Kenny Pickett came up clutch for the second week running to keep the Pittsburgh Steelers alive with a come-from-behind 16-13 win over the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.

The Steelers rallied from a 10-point third-quarter deficit to score the game's final 13 points, including Pickett's go-ahead touchdown pass for the dominant Najee Harris with 56 seconds left.

Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley's desperate pass with 13 seconds remaining to clinch victory for the Steelers, who claimed their third straight win to improve to 8-8 behind the Cincinnati Bengals (11-4) and Ravens (10-6) in the AFC North.

The Ravens' defeat, which is the fourth time they have lost after having a double-digit lead this season, significantly impacts their aspirations to win the division, with the Bengals able to clinch it with victory against the Buffalo Bills on Monday. The Bengals host the Ravens in Week 18.

Pickett and Harris were the stars for the Steelers, with the 24-year-old quarterback completing 15 of 27 passes for 168 yards with his only touchdown coming when it mattered most.

In the game-winning 11-play drive, the QB made 20-yard and 28-yard gains with passes to Pat Freiermuth and Steven Sims Jr respectively before evading Jason Pierre-Paul's tackle and finding Harris in the left corner on a third-and-8.

Steelers running backs Harris (111 rushing yards on 22 carries) and Jaylen Warren (76 rushing yards on 12 carries) were outstanding. Huntley completed 14 of 21 passes for 130 yards for the Ravens.

Earlier, the Ravens benefitted from a controversial unnecessary roughness penalty against Cameron Heyward on a third-and-14, which led to a verbal exchange with team-mate Fitzpatrick, after Huntley threw a touchdown pass for Isaiah Likely on the next play shortly prior to half-time.

The Green Bay Packers are a win away from what once looked an unlikely Wild Card berth after they crushed the Minnesota Vikings 41-17 at Lambeau Field.

A playoff place looked a faint possibility when the Packers lost seven of eight games after a 3-1 start to drop to 4-8.

They responded by reeling off three straight wins prior to the visit of division rivals and NFC North champions the Vikings, but still faced the prospect of being eliminated with a loss.

That prospect looked all the more likely when, after a blocked punt, the Vikings got the ball at Green Bay's one-yard line.

However, the Packers held the Vikings to a field goal from there, setting the tone for a nightmare game for Minnesota.

Keisean Nixon returned the subsequent kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown to give Green Bay the lead, which was extended when Darnell Savage returned an interception on a deflected Kirk Cousins pass 75 yards.

Cousins turnovers were a theme of the day, with an interception by Adrian Amos setting up a 21-yard touchdown throw from Rodgers to Robert Tonyan, and a lost fumble in the redzone allowed the Packers to regain possession and drive down the field for A.J. Dillon to make it 34-3.

Another Cousins interception, this time picked off by Rudy Ford, put the Packers in position to pile on further misery with a two-yard run from Rodgers, who now can lead the 8-8 Packers into the postseason with victory over the Detroit Lions next Sunday.

Defeat for the 12-4 Vikings sees them fall out of the second seed, meaning the chance to potentially host two home playoff games is out of their hands heading into Week 18.

NINERS SURVIVE HUGE SCARE

The San Francisco 49ers now occupy the two seed, having held off the Las Vegas Raiders in a remarkable game at Allegiant Stadium.

A San Francisco blowout was anticipated but did not materialise, with Raiders quarterback Jarrett Stidham leading them to 500 yards of offense in his first start after Derek Carr was benched.

Brock Purdy and the 49ers put up 454 yards of their own and, after a Robbie Gould missed field goal sent the game to overtime, Tashaun Gipson's interception of Stidham set up the San Francisco kicker to redeem himself and clinch a wild 37-34 win.

San Francisco's division rivals the Seattle Seahawks cruised to a 23-6 win over the New York Jets, whose playoff hopes look to be all but over. Seattle will qualify for the postseason with a win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18 and a Packers loss to the Lions.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell is over the moon to be heading on the road next week to take on the Green Bay Packers with a spot in the playoffs potentially up for grabs.

The Lions bounced back from a loss last week to trounce the Chicago Bears 41-10 on Sunday, making it seven wins from their past nine fixtures and improving their record to 8-8.

There was also some history made by the second overall selection from the 2022 NFL Draft, with Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson snagging his third interception to tie the record for the most by a defensive lineman in a season in the Super Bowl era.

Hutchinson also shared a sack with teammate Ifeatu Melifonwu, one of seven total sacks on Bears quarterback Justin Fields.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Campbell pointed to a fully padded practice on Wednesday as the rallying point for his side facing a tricky quarterback matchup with their season on the line.

"We went full pads on Wednesday and said we were going to get our identity back, and we're going to recalibrate, and those guys did that," he said.

"They trusted us, and they came out and it looked like that. It looked like we were ready to go, it looked like we were more physical. I was proud of them.

"Here's the hard thing with playing a guy like [Justin] Fields, man. If you just come barrelling off the edge, and you're out of control, then he's gone.

"So you have to be able to bring a little bit of force and close the pocket in on him, but you can't commit one way or another because he'll break contain again.

"While all this is happening, our back-end is having to cover their rear off for five, six, seven seconds at a time. You give up a couple of holding calls, that's not an easy task there.

"But all-in-all, I thought we snapped back on defense. We were much more physical, we got takeaways, we got sacks, we were disruptive."

Detroit's win keeps their season alive for at least one more week, and Campbell said he feels blessed to get a chance to play a massive January game at the famous Lambeau Field.

"I think it means everything," he said. "I think it's just so special – it's as good as it can get, seriously.

"You get to go to Lambeau – historic Lambeau – where the top of this division has been Green Bay every year for years, with a chance to earn your right to potentially get in.

"Even if we do get the win, it doesn't mean we're guaranteed to get in. But I know this, we're guaranteed to get one more week, and so I just think this is as special as it gets. I don't think you'd want it any other way."

The Lions will be relying on another strong performance from quarterback Jared Goff, who Campbell said is "extremely hot" after his three-touchdown effort.

"He has a ton of confidence right now, and he's had that for a while," he said. "He's played pretty well all year.

"You can just tell he's in this mode right now where you feel like every time you dial up a pass, he's going to find somebody. He's going to find the throw, he's going to get it to the guy that's open.

"That's a great feeling, man. To feel your quarterback is in that mode, and he's been there, that's a great feeling."

Goff himself has played in playoff games and took the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl appearance, but he still acknowledged how meaningful it still is to just have a chance at making the postseason.

"It's huge," he said. "Not every team, players, young guys get an opportunity to play in games like this.

"There are a bunch of guys here who, for the first half of their careers, have not had a chance to play a game in January that means something, and we're going to get that chance next week.

"Whether it gets us in or not, that's not up to us, but we're going in there and trying to win, and see where everything falls at the end."

Tom Brady believes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a knack for making life tough for themselves after coming from behind to beat the Carolina Panthers and claim the NFC South division on Sunday.

A 20-point fourth-quarter performance at Raymond James Stadium saw the Florida outfit storm home to take a 30-24 win, improving to 8-8 for the season.

It is a second straight division title for the Buccaneers, who will have the chance to finish the season with a winning record when they face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 18.

Brady, who threw for 432 yards and delivered three long touchdowns to Mike Evans, saw his side dig themselves out for the second week in a row, leaving him to ponder if they bring their struggles upon themselves.

"NFL games are tough to win, and we always figure out a way to keep them somehow exciting," he said afterwards. "I wish they wouldn't be as exciting as we made them.

"We've battled through a lot of tough things this year [but we are] happy to win the division. It's always tough to do it."

Head coach Todd Bowles concurred his team like to make things difficult, but acknowledged their success proved to be the ultimate prize, regardless of how they claimed it.

"Every year, you try to win the division, and we won the division," he added. "It doesn't matter how you win the division. My heart ain't got much left in it, but it feels great.

"We're in one spot we need to be. We can't get where we want to be unless we win the division. We won the division."

Cameron Jordan reached the top of the New Orleans Saints' all-time sack leaderboard after collecting three in Sunday's 20-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jordan, 33, entered the Week 17 contest with five-and-a-half sacks for the season, but he dominated the Eagles' offensive line and made life miserable for backup quarterback Gardner Minshew.

He had two sacks in the first half – leaving him a half-sack away from Rickey Jackson's franchise record of 115 – before finding Minshew again and forcing a fumble on the Eagles' final drive to reach the summit.

Jordan reached the figure in 191 games, while Jackson played in 195 during his career from 1981-1993. The third-placed Saint, Wayne Martin, is well adrift on 82.5 sacks from 171 games.

His rise to the top is even more unlikely when taking into account that he only posted one sack in his rookie season, before putting together 11 consecutive campaigns of at least seven-and-a-half.

Speaking to the media after the win, Jordan reflected on that journey,

"If you look at the last 11 years of my career, after I earned the right to play on third down," he said. "You go from rookie year having one sack, starting 15 out of the 16 games, to where I'm at now – I just needed opportunity.

"I knew I was a pass rusher, I knew I was an edge rusher. I told them in my second year to give me a chance and you'll never have to worry about it. I told Sean Payton when I first got drafted 'let's do this'. 

"I came with the mindset to be the best that I can be – I don't want to just be a pass rusher though.

"I'll let you guys label me however you want to, but just know if there's a first down, second down, third-and-one, I'm going to be on the field. I'm not jetting up the field, I'm not turning at 12, I'm fighting for each and every yard. 

"They don't run to my side for a reason."

A three-time All-Pro selection, Jordan has also made the past five Pro Bowls, giving him seven for his career.

The Philadelphia Eagles again missed the chance to clinch the number one seed in the NFC as they were stunned 20-10 at home by the New Orleans Saints.

Philadelphia's offense was again without quarterback Jalen Hurts because of a shoulder injury and, after coming up short in a thriller with the Dallas Cowboys last week, the Eagles saw their attack sputter with backup Gardner Minshew under center.

The Saints, who went into the game still in the mix to win the NFC South, dominated time of possession in the first half and led 13-0 at the long break thanks a Taysom Hill one-yard touchdown run and a pair of Will Lutz field goals.

Philadelphia looked to have found the necessary spark when, after a Jake Elliott field goal got them on the board, Minshew and A.J. Brown connected for a 78-yard catch and run.

However, it proved a false dawn for the Eagles, whose defeat was essentially confirmed when Marshon Lattimore intercepted Minshew and returned the pick 11 yards for a touchdown as the four-time Pro Bowl corner returned from a 10-week injury absence.

The Saints' victory means the Eagles drop to 13-3, giving the Minnesota Vikings (12-3) and San Francisco 49ers (11-4) hope they could yet catch Philadelphia and win the race for the NFC's only first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

New Orleans can still reach the postseason, but the NFC South title is out of reach.

BUCS CLINCH SOUTH

The South is beyond the Saints because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinched it with a 30-24 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

Tampa Bay knew they would win the division with triumph, but trailed 21-10 after Sam Darnold's third touchdown pass of the game. However, having tossed a 63-yard touchdown to Mike Evans in the first half, Tom Brady hit on two further deep shots of 57 and 30 yards to complete a turnaround for the Bucs.

Evans' decisive hat-trick came after a run of 11 games without a touchdown, exploding for 207 yards from his 10 catches.

GIANTS BACK IN THE DANCE

The New York Giants will join NFC East rivals the Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs after they clinched a postseason berth for the first time since 2016 by routing the Indianapolis Colts 38-10.

Their win leaves just one NFC playoff berth up for grabs, and the Detroit Lions will be confident of grabbing it following their 41-10 blowout of the Chicago Bears. Meanwhile, Carson Wentz threw three interceptions as the Washington Commanders' hopes suffered a blow with a 24-10 home loss to the Cleveland Browns.

On the AFC side, the New England Patriots' held a Tua Tagovailoa-less Miami Dolphins offense in check in a 23-21 win that kept their Wild Card hopes, as well as those of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders, alive.

Mike Evans made history with his 63-yard touchdown reception in the first half of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' critical Week 17 clash with the Carolina Panthers.

The Bucs went into the half trailing 14-10, but knowing victory would clinch the NFC South and their spot in the playoffs.

It would have been much worse for the Bucs if not for Tom Brady's deep shot to Evans, which took the latter to the 1,000-yard mark for the ninth successive season.

That saw him tie Oakland Raiders great Tim Brown for the second-longest such streak in NFL history.

Only San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice has a longer streak (11).

Evans already owned the longest such streak to start a career, extending his own record with a reception that the Bucs hoped would be the catalyst for a comeback in a potentially decisive game.

The Philadelphia Eagles are without Jalen Hurts for a second straight week after the quarterback failed to recover from a shoulder injury in time to face the New Orleans Saints.

The NFL MVP contender was considered a doubt for Sunday's clash, after missing his team's pre-Christmas loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

It means Gardner Minshew will start for the second match in a row in the Eagles' first game of 2023.

Hurts returned to practice earlier this week on a limited basis, taking part in sessions on Thursday and Friday, but had been expected to miss the New Year's Day encounter.

The 13-2 Eagles can clinch the top seed in the NFC and home advantage in the playoffs with a victory over the Saints at Lincoln Financial Field.

The New Orleans Saints will receive a boost for Sunday's trip to take on the Philadelphia Eagles with the return of four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

Lattimore, 26, last played in the Saints' Week 5 victory against the Seattle Seahawks, where he suffered an abdomen injury that cost him 10 weeks of action.

He will return to a Saints team who have struggled to a 6-9 record, but are riding a two-game winning streak and still have everything to play for, sitting only one game behind the 7-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the race for the NFC South with two fixtures remaining.

Lattimore will be joined by a second big inclusion for the Saints as first-round draft pick Chris Olave is also expected to make his way back from a hamstring injury he suffered in Week 15 against the Atlanta Falcons, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport.

Olave, a 22-year-old receiver, has 940 receiving yards this season – 460 more than any other Saints player.

The Eagles are expected to be without starting quarterback and MVP candidate Jalen Hurts for the second week in a row, although he has now returned to the practice field.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance underwent a second operation on his right ankle Friday but is still expected to recover by the start of the offseason program.

Lance needed the additional surgery to remove hardware placed in the ankle during the original operation in September.

"Due to the location of the fracture, the required hardware placement was close to a tendon in Lance's ankle," the team’s statement said. "During the rehab process, their close proximity proved to cause irritation in his ankle. After consulting with multiple experts, the decision was made to have the hardware removed to prevent future issues in the ankle.

"Lance will continue his rehab process and is expected to make a full recovery and return for OTAs."

Drafted third overall in 2021 after San Francisco traded three first-round picks to move up nine spots, Lance assumed the 49ers’ starting job this season. He spent his rookie season mostly on the bench behind Jimmy Garoppolo.

Lance broke his ankle on a run against the Seattle Seahawks on September 18 and had surgery the next day to repair what the team called a "fractured fibula and ligament damage" in the ankle.

In eight career games, Lance is 56 of 102 for 797 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions, while also rushing 54 times for 235 yards.

The 49ers lost Garoppolo to a broken foot in Week 13 this season, but they haven’t missed a beat with rookie Brock Purdy under centre, winning all three of his starts to clinch the NFC West.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will miss the New Year's Day trip to face the Atlanta Falcons due to a knee injury.

Hopkins had been listed as questionable for the Week 17 encounter on Sunday and he was ruled out on New Year's Eve after his injury flared up this week.

He will sit out a seventh game of the season for a Cardinals side that are out of playoff contention.

Hopkins missed the opening six games of the year due to a suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Andre Baccellia has been promoted from Arizona's practice squad in the absence of Hopkins.

The Cardinals confirmed on Friday that David Blough will be the starting quarterback against the Falcons.

Joey Bosa has been activated from the injured reserve list ahead of the Los Angeles Chargers' clash with the Los Angeles Rams on New Year's Day.

The four-time Pro Bowl selection has not played since Week 3 after undergoing groin surgery, but he returned to practice on Thursday.

Outside linebacker Bosa is in line to return in the Week 17 encounter at SoFi Stadium after he came off IR on the eve of the game.

Bosa had been designated to return, opening up a 21-day window for the playoffs-bound Chargers to decide whether to activate him.

The 27-year-old has played 82 games and made 77 starts for the Chargers, making 59.5 sacks and 218 solo tackles.

He has also forced 14 fumbles and three recoveries and will strengthen the 9-6 team as they prepare for the postseason.

The Chargers also announced they have waived running back Sony Michel, while they elevated defensive lineman David Moa and running back Larry Rountree III from the practice squad for their first game of 2023.

NFL stars will get to select their own Players' All-Pro team under plans that emerged on Saturday.

The most-recognised All-Pro team has been the one generated by votes from NFL writers and broadcasters, organised by the Associated Press.

There are others, too, but the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) is reportedly set to go it alone in what it will hope becomes the definitive selection.

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the NFLPA intends to unveil 'The Players' All-Pro' team on January 11.

Voting is to be open until January 4, with NFLPA president J.C. Tretter reportedly telling players in an email: "For too long, we as NFL players have allowed everyone else to define the best of us. That ends now."

Responding to a Twitter message from Buffalo Bills beat writer Jay Skurski, who cast doubt on how much of other teams most players get to watch, Tretter argued the media vote had its flaws too. He claimed a voter last year let vaccine status influence their decision, rather than base it solely on performance.

Tretter wrote: "1 of the 50 AP voters last year made his voting decision based on a player's vaccine status. So maybe we should slow down on making them the beacon of on-field evaluation."

According to an NFL.com report, players will get to vote on players who made the biggest impression in their own position, and on those they line up against.

The NFLPA has not formally announced the news in public, despite Tretter's interaction on the matter. Instead, it quote-tweeted a message from Pelissero with eyes emojis.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones has been fined twice by NFL disciplinary chiefs after his controversial display against the Cincinnati Bengals last week.

In the December 24 game, Jones made a low hit on Bengals cornerback Eli Apple, who described the incident as "a dirty play".

It came as the Bengals defense scooped up an incomplete pass and began to run it back for a touchdown. Unaware the whistle had been blown and the play was dead, both teams acted as if the ball was live.

During the return, Jones positioned himself in Apple's path and dropped at the knees to take him out of the play.

Apple accused Jones of having "done that before", after the Bengals sealed a 22-18 victory.

The NFL's official website, citing NFL Network, reported Jones was fined $13,367 for his block on Apple, plus a further $10,609 for an unnecessary roughness violation, in a separate incident, amounting to $23,976 in total.

Speaking to radio station WEEI on Monday, Jones had defended his actions by saying he was just "trying to stop a fast guy from getting to another fast guy".

"It's a split-second decision and there's a lot that goes into it," Jones said. "You're out there trying to compete, it's a physical game, so I was just trying to help the team win.

"I have all the respect for Eli and the Bengals. They played a great game. So, there's no hard feelings and definitely no intention to hurt anybody on that play.

"I get hit a lot, too. We're all out there playing hard – it's just part of the game."

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa showed no initial sign of concussion and there was no violation of protocol in allowing him to play on against the Green Bay Packers, an official review has determined.

The NFL and NFL Players Association (NFLPA) issued a joint statement on Saturday after delving into the circumstances once it emerged Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in last Sunday's game. It was a concussion that was not detected until the next day.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters on Wednesday that film from the Packers game had been reviewed, leading team officials to question Tagovailoa on how he felt after a particular hit, sending him to see the doctors after inconsistencies in the quarterback's behaviour caused concern.

Tagovailoa will sit out the game against the New England Patriots on New Year's Day, with Teddy Bridgewater set to start in his place.

Star quarterback Tagovailoa also missed two games in October after another concussion, where he was hospitalised during a 27-15 Week 4 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals after being whipped around and flung to the ground by the Bengals' Josh Tupou, causing his head to snap back onto the turf.

In that instance, the Dolphins were heavily criticised for having Tagovailoa on the field just four days after an incident in a 21-19 win over the Buffalo Bills, where he was pushed to the ground by linebacker Matt Milano, with his helmet slamming into the turf.

In a statement widely reported by US media on Saturday, the NFL and NFLPA said they had completed a review of the application of the concussion protocol in the Christmas Day game.

"The joint review determined the protocol was not triggered," the statement said. "The protocol is initiated when a player receives an impact to the head and exhibits or reports signs or symptoms suggestive of a concussion.

"The review established that symptoms of a concussion were neither exhibited nor reported until the following day at which time the team medical personnel appropriately evaluated and placed Mr Tagovailoa in the concussion protocol."

The Dolphins are 8-7 for the season following their 26-20 loss to the Packers, in which Tagovailoa threw three interceptions, and have now suffered four losses in a row.

McDaniel said this week that Tagovailoa's health holds more importance than the games that lie ahead.

"This is a private time for him to focus on his health. This is a human being. His health is the first and only priority," McDaniel said.