Niners knock off reeling Jets
From lineman Joe Staley’s smart fumble recovery in the end zone to Shaun Hill’s final touchdown pass, the San Francisco 49ers showed they’re finally getting it together under interim coach Mike Singletary – even if it’s a bit too late to save their season.
Hill passed for 285 yards and two touchdowns against New York’s porous secondary, and the 49ers sent the AFC East-leading Jets to their second straight embarrassing loss, 24-14 Sunday at San Francisco.
Joe Nedney kicked a 32-yard tiebreaking field goal early in the fourth quarter and Bryant Johnson made a diving 3-yard TD catch with 6:05 left for the suddenly solid 49ers, who have won three of four. Staley, their 315-pound left tackle, jumped on former Washington State receiver Jason Hill’s fumble for the 49ers’ first score.
San Francisco knocked the Jets into a tie atop the division with the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots.
Vikings 20, Lions 16: Tarvaris Jackson threw a go-ahead touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter and Minnesota held on for a victory over the winless Lions at Detroit. The Vikings lost starting quarterback Gus Frerotte to a back injury, but Jackson filled in well and kept them atop the NFC North.
Titans 28, Browns 9: Kerry Collins threw two touchdowns, and Chris Johnson ran for 136 yards and a score as Tennessee routed Cleveland at Nashville, Tenn., clinching a second consecutive playoff berth with the franchise’s best record through 13 games, 12-1. The Titans have won 15 of their past 16 games, and are the first team to secure a postseason berth this year.
Texans 24, Packers 21: Matt Schaub marched Houston to set up Kris Brown’s 40-yard field goal on the final play of the game to beat Green Bay at Green Bay, Wis. The Texans won despite committing four turnovers for their second victory in six days.
Bears 23, Jaguars 10: Danieal Manning set the tone for a strong defensive effort with an early interception, Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen caught touchdown passes, and Chicago rolled to a victory on a bone-chilling afternoon in Chicago. Robbie Gould kicked three field goals.
Colts 35, Bengals 3: Peyton Manning threw for three touchdowns, Dominic Rhodes ran for one and cornerback Kelvin Hayden’s interception return produced another as the Colts routed Cincinnati at Indianapolis.
Dolphins 16, Bills 3: Chad Pennington and the Miami Dolphins took advantage of an indifferent Bills “home” crowd, an inept Buffalo offense and the cozy indoors of the Rogers Centre at Toronto. Pennington completed 23 passes, including his final 11 attempts, as the Dolphins won for the sixth time in seven games.
Broncos 24, Chiefs 17: Jay Cutler guided a tiebreaking 95-yard touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter and the Broncos defense stuffed Kansas City quarterback Tyler Thigpen on fourth-and-goal to rally past the Chiefs at Denver. The Broncos snapped a three-game skid at home and put themselves on the cusp of ending a three-year playoff drought. They lead second-place San Diego by three games in the middling AFC West.
Cardinals 34, Rams 10: Kurt Warner threw for 279 yards, the defense scored twice and Arizona clinched its first division title in 33 years by beating woeful St. Louis at Glendale, Ariz. Arizona’s defense scored both of the team’s second-half touchdowns, including a team record-tying 99-yard interception return by rookie Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
Ravens 24, Redskins 10: Ed Reed set up a touchdown with an interception and scored on a 22-yard fumble return, part of a stifling effort by the Ravens defense in a victory at Baltimore. With their seventh win in eight games, the Ravens enhanced their stature in the wild-card race and remained one game behind Pittsburgh in the AFC North. Baltimore hosts the Steelers on Sunday.