Browns surprise season over
Joshua Cribbs returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown, Jamal Lewis rushed for 128 yards and rookie quarterback Brady Quinn made his long-awaited NFL debut as the Browns beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-7 Sunday at Cleveland.
The Browns (10-6), just 4-12 a year ago, would have made the AFC playoffs for the first time since 2002 if the Colts had beat the Titans.
Tennessee beat Indianapolis 16-10 to end Cleveland’s season.
Derek Anderson threw a TD pass to Braylon Edwards and Phil Dawson kicked two field goals as the Browns finished 7-1 at home for the first time in club history.
Texans 42, Jaguars 28: At Houston, Andre’ Davis returned two kickoffs for touchdowns to lead the Texans to a win over Jacksonville, which rested many starters with their playoff spot secure.
The victory gives Houston (8-8) a .500 finish for the first time in franchise history, and its 42 points are a team record.
Eagles 17, Bills 9: At Philadelphia, with the Eagles eliminated from a playoff spot, Brian Westbrook still gave their fans a reason to celebrate with a pair of team records in Philadelphia’s win over Buffalo.
Westbrook set Eagles records for catches in a season (90) and total yards from scrimmage (2,104).
Bengals 38, Dolphins 25: At Miami, the Dolphins allowed 316 yards passing by Carson Palmer, gave up a touchdown on a fumble return and staggered to the end of the worst season in franchise history, losing to Cincinnati.
The Dolphins became the eighth team to finish 1-15.
Panthers 31, Buccaneers 23: At Tampa, Fla., the Buccaneers, resting most of their starters for the playoffs, didn’t stop Carolina from treating its season finale as a meaningful game and giving Vinny Testaverde a nice send-off.
DeAngelo Williams rushed for 121 yards and two second-half touchdowns, helping the Panthers beat NFC South champion Tampa Bay with the retiring 44-year-old Testaverde taking the last snap in the same city where he began his NFL career in 1987.
Bears 33, Saints 25: At Chicago, Devin Hester raced past New Orleans and ended the Saints bid for a return to the playoffs.
Hester sprinted 64 yards for a TD with a punt return – his NFL-record sixth kick runback for a score this season to break his own mark set a year ago.
Packers 34, Lions 13: At Green Bay, Wis., the Packers finished their turnaround regular season with a victory over Detroit while resting several key players for the playoffs.
Brett Favre extended his quarterback-record consecutive starts streak to 253 games, but even he didn’t keep his helmet strapped on for very long. Favre led the Packers to touchdowns on their first three possessions before handing the ball to backup Craig Nall in the second quarter.
Chargers 30, Raiders 17: At Oakland, Calif., Philip Rivers threw two touchdown passes, LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 56 yards to win his second straight rushing title, and San Diego spoiled JaMarcus Russell’s first career start with a victory over Oakland.
By ending the season with six straight wins, the Chargers beat out Pittsburgh for the No. 3 seed.
Cardinals 48, Rams 19: At Glendale, Ariz., Larry Fitzgerald caught 11 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns, and Arizona finished an 8-8 season with a victory over St. Louis, the Cardinals’ highest-scoring game in 30 years.
The .500 record under first-year coach Ken Whisenhunt is Arizona’s best since going 9-7 and making the playoffs in 1998.
Ravens 27, Steelers 21: At Baltimore, Musa Smith ran for 83 yards and a touchdown in his first NFL start, helping the Ravens end a nine-game losing streak.
The Steelers had already clinched the AFC North title and were locked into a wild-card game at home next weekend.
Broncos 22, Vikings 19 (OT): At Denver, Jason Elam kicked a 30-yard field goal less than a minute into overtime to give the Broncos a win over Minnesota.
The Vikings needed a win and a Washington loss to top-seeded Dallas to sneak into the playoffs, but neither the Redskins nor the Broncos obliged.
Jets 13, Chiefs 10 (OT): At East Rutherford, N.J., Mike Nugent kicked a 43-yard field goal, after having a 33-yarder negated by a penalty, 5:13 into the extra period to give New York a victory over Kansas City, spoiling the return of former coach Herm Edwards.