NFL week 15: Chiefs miss playoffs, Rams down Lions and Broncos beat Packers – as it happened
As it stands the postseason looks like this:AFC: 1) Denver 12-2; 2) New England 11-3; 3) Jacksonville 10-4; 4) Pittsburgh 7-6; 5) LA Chargers 10-4; 6) Buffalo 10-4; 7) Houston 9-5.Bubble: Indianapolis 8-6NFC: 1) LA Rams 11-3; 2) Chicago 10-4; 3) Philadelphia 9-5; 4) Tampa Bay 7-7; 5) Seattle 11-3; 6) San Francisco 10-4; 7) Green Bay 9-4-1.Bubble: Detroit 8-6And the Chiefs are eliminated with Patrick Mahomes tearing his ACL.Micah Parsons also appears to have sustained a knee injury for Green Bay who take a big drop to the seventh seed after losing.On that bomb shell, goodnight!(12-2) Denver Broncos 34-26 Green Bay Packers (9-4-1)(11-3) Los Angeles Rams 41-34 Detroit Lions (8-6)(4-10) New Orleans Saints 20-17 Carolina Panthers (7-7)(10-4) San Francisco 49ers 37-24 Tennessee Titans (2-12)(11-3) Seattle Seahawks 18-16 Indianapolis Colts (8-6)Broncos 34-26 Packers, final scoreJayden Reed just can’t make the catch as the ball from Jordan Love is too short.
3rd and 15 now.Love throws it incomplete again.The game on the line now.4th down.Turnover on downs! Denver pull off the comeback win.
They were down 23-14 at the start of the third quarter.Denver have a one-game lead for the No 1 seed now after New England’s defeat.Meanwhile Chicago have taken over the lead in the NFC North after Green Bay’s loss.Broncos 34-26 Packers 1:07, 4th quarterDenvers turn to turn it over on downs again.Jordan Love is out with one minute to tie it up.
No timeouts.Good luck.Detroit’s playoff hopes are flagging after the Rams fightback to an impressive win.They were down 24-14 with 2:39 to go in the first half.49ers 37-24 Titans, final scoreEasy.
Saints 20-17 Panthers, final scoreTo bastardise a song, Carolina no,Charlie Smyth boots it at the buzzer from 47 yards,The Panthers are one of the weirdest teams in the NFL this season,Can beat the Rams but lose to the Saints,They let the Bucs keep the lead in the NFC South.
Shocker.Broncos 34-26 Packers 2:26, 4th quarterDondrea Tillman sacks Jordan Love for a loss of nine yards bringing up 3rd and 16.Love throws it short.They go for it on 4th and 10.Love is sacked again! Crushed by a sea of orange.
Denver looking very good for a huge win.Turnover on downs.Broncos 34-26 Packers 4:59, 4th quarterDenver can’t pull off the specatular make on 4th down this time.Green Bay turn it over on downs.They take over at midfield.
Jim Nantz and Tony Romo are in mourning in the booth in Denver.Not to be too flippant though that is terrible news for Patrick Mahomes who will be fighting hard to be ready for next season now.Good luck, Pat.D Montgomery rush for one yardDetroit finally score their first points since the second quarter to draw one-score behind.Seahawks 18-16 Colts, final scoreUnlucky, old man.
Rivers drops back and is picked off as they try and move it to within field goal range.I’m thinking this was a lot closer than most though it would be.Kicker Jason Myers takes the MVP with six field goals.J Myers 56 yard field goalWell that didn’t last long.Indy’s knackered defense give up a sixth field goal, a record amount of boots for a Seattle kicker.
RJ Harvey rush for four yardsWhat a turnaround,They were nine points down in the third quarter and now lead by eight,You have to feel that Micah Parsons’ injury has helped the Broncos big time,TOUCHDOWN! Rams 41-27 Lions 3:51, 4th quarterM Stafford to C Parkinson for 11 yardsParkinson’s second touchdown grab of the day puts LA in a very strong position,Brilliant second-half adjustments on defense for the Rams.
It’s GOOD! Seahawks 15-16 Colts 0:47, 4th quarterBlake Grupe hits a career-best 60-yard boot.Philip Rivers is 47 seconds from winning on return after a five-year hiatus.Broncos 27-26 Packers 8:24, 4th quarterRuled a catch in Denver.Seahawks 15-13 Colts 0:52, 4th quarterThey run the ball.And Jonathan Taylor is well short.
Blake Grupe is going to be attempting a 60-yard field goal.His career best is 57.Good luck.Seahawks 15-13 Colts 1:01, 4th quarterPhilip Rivers has Indy on the edge of field goal range.Can he get 10 more yards on 3rd down?Broncos 27-26 Packers 9:03, 4th quarterFiendish pass coverage from Xavier McKinney to shut down a long pass from Denver.
That brings up 4th down and they are thinking it over after calling the timeout.The Broncos roll the dice and run an identical play down the left sideline.Nix lays it over Sutton’s shoulder wonderfully and they pick up the 1st down on a 26 yard catch.Or does he?! Green Bay are challenging.Either a huge gain or a turnover on downs.
Drama.TOUCHDOWN! Saints 17-17 Panthers 2:24, 4th quarterT Shough to C Olave for 12 yardsCarolina are getting tight.How will they respond?It’s GOOD! Broncos 27-26 Packers 7:51, 4th quarterB McManus 37 yard field goalGreen Bay are right on Denver’s shoulder after the field goal.Delicately poised.TOUCHDOWN! Seahawks 15-13 Colts 2:27, 4th quarterJ Myers 30 yard field goalSeattle finally take the lead after a fifth field goal.
Death by a thousand cuts for Indy.C’mon Philip, dust off the old magic.It’s GOOD! Rams 34-27 Lions 7:54, 4th quarterJ Bates 48 yard field goal … justAmon-Ra St Brown makes his 11th catch of the day giving Detroit another 1st down after an 11 yard gain.The Lions are trying to get Jahmyr Gibbs going but he goes nowhere on two rushing plays.Big 3rd down coming.
OK that was shocking play calling,They get cute and try a draw play to Gibbs,He is rocked at the line,Jake Bates bangs one through to make it one-score game,Rams 34-24 Lions 11:57, 4th quarterDetroit are across midfield after a 20-yard strike from Stafford to Raymond.
Denver Broncos 27-23 Green Bay PackersLos Angeles Rams 34-24 Detroit LionsNew Orleans Saints 10-17 Carolina PanthersSan Francisco 49ers 31-17 Tennessee TitansSeattle Seahawks 12-13 Indianapolis ColtsJust 15 minutes or fewer remaining now.An injury now for the Rams as Davante Adams limps off.They are dropping like flies.TOUCHDOWN! 49ers 31-17 Titans 14:16, 4th quarterC Ward to J Simmons for one yardSorry, a defensive tackle just caught a touchdown.What?B Nix to T Franklin for 23 yardsMicah Parsons hobbles off the field looking incredibly forlorn.
A potential season altering injury for Green Bay who would lose one pf the finest pass rushers in the NFL if it is long term.Meanwhile Nix’s day just gets better and better.He pings a bullet over the top of the defense to Troy Franklin who goes up HIGH and comes down with the score.Two point try is no good.Broncos 21-23 Packers 0:44, 3rd quarterDenver are on Green Bay’s 30-yard line.
Nix sidearms one to Mims who scrambles through would-be tacklers.Micah Parsons pursuing Nix goes down holding his knee.Oh no, not good.What a shame.Denver inside the red zone on 1st down when we restart.
Seahawks 12-13 Colts 13:24, 4th quarterJ Myers 32 yard field goalAnd still Indy limit Seattle to a field goal as they retain the lead.Just.That is their fourth now.B Corum rush for 11 yards.Puka Nacua is dominating Detroit’s threadbare defense.
He puts the Lions just shy of 1st and Goal with a 39-yard grab,Blake Corum finishes the two-play, 52 second rive off,Excellent fightback from LA who were down 24-14,That is 20 unanswered points,Is this a touchdown?Broncos 21-23 Packers 4:51, 3rd quarterBo Nix is back out on offense after the Packers punt.
Denver can take back the lead they lost at half-time.M Stafford to C Parkinson for 26 yardsThe commentary team are having a big laugh with the in house referee as that cleary wasn’t a touchdown but they give it on the field.“I’m speechless,” says the booth zebra.Parkinson’s knee is clearly down a yard shy of the end zone.TOUCHDOWN! 49ers 31-10 Titans 2:10, 3rd quarterB Purdy to G Kittle for one yardSan Francisco out of sight.
Purdy having a day with 235 yards and three touchdowns.Rams 20-24 Lions 2:32, 3rd quarterLA are on Detroit’s 26-yard line after a wonder throw from Stafford to Adams for 21 yards.Did Tom Brady just call that pass a “piss missile”?!?!? Meanwhile Colby Parkinson makes an incredible catch just short of the goal line.The Rams are one yard from retaking the lead.TOUCHDOWN! Broncos 21-23 Packers 9:07, 3rd quarterB Nix to C Sutton for 14 yardsDenver capitalise on the interception to draw just behind Green Bay.
Nix is quietly building in the second half he is 15/18 for 185 yards and three touchdowns.PICK! Broncos 14-23 Packers 12:46, 3rd quarterPatrick Surtain picks off Jordan Love and the (very injury prone) intended receiver Christian Watson hits the deck hard and is holding his shoulder.Not looking good for Watson.Rams 20-24 Lions 6:38, 3rd quarterA quick three and out has the Lions punting back to LA.The Rams take over at their 12-yard line
Victims of sexual offences face ‘postcode lottery’ with police, says home secretary – as it happened
The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has said victims of sexual offences face “a postcode lottery” in terms of how the police will deal with their report.“It is a postcode lottery at the moment if you are a victim in terms of the standard of service you are going to get when your allegation is being investigated by the police and whether that is going to lead to charges ultimately and hopefully a successful prosecution”, Mahmood told Trevor Phillips on Sky News.The home secretary was responding to claims from the Institute for Government that currently up to 50 per cent of police officers currently on sexual violence and rape squads are trainees. She said the government plans to get a specialist squad in ever force.Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood tells @TrevorPTweets that the standard of police responses to rape and sexual assault allegations is currently a "postcode lottery" as she announces a new violence against women and girls strategy
Who is Al Carns? Former Marine and Labour minister with sights on leadership
A former special forces colonel, government minister Al Carns was this week on manouevres warning that the UK needs to be preparing for war with Russia.“The shadow of war is knocking on Europe’s door once more. That’s the reality. We’ve got to be prepared to deter it,” he said, in comments that go beyond previous warnings by his boss, the defence secretary, John Healey.“Collectively, everybody – what is their role if we get caught in an existential crisis, and what do they need to be aware they need to do and what they can’t do, and how do we mobilise the nation to support a military endeavour?”It was stark language from the 45-year-old Scottish-born MP, who has had an exceptionally swift rise to his role of armed forces minister
Starmer to pick new US ambassador as relations with Trump tested
Keir Starmer is poised to choose a new ambassador to Washington from a shortlist of three as relations with the US are tested over Ukraine and Donald Trump’s attacks on European leaders.The prime minister held interviews with three finalists for the role this week, the Guardian has learned, with Downing Street preparing to make an appointment before the end of the year.The trio of candidates seen by Starmer were Varun Chandra, his business adviser who has helped negotiate a series of deals with the Trump administration, Christian Turner, a diplomat due to become ambassador to the UN, and Nigel Casey, the British ambassador to Russia.Whoever is chosen will be taking up the role at a critical stage in US-UK relations, with insiders warning of rising tensions over Ukraine and the White House’s pugnacious national security strategy.Chandra, a former managing partner at the corporate intelligence firm Hakluyt, has played a central role in negotiating bilateral deals with the US on trade, tech and pharmaceuticals and is seen as the frontrunner
Infighting, broken promises and insisting on the national anthem: what seven months of Reform UK in charge actually looks like
Nigel Farage’s party is gunning for power – so what is it like in the places where they’ve already got it? We embedded with Lancashire county council to find out what happens when rhetoric meets reality22 May 2025: a new dawn for Lancashire. Outside Preston’s grand old county hall, 53 brand new Reform UK councillors in turquoise ties – and one petite woman with an enormous turquoise hair bow – are hot-footing it past a gaggle of protesters for their first full council meeting. Most keep their heads down and get into the building as quickly as possible. But Joel Tetlow, a first-time politician who has made a few unfortunate headlines before even taking his seat, is intrigued. He stands in the doorway, vaping, as a demonstrator bellows: “Reform is a far right party and Nigel Farage is a racist and a fascist!”Tetlow – late 40s with a full head of vertiginous hair, wearing a powder-blue three-piece suit – insists he isn’t bothered
Government’s process behind tackling violence against women ‘worse than under the Tories’
Leading organisations have criticised the development of the government’s flagship violence against women and girls strategy, calling the process chaotic, haphazard and “worse than under the Tories”.Ministers are gearing up for a policy announcement blitz before the publication of the long-awaited plan next week.Important voices in the violence against women and girls (VAWG) sector have privately accused ministers of sidelining first-hand expertise and expressed concern that the strategy will not be sufficiently radical to achieve the government’s flagship manifesto promise to halve the rate of VAWG in the UK in a decade.Initially expected in spring, the VAWG strategy was delayed until summer and then autumn.On Friday it emerged that schoolboys would be the target of the strategy, which the BBC reported would be built around the pillars of preventing radicalisation of young men, stopping abusers and supporting victims
Reform UK claims it has overtaken Labour as Britain’s largest party
Reform UK says it is now the largest political party in Britain and has overtaken Labour, which has reportedly seen its membership fall below 250,000.Nigel Farage’s party says it has more than 268,000 members on the live tracker displayed on its website.Farage said: “As we have suspected for some time, Reform has overtaken Labour to become the largest political party in British politics – a huge milestone on our journey to win the next election. The age of two-party politics is dead.”Meanwhile, the Times reported that, according to internal figures, the Labour party’s paid-up membership had fallen below 250,000
NFL week 15: Chiefs miss playoffs, Rams down Lions and Broncos beat Packers – as it happened
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