Patrick Mahomes threw for 260 yards and a touchdown while running for a score on his ailing ankle, and the Kansas City Chiefs took a big step toward securing the No. 1 seed in the playoffs with a 27-19 victory over the Houston Texans.

NBC Sports makes its first foray into doing an NFL alternate broadcast on Saturday when it puts the matchup between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs into the realm of the Madden video game universe.

The Houston Texans won their second straight AFC South title Sunday with a victory over the Dolphins and a loss by the Colts.

Nico Collins had two touchdown receptions and Houston’s defense forced four turnovers, highlighted by two fourth-quarter interceptions by Derek Stingley, to help the Texans to a 20-12 win over the Miami Dolphins Sunday.

Joe Mixon ran for 101 yards and a touchdown, Nico Collins caught eight passes for 119 yards and the Houston Texans beat Jacksonville 23-20 after knocking quarterback Trevor Lawrence out of the game with a concussion.

Joe Mixon ran for 101 yards and a touchdown, Nico Collins caught eight passes for 119 yards and the Houston Texans beat Jacksonville 23-20 after knocking quarterback Trevor Lawrence out of the game with a concussion.

Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs are the top three leading rushers in the NFL.

Joe Mixon ran for three touchdowns, Derek Barnett returned a fumble 28 yards for a score and the Houston Texans beat the Dallas Cowboys 34-10.

Houston visits Dallas with the NFL’s two Texas teams having just one victory between them over the past month.

C.J. Stroud threw for 285 yards and a touchdown and Joe Mixon ran for 102 yards with a score to help the Houston Texans to a 23-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Brandon McManus kicked a 45-yard field goal as time expired in his debut with Green Bay to lift the Packers past the Houston Texans 24-22.

C.

Paying running backs paid off in Week 1 for teams across the NFL.

Stefon Diggs caught two touchdown passes and Joe Mixon rushed for 159 yards and another score to help the Houston Texans close out a 29-27 victory at Indianapolis.

The Texans made a remarkable turnaround last season with first-year coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie quarterback C.

A person familiar with the deal says the Houston Texans are acquiring running back Joe Mixon from the Cincinnati Bengals.

Jauan Jennings’ historic Super Bowl milestone will turn into only a footnote after his San Francisco 49ers lost the game.

Harrison Butker was a career-best 6 for 6 on field-goal attempts, and Kansas City held the Bengals without a point over their final seven possessions in a 25-17 victory that clinched the Chiefs' eighth straight AFC West title.

Tee Higgins made a savvy goal-line move to score a touchdown and force overtime and Evan McPherson made a 29-yard field goal to seal a 27-24 victory for Cincinnati over the Minnesota Vikings, keeping the Bengals’ playoff hopes alive even with star quarterback Joe Burrow out for the season.

Jake Browning threw for 354 yards and a touchdown in his second career start, and the Cincinnati Bengals stunned the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-31 in overtime.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has a sprained right wrist that forced him out of his team's 34-20 loss to Baltimore.

Joe Burrow shook off a lingering calf injury, throwing for 259 yards as the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Los Angeles Rams 19-16 to get their first win after starting the season with two losses.

Bengals running back Joe Mixon is again facing a misdemeanor charge of aggravated menacing over allegations that he pointed a gun at a woman and threatened her in Cincinnati earlier this year.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon no longer faces a misdemeanor charge of aggravated menacing over allegations that he threatened and pointed a gun at a woman.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon has been charged in a warrant with pointing a gun at a woman and threatening her.

The Bengals and Chiefs have become familiar foes.

The Bengals do everything they can to get the ball into Joe Burrow's hands and let him make plays.

Joe Burrow threw for a touchdown and Joe Mixon ran for another as the Cincinnati Bengals took advantage of four Baltimore turnovers to beat the Ravens 27-16 and set up a rematch in the first round of the playoffs next week.

Joe Mixon and the Cincinnati Bengals are still flipping out over the NFL’s plan to determine home-field advantage in the playoffs.

Joe Burrow threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins with 13:42 left to put Cincinnati ahead to stay, and the Bengals held off the Tennessee Titans 20-16 for their third straight victory and fifth in six games.

Joe Burrow threw four touchdown passes and the Cincinnati Bengals rallied past Pittsburgh 37-30.

D’Onta Foreman carried 31 times for 130 yards and a touchdown, Laviska Shenault added a 41-yard burst to the end zone and the Carolina Panthers beat the Atlanta Falcons 25-15 on a rainy night.

Can we finally start Tony Pollard.

As is traditional in the fall, NBC's Sunday night football telecast dominated the weekly television rankings, in this case a game between Cincinnati and Baltimore.

Joe Burrow tossed a late 2-yard touchdown pass to Hayden Hurst to seal a 27-15 win for the Cincinnati Bengals over Miami.

With the Super Bowl almost here, The Associated Press offers a guide to the basics of betting on the big game.

Running back Joe Mixon overcame injuries and suffered through four losing seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals on his road to the Super Bowl.

Across both Super Bowl rosters, there is a great divide.

A mostly tense game between teams with long playoff droughts was disrupted by some problematic officiating.

The Tennessee Titans are the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs for the first time since 2008.

The Associated Press will hand out its individual NFL awards on Feb. 10 at NFL Honors in Los Angeles.

The Chicago Bears have placed quarterback Justin Fields on the reserve/COVID-19 list, likely sidelining him for the finale and ending his rookie season.

Dallas star rookie linebacker Micah Parsons and Cincinnati running back Joe Mixon were the latest big-name players added to the COVID-19 reserve list.

Joe Burrow threw for a franchise-record 525 yards and four touchdowns, and the Cincinnati Bengals took sole possession of first place in the AFC North with a 41-21 win over the depleted Baltimore Ravens.

Carson Wentz threw a pair of touchdown passes, Jonathan Taylor ran for 108 yards and the banged-up Indianapolis Colts continued their late-season surge with a gritty 22-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night.

Justin Herbert passed for three touchdowns and Tevaughn Campbell returned a Joe Mixon fumble 61 yards for a score, helping the Los Angeles Chargers hold off the Cincinnati Bengals for a 41-22 victory.

Joe Mixon rushed for a career-high 165 yards and two touchdowns, Joe Burrow scrambled ran for a score and passed for another one and the Cincinnati Bengals crushed the Pittsburgh Steelers 41-10, sweeping the season series for the first time since 2009.

Dak Prescott and Joe Burrow are the top contenders for the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year honors after bouncing back from injuries that ended their 2020 seasons early.

Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes, Nick Chubb ran for 137 yards and the Cleveland Browns capped a chaotic week by smashing Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals 41-16.

NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry will have surgery Tuesday morning on his right foot.

The Cincinnati Bengals won their AFC North showdown against the Baltimore Ravens in style, pulling away in the second half for a 41-17 victory.

Joe Burrow tied a career high with three touchdown passes, helping the Cincinnati Bengals rout the Detroit Lions 34-11 Sunday.

Mason Crosby hit a 49-yard field goal in overtime after missing three straight attempts as the Green Bay Packers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 25-22.

Joe Burrow threw for 178 yards and three touchdowns and the Cincinnati Bengals handled the listless Pittsburgh Steelers 24-10.

From players getting COVID-19 vaccinations to relaxed coronavirus protocols to lineup issues, particularly at quarterback, the NFL faces a multitude of questions as training camps open.

(AP Photo/John Froschauer)Denver Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay has cleared concussion protocol and will play against the Los Angeles Chargers. Bears: WR Ted Ginn Jr., DB Duke Shelley, RB Artavis Pierce, OL Cody Whitehair, WR Riley Ridley, LB Trevis Gipson. Seahawks: RB Chris Carson, RB Carlos Hyde, DE Benson Mayowa, CB Ugo Amadi, SS Jamal Adams, CB Shaquill Griffin. ___LOS ANGELES RAMS AT MIAMIRams: RB Raymond Calais, OL Brian Allen, WR Trishton Jackson, TE Brycen Hopkins, DL A’Shawn Robinson. Dolphins: RB/WR Lynn Bowden Jr., RB Salvon Ahmed, FB Chandler Cox, CB Jamal Perry, RB Jordan Howard, DE Jason Strowbridge.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)Cleveland receiver Odell Beckham and Washington safety Landon Collins will have more tests Monday to determine the extent of what could be season-ending injuries. Beckham injured his left knee while attempting to make a tackle after Baker Mayfield threw an interception on the team's opening pass play. Collins injured his left ankle/Achilles tendon in noncontact fashion early in the second quarter. Phillips was carted off the field early in the second quarter. — Carolina left tackle Russell Okung (calf) left in the second half against New Orleans and did not return.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) talks with wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones after Peoples-Jones' touchdown reception during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)CINCINNATI – Baker Mayfield overcame a terrible start to throw for five touchdowns, including a 24-yard go-ahead score to Donovan Peoples-Jones with 15 seconds left, and the Cleveland Browns outdueled the Cincinnati Bengals 37-34 on Sunday. Nursing sore ribs, Mayfield started 0 for 5 — including an interception on his first attempt of the game. Rashard Higgins had six catches for 110 yards, and tight end Harrison Bryant had two touchdown catches. MISSING PIECESThe Bengals had lost Mixon (foot) and cornerback William Jackson III (concussion) to injuries during the week.

(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)Las Vegas starting offensive linemen Kolton Miller, Denzelle Good, Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson are active for the Raiders against Tampa Bay after spending time on the COVID-19 list this week. Safety Johnathan Abram remains on the COVID-19 list for at least one more day and is missing the game. ___TAMPA BAY AT LAS VEGASBuccaneers: QB Ryan Griffin, OL Aaron Stinnie, LB Quinton Bell, DL Khalil Davis, WR Cyril Grayson. Raiders: WR Bryan Edwards, CB Keisean Nixon, QB Marcus Mariota, G Patrick Omameh, DE David Irving. ___CAROLINA AT NEW ORLEANSPanthers: QB Will Grier, CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver, G John Miller, OL Mike Horton, WR Marken Michel.

(AP Photo/AJ Mast)INDIANAPOLIS – Philip Rivers never flinched with the Indianapolis Colts facing a 21-0 first-half deficit Sunday. He went back to work and joined MVP quarterbacks Bert Jones and Peyton Manning in the Indianapolis Colts' record book. ... Mixon left in the first half with a right foot injury but returned at the start of the second half. ... DT Christian Covington and CB William Jackson III both got hurt in the second half and returned later. ... CB Xavier Rhodes and WR Marcus Johnson also were shaken up in the second half but returned.

Jones had been listed as questionable after missing practice throughout the week with a hamstring injury. Even so, the winless Falcons’ secondary gets a boost with safeties Keanu Neal (hamstring) and Ricardo Allen (elbow) returning from injuries. ___PHILADELPHIA AT PITTSBURGHEagles: TE Hakeem Butler; RB Jason Huntley, WR DeSean Jackson, WR Alshon Jeffery, CB Avonte Maddox, QB Nate Sudfeld, DE Casey Toohill. Falcons: S Jaylinn Hawkins, WR Julio Jones, CB A.J. Ravens: RB Justice Hill, WR Chris Moore, QB Trace McSorley, DT Broderick Washington, DT Justin Ellis, OL Tyre Phillips.

Cincinnati Bengals outside linebacker Jordan Evans (50) celebrates late in the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Cincinnati, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. The Bengals defeated the Jaguars 33-25. After linebacker Jordan Evans intercepted a tipped Minshew pass, the Bengals started on Jacksonville’s 40 and got nowhere, Burrow overthrowing an open A.J. The Jags added a field goal with 8 seconds left, but the ensuing onside kick was unsuccessful. He missed a 48-yard field goal in the first quarter but converted on four others, including a 50-yarder in the second half.

FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2019, file photo, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. The Bengals used their franchise tag on A.J. Green signed his one-year, $17.9 million contract Friday after the deadline passed for agreeing to a long-term deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. The club used its franchise tag on Green, who missed all last season with an ankle injury. After nine years of Green teaming with quarterback Andy Dalton, the Bengals made a clean break following a 2-14 finish.

FILE - In this Oct. 24 2019, file photo, Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook walks on the field before an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins in Minneapolis. The Vikings have centered their offense around running back Dalvin Cook and praised him at every turn, but now the bill has come due. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn, FIle)MINNEAPOLIS Dalvin Cook logged off last week from virtual team activities with the Minnesota Vikings, no longer willing to participate until he has secured a new contract. The three-year, $39 million contract Arizona gave David Johnson, who's now with Houston, might be the most realistic model. Gordon took a two-year, $8 million contract with Denver.