The Latest on Week 13 in the NFL (all times EST):
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5:40 p.m.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has become the first player in NFL history to throw at least 35 touchdown passes in five different seasons.
Rodgers increased his 2020 season total to 35 by throwing a 1-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams and a 25-yarder to Robert Tonyan in the second quarter. Those two touchdown passes gave the Packers a 14-3 lead over the Philadelphia Eagles at halftime.
Rodgers also threw at least 35 touchdown passes in 2011 (45), 2012 (39), 2014 (38) and 2016 (40).
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5:35 p.m.
The New York Giants’ defense is doing its part to fluster the Seattle Seahawks to keep hanging around in the matchup of first-place teams in the NFC.
The Seahawks held a 5-0 halftime lead over the Giants, but New York did its part in flustering Russell Wilson and keeping Seattle’s high-powered offense from getting going. Wilson was 12 of 20 for 108 yards in the first half, was sacked twice, lost a fumbled snap and had a key intentional grounding call in the closing seconds of the half that kept Seattle from another chance at points.
Seattle led 3-0 but got a big special teams play in the closing seconds of the half when Ryan Neal blocked Riley Dixon’s punt. DeeJay Dallas and Penny Hart had chances to recover for a touchdown, but the ball rolled out of the end zone for a safety.
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5:15 p.m.
Green Bay’s Davante Adams has caught a touchdown pass in seven consecutive games.
Adams extended the streak and scored his 12th touchdown of the season when Aaron Rodgers found him on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Adams beat Darius Slay to make the catch and maintained control of the ball to give the Packers a 7-3 lead with 8:29 left in the first half.
Adams’ seven-game stretch matches the team record set by Hall of Famer Don Hutson. Hutson had two seven-game streaks – one in 1941-42 and another in 1943-44.
In injury news, Packers tight end Jace Sternberger is being evaluated for a concussion.
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5:10 p.m.
New England has its first punt return for a touchdown in six years after Gunner Olszewski went 70 yards up the right sideline early in the second quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Olszewski’s score put New England up 14-0. The previous time New England had a punt return TD was in 2014 against Denver when Julian Edelman went 84 yards.
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5 p.m.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ injury-riddled offensive line continues to have trouble protecting Carson Wentz.
Philadelphia drove to the Green Bay 30-yard line on its second series of the game with the Green Bay Packers, but consecutive sacks by Rashan Gary and Kingsley Keke pushed the Eagles out of field-goal range. The Eagles have allowed a league-high 48 sacks this season.
The Eagles still led 3-0 after one quarter thanks to Jake Elliott’s 52-yard field goal. That’s an encouraging sign for the Eagles, who hadn’t scored in the first quarter of their past two games.
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4:15 p.m.
Both benches emptied in the fourth quarter of the Dolphins-Bengals game after Cincinnati’s Mike Thomas was flagged for on foul that left punt returner Jakeem Grant shaken up.
There was pushing and shoving in the ensuing confrontation, and a Cincinnati assistant coach fell to the grass. Miami coach Brian Flores came onto the field and was yelling at the Bengals bench.
Bengals safety Shawn Williams and Miami receivers DeVante Parker and Mack Hollins were ejected.
Thomas had a similar penalty earlier in the game when Grant was hit before catching the punt.
In the first half, Miami cornerback Xavien Howard and Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd were ejected when they traded punches late in the first half.
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3:55 p.m.
The New Orleans Saints have given up their first touchdown in three games.
Matt Ryan threw a 10-yard scoring pass to Russell Gage, capping an 85-yard drive that pulled the Atlanta Falcons to 21-16 with 7:43 left in the fourth quarter.
The Saints had not given up a touchdown since the first quarter of a win over the San Francisco 49ers on Nov. 15.
Until Ryan’s TD pass, the only points against New Orleans in the past three games were scored on seven field goals.
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3:10 p.m.
Miami Dolphins linebacker Elandon Roberts and offensive lineman Ereck Flowers have been ruled out for the rest of their game against Cincinnati because of injuries. Roberts hurt his chest, and Flowers has a left ankle injury.
Miami also lost cornerback Xavien Howard. He and Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd were ejected for trading punches.
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2:45 p.m.
Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard and Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd have been ejected for trading punches on the sideline after a third-down incompletion.
The Bengals were also penalized 15 yards for an unnecessary roughness penalty on Boyd, which may have cost them points.
The foul left the Bengals with a 53-yard field-goal try, and Randy Bullock missed. Miami then moved 27 yards in the final minute of the first half and kicked a field goal to trail 7-6 at halftime.
Earlier in the game, Boyd turned a short pass into a 72-yard touchdown, and Howard made his NFL-leading eighth interception.
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2:20 p.m.
Baker Mayfield is having himself a day in the first half for the Cleveland Browns.
Mayfield has completed 17 of 21 passes for 252 yards, and he’s thrown four touchdown passes to become the Browns first quarterback with that many TD passes in the first half since Hall of Famer Otto Graham did it in 1951. Mayfield could’ve had five if not for Donovan Peoples-Jones dropping one on the opening drive where the Browns settled for a field goal. He even tossed one TD to a backup tackle, Kendall Lamm.
The Browns quarterback has completed passes to eight different receivers and even caught one.
Mayfield may top those numbers before halftime with Cleveland routing the Tennessee Titans 31-7 still in the second quarter.
– Teresa M. Walker reporting from Nashville, Tennessee.
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2 p.m.
The Cleveland Browns came to Tennessee looking to prove they’re a threat in the AFC playoff chase, and they’re off to an early rout of the Titans.
The Browns scored the first 17 points of the game, taking advantage of turning the Titans over on downs on fourth-and-1 on Tennessee’s first drive and then NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry losing his first fumble of the season starting the Titans’ second drive.
Even when the Titans finally scored to pull within 17-7, Baker Mayfield answered back on the next play. He hit Donovan Peoples-Jones with a 75-yard TD pass, pushing the lead to 24-7.
Mayfield has completed 12 of his first 14 passes for 186 yards and three TDs within the first 17 minutes of the game.
– Teresa M. Walker reporting from Nashville, Tennessee.
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1:50 p.m.
New Orleans quarterback Taysom Hill has thrown the first touchdown pass of his NFL career.
Making his third straight start for the New Orleans Saints, Hill tossed a 15-yard scoring pass to Tre’Quan Smith against the Atlanta Falcons. The TD throw was the first for Hill since his senior season at BYU in 2016. Hill set up the throw to Smith with the longest run of his career, a 43-yard scamper down the sideline. The Saints lead the Falcons 7-3.
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1:50 p.m.
Three Miami Dolphins have gone to the sideline in the first quarter with injuries in their game against Cincinnati.
Guard Ereck Flowers suffered a lower left leg injury. Safety Eric Rowe and linebacker Elandon Roberts were evaluated for possible concussions.
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1:25 p.m.
Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard has made his NFL-leading eighth interception of the season in the first quarter of their game against Cincinnati.
Howard has 20 interceptions since 2017, also the league high.
Miami’s streak of at least one takeaway in 18 consecutive games is the longest in the league.
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1:25 p.m.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Damon Arnette left a game for a second straight week to be evaluated for a possible concussion.
Arnette got hurt on the second play of the game when he lowered his helmet while tackling New York Jets running back Frank Gore. The Raiders say Arnette is being evaluated for a possible concussion. Arnette left last week’s game at Atlanta with a concussion, but returned to practice during the week.
Gore also left after the hit. He went to the medical tent before heading to the locker room and is being evaluated for a concussion.
Jets right guard Greg Van Roten is also questionable to return with a foot injury.
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1:10 p.m.
The Minnesota Vikings had a big setback before their game against Jacksonville. All-Pro linebacker Eric Kendricks was ruled out with a calf injury he aggravated during warmups.
Kendricks had been limited in practice all week, but did not have an injury designation for the game. He was on the active list that’s submitted about 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
Todd Davis started in his place at middle linebacker. The Jaguars, who were 10-point underdogs in the game, took the first possession with a five-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.
– Dave Campbell reporting from Minneapolis
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1:05 p.m.
Tua Tagovailoa started at quarterback for the Miami Dolphins against Cincinnati after missing last week’s game because of a sore thumb on his throwing hand.
Miami’s top draft pick is 3-1 as a starter, but he was benched in the fourth quarter of his most recent game, a loss at Denver two weeks ago.
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12:30 p.m.
The former NFL wide receiver also known as Ochocinco is in Nashville and apparently a big fan of Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Chad Johnson wore Brown’s No. 11 jersey to Tennessee’s game with the Browns on Sunday, and the second-year receiver signed the jersey for Johnson before the game. Brown shared on social media Friday that he was fined $7,000 for tossing a ball into the stands last week after scoring a touchdown off an onside kick.
Johnson, a six-time Pro Bowl receiver known for his TD celebrations during his 11 seasons in the NFL, noticed.
He wrote to Brown’s post to throw the ball to him Sunday during the Browns-Titans game and he’d take care of the fine. Johnson repeated that message after getting his Brown jersey signed. He wrote on Twitter that Brown is throwing him the football in the stands after scoring against the Browns.
”I’m paying the fine,” Johnson wrote.
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