Newton powers Panthers; Steelers, Packers clinch
Los Angeles (AFP) - Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, who suffered two fractures in his back in a car crash just 12 days ago, led the Panthers to a 17-13 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Newton's nine-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Stewart in the final quarter put the Panthers over the top.
Carolina's win now sets the stage for a winner-take-all NFC South division showdown on the final week of the National Football League's regular season.
Newton's health was the biggest concern for the Panthers heading into Sunday's contest with the Browns. The star quarterback was injured in a two-car smash on December 9 near the Panthers' practice facility.
Newton, who missed last weekend's game, said he was lucky to have survived the accident. Newton was out of the hospital and back at training just a couple of days later.
"We knew he was healthy enough," Panthers coach Ron Rivera said.
"The training staff and the doctors were positive about it. He was trying to tell me all week he was fine."
The winning strike to Stewart capped a seven-play, 66-yard drive and came less than three minutes after the Browns took their first lead on Brian Hoyer's 81-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Cameron.
Hoyer replaced Johnny Manziel late in the first half after the rookie left the game and did not return with a hamstring injury.
The Panthers will travel to Atlanta next week with the division on the line. The winner of that game will not only clinch the NFC South, but will also host a playoff game.
The Falcons beat New Orleans 30-14 to end the Saints' playoff hopes.
The former Heisman Trophy winner Manziel was injured when he was hit hard by two Panther defenders as he dove for the sidelines.
Manziel struggled in his first start last week and he didn't fare much better on Sunday, completing just three-of-eight passes for 32 yards.
"It felt like something I hadn't experienced before and needed to get checked out," said Manziel. "Pretty frustrating."
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass as the Pittsburgh Steelers clinched a playoff spot with a 20-12 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Steelers (10-5) secured a wild-card berth and will host Cincinnati next Sunday for the AFC North title. The Bengals host AFC West-champion Denver on Monday.
"We still got one more game to go so we are going to treat this next one like a playoff game," said Roethlisberger of Pittsburgh, who last appeared in the playoffs in the 2011 season.
They held the Chiefs out of the end zone and limited them to four Cairo Santos field goals.
Kansas City's playoff hopes are slim heading into next Sunday's home game against quarterback Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers.
Tony Romo threw for 218 yards with four touchdowns to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a dominating 42-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts, and help clinch the franchise's 19th NFC East title.
Dallas improved to 11-4 and captured the division crown for the first time since 2009.
In the night game, Marshawn Lynch scored a highlight reel touchdown in the fourth as Seattle stomped Arizona 35-6.
- Fans injured by indirect lightning strike -
The Green Bay Packers also locked up a playoff spot and the New England Patriots clinched a bye earlier on Sunday.
The Patriots secured a first-round bye with a 17-16 win over the lowly New York Jets as Tom Brady completed 23-of-35 passes for 182 yards with one touchdown.
New England (12-3) will clinch the AFC's top seed if Denver loses on Monday.
The Packers clinched a spot in the playoffs for the sixth straight season behind a strong defense. They limited Tampa Bay to just 109 yards of offence in a 20-3 win.
About a dozen fans were injured by an indirect lightning strike outside the game in Tampa, Florida.
None of the fans were believed to be directly struck by the lightning but the blast was powerful enough to knock some of them to the ground. Seven people were transported to a hospital and four went on their own.
Next week the Packers host the Detroit Lions in the final weekend of the regular season, and the winner of that game clinches the NFC North title.
Detroit rallied for a 20-14 win at Chicago on Sunday.
