Chargers best in West
From the pits to the NFL playoffs. The San Diego Chargers turned it all the way around.
LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns, Antonio Gates tied a record with his 12th TD of the season and San Diego captured the AFC West title on Sunday, sliding through the snow for a 21-0 road win over the Cleveland Browns.
One season after they were a league-worst 4-12, the Chargers (11-3) won their eighth straight and earned their first postseason berth since 1995. They’re also division champions for the first time since 1994, clinching the top spot when Denver lost in Kansas City.
San Diego, which hasn’t lost since Oct. 17, also showed it can be a factor in the postseason – regardless of climate. The Chargers ignored the blowing snow, a game-time temperature of 18 and a subzero wind chill to post their first shutout since 1993 and easily handle the Browns, who lost their eighth straight.
Tomlinson scored on a pair of 1-yard runs, his 15th and 16th TDs this season, and Gates tied a league single-season record for TD catches by a tight end with a 72-yarder in the second quarter.
Bills 33, Bengals 17
Takeo Spikes returned an interception 62 yards for a pivotal touchdown against his former team, and Buffalo turned another dominating defensive performance into a road victory over Cincinnati.
Buffalo bolstered its playoff chances with a solid all-around performance. Jason Peters blocked a punt and recovered the ball in the end zone for a score, and the defense turned Jon Kitna’s latest comeback into a bad flashback.
Kitna, filling in for the injured Carson Palmer, threw two interceptions and fumbled a snap, dooming the Bengals to their 14th consecutive season without a winning record.
Vikings 28, Lions 27
Detroit botched an extra-point kick with 8 seconds left that would’ve tied the game, allowing Minnesota to seal a win in Detroit.
The Lions went 80 yards in 1:29 to pull within a point on Joey Harrington’s second touchdown pass to Roy Williams. Then, Don Muhlbach’s snap bounced to holder Nick Harris, who was tackled before he could get the football spotted.
Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper was 25 of 35 for 404 yards and three touchdowns.
Jaguars 28, Packers 25
Byron Leftwich threw two touchdown passes, Fred Taylor rushed for 165 yards and a touchdown and Rashean Mathis picked off Brett Favre twice, helping Jacksonville stay in the AFC playoff race with a win over Green Bay at frigid Lambeau Field.
Favre turned the ball over four times and fell to 31-4 at home after Dec. 1, losing for just the second time in 40 cold-weather games at home.
Nevertheless, the Packers became the ninth team in NFL history to reach the playoffs after a 1-4 start. They clinched before kickoff because Chicago, Dallas, Carolina and New York all lost in the run-of-the-mill NFC.
Saints 21, Bucs 17
Aaron Brooks threw two touchdown passes in the last four minutes, including a 7-yarder to Donte’ Stallworth with 32 seconds left, to give New Orleans a victory over Tampa Bay in Tampa, Fla.
The victory lifted the Saints into a tie with Carolina and St. Louis for the last wild-card spot in the NFC. The Bucs became the first team to win the Super Bowl and then post consecutive losing records the next two seasons.
Eagles 12, Cowboys 7
The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC again goes through Philadelphia.
Dorsey Levens’ 2-yard touchdown run with 1:57 left helped the Eagles clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a victory over Dallas in Irving, Texas.
The Eagles (13-1) set a franchise record for regular-season victories. They’ve finished first in the conference three straight years.
Chiefs 45, Broncos 17
Larry Johnson and Eddie Kennison each scored two TDs and Dante Hall returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for another score, giving Kansas City a victory over Denver in Kansas City, Mo.
The Chiefs scored on four of their first five possessions, aided on every drive by Denver mistakes.
It was the Chiefs’ biggest margin of victory in the long series since a 31-point win in 1983.
Kansas City’s third and sixth touchdowns came off interceptions thrown by Jake Plummer.
Raiders 40, Titans 35
Kerry Collins threw for 371 yards and matched his career high with five touchdown passes, hitting Jerry Porter for three scores and outdueling Billy Volek in Oakland’s victory over visiting Tennessee.
Volek had the second-best passing day in franchise history with 492 yards and threw for four touchdowns. Volek also scored on a 1-yard run with 1:21 left, but was called for intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety with 8 seconds left.
Drew Bennett established a career high with 13 receptions for 160 yards and two touchdowns.
Texans 24, Bears 5
Houston allowed the fewest points in its three-year history in a win over Chicago at Soldier Field.
David Carr threw a TD pass to Corey Bradford and also set up a field goal with a 69-yard toss to Jabar Gaffney. Domanick Davis scored on an 11-yard run in the fourth quarter and Charlie Anderson capped the victory by returning a fumble 60 yards for a TD with 2:37 left.