Chargers Beat Colts, Bengals Make Playoffs
By The Associated Press
With their perfect season gone, the Indianapolis Colts can concentrate on the postseason. Those playoffs will include the Cincinnati Bengals for the first time in 15 years, after they won the AFC North; the two-time defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, winners of the AFC East, and the Denver Broncos. All three won their way in this weekend.
San Diego not only made the 1972 Miami Dolphins happy, but improved its playoff chances Sunday by winning at Indianapolis 26-17. That spoiled the Colts’ unbeaten record, leaving those Dolphins as the only perfect team in NFL history.
"You don’t want to lose any games, whether there’s history at stake, the playoffs, period," Colts receiver Reggie Wayne said. "We lost, and history is out the window."
The Colts blew a chance to become the second team in league history to go 14-0. They stormed back from a 16-0 deficit to lead 17-16, but Nate Kaeding made a 49-yard field goal and Michael Turner’s 83-yard TD sprint clinched it.
"We’re a team that really defies the odds," linebacker Shawne Merriman said.
Cincinnati (11-3) routed Detroit 41-17 Sunday for its first division crown since 1990; every season in-between was .500 or worse for the Bengals.
"Even a garbage can gets a steak now and again," tackle Willie Anderson joked.
New England and Denver qualified on Saturday. The Patriots, seeking an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title, blanked Tampa Bay 28-0, while the Broncos handled Buffalo 28-17.
In the other Saturday game, the New York Giants beat Kansas City 27-17.
On Sunday, it was Seattle 28, Tennessee 24; Chicago 16, Atlanta 3; Pittsburgh 18, Minnesota 3; Carolina 27, New Orleans 10; Jacksonville 10, San Francisco 9; Houston 30, Arizona 19; Washington 35, Dallas 7; Miami 24, the New York Jets 20; Philadelphia 17, St. Louis 16; and Cleveland 9, Oakland 7.
On Monday night, Green Bay is at Baltimore.
Chargers 26, Colts 17
In a game of dramatic turnarounds, the win kept San Diego (9-5) alive for an AFC wild-card spot and prevented Denver from clinching the AFC West. It also allowed the Colts (13-1) to rest starters for the final two games of the season, having already clinched home-field advantage for the AFC playoffs.
The last team to start 13-0 and lose, the 1998 Denver Broncos, went on to win the Super Bowl.
Bengals 41, Lions 17
At Detroit, Carson Palmer threw three touchdown passes and Cincinnati won its fourth straight game. It has a chance for its best record ever, having gone 12-4 in 1981 and 1988. The Bengals made the Super Bowl both years.
Palmer was 28-of-39 for 274 yards with three touchdowns. He has thrown 30 TD passes this season, breaking Ken Anderson’s team record of 29 set in 1981.
The reeling Lions (4-10) lost their fifth in a row. Before the game, hundreds of fans marched to protest Lions president Matt Millen, who has led the franchise to an NFL-worst 20-58 record the past five seasons.
Patriots 28, Buccaneers 0 (Saturday)
The Patriots won the division for the fourth time in five years. Tom Brady threw three scoring passes in his 85th consecutive start despite being listed as questionable for the game with a left shin injury. New England sacked Chris Simms seven times and held the Bucs to 138 yards.
The Patriots (9-5) have outscored the last three opponents 79-10.
Although the Bucs came into Foxborough as a hot team with four wins in their last five games, they dropped to 9-5, a game behind Carolina in the NFC South. Carnell "Cadillac" Williams gained 23 yards on 14 carries. Williams entered the game with five 100-yard outings and 924 yards rushing.
Broncos 28, Bills 17 (Saturday)
At Buffalo, Rod Smith had 11 catches for 137 yards – both season highs – and a touchdown as Denver (11-3) secured its third straight playoff berth. Jake Plummer went 20-of-37 for 259 yards and two touchdowns, while Mike Anderson sealed the win with 11- and 6-yard touchdown runs in the final 16 minutes.
The Bills (4-10) closed their home schedule with their fifth straight loss. They have dropped seven of their last eight.
Giants 27, Chiefs 17 (Saturday)
Tiki Barber ran for a team-record 220 yards and scored two touchdowns to bring the host Giants to the brink of an NFC East title. If New York (10-4) beats Washington next week, it clinches.
Behind a makeshift offensive line, Barber slithered through the Chiefs, breaking one tackle after another to eclipse the single-game rushing mark of 218 by Gene Roberts against the Chicago Cardinals in 1950.
Kansas City (8-6) saw its wild-card chances diminish with the loss. Larry Johnson had 167 yards and two touchdowns.
Seahawks 28, Titans 24
Matt Hasselbeck threw three touchdown passes and NFC West winner Seattle clinched a first-round bye.
Visiting Seattle (12-2) won its 10th straight for the first time in team history and also matched the 1984 squad for most victories in a season. Hasselbeck finished with 285 yards as the Seahawks beat the Titans (4-10) for the fifth straight time, and Shaun Alexander also ran for a touchdown.
Alexander became the fifth player in NFL history to rush for 1,600 yards in consecutive seasons. He finished with 26 carries for 172 yards.
Bears 16, Falcons 3
At frigid Chicago, Rex Grossman sparked the offense after relieving the struggling Kyle Orton in the third quarter. The projected starter before breaking his left ankle in a preseason game at St. Louis, Grossman completed 9 of 16 passes for 93 yards with an interception. It was plenty, though, with Chicago’s staunch defense shutting down Michael Vick and the Falcons (8-6).
The NFL’s No. 1 defense limited the Falcons to 231 yards. The Bears (10-4) increased their lead in the NFC North to two games over Minnesota, an 18-3 loser to Pittsburgh. The teams meet Jan. 1 in the regular-season finale.
Steelers 18, Vikings 3
At Minneapolis, Pittsburgh forced three turnovers and a safety to snap Minnesota’s six-game winning streak.
Willie Parker rushed 14 times for 81 yards for the Steelers (9-5), who won their second consecutive game and put themselves in prime position for an AFC wild card. The Vikings (8-6) finished off an embarrassing week in which four players, including the injured Daunte Culpepper, were charged Thursday with three misdemeanors apiece for their lewd behavior in the infamous bye-week boat party.
Panthers 27, Saints 10
At Baton Rouge, La., former Saint Jake Delhomme led Carolina (10-4) back into first place in the NFC South, throwing for a touchdown and running for another.
Delhomme’s fourth victory against New Orleans came in the same week the Saints (3-11) benched quarterback Aaron Brooks after 82 straight starts. His replacement, seldom-used Todd Bouman, struggled, finishing with four interceptions and a lost fumble.
Jaguars 10, 49ers 9
At Jacksonville, David Garrard ran for a touchdown, Josh Scobee kicked the winning field goal and the Jaguars moved closer to a playoff berth.
Jacksonville (10-4) won for the sixth time in seven games – all of the victories coming against teams with losing records – and now can return to the postseason for the first time since 1999 with a victory against Houston or Tennessee to end the season.
San Francisco (2-12), which has lost 12 of 13 since beating St. Louis in the season opener, led 9-7 after Joe Nedney’s 33-yard field goal on the second play of the fourth quarter. But a 32-yard field goal by Scobee with 9:45 to play proved to be the winner. The 49ers are tied with Houston for the worst record in the league.
Texans 30, Cardinals 19
At Houston, the Texans (2-12) broke a six-game losing streak, but may have jeopardized their chances of landing Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush in the draft if he leaves Southern California. The Texans face San Francisco in the season finale on New Year’s Day.
The Cardinals (4-10) played with third-string quarterback John Navarre for the entire second half after Kurt Warner injured his knee in the second quarter and backup Josh McCown didn’t return after halftime because of flu-like symptoms.
Redskins 35, Cowboys 7
The host Redskins kept their playoff hopes firmly intact and severely dented the cause of their despised foes, winning their third straight and sweeping the Cowboys for the first time in 10 years.
Phillip Daniels had four sacks and a fumble recovery, Marcus Washington had two sacks, an interception and a forced fumble, Chris Cooley caught three of Mark Brunell’s four touchdown passes, and Clinton Portis ran for 112 yards.
The game left the Redskins (8-6) and Cowboys (8-6) two games behind the New York Giants in the NFC East, but the Redskins hold the tiebreaker because of the season sweep. Washington’s 8-2 conference record also puts it in position for a wild-card berth and its first postseason appearance since 1999.
Dolphins 24, Jets 20
At Miami, backup Sage Rosenfels threw a 50-yard completion to Marty Booker for the go-ahead touchdown, and the Dolphins earned their fourth win in a row.
Despite the victory, Miami (7-7) was eliminated from the AFC playoff race when Pittsburgh and San Diego won. The Jets (3-11) finished 0-8 on the road for the first time.
New York’s Brooks Bollinger finished 28-for-42 for 327 yards and two touchdowns. But he was sacked six times, and the Jets lost three fumbles and botched a short field goal attempt.
Eagles 17, Rams 16
At St. Louis, Mike McMahon threw the winning touchdown pass to long snapper Mike Bartrum on the first play of the fourth quarter and the Eagles (6-8) won for the second time in eight games.
The Rams (5-9) lost for the fifth time in six games, but Marshall Faulk passed Hall of Famer Marcus Allen to take over the ninth spot on the career rushing list with 12,249 yards.
Browns 9, Raiders 7
At Oakland, Phil Dawson kicked a 37-yard field goal two plays after Reuben Droughns’ apparent fumble was overturned by replay.
Rookie Charlie Frye calmly engineered the last-minute drive that helped Cleveland (5-9) snap a three-game skid. Oakland (4-10) has lost four in a row.