Dolphins had no answer. Patriots took it 34-13. Drake Maye was steady for Patriots — 20/33, 249 yards, 2 TD. Chris Bell moved the ball for Dolphins — 6 catches, 122 yards, 1 TD — in a losing effort. A season best for Kyle Williams. Total yards: Patriots 396, Dolphins 213.

Talia Morgan: "Drake Maye had the day of his season with 4 touchdowns, but it didn't matter—New England gave the ball away twice while Denver didn't cough it up once, and that turnover margin swallowed a 398-yard passing performance whole." Zoe Bell: "New England threw 81% of the time with 14 rushing yards total and still lost by 6—that's not a scheme problem, that's a roster that can't execute the one thing it's built to do, and in week 17 the Patriots are out of time to fix it."

Denver beat New England 44-38 behind a ground game that produced 149 yards to the Patriots' 14, the kind of disparity that tends to matter. Drake Maye had the afternoon of his season—14 of 22 for 398 yards and 4 touchdowns—but threw 2 interceptions while the Broncos gave the ball away 0 times, and that gap proved decisive. Bo Nix managed 12 of 17 for 284 yards, one touchdown, and Jonathon Cooper collected 3 sacks to keep New England's passing attack from running undefended. The Patriots abandoned the run almost entirely, attempting just 5 runs against 22 passes, a desperation that no amount of individual brilliance from Maye could overcome.

20 points between them. Vikings had the ones that mattered. J.J. McCarthy threw for Vikings — 12/17, 227 yards, 3 TD. Dallas Turner was the problem for Vikings — 2 sacks. Total yards: Vikings 273, Patriots 182.

Talia Morgan: "Buffalo turned the ball over 4 times and managed just 49 rushing yards—you don't win a division game by beating yourself that badly, and the Patriots didn't have to do much else to cash in." Sierra Vaughn: "New England won a game where Buffalo out-gained them 332 to 178 yards—the Patriots' turnover margin of plus-15 did the heavy lifting, masking that they had no answer on the ground or through the air."

The Patriots routed Buffalo 35-14 on the back of a dominant defensive performance that forced 4 turnovers and 5 sacks. Josh Allen finished 18 of 29 for 283 yards with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, but the Bills managed just 49 rushing yards and couldn't establish anything on the ground. Kenny Clark had his best game of the season with 2 sacks, while TreVeyon Henderson scored twice on 8 carries for 62 yards as New England improved to 6-6. Buffalo's four giveaways and inability to run the ball proved fatal.

45-28, and neither defence wants to watch it back. Jordan Love was steady for Packers — 17/23, 300 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT. Christian Watson was the target for Packers — 3 catches, 116 yards, 1 TD. Dre'Mont Jones is in form — 0 sacks a game over his last three, against a season average of 0. Through the air: Packers 365, Patriots 169.

38-30, and neither defence wants to watch it back. Drake Maye was steady for Patriots — 28/46, 298 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT — in a losing effort. DK Metcalf was the target for Steelers — 6 catches, 104 yards, 2 TD. Through the air: Patriots 298, Steelers 170.