With two games to go in the NFL season, the Washington Commanders are making a change at quarterback.

Jacoby Brissett moves into the starting role for Sunday's game against the NFC West-leading San Francisco 49ers.

Coach Ron Rivera announced Brissett will get the start over Sam Howell during his Wednesday press conference.

"It's a good opportunity for Sam to take a break," Rivera said. "This is about Sam's continued development, and things hadn't gone as well as we would have liked for him the last few weeks, so we just think this is a good opportunity for him to watch."

Howell had started the first 15 games of the season, but played poorly in each of the last two contests and was benched and replaced by Brissett in each.

Howell completed 17-of-48 passes for 158 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions in those games, while Brissett completed 18-of-23 passes for 224 yards with three TDs and no picks.

The 31-year-old Brissett is on his fifth NFL team and will be making his 49th career start. He will also become the 13th different starting QB for Washington since the start of the 2018 season.

"Jacoby's proven that he’s a very, very viable player in this league," Rivera said. "It's amazing to watch the professionalism with which Jacoby does things."

The decision to turn to Brissett could mean the Commanders aren't sold on Howell being the quarterback of the future.

Washington drafted Howell in the fifth round in 2022, and while he's 11th in the NFL in passing yards with 3,624, he also leads the league with 17 interceptions and has been sacked an NFL-high 60 times. His QB rating of 80.5 ranks 25th.

Washington has lost six straight games to drop to 4-11, and now hosts a San Francisco team that sit atop the NFC.

Add a sprained AC joint in the right shoulder as the latest injury for Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Jaguars coach Doug Pederson confirmed the shoulder sprain on Tuesday, and said his quarterback could practice later this week.

"Doing better today than he did yesterday," Pederson told reporters. "We'll see where he's at again tomorrow."

Lawrence sustained the injury when he landed on his shoulder while diving for a first down on a fourth-and-1 play late in the third quarter in Sunday's 30-12 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

That marked Jacksonville's fourth straight defeat. The Jaguars (8-7) are tied for first place in the AFC South with the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans, though Jacksonville owns the tiebreaker with both teams.

The Jags host the Carolina Panthers (2-13) on Sunday, and Lawrence has started 51 consecutive games for Jacksonville since the franchise drafted him first overall in the 2021 draft, despite suffering a number of injuries this month.

He sprained his ankle against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13 and was then concussed last week against the Baltimore Ravens.

All the injuries are taking a toll on Lawrence, as he has five touchdowns and five interceptions with a 71.5 quarterback rating in the last three games. He had 14 TDs and seven picks with a 94.4 rating in the season's first 12 contests.

Backup C.J. Beathard completed 11-of-15 passes for 171 yards with a touchdown after replacing Lawrence against the Bucs, and would be in line to start if the 2022 Pro Bowler can't play.

Baltimore’s defense had five interceptions and four sacks, Lamar Jackson had another strong game to help his MVP candidacy and the Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers 33-19 in a Christmas Days showdown between conference leaders.

Brock Purdy, who entered the game as an MVP candidate, had the worst game of his career, throwing four interceptions and no touchdowns before he was replaced by Sam Darnold after the game was out of hand.

Kyle Hamilton intercepted two of Purdy’s passes, while Marlon Humphrey, Patrick Queen and Marcus Williams also came up with picks.

Baltimore led just 16-12 at halftime but outscored the 49ers 17-0 in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.

Jackson threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns, and the dual-threat quarterback was the Ravens’ leading rusher with 45 yards as the Ravens (12-3) extended their winning streak to five games.

Christian McCaffrey was the lone bright spot for the 49ers, rushing for 103 yards and a touchdown and adding six catches for 28 yards. He tied the Miami Dolphins’ Raheem Mostert for the NFL lead with 21 total touchdowns this season in the losing effort.

The loss dropped the 49ers (11-4) into a tie with the Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles for the best record in the NFC with two weeks to play in the regular season.

Hurts, Swift help Eagles end 3-game skid

Jalen Hurts set a single-season quarterback record by scoring his 15th rushing touchdown and added 300 yards through the air as the Philadelphia Eagles rediscovered their early-season form with a 33-25 win over the New York Giants.

Hurts scored on a “tush push” sneak play in the first quarter and added a second-quarter passing touchdown to help the Eagles end a three-game losing streak and keep their hopes of an NFC East title alive.

D’Andre Swift had 92 of Philadelphia’s 170 rushing yards and scored from five yards out in his best performance since Week 3.

The Eagles led 20-3 at halftime, and the Giants benched former Cinderella story quarterback Tommy DeVito at the break for Tyrod Taylor. DeVito was 9 of 16 for 55 yards.

A 7-yard Saquon Barkley touchdown run and Adoree’ Jackson’s 76-yard interception return – and subsequent 2-point conversion – pulled the Giants to 20-18 at the end of the third.

New York never led, however, as Philadelphia rebounded with a 13-point fourth quarter.

The Eagles (11-4) stayed a full game ahead of Dallas in the NFC East after the Cowboys’ 22-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Saturday.

Raiders fluster Mahomes as Chiefs’ slump continues

Las Vegas scored defensive touchdowns on consecutive plays from scrimmage, Zamir White rushed for a career high 145 yards and the Raiders beat the slumping Kansas City Chiefs 20-14.

The Chiefs led 7-3 with five minutes remaining in the first half before Bilal Nichols returned an Isiah Pacheco fumble eight yards for a touchdown.

After the ensuing kickoff, Patrick Mahomes’ first-down pass was intercepted by Jack Jones and returned 33 for another score, giving the Raiders a 17-7 halftime lead.

Mahomes has struggled this month, going 1-3 in December and throwing five touchdowns to five interceptions.

Mahomes’ only touchdown of the day came on a 7-yard pass to Justin Watson with 2:42 remaining, but the Chiefs never got the ball back as White gained 43 and 15 yards on consecutive carries to clinch the game for Las Vegas.

The Raiders (7-8) snapped a six-game losing streak to the Chiefs (9-6), who failed to clinch an eighth consecutive AFC West title.

Baltimore Ravens intercepted Brock Purdy four times as they beat the San Francisco 49ers 33-19 in a Christmas Day showdown of the NFL teams with the best records.

Lamar Jackson threw two touchdown passes in 18 seconds during the third quarter as the Ravens moved to within one win of the AFC North title.

They are also one game ahead of the Miami Dolphins in the race for the top seed in the AFC with two matches remaining.

Purdy was intercepted on three of his first four drives as the 49ers slipped into a tie with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Miami Dolphins for the best record in the NFC.

The defeat ended San Francisco’s six-match winning streak.

The Eagles reignited their push for the NFL East title as they beat the New York Giants 33-25, ending a three-match losing run.

Jalen Hurts threw for one touchdown and broke the NFL record for most rushing scores in a season by a quarterback as he went over from a yard for his 15th of the season.

The win lifts the Eagle to 11-4 with a one-game lead over the Dallas Cowboys, who need to win their remaining games to ensure the divisional crown.

Taylor Swift watched on at the Arrowhead Stadium as boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs failed to clinch the AFC West title after a shock 20-14 Christmas Day defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Chiefs were bidding to put the seal on an eighth successive AFC West crown but a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter from Bilal Nichols and Jack Jones gave the Raiders a lead that the hosts could not overturn.

Justin Watson’s fourth-quarter touchdown gave the Chiefs hope but Raiders’ defence triumphed as they sealed back-to-back wins to move up to second in the division.

Taylor Swift watched on at the Arrowhead Stadium as boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs failed to clinch the AFC West title after a shock 20-14 Christmas Day defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Chiefs were bidding to put the seal on an eighth successive AFC West crown but a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter from Bilal Nichols and Jack Jones gave the Raiders a lead that the hosts could not overturn.

Justin Watson’s fourth-quarter touchdown gave the Chiefs hope but Raiders’ defence triumphed as they sealed back-to-back wins to move up to second in the division.

The Detroit Lions clinched a first division title in 30 years as they beat NFC North rivals the Minnesota Vikings 30-24 at the US Bank Stadium.

A field goal from Michael Badgley helped the Lions take a narrow 17-14 lead into half-time after both sides had scored two touchdowns.

Detroit went on to secured a home play-off game for the first time in 22 seasons after touchdowns from Amon-Ra St Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs as Jared Goff passed for 257 yards.

The Green Bay Packers needed a late game-winning drive to edge out the Carolina Panthers 33-30 in Charlotte.

Jordan Love ran for a touchdown and threw a touchdown as the play-off chasing Packers were in front 23-10 at half-time.

The Panthers, though, produced a fightback and eventually tied the game at 30-all with just over four minutes left – only for Green Bay placekicker Anders Carlson to cap a long offensive drive with a decisive 32-yard field goal.

Wide receiver Amari Cooper set a single-game receiving record of 265 yards for the Cleveland Browns in their 36-22 win over the Houston Texans at the NRG Stadium.

The Browns took a 22-7 lead into half-time after Joe Flacco threw for two touchdowns, while Dameon Pierce made a 98-yard return from kick-off to get the Texans on the scoresheet.

Cooper caught a 13-yard pass from Flacco with three minutes and 49 seconds left to set a new receiving mark before the Texans produced a late offensive rally with two touchdowns, but the Browns closed out a third-straight victory.

The Atlanta Falcons kept alive their play-off hopes with a 29-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Younghoe Koo kicked two field goals as well as a conversion to help the Falcons – beaten by the Panthers in Week 15 – come from behind to lead 13-7 at half-time.

After a touchdown from Tyler Allgeier in the third quarter extended the advantage, South Korean Koo sent over three more field goals to seal victory which moves the Falcons onto 7-8 for the season.

The Seattle Seahawks produced a late rally to beat the Tennessee Titans 20-17 in Nashville which keeps them in the NFC Wild Card mix.

After a scoreless opening quarter, the Titans, with Ryan Tannehill at quarter-back in place of injured rookie Will Levis, took a 10-3 lead into half-time following a touchdown from tight-end Chig Okonkwo.

A two-yard score from running back Derrick Henry put Titans up 17-13 with just over three minutes on the clock – but the Seahawks recovered as quarterback Geno Smith found Colby Patterson in the endzone with just 57 seconds left.

A late 54-yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein helped the New York Jets finally see off the Washington Commanders 30-28 in East Rutherford.

The Jets had got off to a fast start, leading 27-7 at half-time as running back Breece Hall scored two touchdowns.

However, replacement Commanders quarterback Jacoby Brissett drove a recovery with a pair of touchdown drives in the fourth quarter before Zuerlein’s late kick gave the Jets a sixth win.

The New York Jets are wrapping up a disappointing season, but they won't be making any major changes at the top of the organisation.

Owner Woody Johnson told the New York Post before Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders that coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas will continue to lead the team next season.

There had been some speculation that both Saleh and Douglas were in danger of being let go, but both will keep their jobs.

"My decision is to keep them," Johnson told the newspaper before the Week 16 game. "I think we've had some very positive moves. The culture of the team is a lot better. The defense is better. The offense needs a few pieces."

One piece would be the return of Aaron Rodgers, who was lost for the year after tearing his left Achilles tendon just four snaps into his Jets debut in the season opener.

Without Rodgers, the Jets will end up missing the play-offs for the 13th straight year - the longest active drought in major North American professional sports.

New York has gone 16-32 since Saleh was hired prior to the start of the 2021 season.

Johnson said the return of Rodgers next season was a factor in his decision to retain Saleh and Douglas, as well as offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

"Just to keep the continuity going with Aaron and the team we've got," Johnson said. "Like I said a year ago, we need a quarterback. We had a quarterback for four plays. Since then, we haven’t been able to replace him. If we have a good quarterback, it makes everybody’s job easier. It makes the line better, the receivers better."

Since Rodgers' injury, New York has used Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian at quarterback, but none of the three have enjoyed any success.

Entering Week 16, the 5-9 Jets ranked last in the NFL in total offence (255.1 yards per game). The defence, meanwhile, has been one of the better units in the league, ranking seventh in total yard allowed (298.4 yards per game).

The Tennessee Titans have ruled out quarterback Will Levis for Sunday's game against the visiting Seattle Seahawks.

Veteran Ryan Tannehill will be back under center with the rookie Levis sidelined due to a sprained ankle.

Levis was hoping to play after injuring the ankle late in the Titans' 19-16 overtime loss to the Houston Texans last Sunday, but is not yet fully recovered.

The ankle injury is similar to the one that cost Tannehill his starting job earlier this season.

The 35-year-old Tannehill, who led Tennessee to the 2019 AFC title game and AFC South crowns in 2020 and 2021, will be making his first start since Week 6. In seven games this season, the 11-year-veteran has thrown for 1,128 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions with a 71.9 rating while going 2-4 as a starter.

Levis, the 33rd overall pick of this year's draft, has gone 3-5 as a starter, throwing for 1,792 yards with eight TD passes and four picks for an 85.3 rating.

The Titans (5-9) have already been eliminated from the play-offs this year, while the Seahawks (7-7) are just outside the play-off cut-off in the NFC.

The Buffalo Bills continued their late-season surge with a narrow 24-22 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Quarterback Josh Allen threw for 237 yards and a touchdown and added two more on the ground and kicker Tyler Bass made a 29-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining to seal a third-straight win for Buffalo.

Los Angeles had a chance to win at the death but were ultimately unable to move the sticks as the Bills kept their play-off hopes alive.

Their post-season hopes received an earlier boost when the Cincinnati Bengals were demolished by the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-11.

Wide receiver George Pickens set the pace for the Steelers early, breaking open for an 86-yard touchdown to start the first quarter.

Pittsburgh piled the pressure on throughout the second, pushing their advantage out to 24 points by half-time.

Cincinnati showed some fight out of the break through an 80-yard receiving touchdown to Tee Higgins, but Pickens nabbed his second long-range score of the game soon after to put the result out of reach.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will have their starting quarterback under center Sunday when they visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Trevor Lawrence was cleared from the NFL’s concussion protocol, multiple media outlets reported Saturday, and will travel with his teammates as the Jaguars (8-6) look to snap a three-game slide.

Lawrence has yet to miss a start since being drafted first overall in 2021.

Lawrence reported symptoms after Jacksonville’s 23-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

The Jaguars believe Lawrence suffered a concussion on the team’s final drive of the game. He completed just one of his final eight pass attempts.

Lawrence has completed 65.9 percent of his passes this season for 3,525 yards with 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Jacksonville’s current slump has dropped them from contention for a first-round play-off bye into a three-way tie atop the AFC South with the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans.

The Jaguars will be without left tackle Cam Robinson (knee) and wide receivers Christian Kirk (groin) and Zay Jones (knee/hamstring) when they face the Buccaneers (7-7).

A stellar showing from wide receiver Puka Nacua propelled the Los Angeles Rams to a 30-22 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

The 22-year-old had nine catches for a career-high 164 yards to go along with a touchdown.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford was almost as impressive, throwing for 328 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover in the eight-point win.

After taking a 17-7 lead into the break, the Rams looked to be coasting to the finish line when a field goal and a rushing touchdown to Kyren Williams stretched their advantage to 20 points.

That quickly became 23 thanks to a Lucas Havrisik field goal at the start of the fourth quarter.

But New Orleans mounted a late charge, touchdowns to Juwan Johnson and AT Perry closing the gap to eight with just under four minutes left.

Despite the momentum shift, Los Angeles’ defence was ultimately able to compose itself and hold on for the Rams’ eighth win of the season.

New Orleans’ quarterback Derek Carr finished with three touchdowns and one interception as the Saints’ record fell to 7-8.

A late touchdown from the arm of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock sealed his side’s three-point victory over the Philadelphia Eagles with less than 30 seconds left in the contest.

Lock threw for 208 yards throughout the match, including the match-winning 29-yard touchdown to rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, while Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scored two touchdowns in his team’s 20-17 loss.

The Eagles were first to score with Hurts running into the end zone from three yards in the first quarter to give the away side an early lead.

Both teams scored field goals in the second quarter, before running back Kenneth Walker III tied the game up at 10 early in the third with a 23-yard running touchdown.

Jalen Hurts ran over for his second s ore with four minutes to go in the third quarter to give the Eagles a seven-point lead.

A field goal early in the fourth quarter and Smith-Njigba’s last-gasp touchdown then gave the Seahawks their first lead of the game.

The Eagles had a late chance to steal the win but the hail Mary pass from Hurts was intercepted by Julian Love, giving Seattle their seventh win of the year and handing the Eagles just their fourth loss this season.

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee's hit on Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. was quite costly.

The NFL suspended Kazee without pay for the remainder of the season for violating rules designed to protect the health and safety of players.

The announcement came two days after Kazee was ejected in the second quarter of Saturday's 30-13 loss at Indianapolis for delivering a forceable hit to a diving Pittman. Kazee made contact with Pittman's head, and the receiver left the game and went into the concussion protocol.

NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan issued the suspension on Monday, and wrote in a letter to Kazee that, "You had an unobstructed path to your opponent and the illegal contact could have been avoided."

Runyan also referenced multiple prior instances of hits that violated rules designed to protect player safety.

The suspension means Kazee will miss the Steelers' final three regular-season games and any potential play-off games, should Pittsburgh qualify. The Steelers are 7-7 and just outside the play-off cutoff.

By being banned for three games, Kazee will forfeit around $208,000 in game checks.

Kazee, a seven-year veteran, has appeared in all 14 games this season, ranking third on the Steelers in tackles with 61, and is tied for the team high with two interceptions.

The San Francisco 49ers stretched their winning streak to six games and clinched the NFC West with a 45-29 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy improved upon his MVP credentials with four touchdowns and 242 passing yards in another stellar addition to his breakout season.

Arizona put some pressure on early with a touchdown in the first two minutes, but the 49ers responded with back-to-back touchdowns of their own and never let up from there.

Fellow contenders the Dallas Cowboys were brought back to reality courtesy of a 31-10 demolition at the hands of the Buffalo Bills.

The 10-win Cowboys’ defence looked powerless against Buffalo’s running game, with James Cook, Josh Allen and Latavius Murray all finding the end zone on the ground.

Despite the loss, other results from earlier in the day ensured the Cowboys would be in the playoffs for the third-straight year.

The Cleveland Browns scored 13 fourth-quarter points to snatch a 20-17 victory over the Chicago Bears.

The two sides were level at 7-7 at the break after tight ends Cole Kmet and David Njoku scored touchdowns but the Bears took a 10-point lead into the fourth after Tremaine Edmunds returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown.

But the Browns saved their best till last and two Dustin Hopkins field goals partnered an Amari Cooper touchdown to give them the win, with 38-year-old Joe Flacco throwing for 374 yards.

Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs returned to winning ways with a 27-17 victory over the New England Patriots.

Running back Jerick McKinnon caught one touchdown pass and threw another to Rashee Rice while Patrick Mahomes threw for 305 yards, two scores and two interceptions.

Baker Mayfield threw for four touchdowns as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earned a 34-20 win over the in-form Green Bay Packers.

The 28-year-old quarterback racked up 381 passing yards over the game to four different scorers, David Moore, Mike Evans, Rachaad White and Ko Kieft, to help wrap up a convincing win.

Raheem Mostert rushed for two touchdowns as the Miami Dolphins crushed the New York Jets 30-0.

The 31-year-old opened the scoring in the first quarter but the damage was done in the second when he ran over for his double after Jaylen Waddle’s 60-yard score had already given the home side a healthy advantage and moved them up to second in the AFC.

The New Orleans Saints scored 17 second-half points to secure a 24-6 victory over the New York Giants.

Derek Carr threw for three touchdowns as the Saints took over in the second period without reply from the Giants.

Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked an overtime field goal to help the Houston Texans claim a 19-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

The Carolina Panthers scored two field goals in the final quarter to claim just their second win this campaign with a 9-7 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Rams beat the Washington Commanders 28-20, the Detroit Lions cruised past the Denver Broncos 42-17 and the Baltimore Ravens eclipsed the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-7.

The Cleveland Browns scored 13 fourth-quarter points to snatch a 20-17 victory over the Chicago Bears.

The two sides were level at 7-7 at the break after tight ends Cole Kmet and David Njoku scored touchdowns but the Bears took a 10-point lead into the fourth after Tremaine Edmunds returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown.

But the Browns saved their best till last and two Dustin Hopkins field goals partnered an Amari Cooper touchdown to give them the win, with 38-year-old Joe Flacco throwing for 374 yards.

Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs returned to winning ways with a 27-17 victory over the New England Patriots.

Running back Jerick McKinnon caught one touchdown pass and threw another to Rashee Rice while Patrick Mahomes threw for 305 yards, two scores and two interceptions.

Baker Mayfield threw for four touchdowns as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earned a 34-20 win over the in-form Green Bay Packers.

The 28-year-old quarterback racked up 381 passing yards over the game to four different scorers, David Moore, Mike Evans, Rachaad White and Ko Kieft, to help wrap up a convincing win.

Raheem Mostert rushed for two touchdowns as the Miami Dolphins crushed the New York Jets 30-0.

The 31-year-old opened the scoring in the first quarter but the damage was done in the second when he ran over for his double after Jaylen Waddle’s 60-yard score had already given the home side a healthy advantage and moved them up to second in the AFC.

The New Orleans Saints scored 17 second-half points to secure a 24-6 victory over the New York Giants.

Derek Carr threw for three touchdowns as the Saints took over in the second period without reply from the Giants.

Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked an overtime field goal to help the Houston Texans claim a 19-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

The Carolina Panthers scored two field goals in the final quarter to claim just their second win this campaign with a 9-7 win over Atlanta Falcons.