Ravens, 49ers seal NFL top seeds
The Baltimore Ravens secured the AFC top seed for the NFL playoffs in emphatic fashion on Sunday, crushing the Miami Dolphins 56-19 with Lamar Jackson throwing five touchdowns. The San Francisco 49ers, meanwhile, will have the NFC top seed – and the home field advantage throughout the playoffs that comes with the ranking – after they won 27-10 at Washington. Jackson is the frontrunner to win the league's Most Valuable Player award and he hugely boosted his chances with an outstanding display against a Miami team that had hopes of topping the conference. The Ravens quarterback threw for 321 yards on 18 of 21 passing, averaging 15.3 yards per pass as he picked apart the Dolphins defense. "I don't know if I've seen a more impressive performance in a game," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of Jackson's effort. Miami can take the AFC East division title by beating Buffalo next week. The Ravens had picked off 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy four times in winning last week but he bounced back as San Francisco took a top seed at Washington. Purdy threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns on 22-of-28 passing with no interceptions. He has set a club record for single season passing yards, overtaking Jeff Garcia's mark of 4,279. The 49ers were assured of the NFC top seed when the Philadelphia Eagles fell in a surprise 35-31 loss at home to Arizona (4-12). Defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City moved into the playoffs, winning the AFC West for the eighth successive season thanks to a gritty 25-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. (AFP)