NFL game capsules: De’Von Achane, Dolphins prevail as 49ers drop out of playoff chase

Jason Sanders kicked five field goals and De’Von Achane accounted for 190 total yards from scrimmage and the clinching touchdown in the Miami Dolphins’ 29-17 win over the visiting San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Tua Tagovailoa completed 22 of 34 passes for 215 yards and a score for Miami (7-8), which maintained its slim playoff hopes in the AFC. The Dolphins must win their last two games, hope for two losses from the Los Angeles Chargers and get other help to perhaps earn the final wild-card spot in their conference.

Achane rushed for 120 yards on 17 carries, including a 50-yard touchdown run with 1:36 left in the game to seal the outcome, and caught six passes for 70 yards. Sanders kept Miami in the lead the entire second half, adding 54-, 33- and 48-yard field goals to his two successful kicks in the first half.

Brock Purdy hit on 26 of 40 passes for 313 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for San Francisco (6-9). He found Eric Saubert for a 2-yard score with 12:02 remaining in the game to pull the 49ers within 19-17, but they couldn’t get over the hump.

The Dolphins outgained the 49ers 381-374, possessing the ball for 33:06.

San Francisco got bad news before the game even kicked off. Results from the early games on Sunday officially eliminated the 49ers, a season after they went to overtime with Kansas City in the Super Bowl before losing.

Still, they took a 7-3 lead 46 seconds into the second quarter when Purdy found Deebo Samuel for a 16-yard touchdown pass. That answered Sanders’ 44-yard field goal that opened the scoring with 3:30 left in the first quarter.

Sanders connected from 38 at the 9:40 mark of the second period, followed by Tagovailoa’s 3-yard strike to Tyreek Hill with 3:20 remaining that gave Miami a 13-7 edge.

San Francisco got to the Miami 3-yard line on its final possession of the half before settling for Jake Moody’s 21-yard field goal that chopped its deficit to three points at the break.

Raiders end 10-game skid by knocking off Jaguars

Brock Bowers caught 11 passes for 99 yards and Isaiah Pola-Mao forced two fumbles to lead the Raiders to a 19-15 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday in Las Vegas.

The Raiders ended a league-high 10-game losing streak with their first win since beating the Cleveland Browns 20-16 on Sept. 29.

The game nearly flipped at the end of the third quarter, after Daniel Carlson’s third field-goal attempt of the game went wide right. Three plays later, Mac Jones found an uncovered Brian Thomas Jr. for a 62-yard touchdown that put the Jaguars ahead 14-13 after the extra point.

The Raiders responded, as Aidan O’Connell pulled off an improbable escape from a collapsing pocket to complete a 12-yard pass to Ameer Abdullah on third-and-three. Three plays later, Abudallah pranced into the end zone for the go-ahead score to put the Raiders ahead 19-14. The two-point conversion attempt was no good.

Abdullah ran for 38 yards and a touchdown on seven carries as the Raiders ran for 69 yards as a team. They were without emerging back Sincere McCormick, who was placed on the IR this week with a season-ending ankle injury.

The Raiders were also without star defensive end Maxx Crosby, who also went on IR for the rest of the season with an ankle injury.

The Raiders took a 13-7 lead after Carlson made 49- and 37-yard field goals on successive possessions. The Raiders’ first-half momentum continued on the Jaguars’ next possession, as Pola-Mao punched the ball out of Tank Bigsby’s arms for teammate Tre’von Moehrig to recover.

Pola-Mao forced his second fumble in the closing seconds of the first half, jarring the ball out of the arms of Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange. Thomas Harper made the recovery with nine seconds remaining.

Bigsby opened the scoring, breaking the plane with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:32 remaining in the first quarter.

Las Vegas answered on its ensuing possession by capping a six-play, 70-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by Alexander Mattison. The run was set up by a 29-yard completion from O’Connell to Tre Tucker two plays earlier, as Tucker maneuvered the sideline for a toe-tap catch.

Vikings outlast Seahawks, stay tied atop NFC North

Sam Darnold threw a 39-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline to Justin Jefferson with 3:51 remaining as the Minnesota Vikings rallied for a 27-24 victory against the host Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

The pass capped a four-play, 70-yard drive that took just 30 seconds after Seattle’s Geno Smith threw a 4-yard scoring pass to backup tight end AJ Barner to give the Seahawks their first lead of the afternoon.

Seattle’s Jason Myers came up just short on a 60-yard field-goal attempt with 1:55 left that would have tied the score. The Seahawks got the ball back with 55 seconds remaining, but Theo Jackson sealed the game with an interception on a deep pass intended for Seattle’s DK Metcalf on first down.

The Vikings (13-2) won their eighth game in a row and remained tied with Detroit atop the NFC North. The Seahawks (8-7) lost their second straight and dropped a game behind the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West.

Darnold completed 22 of 35 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns, two to Jefferson — who had 10 catches for 144 yards. Aaron Jones rushed for a game-high 67 yards on 18 carries.

Smith completed 31 of 43 passes for 314 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, with Jaxon Smith-Njibga making eight catches for 95 yards.

Minnesota led 17-14 at the half.

The Vikings scored on the game’s opening possession, with Darnold throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Addison.

Seattle tied it early in the second as Smith hit Metcalf with a 25-yard scoring strike in the back-right corner of the end zone.

The Vikings regained the lead on a 14-yard pass from Darnold to Jefferson, also to the back-right corner of the end zone.

Will Reichard kicked a 52-yard field goal to put Minnesota up 17-7, before Smith hit Smith-Njigba with an 18-yard scoring strike with 20 seconds left in the half.

The teams traded field goals in the third quarter, with Myers converting from 43 yards on the opening drive of the half before Reichard kicked a 48-yarder to give the Vikings a 20-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Tyler Higbee scores in return as Rams jolt Jets

Tyler Higbee caught the tiebreaking touchdown catch in his season debut and Kyren Williams rushed for 122 yards and one score to help the Los Angeles Rams notch a 19-9 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday at East Rutherford, N.J.

Kamren Curl made a key strip-sack of Aaron Rodgers early in the fourth quarter to set up the go-ahead score as the Rams (9-6) won for the eighth time in their last 10 games.

Los Angeles took sole possession of first place in the NFC West, and holds a one-game lead over the Seattle Seahawks with two games to play.

Matthew Stafford was 14-of-19 passing for 110 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Rams.

Aaron Rodgers completed 28 of 42 passes for 256 yards and one touchdown, the 499th of his career, for New York (4-11). Davante Adams caught seven passes for 68 yards and a touchdown for the Jets, who lost for the 10th time in the past 12 games.

Curl delivered his strip-sack of Rodgers and Jared Verse recovered at the Jets’ 21-yard line with 11:42 remaining in the game.

Three plays later, Stafford hit Higbee on an 11-yard touchdown play to give Los Angeles a 16-9 lead with 10:11 remaining. Higbee was playing in his first game since tearing the ACL and MCL in his right knee 11 months ago in a playoff loss against the Detroit Lions.

Joshua Karty’s 45-yard field goal with 5:17 remaining increased the lead to 10.

The Jets attempted to rally but Anders Carlson’s 49-yard field goal was wide right with 1:57 left. Then Xavier Gipson muffed the catch of a punt 23 seconds later and Jordan Whittington recovered for the Rams to seal it.

Carlson snuck a 21-yard field-goal attempt inside the left upright as time expired to give New York a 9-6 halftime lead. Both teams missed extra points after their first-half touchdowns.

The Jets moved 99 yards on 14 plays on their first drive. Rodgers connected with Adams on an 11-yard scoring play with 23 seconds left in the opening quarter.

New York went for it on fourth-and-1 on its own 33 midway through the second quarter and Breece Hall was stuffed for no gain. The Rams took advantage of the short field as Williams scored from the 2 to tie it with 6:22 left in the half.

The Jets took another gamble when they were at the Rams’ 13-yard line in the third quarter. This time, Rodgers’ fourth-and-4 throw to Adams was incomplete with 5:19 left as New York possessed the ball for the first 9:41 of the second half without scoring.