The New England Patriots landed their 10th consecutive AFC East title, beating the Buffalo Bills 24-12 at Gillette Stadium.
Tom Brady threw for 126 yards and a touchdown in the Patriots’ victory, but receiver Cordarrelle Patterson was forced off with a knee injury.
In the end, the victory was not even needed, with the Miami Dolphins’ 17-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars handing New England the landmark achievement.
A decade of dominance. #Patriots set a new @NFL record with 10 straight playoff appearances and extend the record for most consecutive division titles. pic.twitter.com/l2UTQI8B6U
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 23, 2018
Miami’s defeat in the final home match saw them eliminated from play-off contention.
Both sides traded touchdowns in the opening quarter, only to then draw a blank through to the closing stages.
The Jaguars, though, made the telling plays in the fourth quarter. A field goal from Kai Forbath followed by a converted touchdown from linebacker Telvin Smith, who ran in a 33-yard interception, proved decisive at the Hard Rock Stadium.
FINAL: The @Eagles keep their playoff hopes alive! #FlyEaglesFly#HOUvsPHI pic.twitter.com/q1H4gpAAe2
— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2018
The Patriots are also back in control of the AFC second seed position after the Philadelphia Eagles edged out the Houston Texans 32-30 at Lincoln Financial Field.
The defending Super Bowl champions, though, needed a late 35-yard field goal from Jake Elliott to make sure of victory.
The Dallas Cowboys secured the NFC East title with a 27-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
NFC East Champs! Still more work to do! #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/8LkfHR2fpc
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) December 23, 2018
They reeled off three touchdowns in their win at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Jaylon Smith collecting a fumble and returning it 69 yards late in the first quarter.
Elsewhere, the Cleveland Browns defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 26-18, the Atlanta Falcons beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10 and the Minnesota Vikings defeat the Detroit Lions 27-9.
The Indianapolis Colts edged out the New York Giants 28-27 and the Green Bay Packers clinched a 44-38 win over the New York Jets in overtime.
In the night’s later games, the Chicago Bears earned their eighth win in nine games with a 14-9 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, guaranteeing at least the third seed in the NFC play-offs.
The New Orleans Saints, meanwhile, clinched the NFC top spot after rallying against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Drew Brees, who finished the game with 326 passing yards, found Michael Thomas with a two-yard pass with 1:25 left on the clock to close out the 31-28 win.
The Seattle Seahawks claimed an NFC wild-card berth with a 38-31 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
With 7:31 remaining, Russell Wilson connected with Ed Dickson for his third touchdown to help lead the Seahawks back to the play-offs for the seventh time in nine seasons.
And the Los Angeles Rams (12-3) continued their impressive season form, thrashing the Arizona Cardinals 31-9. CJ Anderson, in place of injured Todd Gurley, proved his worth, rushing for 167 yards, just short of his career-high 168.
