By The Associated Press
The Latest on Week 15 in the NFL (all times EST):
1:55 p.m.
Chiefs defensive end Alex Okafor has been ruled out for the rest of their game against the Denver Broncos after hurting his chest late in the first quarter.
Okafor chased down and sacked Broncos quarterback Drew Lock to force fourth down.
Okafor landed awkwardly with his right arm trapped under the quarterback, though that didn’t stop him from standing up and celebrating.
The Chiefs ruled him out shortly after Patrick Mahomes led their offense downfield for a field goal and a 9-0 lead.
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1:45 p.m.
Ryan Tannehill is having a rough start for the Tennessee Titans.
The quarterback leads the NFL with a 118.5 passer rating. Against the Houston Texans, Tannehill has missed five of his first seven passes. But Tannehill has 82 yards thanks to a 60-yard completion to rookie A.J. Brown.
Tannehill also hit Corey Davis for 22 yards just before the end of the first quarter.
Deshaun Watson was intercepted by Kenny Vaccaro at the goal line to end the Texans’ opening drive of the game. That’s his third interception in two games.
— Teresa M. Walker reporting from Nashville, Tennessee.
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1:45 p.m.
Running back Christian McCaffrey now owns the Panthers’ franchise record for all-purpose yards in a season with 1,995.
That breaks the previous record held by Steve Smith in 2001.
McCaffrey broke the mark on a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, his league-leading 17th TD of the season.
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1:45 p.m.
Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce has become the first tight end in NFL history to post four consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 yards receiving.
Kelce reached the milestone with an 11-yard catch on third-and-5 late in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at snowy Arrowhead Stadium.
The previous mark was held by Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen who had thee consecutive 1,000-yard seasons between 2014 and 2016.
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1:40 p.m. It’s a quiet crowd at Detroit’s Ford Field, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are doing what they can to keep it that way.
Jameis Winston has thrown two touchdown passes already, and Tampa Bay leads the Lions 14-0 late in the first quarter. The Buccaneers capped a five-play, 99-yard drive when Winston threw a 33-yard TD pass to Scotty Miller. Earlier, he threw a 34-yard scoring pass to Breshad Perriman.
There are a fair number of empty seats in Detroit as the injury-plagued Lions try to snap a six-game losing streak. The crowd hasn’t been making much noise, even when Tampa Bay has the ball. — Noah Trister reporting from Detroit.
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1:35 p.m.
In what might be his final start at MetLife Stadium Eli Manning received a standing ovation when introduced before the Giants first offensive series.
The two-time Super Bowl MVP lost his starting job to rookie first-round draft pick Daniel Jones after the second game of the season. The 38-year-old QB who is in the final year of his contract got the job back last week with Jones out with an ankle injury.
Jones is still out.
However, coach Pat Shurmur said Jones will return to his starting role when healthy.
Manning was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2004. He was acquired in a draft day trade with the Chargers. He become the starter nine games into his rookie season.
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1:25 p.m.
New England’s Tom Brady has tied Drew Brees for second all-time in touchdown passes.
James White turned his short throw into a 23-yard score against the Bengals, the 537th TD pass of Brady’s career.
Brady and Brees are two behind Peyton Manning’s record of 539. The Saints host the Colts on Monday night.
— Joe Kay in Cincinnati reporting
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1 p.m. Former Florida and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer is taking in the Washington Redskins’ game against the Philadelphia Eagles — in the owner’s box.
Meyer was seen with owner Dan Snyder in his box before the game.
Meyer is currently a Fox analyst and is a candidate to coach in the NFL next season. The Redskins are looking for a new coach.
—Stephen Whyno reporting from Landover, Maryland.
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12:40 p.m.
The Broncos and Chiefs will be playing their divisional matchup in a snowstorm at Arrowhead Stadium.
Flurries began to fall overnight, far earlier than meteorologists predicted, and the intensifying snow caused major problems for people trying to get to the stadium.
That includes some members of the Chiefs, such as running back LeSean McCoy and wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who were a bit late for warmups.
An hour before kickoff, dozens of workers were trying to clear off the yard lines, end zones and sidelines as the snow swirled inside the stadium. From above, the scene unfolding below looked like a snow globe come to life.
The Broncos are seeking just their fourth win in 18 trips to Arrowhead in December.
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12:35 p.m.
The NFL draft doesn’t happen until late April but Boomer Esiason already knows who he wants the Bengals to take.
The former Cincinnati quarterback — who was the last one to lead the franchise to a Super Bowl and win a playoff game — handed a Bengals helmet to during a segment on “The NFL Today” and said, “I want to welcome you from one Bengal to the next.”
Esiason did something similar on the CBS pregame show in 2002 after Carson Palmer won the Heisman. Cincinnati selected Palmer in 2003 with the top overall pick.
The Bengals (1-12) have a one-game lead over the New York Giants for the top overall pick.
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11 a.m.
Five teams are in position to clinch playoff berths in Week 15 of the NFL schedule.
In the AFC, where Baltimore has won the North and Kansas City has taken the West, both New England and Buffalo can get in from the East.
The Patriots do so with a win or tie at lowly Cincinnati. The Bills clinch if they win at Pittsburgh in the Sunday night game. Neither team can secure the division crown regardless of how they do Sunday.
Baltimore can grab home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs if the Patriots lose and the Chiefs also fall at home to Denver. The Ravens get a first-round bye if New England or Kansas City doesn’t win.
In the NFC, where New Orleans owns the South title, Green Bay’s place in the postseason will come if it beats Chicago at Lambeau Field and the Rams lose or tie at Dallas.
San Francisco moves on with a victory or tie against Atlanta or a Rams loss or tie or losses by Green Bay and Minnesota, which is at the Chargers.
Finally, a Seattle victory and a Rams loss or tie, or a Vikings loss, or a Packers loss and Vikings tie gets the Seahawks a spot.
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