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UNDATED (AP) — Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers' defense have come under much criticism this season as the team stays around the .500 mark. But those components factored heavily in Green Bay's rout of the Seattle Seahawks.
Rodgers completed 18 of his 23 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns as the Packers hammered the Seahawks, 38-10. The Packers went ahead to stay when Rodgers connected with Davante Adams for a 66-yard TD 90 seconds after the opening kickoff. Jordy Nelson also hauled in a pair of scoring passes for the 7-6 Packers.
Rodgers had a rather easy afternoon in the Seahawks' first game since safety Earl Thomas broke his leg.
Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson was intercepted a career-high five times and didn't engineer a touchdown drive until the fourth quarter.
The NFC West-leading Seahawks dropped to 8-4-1.
— The lead in the AFC South is now shared by just two teams, the Texans and Titans. Coming into play they shared first with the Colts, who lost to the Texans. Tennessee retained its share of the lead with a 13-10 win over Denver. DeMarco Murray ran for 92 yards and a touchdown in the win as the Titans improved to 7-6. After missing last week's game with a sprained left foot Denver quarterback Trevor Siemian (SIHM'-ee-ihn) did his best to rally the defending NFL champs to a win but they fell to 8-5.
— At the same time in Indianapolis the Colts were losers to Houston 22-17. The home team had a chance to take the lead late in the game but the Texans' defense shut the door on Andrew Luck and the Colts. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Houston and kept the Texans tied with Tennessee for first in the AFC South at 7-6. Colts' QB Luck drove the team to the Houston 42-yard line with 1:24 left but a blitz forced an errant screen pass on fourth-and-1. The Texans then ran out the clock.
— The NFL North-leading Lions are 9-4 after a 20-17 win over the Bears. Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford ran for the go-ahead, 7-yard touchdown with 3:17 left in the game. The Lions have won five straight and eight of nine, moving them a step closer to winning a division title for the first time in 23 years. The Bears, who have lost four of their last five games, are 3-10 on the season.
— The Buccaneers picked off Drew Brees (breez) three times and earned its fifth straight victory by downing New Orleans, 16-11. Doug Martin scored on a 1-yard run and Roberto Aguayo kicked three field goals, while Tampa Bay held Breese without a TD pass. Safety Keith Tandy intercepted Brees' final pass on fourth-and-1 from near midfield in the final minute to help the Bucs improve to 8-5.
— The Falcons ripped the Rams 42-14 in Los Angeles as Matt Ryan passed for 237 yards and three touchdowns. Atlanta forced five turnovers, including Deion Jones' 33-yard interception return for a TD and Vic Beasley's score off a Jared Goff fumble. Tevin Coleman caught a TD pass and rushed for another score while the Falcons took a 42-0 lead. Atlanta is 8-5 following its fourth win in six games. The Rams' fourth straight loss leaves them 4-9.
— On a snowy day in Buffalo the Steelers edged the Bills 27-20 as Le'Veon Bell scored three times and set a franchise record with 236 yards rushing. The Steelers overcame three interceptions thrown by Ben Roethlisberger (RAWTH'-lihs-bur-gur) to win their fourth straight and improve to 8-5 and keep pace in the AFC playoff race. The loss all but mathematically eliminated the 6-7 Bills from contention and caused head coach Rex Ryan to comment on rumors that he would be fired as early as Monday.
— Minnesota won for just the second time in nine weeks as Kai (KY) Forbath kicked four field goals in a 25-16 win over Jacksonville. The win pushed the Vikings over the .500 mark at 7-6 while the loss dropped the Jags to 2-11. Sam Bradford completed 24 of 34 passes for 292 yards and a touchdown for the winners.
— Chris Thompson's 25-yard touchdown run with 1:54 remaining gave the Redskins a 27-22 victory over the Eagles. Philadelphia had taken a 22-21 lead with 4:49 remaining but could not hold on for the win. Carson Wentz drove Philadelphia to the Redskins 14 in the final minute, but Ryan Kerrigan sacked him to force a fumble and seal the win for Washington. The win snapped a two-game losing skid for the Redskins, who are 7-5-1, while the Eagles have lost four in a row and eight of 10 after a 3-0 start.
— Ryan Tannehill threw three touchdown passes before being sidelined with a knee injury as the Dolphins edged the Cardinals 26-23. Andrew Franks won the game with a 21-yard field goal as time expired to give Miami a record of 8-5, while the Cardinals fell to 5-7-1. The Dolphins have won seven of their last eight games and improved their chances of ending an eight-year playoff drought.
— Carolina kept its slim playoff hopes alive with a 28-16 win over San Diego. The defense forced five turnovers by Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers, recorded five sacks and a safety. The win put to an end a two-game losing streak for the NFC champion Panthers who, like the Chargers, are 5-8.
— The return of Robert Griffin III didn't help the Browns as they dropped to 0-13 with a 23-10 loss to the Bengals. The start was Griffin's first since getting hurt in the season opener back in Sept. The loss for the Browns was their 16th straight and 23rd out of their last 24 games. And if you really want to rub salt into their wounds the Browns have dropped 31 of their last 34 games, dating back to the end of 2014. The win keeps the Bengals playoff hopes alive.
— Bilal Powell ran for a 19-yard touchdown 7:25 into overtime to complete the New York Jets' comeback in a 23-17 win over the 1-12 49ers in San Francisco. The 49ers took a 14-0 lead just 4:15 into the game before Powell scored two TDs and Nick Folk hit three field goals. Powell ran for 145 yards and Bryce Petty went 23-for-35 for 257 yards as the Jets improved to 4-9. A career-high 193 yards rushing by Carlos Hyde and a 17-3 halftime lead weren't enough for the 49ers.
This evening's game features two teams from the NFC East as the Giants entertain the Cowboys. A win by Dallas would wrap up the NFC East championship for the Cowboys and give them a 12-game winning streak. The only loss this season for the Cowboys came in the season opener when they were beaten by the Giants 20-19.
Dallas is facing a team that has won five of six home games this season but is coming off a loss to the Steelers. New York is 8-4 with hopes of landing a playoff spot as well.
In other NFL news, the term "Deflategate" has popped back into the conversation as Fox reports that the NFL says no formal complaint was filed last week by the Giants, who reportedly alerted the league that the Steelers were using deflated footballs during their game. In the game, according to Fox, after the Giants forced two turnovers during their 24-14 loss, they tested the footballs on their sideline. After both of the footballs tested below the NFL standards for PSI, according to the report, the Giants sent them to the league office.
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