Stafford's TD pass to Higbee after Rodgers' turnover leads Rams past Jets 19-9

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Tyler Higbee waited nearly a year for this moment.

And once the Los Angeles Rams tight end had the ball in his hands, he wasn't letting anyone stop him from getting into the end zone.

With the game tied against the New York Jets early in the fourth quarter Sunday, Higbee caught a short pass from Matthew Stafford, rumbled down the sideline and dived over the goal line for a go-ahead 11-yard score in the Rams' 19-9 victory.

“I didn’t know I was going to have to jump,” said Higbee, who made his season debut after tearing the ACL and MCL in his right knee in the playoffs last January. "I met a lot of guys at the pylon and I lowered my shoulder trying to get in there. Then I saw a little opening and thought I’d take it.

“In the air, it felt a little bit like ‘Space Jam’ Michael Jordan with his arm out there. This has got to get in.”

It was — and it turned out to be the winning score as the Rams (9-6) got their fourth straight victory and maintained their spot atop the NFC West standings after a slow start against the Jets (4-11) on a day when it was a frosty 23 degrees (minus-5 Celsius) at kickoff.

“A strange game,” Rams coach Sean McVay acknowledged after several long possessions by both teams throughout the day.

But Los Angeles' defense, which struggled most of the game against Rodgers and New York's offense, came up with a momentum-turning play.

After Joshua Karty tied it at 9 with a 38-yard field goal, Kam Curl sacked Rodgers on a blitz and forced a fumble that Jared Verse recovered at the Jets 21.

“As I was falling, it landed right on top of me,” Verse said. “One of those things: right place at the right time.”

Three plays later, Stafford found Higbee for the go-ahead TD.

“Just happy for him to get out there and play," Stafford said. "And to be able to cap it off with a touchdown with a great effort at the end, it was awesome.”

Higbee, who also had shoulder surgery in the offseason, was mobbed by his Rams teammates.

“I almost passed out," he said with a smile. "It was very humbling.”

Rodgers limped a bit off the field after the strip-sack and briefly went to the injury tent, but returned on the Jets' next series.

"That was bad — a bad play," said Rodgers, who said his knee was OK, but added he should've dumped off the ball to avoid the sack.

Karty's 45-yard field goal put the Rams up by two scores at 19-9 with 5:17 left.

The Jets couldn't muster a comeback attempt. Anders Carlson's 48-yard attempt with 1:57 remaining was wide right. New York had another chance to get the ball, but Jordan Whittington recovered Xavier Gipson's muffed punt return to seal the victory for the Rams.

Stafford was 6 of 10 for 46 yards and an interception in the first half, and finished 14 of 19 for 110 yards. Kyren Williams ran for 122 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.

Rodgers was 28 of 42 for 256 yards and a touchdown to Davante Adams in the loss that overshadowed a promising start for New York.

“The rhythm disappeared, I think,” Rodgers said of the Jets’ offense mostly stalling after its hot start and finishing 2 of 5 on fourth down.

After Jacob Hummel downed Ethan Evans' punt on the Rams' opening possession at the Jets 1, Rodgers and New York's offense got rolling quickly with a 99-yard touchdown drive.

Helped by five first downs, including an 8-yard completion to Adams on fourth-and-2 from the 20, the Jets got down to the Rams 11. Rodgers pulled off a pretty play-action fake, rolled to his right and found Adams for a touchdown that gave New York a 6-0 lead with 23 seconds left in the opening quarter.

Carlson was wide left on the extra point, his second miss this season.

It was Rodgers' 499th regular-season TD pass and the 82nd time he and Adams have combined for a score, including the playoffs, tying Miami's Dan Marino and Mark Clayton for the third-most in NFL history.

Tony Adams intercepted Stafford on the Rams' next drive, ending the Rams quarterback's career-best streak of five games without a turnover. But the Jets turned the ball over on downs when interim coach Jeff Ulbrich opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 but Breece Hall was stopped for no gain, giving Los Angeles the ball at New York's 33.

The Rams took advantage of the short field when Williams went up the middle for a 2-yard TD run, but Karty hit the right upright and the teams were tied at 6 late in the second quarter.

Jets DL Quinnen Williams tested out his injured hamstring a few hours before the game, but was scratched. ... CB Sauce Gardner sat out the second half with a hamstring injury. ... Tony Adams injured an ankle in the third quarter. ... Rookie LT Olu Fashanu hurt his left foot midway through the fourth quarter and was on crutches after the game. Ulbrich said the team would know more after Fashanu has tests.

Rams: Host the NFC West-rival Arizona Cardinals next Saturday night.

Jets: Head to Buffalo to take on the AFC East-rival Bills next Sunday.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams runs against the New York Jets during the first half of an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) greets Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) before an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Jets safety Tony Adams (22) celebrates with cornerback Brandin Echols (26) after intercepting a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Los Angeles Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (4) breaks up a pass intended for New York Jets wide receiver Davante Adams during the second half of an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

New York Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich reacts during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay watches from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Los Angeles Rams cornerback Darious Williams (24) celebrates with teammates over New York Jets tight end Tyler Conklin (83) during the second half of an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) slides in front of Los Angeles Rams safety Jaylen McCollough during the second half of an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) passes as New York Jets safety Chuck Clark, bottom left, applies pressure during the first half of an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

CORRECTS PLAYER TO TYLER HIGBEE - Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee, middle, jumps toward the end zone past New York Jets cornerback D.J. Reed, left, and linebacker Quincy Williams to score during the second half of an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

ATLANTA (AP) — Michael Penix Jr. won his debut as Atlanta’s starting quarterback, thanks largely to a defense that returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns, and the Falcons bolstered their playoff hopes by handing the hapless New York Giants their franchise-record 10th straight loss, 34-7 on Sunday.

Jessie Bates and Matthew Judon each had a pick-6 to carry Atlanta (8-7) to its second straight win after a four-game losing streak put its postseason hopes in jeopardy. The Falcons came into the week a game behind Tampa Bay in the NFC South and holding the tiebreaker edge over the Buccaneers, who were playing Sunday night at Dallas.

Penix, the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft, got his first NFL start against the Giants (2-13) after the Falcons decided to bench turnover-prone Kirk Cousins, just nine months after signing him to a four-year, $180 million contract that included $100 million in guaranteed money.

The left-handed rookie was not overwhelmed by the moment, completing 18 of 27 passes for 202 yards — numbers that would’ve been better if not for at least three dropped passes, one of which Kyle Pitts bobbled right into the hands of a New York defender for Penix’s lone interception.

RAMS 19, JETS 9

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Matthew Stafford threw a go-ahead 11-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Higbee early in the fourth quarter after a turnover by Aaron Rodgers and Los Angeles beat New York for their fourth consecutive victory.

The Rams (9-6), who have won five of six, maintained their spot atop the NFC West standings with the victory after a slow start against the Jets (4-11) on a day when it was a frosty 23 degrees (minus-5 Celsius) at kickoff.

But Los Angeles’ defense, which struggled most of the game against Rodgers and New York’s offense, came up with a momentum-turning play.

With the game tied at 9 early in the fourth quarter, Kam Curl sacked Rodgers on a blitz and forced a fumble that Jared Verse recovered at the Jets 21.

Three plays later, Stafford found Higbee — making his season debut after missing the first 14 games with a knee injury — for a go-ahead 11-yard touchdown that made it 16-9.

BENGALS 24, BROWNS 6

CINCINNATI (AP) — Joe Burrow threw three touchdown passes, including one as he was falling to the turf, and Cincinnati kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a victory over Cleveland.

The Bengals (7-8) need to win their last two games and get some help to reach the postseason.

Burrow passed for three or more TDs for the seventh consecutive game and finished 23 of 30 for 252 yards. Ja’Marr Chase had six catches for 97 yards and a garbage-time touchdown for Cincinnati to reach 1,510 yards this season and break his own franchise record of 1,455 yards set in 2021.

Myles Garrett, who said this week the Browns franchise should be focused on winning and not rebuilding, recorded the 100th sack of his career in the second quarter.

With Dorian Thompson-Robinson replacing Jameis Winston at quarterback, Cleveland (3-12) missed some chances in the red zone.

LIONS 34, BEARS 17

CHICAGO (AP) — Jared Goff threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns, and Detroit remained on top of the NFC with their franchise-record 13th win, over Chicago.

Jameson Williams had a career-high 143 yards receiving on five catches, including an 82-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 109 yards and a score, and Detroit (13-2) broke a tie with the 1991 and 2023 teams for the most wins in franchise history. The Lions also set a single-season record for scoring with 493 points.

The Lions took control early against the Bears (4-11), and they even flexed their dominance by executing a trick play in which Goff intentionally stumbled while dropping back. With Detroit players yelling “Fumble!” and Gibbs pretending to dive for the ball, Goff threw to Sam LaPorta for a 21-yard touchdown that made it 34-14.

COMMANDERS 36, EAGLES 33

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — After Jalen Hurts left with a concussion, Jayden Daniels threw five touchdown passes while running at will in the rookie quarterback’s latest masterful performance, and Washington ended Philadelphia’ winning streak at 10 by rallying to defeat the NFC East leaders.

Daniels’ heroics culminated with a 57-yard touchdown drive in the final 1:58, finding Jamison Crowder in the end zone with 6 seconds left. He bounced back from throwing an interception on the previous possession and led the Commanders (10-5) back after they fell behind by 14 points seven minutes into the game and trailed by 14 going into the fourth quarter.

They are now on the verge of making the playoffs after handing Philadelphia (12-3) its first loss since Sept. 29. The Eagles played without Hurts for the vast majority of the game and failed to clinch the division and one of the conference’s top two seeds despite Saquon Barkley running for 109 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter alone.

Daniels was the primary reason for that, beating the Eagles a month after losing to them on the road. He was 24 of 39 for 258 yards with a pair of TDs to Crowder and Olamide Zaccheaus and one to Terry McLaurin — and Daniels was Washington’s leading rusher with 81 yards on nine carries.

COLTS 38, TITANS 30

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Jonathan Taylor rebounded from perhaps the most embarrassing moment of his career by rushing for 218 yards and scoring three times including runs of 65 and 70 yards, leading Indianapolis past Tennessee.

Indy rushed for a franchise-record 335 yards as Taylor posted the second-highest single-game rushing total in the league this season and also of his five-year career. The three rushing scores were the most since he scored four TDs against Buffalo in 2021.

Taylor’s big day came one week after he dropped the ball before the goal line, and it bounced out of bounds for a touchback in a crushing loss at Denver.

This time, Taylor made sure that didn’t happen again this week by holding onto the ball all the way through the end zone. Indy (7-8) won its fourth straight in this AFC South series.

PANTHERS 36, CARDINALS 30, OT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Chuba Hubbard ran for a 21-yard touchdown in overtime, and Carolina eliminated Arizona from playoff contention with a victory.

Hubbard finished with 152 yards and two TDs on 25 carries. He rushed for 49 yards on the decisive drive in OT.

Kyler Murray threw for 202 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and his 20-yard TD run helped rally Arizona (7-8) from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force the extra period. But it wasn’t enough for the Cardinals, who led the NFC West in early November but have lost four of five since.

Bryce Young went 17 of 26 for 158 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a career-high 68 yards, including 23-yard score, as the Panthers snapped a four-game skid. Adam Thielen and David Moore had TD catches for Carolina (4-11).

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) tackled by New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) short of the first down in the first half of an NFL football game in Atlanta, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)