The Pittsburgh Steelers can thank the Jacksonville Jaguars, as their 28-20 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday made their playoff appearance official.
The Steelers (10-7) had done some of the work in their 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens (13-4) on Saturday afternoon. However, the Jaguars (9-8) had to lose to advance to the postseason tournament, and that's exactly what happened.
• Also read: NFL: Steelers move closer to playoffs
The first half was complicated for the representatives of the Florida team, as shown by the performance of quarterback Trevor Lawrence. He completed just 14 of his 19 attempts through the air in the first two quarters.
Meanwhile, the Titans (6-11), already out of the playoff race, took matters into their own hands. Thanks to two touchdowns from Tyjae Spears and another from Derrick Henry, Mike Vrabel's men returned to the locker room with a 21-13 lead. DeAndre Hopkins added more to extend his team's lead to 28-13 early in the third quarter.
Afterwards, the “Jags” woke up and even got within eight points of their daily rival when Evan Engram reached the Titans’ end zone, but it was too little, too late.
Ryan Tannehill finished his afternoon of work with 17 completions on 26 attempts for gains of 168 yards and two touchdowns.
Third straight division title for the Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-8) secured their third straight National South Division title by defeating the Carolina Panthers (2-15) 9-0.
This win also allowed “Bucs” quarterback Baker Mayfield to receive a $1 million bonus. However, the latter failed to shine in his team's win on Sunday, completing only 20 of his 32 attempted passes through the air.
Tampa Bay's nine points came from kicker Chase McLaughlin, who made two field goals from 36 and 39 yards and another from 57 yards.
Mayfield's counterpart Bryce Young had a difficult game and only managed 94 yards through the air.
The Lions are doing the Vikings a disservice
The Minnesota Vikings (7-10) needed a miracle to qualify for the playoffs, but their 30-20 loss to the Detroit Lions (12-5) put them out of contention for good.
In fact, it took a Vikings win coupled with losses from the Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks for Kevin O'Connell's players to continue their season.
The Lions gave them no chance, quickly taking advantage in the first quarter against majors Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs. The local favorites' offense continued to struggle after the locker room, as David Montgomery and Amon-Ra St. Brown scored the Lions' final two touchdowns.
Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison responded for the Vikings. In the loss, Nick Mullens had an impressive performance, racking up 396 yards through the air on 30 completions. He also connected with his teammates twice for touchdowns.