The Bills (13-3) routed the Jets (4-12) in a 40-14 final. New York only put up points once both teams pulled their starters from the contest in the fourth quarter, only further displaying Buffalo’s dominance on Sunday. 

With the victory, the Bills have locked up the No. 2 overall seed in the AFC ahead of the 2024 NFL postseason. That means Buffalo earned a “defacto bye” in Week 18, which will give their starters some well-deserved rest.

The battle for the 2024 NFL MVP Award continues to go back and forth between Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. Allen staked another claim against the Jets. 

Allen was 16-for-27 passing for 182 yards with two touchdowns. Allen rushed in another score and did not turn the ball over.

The Jets only put points on the board when they took quarterback Aaron Rodgers out and put former Bill Tyrod Taylor under center. Buffalo’s defense essentially shutout New York. Both sides of the ball were fantastic for the Bills.

The top highlight for Buffalo was AJ Epenesa’s safety. Rodgers had a few backup offensive linemen in front of him due to injury. The Bills had four sacks, hit Rodgers six more times, and had two interceptions, even defensive tackle Jordan Phillips hauled one in. Over his past eight games, Rodgers only had one pick.

The New York Mets wanted Juan Soto to know his future with them could be set in stone.

When the free agent outfielder traveled to owner Steve Cohen’s house in Beverly Hills, California, for a presentation last month, the team unveiled a video that included an image of a future Soto statue outside Citi Field, next to the one erected of franchise great Tom Seaver.

“Everything that they showed me, what they have, what they want to do, it was incredible,” Soto said. “But my favorite part was the video.”

Juan Soto was introduced at Citi Field after his record $765 million, 15-year contract was finalized. He was flanked by Mets owner Steve Cohen, president of baseball operations David Stearns and agent Scott Boras. 

Cohen purchased the Mets ahead of the 2021 season and has boosted them to baseball’s highest payroll in search of the team’s first title since 1986.

The value of Soto’s contract eclipsed Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers last December. The 26-year-old Soto batted .288 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs and 129 walks this year and has a .285 career average with 201 homers, 592 RBIs and 769 walks over seven seasons with Washington, San Diego and the Yankees.

Soto’s success will be determined by World Series titles. The Yankees have 27, the Mets two.

Malik Nabers exploded for 171 yards and two touchdowns and Ihmir Smith-Marsette broke a 100-yard kickoff return to give the New York Giants their highest scoring output under Brian Daboll in a 45-33 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. 

Drew Lock threw four touchdown passes and accounted for a fifth on the ground to seal the win, breaking a 10-game losing streak in the process.

Lock took a perfect 158.3 passer rating deep into the fourth quarter, completing 14 of his first 17 attempts for 254 yards and four touchdowns. He finished 17 of 23 for 309 yards and accounted for five total touchdowns, including a five-yard run to put the Giants ahead 42-33 with 2:57 left in the game.

Sixteen years passed between Joe Flacco’s first start against the Giants as a rookie with Baltimore in 2008 and his most recent. 

Safety Dane Belton intercepted Flacco on the opening drive of the game, diving to make the catch inside the Giants 10-yard line. The Giants went 11 games without an interception this season but have notched one in three of the past four outings. Rookie Dru Phillips put an exclamation point on the game with his first career interception after Lock’s touchdown run.

The latest in a string of talented running backs that the Giants have faced, Jonathan Taylor ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries.