Packers Beat Giants 38-35 to Stay Undefeated Atop NFL at 12-0

Dec. 4 (Bloomberg) -- The Green Bay Packers remained undefeated with a 38-35 win over the New York Giants, extending their National Football League winning streak to 18 games, including 12 in a row to start this season.

Mason Crosby kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, as the Packers withstood a fourth-quarter comeback by the Giants for their narrowest margin of victory this season. Green Bay’s closest previous game was a 33-27 win in Minnesota on Oct. 23.

The Packers clinched a playoff spot this week, while the Giants’ postseason chances took a hit with a fourth straight loss. New York (6-6) stays a game behind the first-place Dallas Cowboys in the National Football Conference’s East division and is also a game behind Atlanta and Chicago for the NFC’s final wild-card playoff spot.

The Cowboys were beaten by the Arizona Cardinals 19-13 in overtime, while the Falcons and Bears also lost today.

The New York Jets kept pace in the American Football Conference’s wild-card playoff hunt with a 34-19 win over the Washington Redskins today.

Shonn Greene rushed for three touchdowns as the Jets improved to 7-5, leaving them tied with the Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans, Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos in the AFC. The Titans and Broncos won their Week 13 games today, while the Bengals and Raiders lost.

The Broncos beat the Minnesota Vikings 35-32 with two field goals in the final 1:33 and are now 6-1 with Tim Tebow as their starting quarterback.

The Titans beat the Buffalo Bills 23-17, while the Raiders were routed 34-14 by a Miami Dolphins team that’s won four of five games after opening the season 0-7. The Broncos and Raiders are now tied atop the AFC West.

Steelers Win

The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Bengals 35-7 to improve to 9-3 and drop Cincinnati to 7-5. The Steelers remain tied atop the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens (9-3), who defeated the Cleveland Browns 24-10.

The Giants rallied to tie the Packers 35-35 with 1:02 left as Eli Manning threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Hakeem Nicks and D.J. Ware ran in the two-point conversion.

Aaron Rodgers took four plays to march the Packers 68 yards and set up Crosby’s winning kick. Rodgers finished with 369 passing yards and four touchdowns, while Manning threw for 347 yards and three scores for the Giants.

The Jets remain two games behind New England in the AFC East after the Patriots beat the Indianapolis Colts 31-24 to improve to 9-3. Rob Gronkowski scored three touchdowns as the Patriots opened a 31-3 lead and dropped the Colts to 0-12 for the first time since 1986.

Texans Win

The AFC South-leading Houston Texans are also 9-3 after beating Atlanta 17-10 in their first game with third-string quarterback T.J. Yates, who was pressed into a starting role by injuries. Houston (9-3) has won six straight games as it chases its first playoff berth since joining the NFL in 2002.

The Falcons and Bears remain ahead of the Giants in the NFC wild-card race even though both lost today. Chicago was beaten 10-3 by the Kansas City Chiefs (5-7).

The Detroit Lions (7-4) can move ahead of the Bears alone in second place behind the Packers in the NFC North by handing the NFC South-leading New Orleans Saints (8-3) their first defeat in four games tonight. Green Bay would secure the NFC North title if the Lions lose tonight.

The San Francisco 49ers beat the St. Louis Rams 26-0 to wrap up their first NFC West crown and postseason berth since 2002. Frank Gore became the career rushing leader for the 49ers (10-2), while Alex Smith threw a pair of second-half touchdown passes in San Francisco.

Newton Sets Record

The Carolina Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-19 as rookie quarterback Cam Newton rushed for three touchdowns to give him a league-record 13 this season. The previous mark of 12 rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season was set by former Patriot Steve Grogan in 1976. The Panthers (4-8) have won two straight games for the first time this year while the Buccaneers (4-8) have dropped six in a row.

Week 13, which began Dec. 1 with a 31-14 win for the Seattle Seahawks (5-7) over the Philadelphia Eagles (4-8), concludes tomorrow with the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-8) hosting the San Diego Chargers (4-7).

--With assistance from Dex McLuskey in Dallas. Editors: Michael Sillup, Dex McLuskey.

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To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net.