Patriots on cloud nine after seeing off Steelers to clinch AFC East title

Ben Roethlisberger was picked off as his Pittsburgh Steelers attempted to mount a last-minute comeback against the New England Patriots – as Tom Brady’s side clinched the AFC East for the ninth successive season.

Rob Gronkowski – returning after a one-game suspension – starred for the Patriots, picking up 69 yards in three plays in the dying minutes to help New England take the lead, before linking up with Tom Brady for a two-point conversion.

The Steelers – who lost Antonio Brown to injury in the first half – thought they had the game-winning touchdown with 31 seconds left but it was overruled before Big Ben faked a spike and the ball was collected by the Patriots’ Duron Harmon to seal with 27-24 win.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings powered to the NFC North title with a 34-7 victory over the injury-hit Cincinnati Bengals that keeps them on course for a possible first-round bye in the play-offs.

Mike Zimmer’s men won the division crown for the second time in three years as they bid to be the first team ever to reach a Super Bowl in their home ground.

The Vikings were expertly marshalled by quarterback Case Keenum, who threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns, while Teddy Bridgewater made his long-awaited return from injury late in the game.

The return of Aaron Rodgers from collarbone surgery could not prevent the Green Bay Packers from slipping to a 31-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Rodgers was intercepted on three occasions for the first time since 2009 but also threw for three touchdowns to turn a 31-17 deficit into a chance to draw level, only for Geronimo Allison to fumble at a critical stage.

The Jacksonville Jaguars thumped the Houston Texans 45-7 to end their decade-long wait for play-off qualification.

Quarterback Blake Bortles was outstanding as the Jaguars eased home with a quality all-round performance, completing 21 of his 29 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns.

The Philadelphia Eagles secured a first-round bye after dispatching the New York Giants 34-29, maintaining their ambition to finish as NFC top seeds.

The Giants had a late chance to snatch victory only for Eli Manning’s pass to elude tight end Evan Engram.

Elsewhere, the Buffalo Bills saw off the Miami Dolphins 24-1, while the Baltimore Ravens condemned the Cleveland Browns to their 14th straight defeat in a 27-10 win.

The New York Jets went down to the New Orleans Saints 31-19 and the Washington Redskins saw off the Arizona Cardinals 20-15.

The LA Rams put on an offensive masterclass as they beat the Seattle Seahawks 42-7, while the San Francisco 49ers edged the Tennessee Titans 25-23 and the Kansas City Chiefs won 30-13 against the LA Chargers.

A Dan Bailey field goal from 19 yards with less than two minutes left on the clock was the difference as the Dallas Cowboys beat the Oakland Raiders 20-17.

The Cowboys were 10-0 up at the half, but Oakland pulled it back with a Michael Crabtree touchdown and Giorgio Tavecchio field goal.

Dak Prescott rushed into the end zone to put the Cowboys 17-10 up before Crabtree got his second to tie things up with 10 minutes left to play, but the Cowboys tacked on a field goal to go 7-6 in the season.