NFL-Highlights of Sunday's early National Football League games

Jan 3 (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Sunday's early National Football League games: - - - Bills 22, Jets 17 Coach Rex Ryan's Buffalo Bills prevented his former team, the New York Jets, from returning to the playoffs, with a 22-17 victory on the final day of the regular season on Sunday. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor and running back Karlos Williams rushed for first-half touchdowns and kicker Dan Carpenter made three field goals as the Bills ended the Jets' five-game winning streak. The Jets (10-6) will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season. - - - Steelers 28, Browns 12 The Pittsburgh Steelers survived three turnovers and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw three touchdown passes to carry the Steelers past the Cleveland Browns, 28-12. The result, coupled with Buffalo's victory over the New York Jets, allowed the Steelers (10-6) to advance to the playoffs. The Browns put up a fight, but lost for the 13th time this season. The 3-13 finish is their worst since 2000 when they were also 3-13. - - - Dolphins 20, Patriots 10 For the third year in a row, the Miami Dolphins won a home game against the New England Patriots, prevailing 20-10. Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill passed for 350 yards and two touchdowns. The Patriots (12-4), who had already clinched a first-round bye, limp into the playoffs after losing four of their past six games. Miami (6-10), despite the surprising win, finished its seventh straight season out of the playoffs. - - - Bengals 24, Ravens 16 AJ McCarron overcame a slow start to toss two touchdown passes and running back Jeremy Hill rushed for 96 yards and a TD, helping the Cincinnati Bengals to a 24-16 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. The Bengals (12-4) reached 12 wins for the third time in franchise history. The other two seasons (1981, 1988) both resulted in Super Bowl appearances. - - - Texans 30, Jaguars 6 J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus combined for 6.5 sacks and the Houston Texans clinched the AFC South with a 30-6 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Texans (9-7) won six of their final eight games for their first AFC South title since 2012. - - - Colts 30, Titans 24 Fourth and fifth-string quarterbacks Josh Freeman and Ryan Lindley each threw a touchdown pass, leading Indianapolis to a 30-24 victory against the Tennessee Titans, but it was not enough to extend the Colts' season as they finished 8-8, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2011. - - - Redskins 34, Cowboys 23 Quarterback Kirk Cousins passed for three touchdowns and the NFC East champion Washington Redskins beat the Dallas Cowboys 34-23. Washington (9-7) heads into the playoffs on a four-game winning streak, the team's longest since 2012. - - - Lions 24, Bears 20 Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler threw his third interception with 1:51 remaining to seal a 24-20 victory for the Detroit Lions over the Bears. Detroit swept Chicago for the third consecutive year and boosted coach Jim Caldwell's chances of keeping his job as the Lions went 6-2 in the second half of the season after starting 1-7. - - - Eagles 35, Giants 30 Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Walter Thurmond returned an interception 83 yards for a touchdown in a 35-30 win over New York in what could have been Tom Coughlin's final game as head coach of the Giants. - - - Saints 20, Falcons 17 The bad New Orleans defense, which surrendered an NFL record 45 touchdown passes this season, came through in the season finale as the Saints beat the Atlanta Falcons 20-17 thanks to a 30-yard field goal by Kai Forbath as time expired. (Editing by Andrew Both)