Watch: Former Down footballer Charlie Smyth lands winning field-goal for New Orleans Saints

NFL round-up: Bo Nix threw for four touchdowns as the Broncos claimed an 11th successive win.

SAINTS GO MARCHING IN: Northern Ireland's Charlie Smyth landed the winning field-goal for the Saints with two seconds left on the clock. Pic: Derick E. Hingle/Getty Images.

The Buffalo Bills rallied from a 21-0 deficit to take down the New England Patriots 35-31 and move to within a game of their AFC East rivals.

New England were seemingly in control after Drake Maye rushed for two first-quarter touchdowns before TreVeyon Henderson ran in a 52-yard score in the second quarter.

Josh Allen found James Cook III with a five-yard touchdown pass to get the Bills on the board but the Patriots were up 24-7 at the break after Andy Borregales split the posts from 47 yards.

But it all changed in the second half as Dawson Knox pulled in two touchdown passes either side of Cook's score to put Buffalo 28-24 in front.

Henderson responded with his second big score, a 62-yard rushing touchdown as New England regained the advantage but it was only temporary as Cook had the final word in a stunning game.

"CHARLIE! CHARLIE! CHARLIE!"

In the #Saints locker room after the dramatic win vs the Panthers 🙌 pic.twitter.com/m1Wp5N6ZFJ

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 15, 2025

The Denver Broncos jumped above the Patriots into the top seed in the AFC as they moved to 12-2 and sealed a place in the play-offs with a 34-26 win over the Green Bay Packers.

Bo Nix threw for four touchdowns as the Broncos claimed an 11th successive win.

Matthew Stafford connected with Colby Parkinson for two touchdowns as the Los Angeles Rams clinched a play-off berth with a 41-34 win over the Detroit Lions.

Kyren Williams also ran for two touchdowns as the NFC-leading Rams (11-3) won for the eighth time in nine games.

Philip Rivers' return to the NFL at the age of 44 ended in defeat as the Indianapolis Colts lost 18-16 to the Seattle Seahawks.

Rivers made his first start in five years after coming out of retirement following an injury to quarterback Daniel Jones, but Jason Myers' sixth field-goal in the dying seconds settled the outcome.

Brock Purdy threw for three touchdowns as the San Francisco 49ers beat the struggling Tennessee Titans 37-24, while the Carolina Panthers' play-off hopes were dented as they went down 20-17 to the New Orleans Saints.

Northern Ireland's Charlie Smyth landed the winning field-goal for the Saints with two seconds left on the clock.

Charlie Smyth hits a 47-yd FG to give the #Saints a 20-17 lead!!!!

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/9A4kPh8QQg

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 15, 2025

Trevor Lawrence enjoyed a big day out as he had a career-high five passing touchdowns and ran in another score as the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the New York Jets 48-20.

Lawrence threw for 330 yards and helped Jacksonville score on their first three possessions to take control of a win that moved them to 10-4 at the top of the AFC South.

The Houston Texans made it six straight wins to boost their play-off hopes as they beat the Arizona Cardinals 40-20. CJ Stroud threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns.

The San Diego Chargers rallied to inflict another damaging defeat on the Kansas City Chiefs, whose play-offs hopes were ended in a 16-13 home loss.

Patrick Mahomes ran in an early touchdown and two Harrison Butker field goals had the Chiefs 13-3 up in the second quarter, but Justin Herbert found KeAndre Lambert-Smith with a 16-yard touchdown pass just before half-time and two Cameron Dicker field goals won it for the Chargers.

Mahomes suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in the dying minutes as he tried to lead a match-winning drive.

The Minnesota Vikings saw their play-off hopes ended by other results, but put a dent in the Dallas Cowboys' hopes as JJ McCarthy threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in a 34-26 win.

Caleb Williams threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns, while D'Andre Swift added two more and 98 yards on the ground as the Chicago Bears enjoyed a 31-3 rout of the Cleveland Browns.

The Philadelphia Eagles improved to 9-5 at the top of the NFC East with a 31-0 rout of the sorry Las Vegas Raiders. Jalen Hurts threw for 175 yards and three touchdowns and Saquon Barkley added another on the ground.

The Baltimore Ravens strengthened their hopes in the AFC North, levelling their record at 7-7 with a 24-0 rout of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Lamar Jackson threw for 150 yards and two touchdowns, but the Ravens sealed it in the fourth quarter when Kyle Van Noy picked off Joe Burrow and handed the ball off for Alohi Gilman to run 84 yards and score.

The Washington Commanders finally ended their losing streak at eight as they beat the New York Giants 29-21 in which rookie Jaylin Lane had a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown.