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Seahawks soar, Chiefs seal berth
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The Seahawks hit the mark for what they hope was their Super Bowl rehearsal by posting a shut out, the Chiefs reached the playoffs and the Patriots were denied clinching a spot in National Football League action on Sunday.
Twelve games on the hectic Week 15 schedule had playoff implications as teams jockeyed for positions with just two weeks’ worth of games left on the regular season calendar.
Seattle, which has already reached the playoffs with an NFC-best mark of 12-2, cut down the hosts New York Giants 23-0 at the winter-weather site of Super Bowl 48.
The Seahawks coolly closed in on securing a first-round bye as West Division winners as their top-rated defense stole the show, intercepting two-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Eli Manning five times in shutting down the Giants (5-9).
Seattle is aiming to return to the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for the Super Bowl on February 2.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who completed 18 of 27 passes, including a touchdown, and ran eight times for 50 yards, notched his 23rd win — a record for a quarterback in his first two seasons. He said Sunday’s win could pay further dividends.
“I think the biggest thing that we can learn from playing here and getting a win is we’ll just have a great feel for the stadium,” said Wilson. “We’ve been here before, we were successful here. That’s a positive thing.”
Also in a cheery mood were the Kansas City Chiefs, who clinched a berth in the playoffs with a 56-31 road victory over the Oakland Raiders.
The Chiefs improved to 11-3 as quarterback Alex Smith tossed five TD passes in completing an economical 17 of 20 against the Raiders (4-10).
Smith hit running back Jamaal Charles for four of his TD passes. Charles, who also scored on a one-yard plunge, totaled a remarkable 195 receiving yards on eight catches.
Kansas City, playing its first season with signal caller Smith and head coach Andy Reid, began the campaign with nine wins in a row before losing three straight, twice to Denver and once to San Diego.
The New England Patriots failed to take advantage of opportunities to clinch a playoff position.
New England (10-4) appeared poised to notch a fourth straight come-from-behind win and claim the AFC East title before quarterback Tom Brady’s fourth-down pass was intercepted by newly signed safety Michael Thomas in the end zone with two seconds left to preserve a 24-20 win for the Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins (8-6), desperately needing a win to stay in the thick of the AFC wildcard race, recovered from a 17-20 deficit when quarterback Ryan Tannehill hit Marcus Thigpen with a 14-yard TD pass with 1:15 left in the game.
Miami snapped a string of seven consecutive losses against the Patriots, who lost ground in their quest to snare the top seeding in the AFC.
Elsewhere in the NFL on Sunday, it was: Vikings 48, Eagles 30; Falcons 27, Redskins 26; 49ers 33, Buccaneers 14; Bears 38, Browns 31; Colts 25, Texans 3; Bills 27, Jaguars 20; Panthers 30, Jets 20; Cardinals 37, Titans 34 (in overtime); Rams 27, Saints 16; Packers 37, Cowboys 36; and Steelers 30, Bengals 20.
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