Ryan Tannehill

Henry scored his third touchdown for the Titans (4-2) with just over three minutes remaining against the AFC East-leading Bills (4-2) on Monday.

The Titans then held up Bills signal-caller Allen on a fourth-down quarterback sneak in the final seconds to snap Buffalo's four-game winning streak.

Henry joined Jim Brown (1958) as the only players in NFL history to rush for three-plus touchdowns in a game three times in the first six games of a season, according to Stats Perform.

Through Week 6, Henry has three games with 125 or more rushing yards and three-plus rushing touchdowns – it is tied for the most such games in a single season in the Super Bowl era.

After a tense opening quarter – Tyler Bass' field goal for the Bills was the only score – Buffalo and Tennessee traded touchdowns in the second period.

Henry sparked the Titans with a memorable 76-yard TD run before Allen threw a 14-yard pass to Stefon Diggs just over three minutes later and the see-sawing battle continued – Allen's pass to Cole Beasley cancelled out Ryan Tannehill's (18-of-29 passing for 216 yards and an interception) four-yard run to give the Bills a 20-17 half-time lead.

Bass' third field goal and Allen's third TD pass (finishing 35 of 47 for 353 yards, three TDs and an interception) to Tommy Sweeney outweighed Henry's touchdown run as the Bills stretched their lead to 31-24 heading into the final period.

But Tennessee's defence came up big after Henry scored the only TD of the fourth quarter, having watched Randy Bullock convert his 38-yard field goal.

The Bills blew away the Titans after leading 10-7 in the second quarter, with Allen finishing the game with four touchdown passes, completing 26 of 38 passes for 317 yards with no interceptions.

Diggs got on the end of three of those, including a 46-yard third-quarter hand cannon, having 12 receptions for 148 yards. Allen has contributed to four or more TDs in each of his past four games, including playoffs.

Buffalo's win means they have won six straight regular-season games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL. It is also the Bills' NFL-best 13th 14-point-plus win over the past two seasons, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next best with eight.

Titans QB Ryan Tannehill, who was benched late, threw 11 of 20 passes for 117 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions, including a Matt Milano pick six. The Bills face the 2-0 Miami Dolphins in Week 3, with three of their next four games on the road.

The Philadelphia Eagles joined the Bills with a 2-0 record after a 24-7 triumph over the Minnesota Vikings led by Jalen Hurts who had a major hand in all three of their touchdowns.

Hurts threw for one touchdown (finishing with 26-of-31 passing for 333 yards), while he ran in two TDs (57 yards from 11 carries), helping the Eagles open up a 24-7 half-time lead, with neither side scoring in the second half. Hurts landed a 53-yard pass for Quez Watkins' TD.

The Eagles defense managed three interceptions from Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, who completed 27 of 46 passes for 221 yards with one touchdown to Irv Smith Jr.

The Titans trailed 10-0 at half-time but fought back with two second-half touchdowns from D'Onta Freeman and A.J. Brown, on his return from a chest injury, to take the lead.

San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who completed 26 of 35 passes for 322 yards, threw his only TD pass for Brandon Aiyuk to square the game in the fourth quarter before Bullock's late field goal with four seconds left after the Titans expertly managed the clock.

The result means the Titans can clinch the AFC South division if the Arizona Cardinals beat the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

The 49ers were left to rue costly Garoppolo errors, having thrown two interceptions as well as over-throwing a golden opportunity for a TD.

Ryan Tannehill managed the clock brilliantly after Aiyuk squared the game up with 2:20 left, with the Titans quarterback going on a 23-yard run in the decisive drive.

Tannehill threw 22 of 29 passes for 209 yards while Brown finished with 11 receptions for 145 yards.

The result leaves the 49ers with an 8-7 record to sit third in the NFC West.

Former NFL MVP Newton, who has battled shoulder and foot injuries, was released by the Panthers last month as the team moved on to Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback.

Seven-time Pro Bowler Kuechly retired at the end of the 2019 campaign but insists Newton, 30, still has plenty to offer as a starter after nine years in Charlotte.

The Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots are among the possible landing spots for the free agent, though Kuechly highlighted the move of Tannehill as another option for his old teammate.

Having left the Miami Dolphins, Tannehill joined the Tennessee Titans as backup to Marcus Mariota ahead of last season.

But he was handed a chance to start midway through the year and sensationally guided the team to the AFC Championship game before being rewarded with a four-year, $118million contract.

Kuechly told NBC Sports: "I think there's a model that's kind of in place right now with what Tannehill did in Tennessee, you come in as the backup and as a season progresses you get an opportunity.

"But obviously New England's in the conversation, the Chargers are in the conversation."

Newton recently described himself as a "fish out of water" in free agency, but his ability on the field is not something Kuechly questions.

"I think Cam, he gets back to being healthy, he's still a dangerous threat," Kuechly said.

"You look at what he's done in the past couple years, minus his injuries, he's been fantastic for us. The thing that makes Cam special is what he can do inside the pocket but also what you can do with his legs.

"To me, once he gets everything back healthy, he's gonna be back to where he was before."

After retiring at the age of 28, Kuechly hopes to remain involved in the game.

He said: "I know when the season comes around I'm going to have that pit in my stomach knowing that, man, I wish I was still out there, but hopefully I can find a way to stay involved in football somehow.

"When you talk to the production crew, you talk to guys that have played like [Jason] Witten, [Tony] Romo and Ronde [Barber], you can tell that they played at a high level.

"They still have the ability to stay involved with the game and that part is something that's attractive to me."

Hamlin was in a critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, having collapsed during Monday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Hamlin made a tackle on Bengals receiver Tee Higgins in the first quarter, and after briefly returning to his feet, he slumped to the ground.

He was administered CPR on the field, before being loaded into a waiting ambulance and rushed away.

Amid harrowing scenes, the game was suspended while the Bengals were leading 7-3 with 5:58 remaining in the first period.

Allen led the call for prayer for Hamlin, with well-wishers from across sport, entertainment and politics also sending thoughts and best wishes.

Former Chargers and Saints quarterback Drew Brees wrote on Twitter: "Damar Hamlin represents every one of us and every team-mate we've ever had.

"I've never met him, but I know him as a member of our brotherhood. My family and I pray for him and his family as he recovers. God be with him."

Michael Vick and Patrick Mahomes also said they were praying for Hamlin, the latter adding: "Please be okay man."

Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill added: "Praying for Damar Hamlin, his family and everyone in Buffalo... no words for a situation like this."

The NFL said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with Damar, his family and the Buffalo Bills."

Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt said: "The game is not important. Damar Hamlin’s life is important. Please be ok. Please."

From basketball, the NBA said: "The entire NBA family's thoughts and prayers are with Damar Hamlin, his family and the NFL community."

That was reflected in post-game comments from a number of leading stars after Monday's NBA action, with Lakers superstar LeBron James saying: "My thoughts and super prayers goes up to the skies above for that kid's family, for him, for that brotherhood of the NFL and everybody a part of the NFL family."

James said it was "definitely the right call" to abandon the game for the night.

He said of the incident: "It was a terrible thing to see and I wish nothing but the best for that kid, for the city of Buffalo, for the franchise of the Bills and like I said, for the rest of the NFL as well and also the Bengals that was there and playing in that game."

Klay Thompson, from the Golden State Warriors, added: "As athletes, sometimes the game can overshadow us as individuals or people.

"On behalf of the organisation, we wish him the best. We're keeping him in our prayers and hoping for the best possible outcome. He's a tremendous person and it's bigger than the sport."

Hollywood actor Ben Stiller, a big sports fan, wrote: "Sending good thoughts and prayers to Damar Hamlin and his family."

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani said: "Our prayers are with Damar Hamlin."

Amid the focus on Hamlin's plight, there was a surge in donations to a Christmas fundraiser the Bills star organised in 2020, to raise money to buy toys for children hit hard by the pandemic.

The fundraiser's target had been $2,500, but its running tally passed $3million by the early hours of Tuesday.

Tennessee overcame a hostile environment to take down the Patriots in what could have been Tom Brady's final game in the NFL.

The Patriots – playing in the wild-card round for the first time in a decade – were held scoreless in the second half as their hopes of back-to-back titles were dashed.

Brady, who is aged 42 and out of contract at the end of the season amid uncertainty over his future, was 20 of 37 for 209 yards and an interception.

Ryan Tannehill completed eight of his 15 throws for 72 yards, a touchdown and an interception as the Titans earned a divisional round clash with the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens.

New England have dominated the NFL with Brady under centre, winning six Super Bowls since the quarterback's arrival in 2000, however, the Patriots were upstaged on home soil.

After the Patriots' Nick Folk converted a 36-yard field goal, Tannehill threw a 12-yard pass to Anthony Firkser for the touchdown and 7-3 Tennessee lead.

The Patriots, though, regained the advantage via a five-yard rush from Julian Edelman to ease some of the tension in Foxborough, where another Folk field goal put New England 13-7 ahead.

However, the Titans – who had suffered seven consecutive losses to the Patriots before defeating New England in November 2018 – went into the half-time interval with a 14-13 cushion after Derrick Henry's one-yard rush.

Neither the Titans nor the Patriots added to the scoreboard in the third quarter and the theme continued in the final period.

The Titans milked the clock with tactical delay of games and long drives, frustrating Brady – who threw an interception at the death as Logan Ryan capitalised to seal a huge road win.

In his first full season as the Baltimore Ravens' starting quarterback, second-year signal caller Jackson threw for 3,127 passing yards, a league-leading 36 touchdowns and tossed only six interceptions.

He also broke Michael Vick's single-season record for rushing yards for a quarterback, amassing 1,206 yards on the ground as the Ravens went 14-2 in the regular season.

They exited the playoffs at the first hurdle, falling 28-12 against the Tennessee Titans, though Jackson still had over 500 yards total offense during that Divisional Round clash.

Jackson started in sensational fashion, torching the Miami Dolphins for 324 passing yards and five touchdowns in a game where he had a perfect passer rating.

The 23-year-old had two other games with five touchdown passes and also had a perfect passer rating against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10, when the Ravens were in the midst of a 12-game winning streak.

That victorious run also helped Jackson's coach John Harbaugh win the Coach of the Year award at the NFL Honours on Saturday night.

Elsewhere, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas was voted Offensive Player of the Year, New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore claimed the Defensive Player of the Year award and Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill won Comeback Player of the Year.

San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year ahead of his appearance in Super Bowl LIV, with Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray the Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Henry had 28 carries for 87 yards, with one running touchdown and one throwing touchdown when the Titans deceived the Packers' defense in the third quarter to open up a 20-9 lead. He also had two receptions for 45 yards.

The Titans running back became the first player since 1983 with 20 or more carries, two or more completions, a rushing TD and a passing TD in a game.

Titans QB Ryan Tannehill was exceptional against the blitz and made 22 of 27 passes for 333 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Tennessee improved to 7-3, having won seven of their past eight games, with their only loss in that run coming in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Aaron Rodgers threw two TD passes, both to breakout rookie Christian Watson, on 24-of-39 passing for 227 yards for the 4-7 Packers, who had snapped a five-game skid with last week's 31-28 overtime win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Tannehill passed to Treylon Burks for a 37-yard gain, before linking up with Dontrell Hilliard for a TD on a methodical opening drive. Burks finished the game with seven receptions for 111 yards.

Rodgers caught the Titans defense off guard for Watson's TD to make it 7-6, while the Packers defense thwarted Henry on a fourth-and-one midway after an 18-play drive through the second quarter, but he would not be denied late in the half, opening up a 14-6 half-time lead.

Henry gained 42 yards on a marauding catch-and-run, before flipping a pass over the Packers defense for Austin Hooper to score. After Rodgers found Watson in the same corner again, Hooper added another TD from a 16-yard Tannehill dime early in the fourth.

Carthon was hired on Tuesday after six years in the San Francisco 49ers' front office, earning his first general manager role at 41 years old.

He takes over as decision-maker for a Titans franchise that missed the playoffs this season for the first time since 2018, and his first order of business will be assessing the quarterback situation.

Tannehill has guided the Titans to their past three postseason berths, but after going 7-3, 11-5 and 12-5 as a starter in those seasons, he battled injuries and struggled to 6-6 in his 12 games this campaign.

After missing out on the playoffs two weeks ago, Vrabel told reporters he still has faith in Tannehill.

"He is our starting quarterback," he said. "If he is healthy, he is our starting quarterback."

It may not be that simple, however, as Carthon said during his introductory press conference on Friday that he needs more time before deciding on the franchise's future at the sport's most important position.

"We're still evaluating the roster," he said. "Ryan has been great here. He's won a lot of football games. 

"I look forward to us winning football games, but I still need more time to evaluate and make those decisions."

He added: "This is a quarterback-driven league – people are hired and fired every day over that position. 

"I want to spend more time evaluating that position so I will have my own opinion. Then, Mike and I will confer and we'll figure it out."

Behind Tannehill, the Titans also have Malik Willis coming into his second season. The third-round draft pick made three starts in his rookie year, but did not reach 100 passing yards in any of his appearances.

Tannehill was acquired in a trade with the Miami Dolphins in March 2019, going on to impress in his debut season in Nashville after taking over as the team's starter.

During the regular season, Tannehill threw for 2,742 yards, 22 touchdowns and just six interceptions as he helped the Titans to a 9-7 record and a playoff berth.

The 31-year-old also guided Tennessee to two postseason victories, beating the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens on the road, before they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

The Titans have been suggested as a potential landing spot for Patriots icon Brady, should he leave New England. However, a move for the six-time Super Bowl winner now appears highly unlikely with Tannehill tied up.

Having been named the NFL's comeback player of the year, Tannehill commented earlier in the offseason that he was hoping to extend his stay with the team.

"I do know I love the [Titans] organisation, I love the team, I love the guys on the team, and I love the tone coach [Mike] Vrabel sets, and the vision that he has," he said at the Pro Bowl. 

"I feel like we're headed in the right direction. I'd like for things to line up and I'd like to be back (in Tennessee) if it all gets worked out. We'll just have to see. But hopefully we can get things worked out and keep building on what we did this year."

Now he gets to stick around after signing a four-year deal worth a reported $118 million, including $62m in fully guaranteed money.

Defending champions Kansas City have a 9-1 record this season, while the Buccaneers are 7-3.

Though Tampa have lost two of their past three games, the Chiefs' most recent two victories have been by tight margins, and now an all-time great in the form of six-time Super Bowl champion Brady goes up against the league's current star quarterback.

The game in Florida is among the key Thanksgiving weekend matchups we preview with Stats Perform data.

FEATURED GAME

Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Sunday, 4:25pm (all times Eastern)

- This game is a matchup of the quarterbacks who won the past two Super Bowls, with Brady winning Super Bowl LIII two seasons ago with the New England Patriots and Mahomes and the Chiefs winning the Lombardi Trophy last February. The Bucs are 1-4 this season versus QBs who have started in Super Bowls, and 6-0 in all other games.

- Kansas City have reeled off five straight victories, scoring 30 or more points in each of the last four contests. In the franchise's 61-year history, the team has scored 30 or more points in five successive games on two occasions, in 2004 and 2018 (both streaks ended at five games).

- With a 13.5 touchdown-interception ratio (27 TD passes, two picks), Mahomes is tied for the second best single-season mark among qualifiers in league history. He is topped by only Brady and his 14.0 mark in 2016 as a member of the Patriots (28 and two).

- Twenty years and six days after making his NFL debut, Brady will look to snap a two-game home losing streak. It is the third time in his career and first since 2006 that the veteran campaigner has lost consecutive home contests in the regular season; he has never suffered a three-game home losing streak.

OTHER KEY GAMES

Arizona Cardinals at New England Patriots - Sunday, 1pm

- New England have won six of the last seven games between these teams dating back to 1993, with Arizona's only win coming in 2012 in Foxborough. The Cardinals have not scored more than 21 points in any of those seven games – they had at least 24 in six of the first seven all-time meetings between these teams (6-1).

Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts - Sunday, 1pm

- Ryan Tannehill has 44 touchdown passes and nine interceptions in his 20 starts with Tennessee. His 4.89 TD/INT ratio is the best all-time by a quarterback in his first 20 starts with a team, surpassing Peyton Manning with the Denver Broncos (4.82).

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers - Sunday, 8:20pm

- Green Bay are 15-3 against Chicago since the 2011 season – the third best record by one team against a divisional opponent in that span, behind the Patriots against the New York Jets (17-2) and the Steelers against the Cinciannati Bengals (16-3). Since the start of last season, the Bears have gone 14 games scoring fewer than 20 points. Only the Jets (17), Bengals (15), and Washington (15) have had more such games.

Seattle Seahawks at Philadelphia Eagles - Monday, 8:15pm

- The Eagles are 2-5 against the Seahawks in Philadelphia, their worst home record against any active franchise. Losers of the last five such matchups, Philly have not dropped six consecutive home games to a single opponent since losing six straight to the Cardinals from 1973 to 1978.

ELSEWHERE...

Los Angeles Chargers at Buffalo Bills - Sunday, 1pm

- The Chargers have won four straight over the Bills by a combined 80 points, winning each by double digits. The last time the Bills beat the Chargers was on October 19, 2008 – that 12-year span without a win is the fourth-longest active drought by any team against a conference opponent.

Las Vegas Raiders at Atlanta Falcons - Sunday, 1pm

- Atlanta's Matt Ryan is set to play in his 200th career game on Sunday. His tally of 54,164 passing yards (though 199 games) is the second-most in NFL history in a player's first 200 games, trailing only Drew Brees (55,439).

Tennessee punched their ticket to the postseason as division champions with a 34-3 rout of the Miami Dolphins, who were eliminated from playoff contention.

With the Kansas City Chiefs losing to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Titans' victory saw them jump to the top of the AFC, meaning they will clinch a first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs with a Week 18 win over the lowly Houston Texans.

While the Titans donned AFC South champion t-shirts in the locker room after the game, Tannehill conceded he was struggling to find a balance between celebrating that achievement and focusing on what they still have to do.

"That was a battle I was having in [the locker room] myself," the Titans quarterback said. "I'm thinking: Try to enjoy the moment and celebrate, but I'm going around telling the guys that we're just getting started.

"It's a big step and enjoy it, but we're just getting started. We've got a long way to go and that was kind of my message going around to the guys.

"Definitely try to enjoy the moment and celebrate today for what it is, but just knowing in the back of our minds that our ultimate goals aren't done yet.

"We've still got a long way to go."

Tannehill's top target, wide receiver A.J. Brown, added: "We had to worry about ourselves and we had to win today.

"We are not really worried about anyone else no matter what cards we were dealt. We had to win today, and we got the win today.

"Next week, it's going to be winning next week, against Houston. We know that right now, it's playoff football. And we are already trying to get in form, because it gets tougher."

The one-time Pro Bowler saw his game curtailed during Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, after outside linebacker Khalil Mack landed on his foot.

Tannehill was carted from the field before returning with his ankle heavily strapped, though he was unable to prevent the Titans slipping to a 17-14 defeat.

Reports from ESPN now indicate the 34-year-old's campaign looks to be over, with the former Miami Dolphins man set to undergo an operation for the problem.

It was a right ankle injury that ruled Tannehill out of two games following a week six match with the Indianapolis Colts, bringing Malik Willis into the fold in his place.

The reserve quarterback started in practice on Tuesday and Wednesday, while the Titans have also signed Joshua Dobbs to provide additional backup.

The latter was with the Detroit Lions briefly as part of their practice squad earlier this month, after he was waived following Deshaun Watson's return to the fold at the Cleveland Browns.

Tennessee are 7-7 for the year, and sit atop the AFC South, but have not won in their last four outings to leave their postseason hopes precariously balanced heading into the final few weeks.

They play the Houston Texans on Saturday, before closing games against the Dallas Cowboys and the Jacksonville Jaguars, with the latter their main rival to top the division.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw two interceptions in a 26-second span early in the second quarter, leading to a pair of rapid-fire Titans touchdowns. 

The first was an ill-advised attempt to throw the ball away while being dragged down in the end zone that David Long intercepted at the Rams' eight-yard line.

After Geoff Swaim scored on a two-yard TD pass from Titans QB Ryan Tannehill on the ensuing play, Stafford's next pass was picked off and returned 24 yards for a TD by Kevin Byard. 

Tannehill would run the ball in for another score prior to half-time as the Titans built a 21-3 lead before handing the game over to their ferocious defence, which sacked Stafford five times after LA entered the game with only eight sacks allowed all season. 

Titans recruit Adrian Peterson scored his 125th career TD, joining 11 other players to score 125-plus career touchdowns.

The Rams (7-2) would not find the end zone until Stafford hit Sony Michel for a short TD with 24 seconds remaining in the game as they fell behind the victorious Arizona Cardinals (8-1) in the division race. 

Tennessee (7-2) now hold the best record in the AFC despite being out-gained 347-194 as star running back Derrick Henry remains sidelined with a foot injury.

Tannehill completed 19 of 27 passes for just 143 yards with a TD and an interception but his 79.7 passer rating was still better than Stafford's 71.0 after the Rams QB finished 31-of-48 passing for 294 yards. 

Tennessee caused an upset when they shocked reigning champions the New England Patriots in the wild-card clash last week to earn a trip to the divisional round.

And the Titans – 9-7 in the regular season – defied the odds again with a sensational 28-12 victory away to Lamar Jackson's Ravens in Baltimore, where Derrick Henry starred on Saturday.

Through to their first AFC championship game since 2002, the Titans will next face either the Kansas City Chiefs or Houston Texans.

Coming off the bye week and a franchise-record 14-2 season, confidence was high within the Ravens camp, but the top seeds found themselves trailing from the outset.

Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who finished seven of 14 for 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns to go with a rushing TD, and his 12-yard throw to Jonnu Smith with less than four minutes remaining in the opening quarter gave Tennessee a 7-0 lead.

Another Tannehill pass, this time a 45-yard throw to Kalif Raymond early in the second quarter, extended the Titans' lead amid silence in front of Ravens fans in Baltimore.

A pair of Justin Tucker field goals gave the Ravens their first points as they went into the half-time break trailing 14-6.

The Titans oozed confidence in the second half and a sequence of brilliance from running back Henry stretched Tennessee's advantage against Baltimore.

After his breathtaking 66-yard run, Henry put the Titans in the red zone and he capped the drive with a jump-pass touchdown throw to Corey Davis as back-up quarterback Marcus Mariota motioned out of the backfield.

Tannehill returned to the field moments later and rushed for a one-yard touchdown – the Titans ending the third period with a commanding 28-6 lead.

Frustrated, Ravens star Jackson – 31 of 59 for 365 yards, a touchdown, two interceptions and four sacks – gave Baltimore some hope with a TD pass to Hayden Hurst with just over 11 minutes remaining in the contest but the Titans were too good.