The Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Chargers qualified for the AFC playoffs with the Indianapolis Colts' 48-27 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night.
A fifth consecutive loss by the Colts clinched a seventh straight postseason trip for Josh Allen and the Bills (11-4), while Justin Herbert and the Chargers (11-4) are going for the second time in two seasons under coach Jim Harbaugh.
Trevor Lawrence is set for his second playoff appearance in five seasons with the AFC South-leading Jaguars (11-4). It's the third playoff trip for Jacksonville since 2017.
All three teams were in position to advance after winning on the road Sunday. Buffalo beat Cleveland 23-20, Los Angeles topped Dallas 34-17 and Jacksonville knocked off AFC West-leading Denver 34-20.
The Bills trail New England by a game in the AFC East, the same deficit for Los Angeles behind the Broncos. Buffalo needs help to catch the Patriots, but the Chargers can play for the AFC West title if they beat Houston at home on Saturday.
Los Angeles visits Denver in the regular-season finale, and a win would give the Chargers the tiebreaker with a sweep of the Broncos.
Los Angeles lost to the Texans in the wild-card round last season in Harbaugh’s Chargers debut, a year after he led Michigan to the national championship.
Harbaugh has made the playoffs in five of his six seasons as an NFL head coach. San Francisco qualified in the first three of his four seasons with the 49ers. That included a trip to the Super Bowl during the 2012 season when Harbaugh lost to his brother, Baltimore coach John Harbaugh.
The Chargers are 4-0 since Herbert broke a bone in his nonthrowing hand against Las Vegas in a victory that started the winning streak. Herbert’s left hand has been heavily protected in all three starts since surgery to repair the broken bone.
Bills coach Sean McDermott has reached the playoffs eight times in his nine seasons. The Jaguars are advancing with first-year coach Liam Coen.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) greets fans as he runs off field after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos in Denver, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) celebrates with fans after a win over the Dallas Cowboys in an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) leave the field after an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/David Richard)
A small Mexican Navy plane transporting a young medical patient and seven others crashed Monday near Galveston, killing at least five people and setting off a search in waters along the Texas coast, officials said.
Four of the people aboard were Navy officers and four were civilians, including a child, Mexico’s Navy said in a statement to The Associated Press. Two of the passengers were from a nonprofit that provides aid to Mexican children with severe burns, including transports to a Galveston hospital.
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Luke Baker said at least five aboard had died but did not identify which passengers.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Mexico’s Marines said in a statement that it is sending “its deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident.”
The crash took place Monday afternoon in Galveston Bay near the base of the causeway that connects Galveston Island to the mainland. Emergency responders and search teams rushed to the scene near the popular beach destination along the Texas coast that is about 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) southeast of Houston.
Sky Decker, a professional yacht captain who lives about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the crash site, said he jumped in his boat to see if he could help. He said he picked up two police officers who directed him through thick fog to a nearly completely submerged plane. Decker jumped in the water and found a badly injured woman trapped beneath chairs and other debris.
“I couldn’t believe. She had maybe 3 inches of air gap to breathe in," he said. "And there was jet fuel in there mixed with the water, fumes real bad. She was really fighting for her life.”
He said he also pulled out a man sitting in front of her who had already died. He described both of them as dressed in civilian clothes.
Mexico's Navy said the plane was helping with a medical mission in coordination with the Michou and Mau Foundation, which provides emergency transports to children with life-threatening burns to Shriners Children's hospital in Galveston, according to the nonprofit's website.
The foundation said in a post on social media, “We express our deepest solidarity with the families in light of these events. We share their grief with respect and compassion, honoring their memory and reaffirming our commitment to providing humane, sensitive, and dignified care to children with burns.”
The statement from Mexico’s Navy said the plane had an “accident” during its approach to Galveston but did not elaborate.
Teams from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have arrived at the scene of the crash, the Texas Department of Public Safety said on the social platform X.
A spokesperson from NTSB said they are “aware of this accident and are gathering information about it.” The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office said officials from its dive team, crime scene unit, drone unit and patrol were responding to the crash.
It’s not immediately clear if weather was a factor. The area has been experiencing foggy conditions over the past few days, according to Cameron Batiste, a National Weather Service meteorologist. He said that at about 2:30 p.m. Monday a fog came in that had about a half-mile visibility.
Emergency personnel rush a victim of a small plane crash to an awaiting ambulance, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, near the causeway, in Galveston, Texas. (Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News via AP)
Galveston Police officers watch the water on Galveston Bay west of the Galveston causeway, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, near Galveston, Texas, as emergency personnel search for a small airplane that went down in the bay in heavy fog. (Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News via AP)
Emergency personnel rush a victim of a small plane crash to an awaiting ambulance, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, near the Galveston causeway, near Galveston, Texas. (Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News via AP)
