Panthers fall from ranks of undefeated

ATLANTA (AP) — Carolina’s bid for an undefeated season has come to an end in Atlanta.

Julio Jones caught a 70-yard touchdown pass to spark Atlanta’s 20-13 win. Jones grabbed nine passes for 178 yards to help avenge a 38-0 loss to the Panthers earlier this season.

MVP candidate Cam Newton has bailed out the Panthers throughout their 14 wins, but didn’t have the magic this time. Carolina got the ball with 90 seconds left and no timeouts remaining. Newton fumbled on the second play and Adrian Clayborn recovered for the Falcons, wrapping up the win.

Matt Ryan threw for 306 yards and one touchdown for the 8-7 Falcons, and Devonta Freeman ran for 73 yards with a touchdown.

Newton threw for 142 yards and ran for 46 yards, including an 8-yard scoring run to cap the 14-1 Panthers’ opening drive.

In other games:

– Kansas City has completed a remarkable run from a 1-5 start to the playoffs, with a 17-13 win over Cleveland. Alex Smith tossed a pair of touchdown passes to help Kansas City to a franchise record ninth straight win. The victory combined with Pittsburgh’s loss to Baltimore clinched a wildcard spot for the Chiefs. Johnny Manziel (man-ZEHL’) drove the Browns deep into Kansas City territory, but time ran out before they could score. The Browns quarterback threw for 136 yards with an interception, and also ran for 108 yards.

– Pittsburgh’s playoff quest took a hit with a shocking 20-17 loss at Baltimore. Ryan Mallett threw for a career high 274 yards in his first start for the Ravens. He went 28 for 41 with a touchdown and no interceptions. Mallett was signed on Dec. 15 and is the fourth quarterback to start for 5-10 Baltimore in the last six weeks. The 9-6 Steelers saw their three-game winning streak snapped. Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger went 23 for 33 for 227 yards. He was intercepted twice and sacked three times.

– Ryan Fitzpatrick connected with Eric Decker on a six-yard scoring pass in overtime as the Jets took advantage of a strange Patriots decision in a 26-20 win over the AFC East champs. The 12-3 Patriots won the overtime toss and elected to kick off. The Jets promptly marched down field for the winning score that kept their playoff hopes alive. A win next week at Buffalo clinched a wildcard spot for New York. Brandon Marshall caught a pair of touchdown passes and set an NFL record with his sixth 100-reception season.

– Brandon Weeden rushed for his first career touchdown and threw for two more in Houston’s 34-6 win over Tennessee. That put the 8-7 Texans in position to clinch the AFC South title outright as early as Monday night if Cincinnati wins at Denver. Weeden became the first player in franchise history to throw for two TDs and run for another. He finished with 200 yards passing for his first win as a starter this season after coming off the bench to beat the Colts a week ago.

– Charlie Whitehurst came off the bench to complete a pair of scoring driver as the Colts held on to beat Miami 18-12. The victory kept alive Indy’s faint hopes to win the AFC South. The Dolphins had a first-and-goal at the 5 with 40 seconds left, but after three consecutive incompletions, rookie center Jamil Douglas snapped the ball prematurely, and Ryan Tannehill was sacked by three Colts. Frank Gore rushed for 85 yards and scored the Colts’ touchdowns on runs of 37 and 11 yards.

– Buffalo got touchdown runs from rookie running backs Mike Gillislee and Karlos Williams in a 16-6 win over Dallas. Gillislee scored on a 50-yarder and finished with 93 yards on the ground. Williams blasted in from a yard out for the 7-8 Bills who rushed for 246 yards. Kellen Moore went 13 of 31 for 186 yards in his first career start for Dallas. Darren McFadden rushed for 99 yards for 4-11 Dallas.

– Matthew Stafford threw for two touchdowns to lead Detroit to a 32-17 win over San Francisco. The 6-9 Lions have won five of their last seven games, perhaps giving coach Jim Caldwell a chance to keep his job for a third season. Stafford was 29 of 37 for 302 yards. Six completions went to Calvin Johnson for 77 yards and a score. The sloppy 49ers were called for six offside or neutral-zone penalties in the first half, allowed Detroit to convert a fake punt, missed a field goal and negated a pair of 30-plus yard returns with penalties. San Francisco was flagged 11 times for the second straight week. The 49ers fell to 4-11.

– Third-string running back Ka’Deem Carey caught a touchdown pass and scored on a 1-yard run to help the Bears stop a three-game losing streak with a 26-21 victory over Tampa Bay. The second-year pro teamed with Matt Forte and Jeremy Langford to spearhead a rushing attack that gained 174 yards for 6-9 Chicago. The Bears held Buccaneers quarterback Jamies (JAY’-mihs) Winston in check. He was 15 of 29 passes for 295 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Tampa Bay has lost four of five and is now 6-9.

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