NFL weekend round up

The Kansas City Chiefs fell to defeat for the second straight week as the San Diego Chargers pulled out a 41-38 victory in a rollercoaster clash at Arrowhead Stadium.

Wide receiver Seyi Ajirotutu scored the winning touchdown with 24 seconds remaining, only his third catch of the season, giving Philip Rivers his third passing score of the day.

The lead changed hands eight times in a sensational matchup where defense was lacking. Rivers and Alex Smith both passed for three touchdowns and Jamaal Charles rushed for 115 yards for the Chiefs, who lost for the first time last weekend against Denver.

But it was Rivers who came out on top, twice leading the Chargers down the field in the final quarter, hitting Ladarius Green from 60 yards and then Ajirotutu for the dramatic game-winner – the Chiefs are now 9-2 but remain a favourite for a wild card place at least.

The Baltimore Ravens boosted their hopes of securing a play-off spot by recording a dominant 19-3 win over the New York Jets.

Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones caught a 66-yard touchdown bomb from Joe Flacco, while Justin Tucker kicked four field goals in cold and windy conditions at M&T Bank Stadium.

Things looked promising for the visiting side midway through the through the first quarter when they took the lead through a 27-yard field goal from Nick Folk.

The Ravens then edged ahead when a 60-yard rocket from Flacco to Torrey Smith, before another successful kick – this time a 53-yarder – moved the Ravens even further ahead in the third quarter before Flacoo and Jones connected in spectacular fashion to kill the contest off.

Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 31-yard field goal to give the New England Patriots a 34-31 win over the Denver Broncos after trailing 24-0 at half-time.

Tom Brady threw for three touchdowns to help the Patriots rally into a 31-24 lead from a hole they largely dug for themselves as they fumbled their first three possessions.

Peyton Manning then picked out Demaryius Thomas to tie the game up at 31-31 and send the game into OT, but Gostkowski took advantage of a misplaced punt return from Denver to snatch the win for the Pats.

The Carolina Panthers made it seven wins on the spin but left it late in their 20-16 road victory over the Miami Dolphins.

They rallied from 16-6 down at half-time with Cam Newton rushing for a five-yard touchdown and then connecting with Greg Olsen from a yard with only 43 seconds left on the clock.

The St Louis Rams dealt the Chicago Bears a huge play-off blow as they stormed to a 42-21 victory, rushing for more than 250 yards in the process.

Benny Cunningham, Tavon Austin and Zac Stacy all scored on the ground and Jared Cook hauled in a six-yard pass from Kellen Clemens.

Tiquan Underwood had a career day for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Detroit, where he scored two touchdowns in their 24-21 win over the Lions, doing their play-off hopes little help.

Underwood caught only three passes, but they were enough for two scores and 108 yards, and the Bucs defense came up with four interceptions of Matthew Stafford, one of which was returned for a touchdown by Leonard Johnson.

Those results gave the Green Bay Packers a chance to make it a three-way tie on 6-5 in the NFC North, but they were held to a 26-26 tie by the Minnesota Vikings.

It could have been much worse for the Packers when they trailed 23-7 early in the fourth quarter, but scores from Eddie Lacy and Jarrett Boykins, plus a Mason Crosby field-goal sent the game to overtime.

Crosby and Blair Walsh made kicks in the extra period but the teams could not be separated and played out only the fourth tie since 2000.

The Pittsburgh Steelers made it three wins on the bounce with a dominant 27-11 win over theBrowns in Cleveland, Ben Roethlisberger throwing two touchdowns.

The Jacksonville Jaguars won for only the second time this season, coming out on top 13-6 in an attritional contest against the Houston Texans.

Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald combined for two touchdowns to lead the Arizona Cardinals to a 40-11 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Fitzgerald caught five passes in all for a total of 52 yards to take him past 11,000 receiving yards for his career – at 30, the youngest player to reach the milestone.

The Tennessee Titans beat the Oakland Raiders 23-19 in a match which was overshadowed by two fans sustaining injuries as a woman reportedly jumped from a third-level deck.