Tom Brady's assessment that the Bengals' defense is "fairly tough" was proven to be a significant understatement, and Cincinnati revelled in illustrating his misjudgement after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback turned the ball over three times in their Week 15 clash.

A 34-23 victory gave the visitors the last laugh in Tampa, a result that marked the first time in 90 games a Brady side lost a home game after leading by 17, and extended the Bengals winning streak to six games.

Prior to the game, Brady said on the SiriusXM 'Let's Go!' podcast that the Bengals possessed a "fairly tough" defense.

Though the comments were blown out of proportion in the days leading up to the game, they were not forgotten by the Bengals.

Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt poked fun at Brady, saying: "Hearing that from an old, savvy vet from him, we're a 'fairly tough defense,' with four turnovers, what would you say - tough as nails?"

Defensive tackle BJ Hill admitted the team's early performance fitted Brady's description, though he was delighted to quiet a chatty Bucs offense in the second half.

"That's how we played in the first half, I'm not going to lie to you. But we just came out in the second half and played our tails off," he told reporters.

"They really didn't say too much when we got up on them. I told them, 'Just wait until the second half.' I knew what we were going to do in the second half. And we did that."

For safety Jessie Bates III, the Bengals' defensive efforts had little to do so with Brady's comments.

"We don't really care about what people say. It is how it is, week in and week out. Somebody's going to say something. At the end of the day, they got to see us," he said.

The 10-4 Bengals hold a narrow lead over the Baltimore Ravens in the battle for the AFC North crown. Cincinnati face Baltimore in their final regular-season game on January 8.

The Cincinnati Bengals ran roughshod over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second half of Sunday's 34-17 victory – the Bengals' sixth win in a row, and eighth from their past nine games.

Despite the final score, it was all Bucs early as Tom Brady appeared to be getting his side back to their winning ways.

He had Tampa Bay leading 17-0 late in the second quarter after touchdown passes to Chris Godwin and Russell Gage, heading into half-time with 17 completions from 23 attempts for 194 yards and two touchdowns.

Unfortunately for the Buccaneers, they would not score again until the final minute, while the Bengals rattled off 34 unanswered points as Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati offense took flight.

Burrow tossed four touchdown passes in the second half, with Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Mitchell Wilcox snagging one each on the receiving end.

They were buoyed by four consecutive Buccaneers drives ending in turnovers, allowing Burrow, who only had 200 passing yards, to continually work with a short field.

To call it a rare collapse from a Brady-led side would be an understatement. Entering the game, Brady was 89-0 when gaining a 17-point lead at home, but they could not get out of their own way.

The win improves the Bengals' record to a commanding 10-4, with the reigning AFC Champions leading the AFC North and poised for another playoff run.

Raiders steal unbelievable win on final play

The Las Vegas Raiders were the beneficiaries of one of the most incredible gaffes of the NFL season as they emerged 30-24 winners after a last-second New England Patriots lateral went horribly wrong.

New England took a 24-17 lead with under four minutes remaining after Rhamondre Stevenson's 34-yard rushing touchdown, but the game looked destined for overtime when Raiders receiver Keelan Cole dragged his toes in the back corner of the endzone with 32 seconds on the clock.

What happened next had to be seen to be believed, as the Patriots called one final run play to take the last seconds off the clock, but after breaking through the first line of defenders, Stevenson pitched a lateral to Jakobi Meyers to keep the play alive.

Meyers then inexplicably attempted to heave it back to Mac Jones, his throw landing in the waiting arms of defender Chandler Jones, who was able to fend off the tackle from the Patriots quarterback and run in the game-winning defensive touchdown.

The business end of the NFL season is here as the playoff picture starts to emerge.

You can tell things are getting interesting as this weekend sees three Saturday games, meaning football fans can stretch out their weekend viewing even further.

Saturday sees the Minnesota Vikings host the Indianapolis Colts, the Baltimore Ravens visit the Cleveland Browns and the Buffalo Bills taking on the Miami Dolphins.

Sunday's action includes a clash in the NFC South where no team seems to want to finish first, but the winner of the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints will leave themselves with an inexplicable chance to do so.

Stats Perform has taken a look at the numbers behind a selection of Week 15's games.

Indianapolis Colts (4-8-1) @ Minnesota Vikings (10-3)

While the Vikings have been having a far better season than the Colts, they are just 7-18-1 all-time in the series between the two (including playoffs). It is the Vikings' worst record against any single opponent.

Indianapolis entered their bye week with a 54-19 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, in which they were outscored by 33 points in the fourth quarter (33-0), the largest point differential in a single fourth quarter in NFL history.

Matt Ryan needs 125 passing yards to reach 3,000 for the 13th consecutive season, which would make him the eighth QB in NFL history to accomplish the feat, joining Philip Rivers as the only two to do so without a Super Bowl victory.

Justin Jefferson set a franchise record with 223 receiving yards on 11 catches against the Detroit Lions. Jefferson is up to 4,516 career receiving yards, the most of anyone in NFL history in a player's first three seasons (next most being Randy Moss with 4,163).

Miami Dolphins (8-5) @ Buffalo Bills (10-3)

The Bills have a five-game winning streak at home against the Dolphins, tied for their longest of all-time. This is just one game shy of matching Buffalo's longest home win streak against a divisional opponent (twice against the Colts and once against the New England Patriots).

The Dolphins lost 23-17 to the Chargers last week, posting a season-low 127 passing yards. Miami's 10 completions in the game were their fewest since Week 13 of 2015 (nine).

Tyreek Hill had a 57-yard fumble return touchdown and 60-yard receiving touchdown last week, and leads the NFL with four plays of 50 or more yards this season. Hill had four total plays of 50 or more yards in his last three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Sean McDermott is 9-2 (.818) in his career as a head coach against the Dolphins, the best record by any head coach with at least eight games against Miami all-time. Only two coaches have 10 or more career wins against Miami (Bill Belichick, 26, and Marv Levy, 15).

Atlanta Falcons (5-8) @ New Orleans Saints (4-9)

The Falcons' three-point loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in their last game was Atlanta's 10th game this season decided by six points or fewer, tied for the most in franchise history (also in 1995, 2015 and 2017).

Cordarrelle Patterson is one of three players in NFL history to average 5.0+ yards per rush and 9.0+ yards per reception over his career (minimum 400 rushes and 200 receptions), along with Jim Brown and Bobby Mitchell.

The Saints have held their opponent to fewer than 300 net passing yards in 22 consecutive games, tied with the Bengals for the second-longest active streak in the NFL (after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 27).

Chris Olave has had at least 40 receiving yards in all 12 games of his career thus far, the second-longest streak by any NFL player to begin his career in the Super Bowl era behind fellow Saints player Michael Thomas (19).

Elsewhere...

Panthers QB Sam Darnold has won both of his starts this season and has not thrown a pick in either. He has now won seven straight starts dating back to 2020 in games where he has not thrown an interception, tied for the third-longest active streak among QBs (Jimmy Garoppolo 16, Jalen Hurts 13, Joe Burrow 7), and will look to extend it against the Steelers.

The Dallas Cowboys will have to find a way to stop Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence. Since November 1, Lawrence has the highest completion percentage in the NFL among players with at least 100 attempts (71.8). On the season, the Jaguars are 5-2 when he completes at least 70.0 per cent of his passes compared to 0-6 when he does not.

The Las Vegas Raiders will look to bounce back against the New England Patriots after blowing a 13-point lead with fewer than four minutes remaining in their 17-16 loss to the Los Angeles Rams last week. Over the last 40 seasons, the only other time the team had lost a game it led by 13+ points with four minutes or less remaining was in Week 3 of the 1993 season to the Cleveland Browns. 

Tom Brady was 34-for-55 for 253 yards last week, the 11th time in his career he has attempted at least 55 passes. His teams are now 3-8 in such games, with wins in 2002 against Chicago, 2015 against Buffalo, and Week 9 of this season against the Rams. The Buccaneers (6-7) will hope he can guide them to a much-needed W against the Bengals.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow spoke about the significance of facing seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady for the first time ahead of Sunday's clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Burrow was full of praise for 45-year-old Bucs quarterback Brady, with plenty seeing parallels and comparisons between the two in terms of style.

The 26-year-old QB, who is seeking the Bengals' sixth straight win on Sunday, declined to discuss the comparisons, instead lauding his elder statesman Brady.

"I don't really pay attention to it," Burrow told reporters about the comparisons. "He's Tom, and I'm Joe."

He added: "It's really incredible. He's 45 now. He's getting hit by the same people I'm getting hit by. It's a testament to the hard work and dedication and the team he has around him in the offseason to get his body right."

Brady (3585) ranks fourth in the NFL in passing yards during this season at the age of 45-years-old, with Burrow (3685) sitting third overall.

The pair are tied for most passing touchdowns in fourth quarters this season, while they are both ranked in the top 10 for fourth-quarter QBR, showing they handle pressure well.

"He gets the ball out really fast," Burrow said. "He understands what he's looking at. I think he epitomizes toughness at the quarterback position.

"He's a great leader. He's the greatest of all time for a reason. He's the total package."

Going into the game, the Bengals are 9-4 and second in the AFC North following their five-game winning streak while the Bucs are below .500 at 6-7, yet lead the NFC South.

"Obviously, the greatest quarterback ever is on the other side," Burrow said. "But we got a job to do, too, and our job is to go and win, get to 10-4 and move on."

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow downplayed the significance of facing seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady for the first time ahead of Sunday's clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Burrow was full of praise for 45-year-old Bucs quarterback Brady, with plenty seeing parallels and comparisons between the two in terms of style.

The 26-year-old QB, who is seeking the Bengals' sixth straight win on Sunday, declined to discuss the comparisons, instead lauding his elder statesman Brady.

"I don't really pay attention to it," Burrow told reporters about the comparisons. "He's Tom, and I'm Joe."

He added: "It's really incredible. He's 45 now. He's getting hit by the same people I'm getting hit by. It's a testament to the hard work and dedication and the team he has around him in the offseason to get his body right."

Brady (3585) ranks fourth in the NFL in passing yards during this season at the age of 45-years-old, with Burrow (3685) sitting third overall.

The pair are tied for most passing touchdowns in fourth quarters this season, while they are both ranked in the top 10 for fourth-quarter QBR, showing they handle pressure well.

"He gets the ball out really fast," Burrow said. "He understands what he's looking at. I think he epitomizes toughness at the quarterback position.

"He's a great leader. He's the greatest of all time for a reason. He's the total package."

Going into the game, the Bengals are 9-4 and second in the AFC North following their five-game winning streak while the Bucs are below .500 at 6-7, yet lead the NFC South.

"Obviously, the greatest quarterback ever is on the other side," Burrow said. "But we got a job to do, too, and our job is to go and win, get to 10-4 and move on."

Brock Purdy and his family enjoyed a special moment after his stunning performance in his first start for the San Francisco 49ers, which saw him beat Tom Brady in a blowout 35-7 victory.

Purdy impressed when pressed into action in relief of the injured Jimmy Garoppolo last week, helping the Niners to a 33-17 defeat of the Miami Dolphins.

His second act was even more impressive, Purdy completing 16 of his 21 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for another score.

The seventh-round rookie, the final pick in this year's draft, had the Levi's Stadium crowd in the palm of his hand as the Niners brushed aside the Bucs to move to 9-4.

They chanted his name as the 49ers took complete command in a remarkable first half. His family had prime seats for the occasion, having originally bought tickets before the Garoppolo injury to see Brady play, and the moment was too much for his father, who was pictured in tears as he watched his son make history.

Purdy became the first quarterback to beat seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady in his first start, and was quick to embrace his family as he left the field.

He told his post-game press conference: "I saw them right after the game and, you know, the emotions on their face and just the way they look down at me from up on the railing, it just means a lot because just throughout my whole life, the ups and downs of playing quarterback in general, high school and college, they're the people at home that just believe in you and they always see the best in you.

"And so, they've believed in me even though I was the last draft pick and all that kind of stuff.

"They've always been telling me you're good enough and we know that you can do it. And so, to see them after that performance meant a lot to me and so very blessed to have them as my family."

Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan will have no shortage of belief in Purdy, who had an interception negated by a penalty prior to his second touchdown pass, after their destruction of the Bucs.

"I think he did an awesome job. I think all you guys saw that, but he made a ton of plays," said Shanahan. "Made the plays that were there, made some plays that weren't there.

"He did a great job in the pocket. Had one mistake there, he was fortunate that we got that one back.

"He didn't hesitate. I think he threw a touchdown the next play, which was really cool, but it's really impressive how he played and I thought it was similar to the week before.

"They [the Bucs] mix in a lot of pressures, but they do that in every game. Some are to stop the run, some are to come after the quarterback. They mixed up a lot of zone coverages too, so there was no real theme of the day.

"They mixed up a bunch of stuff and he had to go against everything, so he did a good job with the variety of things he saw."

Purdy did suffer an oblique injury, but that was not the reason he was eventually withdrawn from a lopsided game. The 49ers visit the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday with a chance to clinch the NFC West title.

"We'll see how it goes this week," Purdy said of the injury. "Just felt a little tight at the end, just from taking some hits.

"But honestly man, like if I needed to play throughout the rest of the game, I definitely would have. So, I'm going to get some treatment on it and be ready to roll."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles says his side must decide for themselves if they want to be involved in the postseason conversation after a humiliating loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

The Tom Brady-led Florida outfit were handed a 35-7 drubbing out west at Levi's Stadium, to take them to a 6-7 record for the season.

Though they remain on top of NFC South with a handful of games to go, the prospect of the Buccaneers launching another dynamic run through the playoffs looks slim at best on their current form.

Bowles, who guided the team to glory at Super Bowl LV almost two years ago, says his side need to take a look in the mirror and decide how they will show up for the rest of the campaign.

"We've got to decide what team we want to be," he stated. "We can't be one set of Bucs and another set of Bucs. It's got to mean something.

"Either we want it or we don't. We can't care more than everybody else. As a coach, you don't go out on the field, but we got out-coached, so we're not excused from this at all.

"We got outplayed as well. As a team, as a group, we've got to buckle down and decide what our fate is in the next few weeks."

A superior record over the Carolina Panthers (5-8) means there is still some wiggle room for the Buccaneers, whose fate remains within their own hands.

Wide receiver Mike Evans accepted the team are struggling to make their familiar tactics stick this season, and that it could yet cost them dearly.

"We're just not making plays," he added. "The plays that we're used to making in previous years, we're just not making them as consistent. I don't know what it is. We're just not connecting like we usually do."

Deebo Samuel likely sustained a high ankle sprain rather than a fracture during the San Francisco 49ers' 35-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, head coach Kyle Shanahan said.

Samuel's season appeared to be in jeopardy when he was carted off in the first quarter of the 49ers' victory on Sunday, after his knee was trapped and twisted under a mass of bodies.

The All-Pro wide receiver was unable to get to his feet following the concerning incident, but encouraging reports subsequently suggested he had avoided a major injury.

49ers coach Shanahan offered a positive update on Samuel's condition after the win, telling reporters the wide receiver did not suffer a fracture.

Shanahan added Samuel's injury was "most likely" a sprain, though reports said the 26-year-old would undergo tests on Monday.

The 49ers had already established a commanding 21-0 lead before Samuel's injury, and they entered half-time 28-0 up in what represented a dream first start for stand-in quarterback Brock Purdy.

"Everyone knows how much Deebo means to us, but half-time is so hectic and it was awesome to finish that half with the score," Shanahan said of losing Samuel.

"We didn't really do anything differently after half-time."

Linebacker Dre Greenlaw, meanwhile, praised the team's reaction to Samuel's exit.

"We hate to see guys go down, especially one of our leaders like Deebo," he said. "You've just got to go with the punches and just keep fighting and that's what everybody on this team did.

"That's just the type of team that we've got. You get hit in the mouth and you've got to just keep fighting."

Brock Purdy's first start in the NFL was nearly faultless, guiding his San Francisco 49ers to an impressive 35-7 pounding of Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Much was made of the matchup between Purdy – the very last pick in this year's NFL Draft – and legendary Bucs quarterback Brady, with 22-year-old Purdy being born while Brady was still playing college football for the University of Michigan.

But it was totally one-sided in favour of the rookie, as he utilised all the offensive weapons at his disposal to build a 28-0 lead at half-time.

Reigning First Team All-Pro receiver Deebo Samuel ran for a 13-yard touchdown. Purdy himself ran one in from two yards, and then the QB threw touchdowns to both Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk to cap a half he will never forget. 

Samuel's day did end on a sour note, however, with the star being carted off due to a serious-looking knee injury.

McCaffrey added his second touchdown of the game in the third quarter to finish the 49ers' scoring, posting 14 carries for 119 yards with another two catches for 34 through the air.

Purdy completed 16 of his 21 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, finishing with no turnovers and no sacks taken.

With the win, the 49ers are now 9-4, and while their Super Bowl dreams were hurt with the injury of Jimmy Garoppolo last week, Purdy's competence will begin to revive those hopes as they continue to lean on the best defense in the league based on opponent points per game.

Chiefs hold on for their 10th win

The Kansas City Chiefs were made to sweat in the final stages of their 34-28 win over the Denver Broncos after some uncharacteristic Patrick Mahomes turnovers.

Kansas City led 27-0 in the second quarter after a pair of Mahomes touchdown passes to Jerick McKinnon were followed by a 47-yard Willie Gay interception return for a touchdown.

An interception from Mahomes gave the Broncos a chance to score their first touchdown late in the second period, and he threw another interception from his very next drive, gifting the Broncos another score.

Jerry Jeudy's third touchdown reception of the game brought the Broncos back to within six points, and a third Mahomes interception gave the Broncos a chance, but they could not complete the unlikely comeback.

Deebo Samuel's season is in jeopardy after being carted off the field while his San Francisco 49ers led 21-0 in the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Samuel, who was named First Team All-Pro last season, had already run for one of the 49ers' three touchdowns against the Buccaneers, but his fourth carry of the half resulted in a fumble as his knee got trapped and twisted under a mass of bodies.

He could not get back to his feet, requiring a medical cart to drive him back to the locker room, and there was no update before half-time.

Samuel entered the game with the second-most receiving yards on the team this season (569) and the fourth-most rushing yards (207), contributing five total touchdowns.

His absence thrusts Brandon Aiyuk to the top of the depth chart, however it remains to be seen if the 49ers will use him in the hybrid fashion of Samuel's unique role.

The 49ers reached the end of the first half with a 28-0 lead, with rookie quarterback Brocky Purdy throwing two touchdowns and rushing for one in the first start of his career.

Last week, the 49ers lost quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a near season-ending foot injury, with Trey Lance already sidelined with an ankle injury.

Having helped the San Francisco 49ers past the Miami Dolphins after stepping in for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo, rookie quarterback Brock Purdy faces the considerable challenge of beating Tom Brady in his first start.

With Garoppolo described as having a "way outside chance" of returning for the playoffs after breaking his foot, the 8-4 Niners' Super Bowl hopes rest in part on the shoulders of a seventh-round pick, who was taken with the final selection of the 2022 draft.

The historical omens for a San Francisco victory in Purdy's first start are very good.

The Buccaneers have a 3-12 (.250) all-time record on the road against the 49ers. Among those with at least five all-time road games versus the Niners, no team has a worse record there than Tampa Bay. 

San Francisco's prospects of improving their already extremely impressive home record against Brady, playing on the road against the Niners for only the second time his glittering career, hinge not only on Purdy, but also a stacked cast of offensive weapons and the NFL's best defense.

Arguably the leading light among those weapons is a player they only acquired in October.

Running back Christian McCaffrey made his first start for the Niners following his trade from the Carolina Panthers in a Week 8 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Since that first start, McCaffrey has 67 rushes for 269 yards and 31 catches for 258 yards.

He is one of two NFL players over that span with 60+ rushes and 30+ receptions (Rhamondre Stevenson being the other).

McCaffrey will likely continue to see a significant number of touches as the primary safety net for Purdy, who will also have significant support from a defense that forced four turnovers against one of the NFL's most explosive offenses in the win over Miami.

The 49ers prevailed 33-17 in that Week 13 clash. They have won five straight games while holding opponents to 17 or fewer points in each contest. It is the fourth such streak in team history, and the first since a six-game streak in the 1992 season.

With Tampa Bay averaging just 18.1 points per game, the 49ers should be confident of limiting Brady and Co.

Even if they do so, they may still need Purdy to ensure the game is not close in the fourth quarter, Brady having led the Bucs back from a 13-point deficit in the final period against the New Orleans Saints on Monday.

Brady has thrown nine of his 16 touchdowns (56.3 per cent) in the fourth quarter this season. Among 27 quarterbacks with at least 10 passing touchdowns this season, Brady is the only one with at least half of his touchdowns coming in the final frame.

Only five weeks remain in the NFL regular season and places in the playoffs are still up for grabs heading into Week 14.

Come Monday, the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings could all have booked their spot in the postseason should things go their way, while others could officially see their hopes ended.

Crucial meetings are set to take place between a number of playoff contenders, including divisional rivals the Eagles and the New York Giants.

Elsewhere, the in-form San Francisco 49ers host Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while the New York Jets face a Vonte Miller-less Bills in Buffalo.

Stats Perform has delved into the numbers for those matchups along with some of Sunday's other big games.

New York Jets (7-5) @ Buffalo Bills (9-3)

In Week 9, the Jets ended a four-game losing streak against the Bills to win 20-17, but Buffalo stand 7-3 in their last 10 meetings at home, winning each of the last two by double-digit margins.

In the defeat to the Vikings last week, Mike White had 369 passing yards and zero touchdowns; becoming the first Jets quarterback to throw for at least 350 yards without a touchdown pass.

Meanwhile, the Bills have been strong at home this season with just one defeat in Buffalo – coming in overtime to the Vikings in Week 10. They have averaged 33.4 points per game at home this season, outscoring their opponents by an average of 16.8 points.

An intriguing second half is on the cards, with the Bills holding a +48 points differential this season, the third-best ratio in the NFL, while the Jets rank fourth with a +44 differential.

Philadelphia Eagles (11-1) @ New York Giants (7-4-1)

Despite two consecutive wins against the Eagles at home, the Giants stand at 6-13 against the Eagles since 2003.

Standing 5-0 on the road this season, the Eagles are looking to tie a team record for consecutive road wins to start a season, set in 2001. Eight of the last 10 NFL teams to finish unbeaten on the road have gone on to reach the Super Bowl.

Jalen Hurts has thrown 20 touchdowns this season and has rushed for nine more, throwing just three interceptions, with no NFL quarterback ever finishing a campaign with 20+ passing TDs, 8+ rushing TDs and five or fewer interceptions.

This season, the Giants are the only NFL team not to allow a single offensive touchdown of at least 35 yards. Since 1940, the only year the Giants did not give up a single such touchdown was in 1994.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6) @ San Francisco 49ers (8-4)

Of teams to have played at least five games on the road against the 49ers, none have a worse record than the Buccaneers, who have won just three of 15 clashes in San Francisco (3-12).

The 49ers are on a strong run, having won five straight games while holding opponents to 17 or fewer points – the fourth such streak in franchise history and the first since a six-game stint in the 1992 season.

A comeback victory for the Buccaneers against New Orleans last week saw Tampa Bay overturn a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Prior to that, the Buccaneers had lost their previous 62 such games, stretching back to the 2010 season.

Tom Brady has thrown 56.3 per cent of his touchdown passes this season in the fourth quarter (nine of 16). Among the 27 quarterbacks to have at least 10 passing TDs this season, he is the only one to have at least half of his coming in the final frame.

Miami Dolphins (8-4) @ Los Angeles Chargers (6-6)

The Dolphins stand 12-4 against the Chargers since 1995 but saw a five-game winning streak halted by a 33-17 loss on the road against the 49ers, where they had a season-low 33 rushing yards from eight carries – the fewest attempts in a game in Dolphins history.

Tyreek Hill remains a significant threat, tallying 146 yards in Week 13 to reach six 100-yard receiving games this season – the second-best total in a single season, behind only Mark Duper with eight in 1993.

Meanwhile, the Chargers lost to the Raiders last week despite leading 13-10 at half-time. That was their fourth loss this season in games where they have led at the interval, the second most in the NFL behind the Denver Broncos.

The two teams are second and fifth respectively in the NFL in terms of highest percentage of plays from passing attempts, but the Dolphins are first in pass yards per attempt (8.51), while the Chargers are 28th (6.52).

Elsewhere…

The Houston Texans travel to face the Dallas Cowboys, with the last two meetings between the teams going to overtime. There have been three instances of teams playing three consecutive games with overtime, most recently the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Atlanta Falcons from 2002-2010.

The Tennessee Titans host the Jacksonville Jaguars boasting a 9-1 record going back to 2017, the fifth-best record by any team against a division opponent in that span.

The Cleveland Browns head to Cincinnati on a five-game win streak against the Bengals, their best run against any opponent since rejoining the NFL in 1999.

The Minnesota Vikings are 10-2 this season despite being outgained by an average of 62.8 yards per game and head to Detroit to face the Lions, with the last four meetings all decided by four points or fewer.

Tom Brady added to his own NFL record for career game-winning drives, pulling another rabbit out of his hat to deliver an unlikely 17-16 win against the New Orleans Saints on Monday.

Brady's Bucs had only mustered three points in the first 55 minutes of the 60-minute contest, but produced two clutch touchdown drives late in the fourth quarter to salvage a gutsy win.

He delivered the first touchdown pass to Cade Otton with three minutes remaining, and after getting the ball back 30 seconds later, the two-and-a-half minutes on the clock was more than enough to march down again and find Rachaad White with three seconds to spare.

Brady now has 56 game-winning drives in his career, two more than Peyton Manning in second-place.

It was a crucial win for the Buccaneers, who are now 6-6 and one game clear atop the insipid NFC South.

After the victory, Brady reflected on the rollercoaster of emotions after his initial game-winning touchdown pass to Chris Godwin was negated by a holding penalty.

"Just like we drew it up," he said with tongue-in-cheek to open his press conference.

"It was great. Great route by Rachaad, great catch. [Offensive coordinator] Byron [Leftwich] made a great call. 

"We thought we threw the touchdown to Chris – I thought I threw it in a quarter-second. I was like 'how was there a hold? I caught it and threw it'.

"That put us back to the 15 [yard line], but we still found a way. It was a great team win.

"We've been pretty good in no-huddle and two-minute drills. A lot of games come down to those type of plays – and our guys made them. Our guys made the plays this week."

Since arriving in Tampa Bay ahead of the 2020-21 season, Brady has faced the Saints three times at home, and this is both the first win, and the first time the Buccaneers have been able to score a touchdown in any of those games.

"They're a hard team to beat, and I'm glad we won," he said. "They've got a great defense, they played us very physical, like we thought. 

"We made some mistakes in there, but we made enough plays in the end to win.

"I wish we could score more points against them, they make it really hard. They've got a really good scheme, really good players, they cover well, rush well, really good linebackers.

"Tough game, but a great win."

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles was thrilled with the result, pointing to his team's "guts".

"They showed guts, they showed grit and they played well together," he said. "It was a complete team effort. 

"The defense got the ball back, the offense cashed it in. We got it back one more time, they cashed it in one more time. It was a good team effort."

Next up on their schedule is the San Francisco 49ers, who present a golden opportunity for a win since it will be the first start at quarterback for third-stringer Brock Purdy after Jimmy Garoppolo's season-ending injury on Sunday.

Brady played his last college game at Michigan four days after Purdy was born.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 45-year-old quarterback showed he still has some magic left in the tank as Tom Brady delivered an unlikely 17-16 home win against the New Orleans Saints on Monday.

Brady's offense struggled all game, and they trailed 16-3 with under five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, before the seven-time Super Bowl champion conjured some more of his famous late-game heroics.

He mounted a 10-play, 91-yard drive in just over two minutes, with a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cade Otton cutting the margin to 16-10.

Just 31 seconds later he had the ball back after the Buccaneers' defense forced a punt, thanks in large part to a sack from Carl Nassib, giving Brady two-and-a-half minutes to produce another game-winning drive.

Having broken the record for most game-winning drives in the final five minutes or overtime earlier this season, Brady added one more – the 56th of his career – but not without some controversy first.

With 19 seconds remaining, Brady found receiver Chris Godwin for a five-yard touchdown pass that seemingly won the Bucs the game, but a flag for offensive holding negated the play, and meant Brady would have to now figure it out from the 15-yard line.

A nine-yard completion to Godwin got him back down to the six-yard line, and from there, on third-down, he found backup running back Rachaad White leaking out of the backfield to reach the endzone with three seconds on the clock.

Brady ultimately completed 36 of his 54 passes for 281 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and the win improved the Buccaneers' record to 6-6 – giving them sole possession of first-place atop the underperforming NFC South.

Trevor Lawrence produced the greatest moment of his brief NFL career to date as the Jacksonville Jaguars fought back to stun the Baltimore Ravens 28-27.

The Ravens led 19-10 early in the fourth quarter after Gus Edwards' one-yard touchdown run, and then appeared destined for victory after surviving a fourth-quarter collapse to retake a 27-20 lead on Josh Oliver's 12-yard touchdown reception and a two-point conversion throw to Mark Andrews.

That left Lawrence, last year's first overall pick, with 75 yards to go for a game-tying touchdown with just over two minutes remaining.

The ensuing drive saw him show the poise and ability that led him to be dubbed as the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck, Lawrence expertly leading the Jags down the field in 10 plays.

A pinpoint throw to Marvin Jones Jr. in the corner of the endzone pulled the Jaguars within a point but, rather than going for the game-tying extra point, head coach Doug Pederson elected to try to win the game with a two-point attempt.

His belief in his young quarterback was vindicated as Lawrence connected with Zay Jones to give the Jaguars the lead.

In the dying seconds, Jackson got the Ravens on the edge of game-winning field goal range for Justin Tucker, who owns the NFL record for the longest kick in league history. However, Tucker's 67-yard attempt fell just short of the crossbar as the Jags clung on in a heart-stopping finish.

Baltimore's defeat means they drop to 7-4, ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals only on the head-to-head tiebreaker after the Bengals beat the Tennessee Titans 20-16 in their playoff rematch.

Brady beaten in OT

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers missed a chance to cement their grip on the NFC South as they suffered a dramatic overtime loss to the Cleveland Browns.

David Njoku's spectacular one-handed grab drew the Browns level 17-17 with 32 seconds remaining and the Bucs failed to rediscover offensive fluency in the extra period.

A 45-yard bomb from Tom Brady's former team-mate Jacoby Brissett to Amari Cooper put the Browns deep in the red zone, before Nick Chubb's three-yard plunge sealed the win for Cleveland.

With Tampa Bay's division rivals the Atlanta Falcons losing 19-13 to the Washington Commanders, the Buccaneers let slip an opportunity to go two games up in the loss column at the top of the NFC South.

Jets win without Wilson

Having benched last year's second overall pick Zach Wilson following their dismal offensive performance in defeat to the New England Patriots last week, the Jets got back on track with Mike White under center against the Chicago Bears.

White completed 22 of his 28 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns as the Jets routed the Justin Fields-less Bears 31-10 to improve to 7-4. They are a game behind the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, with the latter now 8-3 following their 30-15 win over the lowly Houston Texans.