With one mighty leap, Julio Jones ended the Carolina Panthers' perfect season.
Atlanta's star receiver discarded one Carolina defender, jumped over another and snagged a 70-yard pass from quarterback Matt Ryan for the go-ahead score late in the third quarter in the Falcons' 20-13 win over the Panthers at the Georgia Dome.
The Falcons handed the Panthers (14-1) their first loss and, for now, kept them from clinching home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. Atlanta (8-7) also kept its own playoff hopes alive, although a win by the Minnesota Vikings later in the day would eliminate the Falcons from postseason contention.
Carolina quarterback Cam Newton had two chances to lead comeback drives late in the fourth quarter but couldn't get the Panthers in the end zone.
"They may have taken us lightly," Falcons rookie linebacker Vic Beasley said. "But we didn't take them lightly."
One week after battling New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr physically and verbally, Carolina Pro Bowl cornerback Josh Norman struggled to keep up with Jones. But Norman wasn't matched up on Jones on the biggest play of the game.
On third and 14, Ryan scrambled to his left and heaved a deep ball to Jones, who was covered by corner Charles Tillman and linebacker Luke Kuechly. Neither could climb with Jones, who leaped up, made the catch and strolled into the end zone for the winning touchdown.
"Just how we drew it up," joked Falcons coach Dan Quinn.
Jones finished with 178 yards on nine receptions and broke his own Falcons record for receiving yards in a season.
Ryan completed 23 of 30 passes for 306 yards. His touchdown pass to Jones was the 200th of his career.
The Falcons' win comes just two weeks after a 38-0 loss to the Panthers in Carolina.
"This was a measuring-stick game, a complete team win," Quinn said.
The Panthers, who averaged 38.8 points in their last five games, were held to a season-low 13 points.
"We didn't coach to our abilities or play to our abilities," Carolina coach Ron Rivera said. "But give them credit. This is part of the journey. We have to refocus. But we've accomplished a lot. Let's not lose sight of that."
Newton finished 17 of 30 for 142 yards passing. He also rushed seven times for 46 yards.
"We didn't match the Falcons' intensity at times," Newton said. "They made more plays. That's unacceptable. Come back and get ready for a good week of practice. No magic words need to be said."
The Panthers will look to secure home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs next week at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Falcons finish up at home against the New Orleans Saints.
Jets beat Patriots in OT
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick's 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Eric Decker 2:37 into overtime gave the New York Jets a dramatic - and potentially controversial - 26-20 win over the New England Patriots.
The Patriots overcame a 14-point second-half deficit to force overtime on quarterback Tom Brady's 9-yard touchdown pass to running back James White with 1:55 left.
Patriots wide receiver and special teams captain Matthew Slater apparently elected to kick off after New England won the coin toss, though he appeared to be arguing with officials as the teams left the field. Patriots coach Bill Belichick claimed in his postgame remarks that he intended to kick off and had "no regrets" about the decision.
Matthew throws for career high
In his first game for Baltimore, quarterback Ryan Mallett threw for a career-high 274 yards and the Ravens shocked the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 20-17 victory.
Mallett signed with the Ravens just 12 days ago after being cut by the Houston Texans earlier in the season. He completed 28 of 41 pass with a touchdown.
Ravens running back Javorius Allen recovered from some costly fumbles over the past two weeks and finished with 79 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown.
Chiefs win ninth straight
The Kansas City Chiefs won their ninth consecutive game, beating the Cleveland Browns 17-13.
The Chiefs' winning streak tied the club record that was established in the 1969 season by a KC team that went on to win Super Bowl IV.
Cleveland quarterback Johnny Manziel kept the Browns in the game.
The Browns last chance came with 1:52 left as the Cleveland offense moved to the Chiefs 18-yard line. But Manziel did not have any timeouts left and could not stop the game clock.
Colts beat Dolphins
Running back Frank Gore scored two touchdowns and the Indianapolis Colts kept their playoff hopes alive by defeating the Miami Dolphins 18-12.
The Colts (7-8), already without injured starting quarterback Andrew Luck, lost backup Matt Hasselbeck (shoulder) with 5:33 left, and Indianapolis ahead 8-6 at the time. Charlie Whitehurst came in and played the rest of the game at quarterback.
