LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns, Antonio Gates tied a record with his 12th TD of the season and the San Diego Chargers captured the AFC West Division title on Sunday, sliding through the snow for a 21-0 win over the Cleveland Browns.
One season after they had the National Football League's worst record at 4-12, the Chargers (11-3) won their eighth straight and earned their first playoff berth since 1995. They're also division champions for the first time since 1994, clinching the top spot when Denver lost 45-17 in Kansas City.
PHOTO: AP
San Diego, which has its longest winning streak since 1987, ignored the blowing snow and a game-time temperature of -8?C to post their first shutout since 1993 and easily handle the Browns (3-11), who lost their eighth straight.
PHOTO: AFP
Colts 20, Ravens 10
In Indianapolis, Peyton Manning couldn't get a record-setting touchdown pass against Baltimore's rugged defense. Manning led two second-half touchdown drives, pulling within one of Dan Marino's record for touchdown passes in a season, and the Colts got their seventh straight victory.
PHOTO: AFP
Manning has 47 TD passes; Marino had 48 in 1984.
The fans even booed when Manning knelt down twice in the final minute at the Baltimore 4, running out the clock with a chance to tie the record.
Marvin Harrison, Manning favorite target, was wide open on a 29-yard TD pass to make it 13-3.
Manning fell short of Marino's record, but extended his own NFL record of consecutive 4,000-yard seasons to six. He finished 20 of 33 for 249 yards and one touchdown.
Baltimore's playoff hopes took a hit. The Ravens (8-6) are now tied with Buffalo, Jacksonville and Denver for the final wild-card spot in the AFC race.
Eagles 12, Cowboys 7
In Philadelphia, Dorsey Levens' 2-yard touchdown run with 1:57 left helped Philadelphia clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
But the win was costly for Philadelphia, which lost star wide receiver Terrell Owens to an ankle injury. Owens didn't return after spraining his right ankle early in the third quarter.
Philadelphia plays its first playoff game on Jan. 15 or 16.
Vikings 28, Lions 27
In Detroit, Detroit botched an extra-point attempt with 8 seconds left that would've tied the game, allowing Minnesota to hang on for a much-needed victory.
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 for kicker Jason Hanson.
Jets 37, Seahawks 14
In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Chad Pennington threw three touchdown passes and Curtis Martin had 134 yards and two touchdown runs, helping New York keep its lead in the AFC wild-card standings.
The Seahawks (7-7) had another disappointing day in their bid to stay atop the NFC West, with three turnovers the Jets (10-4) converted into 14 points.
Bills 33, Bengals 17
In Cincinnati, Takeo Spikes returned an interception 62 yards for a pivotal touchdown against his former team, and Buffalo turned in another dominating defensive performance.
Buffalo (8-6) bolstered its playoff chances with a solid all-around game. Jason Peters blocked a punt and recovered 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 (6-8) to their 14th consecutive season without a winning record -- one of the longest streaks of futility in NFL history.
Chiefs 45, Broncos 17
In Kansas City, Missouri, Larry Johnson and Eddie Kennison each scored two touchdowns and Dante Hall returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for another score in Kansas City's win over slumping Denver.
The Chiefs (6-8) scored on four of their first five possessions.
Texans 24, Bears 5
In Chicago, Houston allowed the fewest points in its three-year history and got four turnovers to beat the Bears.
With the temperature -13? C at kickoff and the wind chill -23? C, it was the Texans (6-8) who handled Soldier Field's frigid conditions better than the Bears.
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.
Cardinals 31, Rams 7
In Tempe, Arizona, Josh McCown threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more and the Cardinals snapped a four-game losing streak.
McCown, starting his second game since being benched for three, went 22-of-34 for 287 yards with no interceptions.
He had TD passes of 8 and 4 yards to Larry Fitzgerald, and scoring runs of 1 and 9 yards.
Raiders 40, Titans 35
In Oakland, California, 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.
Volek had the second-best passing day in franchise history with 492 yards and four touchdowns. But it wasn't enough to keep Tennessee (4-10) from losing its fourth straight game.
Porter caught scoring passes of 32, 18 and 3 yards, his second three-TD game of the season, and had eight catches for 148 yards for the Raiders (5-9).
Jaguars 28, Packers 25
In Green Bay, Wisconsin, Byron Leftwich threw two touchdown passes, Fred Taylor rushed for 165 yards and a touchdown and Rashean Mathis picked off Brett Favre twice, keeping the Jaguars playoff hopes alive.
Jimmy Smith caught two touchdowns for Jacksonville (8-6).
The Packers (8-6) 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 earlier in the day.
Saints 21, Buccaneers 17
In Tampa, Florida, Aaron Brooks threw two touchdown passes in the last four minutes, including a 7-yarder to Donte' Stallworth with 32 seconds left, to keep alive the Saints' playoff hopes.
It was the second straight comeback win for New Orleans, which the previous week overcame a 10-point deficit against Dallas to stop a three-game losing streak.
The victory lifted the Saints (6-8) into a tie with Carolina and St. Louis for the last wild-card spot in the weak NFC. The Bucs (5-9) became the first team to win the Super Bowl and then post consecutive losing records the next two seasons.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely