Eagles take care of Cowboys
Tony Romo’s latest A-list girlfriend and his parents came to Texas Stadium to see the Dallas Cowboys play their final home game before the playoffs. They were treated to Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles beginning their last-gasp bid to get into the playoffs, too.
McNabb wasn’t his old self, but he was good enough – and certainly better than the out-of-whack and possibly injured Romo, leading the Eagles past the Cowboys 10-6 Sunday at Irving, Texas.
Philadelphia could’ve won by more, but Brian Westbrook broke free for a 24-yard run with a little more than two minutes left. Instead of sprinting into the end zone, he stopped at the 1. Dallas was out of timeouts. The Eagles were able to take a knee on three straight plays and run out the clock.
With starlet Jessica Simpson watching from a luxury box in a pink No. 9 jersey, Romo started 0-of-6 and wasn’t doing much better when he injured his throwing hand in the third quarter.
Colts 21, Raiders 14: At Oakland, Calif., Peyton Manning threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Gonzalez with 4:49 remaining for Indianapolis’ first offensive touchdown of the game, and the Colts rallied to beat the Raiders and clinch a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs.
The Colts trailed 14-13 after Justin Fargas’ 2-yard run early in the fourth quarter. But Manning completed all seven passes on the ensuing drive, including a key third-down conversion to Reggie Wayne, to drive Indianapolis 91 yards for the go-ahead score.
Chargers 51, Lions 14: At San Diego, LaDainian Tomlinson and the Chargers repeated as AFC West champions by beating punchless Detroit for their fourth straight win and eighth in 10 games.
Tomlinson had 116 yards and two scores on 15 carries, and the rout was so complete that L.T. got the second half off, which allowed Darren Sproles to run for 122 yards and two TDs.
Detroit’s Jon Kitna tied his career-high with five picks, helping the Lions to their sixth straight loss.
Titans 26, Chiefs 17: At Kansas City, Mo., Vince Young passed for 191 yards and two touchdowns and Rob Bironas kicked four field goals for a much- needed victory over the Chiefs that keeps Tennessee alive in the AFC wild-card chase.
The Chiefs lost their seventh in a row and closed out their most miserable home season in 30 years, going 2-6 at Arrowhead Stadium.
Saints 31, Cardinals 24: At New Orleans, Drew Brees connected on 87 percent of his throws for 315 yards and two touchdowns and the Saints held on to their slim chances of a playoff berth with a victory over Arizona.
Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner threw three touchdown passes but also fumbled, threw two interceptions and was sacked twice.
Brees made fewer mistakes, completing 26 of 30 throws while never turning over the ball.
Buccaneers 37, Falcons 3: At Tampa, Fla., Micheal Spurlock returned a kickoff for a touchdown, Ronde Barber returned an interception 29 yards for a TD and Earnest Graham scored a touchdown rushing in a team-record sixth consecutive game to help Tampa Bay beat Atlanta to claim the NFC South.
The loss was the fifth in a row for the besieged Falcons.
Browns 8, Bills 0: At Cleveland, Jamal Lewis plowed for 163 yards and Phil Dawson kicked two field goals as the Browns improved their postseason chances with a win over Buffalo.
Cleveland needed a win and a loss by Tennessee to secure at least a wild-card berth. Only half of that scenario happened, but the Browns will clinch their first playoff appearance since 2002 with a win at Cincinnati next week.
Packers 33, Rams 14: At St. Louis, Brett Favre threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns, eclipsing Dan Marino to become the NFL career leader in yards passing in Green Bay’s victory over the Rams.
Favre was 19 of 30 for 227 yards, throwing his 25th and 26th touchdown passes, with two interceptions.
Steven Jackson had 143 yards on 23 carries for the Rams.
Redskins 22, Giants 10: At East Rutherford, N.J., Clinton Portis ran for 126 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Todd Collins led Washington on five scoring drives in his first start in 10 years, outplaying Eli Manning to keep the Redskins’ playoff hopes alive in beating New York.
The win moved the Redskins within a half-game of Minnesota – which plays tonight – for a wild-card berth.
The loss was the third straight at home for the Giants, and this one was costly as Pro Bowl tight end Jeremy Shockey was lost for the season with a broken left leg early in the second half.