Washington (AFP) – Tom Brady threw for 276 yards and three touchdowns Sunday and the New England Patriots secured home-field advantage throughout the NFL’s American Conference playoffs by defeating host Miami 35-14.
Brady, seeking a fifth Super Bowl crown at age 39, completed 25 of 33 passes as New England finished an NFL-best 14-2 and thanks to a first-round bye ensured two home wins would put them into next month’s NFL championship spectacle at Houston.
The last day of the regular season saw all 32 clubs playing with two playoff spots and post-season pairings to be decided after later games.
Brady threw a 77-yard touchdown pass to Julian Edelman, who made eight receptions for 151 yards, and flipped first-quarter TDs of 14 yards to Michael Floyd and two yards to Martellus Bennett, while LeGarrette Blount added a one-yard touchdown run.
Miami fell to 10-6 but the Dolphins, who haven’t won a playoff game since 2000, will make their first post-season appearance since 2008 next week at the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pittsburgh improved to 11-5 with a 27-24 overtime victory over Cleveland on the third touchdown toss of the day by Landry Jones, a 26-yard pass to Cobi Hamilton in the back left corner of the end zone.
The visiting Browns finished a league-worst 1-15, ensuring them the top pick in this year’s NFL Draft.
Dallas, which had already clinched a first-round bye and home-field edge in the National Conference, settled for a 13-3 record after resting many of their starters in a 27-13 loss at Philadelphia.
Running back Ezekiel Elliott was benched and fellow Dallas rookie Dak Prescott started but quarterbacked only the first two Cowboys’ possessions.
The Eagles victory eliminated Tampa Bay’s longshot playoff bid despite the Buccaneers edging Carolina 17-16. Cam Newton flipped a five-yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin with 17 seconds remaining but the Panthers failed on a two-point conversion pass attempt.
Tennessee edged playoff-bound Houston 24-17, leaving both clubs at 9-7 and giving the triumphant Titans their first winning campaign since 2011.
In games between non-playoff teams, Minnesota ripped Chicago 38-10, Indianapolis edged Jacksonville 24-20, Cincinnati downed Baltimore 27-10 and the New York Jets thumped Buffalo 30-10 — in part after the Bills stunningly allowed New York’s Doug Middleton to recover a Jets kickoff in the end zone.
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