Week 16: Cowboys win NFC East; Packers, Steelers clinch spots
Every Sunday, theScore brings you the biggest and most interesting stories as they happen. Check back throughout the day for important updates on everything you need to know.
Cowboys capture the NFC East
It's been a painful few seasons for Dallas Cowboys fans, who watched their team get eliminated from playoff contention in Week 17 during each of the past three campaigns.
Dallas, though, erased a lot of those painful memories on Sunday, as they dominated the Indianapolis Colts 42-7 and clinched a division title.
DeMarco Murray showed no ill-effects from his hand injury and carried the ball 22 times to go along with a touchdown.
Tony Romo, however, stole the show. The pivot was a sparkling 18-of-20 for 218 yards and four scores.
The Dallas victory eliminated the Philadelphia Eagles from playoff contention and clinched a spot for the Seattle Seahawks in the process.
Packers, Steelers clinch playoff spots
Two of the league's most storied franchises are once again heading to the postseason.
The Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers are playoff-bound after victories on Sunday.
Green Bay topped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-3 and Pittsburgh got the better of the Kansas City Chiefs, winning 20-12.
Aaron Rodgers made up for last week's struggles by going 31-of-40 for 318 yards.
The Packers and Steelers will have a chance to win their divisions in Week 17 against the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively.
Falcons eliminate Saints
The New Orleans Saints have lost their grip on the NFC South.
The Saints fell 30-14 to the Atlanta Falcons and the division crown will now be decided in a winner-take-all game next week between Atlanta and Carolina.
The Saints were undone by what's been their greatest strength in recent history. New Orleans is normally dominant at home, but five straight losses at the SuperDome doomed its chances.
Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers defeated the Browns 17-13 and moved to 6-8-1. Cam Newton appeared to show no signs of the back injury he suffered last week in a car accident and the Panthers now have a real chance to win a division title.
Patriots grab 1st-round bye
The New England Patriots were fighting for home-field advantage in the AFC, but a three-win New York Jets team gave them all they could handle Sunday.
New England escaped with a 17-16 win in a game they needed to keep pace with the Denver Broncos for the one seed in the conference.
The Jets' heavily-criticized pass defense limited Tom Brady to just 182 yards through the air.
New England's victory, though, secured a pivotal first-round bye in this year's playoffs.
Odell Beckham Jr. keeps tearing it up
It's becoming scary to think what New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr.'s numbers would look like if he didn't miss the first four games.
Beckham added eight catches and 148 yards with two touchdowns to his totals on Sunday against the St. Louis Rams.
The rookie now has 79 catches for 1,120 yards and 11 scores on the year.
Seahawks take NFC West lead
Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch powered the Seattle Seahawks to a 35-6 win over the Arizona Cardinals, leapfrogging the Cardinals for the NFC West lead.
The Seahawks generated a franchise-record 596 yards of total offense. Wilson threw for 339 yards and two touchdowns and Lynch added 113 yards and two scores on 10 carries.
Seattle's defense lived up to its billing, limiting its opponent to under 10 points for the fourth time in five games, and the Seahawks appear poised to make another deep playoff run.
Johnny Football injured
Johnny Manziel's second start didn't much better than his first.
Manziel threw for only 32 yards against the Carolina Panthers before heading to the locker room with a hamstring injury and never returned.
Brian Hoyer entered the game and gave some life to the Browns' offense with an 81-yard touchdown to Jordan Cameron. But it wasn't enough to help Cleveland avoid a fourth-straight loss.
Other notable injuries:
- Jets center Nick Mangold was carted off the field with an ankle injury.
- It doesn't sound serious, but Aaron Rodgers came out of Sunday with a calf injury.
- Falcons running back Steven Jackson did not return with a quad injury.
- Saints running back Pierre Thomas was lost for the day with a rib issue.
- Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus suffered a knee injury.
- Bills corner Stephon Gilmore went down with a concussion.
- Browns receiver Andrew Hawkins is reportedly dealing with a thumb ailment.