COVID-19 outbreak and injuries to key players. They rebounded to win four straight and put themselves in a position to secure the postseason spot heading into the season finale against Cincinnati (4-11-1) which had won two straight.

Baltimore (11-5) scored on its first two drives, a 34-yard Justin Tucker field goal followed by a 43-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Miles Boykin.

BROWNS 24, STEELERS 22

CLEVELAND — Cleveland is back in the playoffs, qualifying for the first time since 2002 by surviving a late Pittsburgh rally for a win over the Steelers, who rested quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and several other starters.

The Browns (11-5) nearly blew a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, but stopped Pittsburgh’s 2-point conversion attempt and then recovered an onside kick with 1:22 left to hold on.

A week of COVID-19 disruptions concluded in celebration as the Browns ended what had been the NFL’s longest postseason drought. Their reward: Another game against the AFC North champion Steelers, in Pittsburgh next weekend.

Nick Chubb had a touchdown run, Baker Mayfield threw a TD pass and the Browns hung on as Mason Rudolph brought back the Steelers (12-4), who had the luxury of sitting their best players after clinching the division last week.

Rudolph’s 2-yard TD pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster with 1:23 left pulled the Steelers within 24-22. But Rudolph badly overthrew rookie Chase Claypool on the 2-point attempt, and Browns tight end Stephen Carlson then fell on the ensuing kick under a pile of bodies.

BILLS 56, DOLPHINS 26

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen and Buffalo placed an emphatic stamp on a breakout season with a rout of Miami in a game that helped knock the Dolphins out of the playoffs.

Miami’s postseason hopes ended when the Indianapolis Colts beat Jacksonville later in the day. The Bills will host the Colts next week.

The Dolphins (10-6) also didn’t get results they needed to clinch their third playoff berth in 18 years early in the day when Cleveland beat Pittsburgh and Baltimore routed Cincinnati.

Allen threw three touchdown passes and Isaiah McKenzie scored three times, including returning a punt return 84 yards, in a game Buffalo blew the game open by scoring on four consecutive second-quarter possessions.

With the win, the Bills (13-3) clinched the AFC’s No. 2 playoff seed in completing a season in which they matched a single-season record for wins, set in both 1990 and ’91, and won their first East Division title in 25 years.

SEAHAWKS 26, 49ERS 23

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Russell Wilson connected on two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Tyler Lockett and Seattle rallied for a win over San Francisco to end the season on a four-game winning streak.

Seattle (12-4) had a chance to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs but stayed at No. 3 after the New Orleans Saints and top-seeded Green Bay Packers both won. The Seahawks will host the division rival Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round next weekend.

The 49ers (6-10) were eliminated from playoff contention a few weeks ago and have been based in Arizona for more than a month because of coronavirus restrictions in their home county. The team still pushed the playoff-bound Seahawks all afternoon.

Third-stringer C.J. Beathard completed 25 of 37 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown but fumbled late in the fourth quarter, which set up Collins’ touchdown. Tristan Vizcaino made his first three NFL field goals after being signed by the 49ers earlier this week.

SAINTS 33, PANTHERS 7

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Drew Brees threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns, the Saints had five interceptions and New Orleans defeated Carolina to wrap up the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs.

The Saints will host the seventh-seeded Chicago Bears in the wild-card round next weekend.

Ty Montgomery ran for 105 yards on 18 carries for the Saints (12-4), who became the first team to sweep the NFC South by going 6-0 since the division was formed in 2002.

The Saints still managed to run for 156 yards despite playing without Alvin Kamara, who tied an NFL record with six TDs in a Week 16 win over the Vikings, and Latavius Murray. Both running backs were placed on the COVID-19/reserve list.

Taysom Hill had 41 yards rushing, including a 3-yard TD run.

Carolina’s Teddy Bridgewater was benched midway through the third quarter after throwing his second interception in the end zone into double coverage. The former Saints QB finished 13 of 23 for 176 yards and was replaced by P.J. Walker, who was intercepted three times.

The Panthers (5-11) were also without their top two running backs Christian McCaffrey and Mike Davis because of injury and managed just 74 yards rushing.

RAIDERS 32, BRONCOS 31

DENVER — Darren Waller caught Derek Carr’s 2-point conversion pass with 24 seconds left, and Las Vegas rallied to beat Denver despite committing four turnovers.

The Broncos (5-11) reached the Las Vegas 45-yard line with 9 seconds left and Brandon McManus’ 63-yard field-goal try was blocked by Maxx Crosby, who also blocked McManus’ record 70-yard attempt on the last play of the first half.

Josh Jacobs’ 1-yard TD run capped a seven play, 77-yard drive for the Raiders (8-8), who snapped a nine-game losing streak in season finales.

CHARGERS 38, CHIEFS 21

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Justin Herbert threw for 302 yards and accounted for four touchdowns against a team of mostly Kansas City backups, and the Chargers rolled to a victory as the Chiefs turned their attention to the postseason and Los Angeles to the precarious future of coach Anthony Lynn.

The Chiefs (14-2) already had wrapped up the No. 1 seed and the AFC’s lone first-round bye, so coach Andy Reid chose rest over reps by sitting quarterback Patrick Mahomes, safety Tyrann Mathieu and several of his best players.

Meanwhile, reports surfaced earlier in the day that Lynn could be fired as soon as Monday, when he is expected to meet with ownership. The Chargers (7-9) finished the year with four straight wins, and Herbert has emerged as a franchise QB, but Lynn’s fate may have been sealed when they missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

Mediocrity is mediocrity. You can’t hide it, especially in the NFC East, where being mediocre is a compliment.

This, however, isn’t about those weaklings. It’s about teams many thought might be making moves toward relevance in the standings: New England, Minnesota, San Francisco, Chicago. Maybe even Detroit and Atlanta.

Never mind.

Thanksgiving week is here, which means the stretch run to the playoffs is at hand. Even with the extra wild card in each conference, it’s a pipe dream to rely on those half-dozen teams.

Neither the 49ers (4-6), the most injury-ravaged team in the NFL, nor the Bears (5-5), the most offensively inept, played this week. Barring almost inhumanly quick health improvement for San Francisco, it won’t come close to defending its NFC title, particularly in the NFC West, where everyone else decidedly isn’t mediocre.

As for Chicago, it’s not unreasonable to see the Bears go from 5-1 to the bottom of the NFC North, which other than Green Bay decidedly is mediocre.

New England might be the most disappointing of these underperformers, though losing the main reason it won six Super Bowls, Tom Brady, is significant enough to cause a major step backward.

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Those who believed the Patriots were progressing after a down-to-the-wire win over the winless Jets and a home victory in nasty weather against a now-slumping Baltimore can’t be buoyed by Sunday’s defeat at Houston. Yes, a Texans club whose only two previous victories were over the second-worst team in the league, Jacksonville.

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“It’s disappointing, but we’ll turn the page here and move on,” New England coach Bill Belichick said. “(I) still have a lot of confidence and belief in the team. If we just do things a little bit better, then the results will be different and better. But, I don’t know, we just couldn’t do it today.”

Nor on many other days in a 4-6 campaign.

Then there are the Vikings, who started 1-5 before they won three straight division games. A home victory over the struggling Cowboys could have established Minnesota’s place in the playoff chase. Instead, inconsistency on both sides of the ball led to an ugly loss.

“There are positives to point to,” quarterback Kirk Cousins said, “but ultimately when you don’t win, you leave the stadium feeling sick to your stomach.”

Indeed, nausea often accompanies mediocrity.

Then there are the Falcons and Lions, really outsiders to join in the postseason chase even before Sunday. Atlanta had won three of four under interim coach Raheem Morris after an 0-5 start. So it lost to a quarterback making his first NFL start, Taysom Hill, and the Saints, in a relative blowout. The Lions were even worse, getting blanked for the first time in 11 years at Carolina, which broke a five-game slide using a QB also in his first NFL start, P.J. Walker.

Hill mainly has been a special-teamer and Walker’s last start was in the XFL.

“We have really good guys here,” embattled Lions coach Matt Patricia said when asked if he feels as though he’s losing the locker room. “We have guys who are fighting every day and working really hard. That’s the one thing – I just love this locker room. These guys are strong; they want to win. They’re trying to compete. They’re trying to do everything right.”

Maybe they are just too mediocre to achieve that.

Also stumbling in Week 11 was Miami, which had won five straight but lost at Denver. The Dolphins’ defense is for real, and they are well coached. But they lack maturity.

That said, they seem much more solid than the collection of current pretenders mentioned above.

Finally, there’s the case of the Cleveland Browns, who are 7-3 and quite possibly headed to 10 or 11 victories and ending the league’s longest playoff drought — since the Browns’ only such appearance during their reincarnation, in 2002.

Bears Browns

Philadelphia, one of those NFC East weaklings, pretty much handed the Browns their win Sunday. Other than taking down Indianapolis before the Colts began their turnaround, Cleveland has beaten the dregs of the NFL: Cincinnati twice, Washington, Dallas, Houston and Philly. None of those teams has won more than three times in 2020. The losses were against Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Las Vegas — all legit.

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Ahead for the Browns are Jacksonville, the Giants and Jets, which all should be wins. Plus Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Baltimore, which based on the Browns’ track record, figure to be losses.

So being mediocre just might have its benefits.

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