GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) – The Green Bay Packers clinched their first NFC North title in five years by forcing five turnovers and getting an outstanding performance by rookie running back Tony Fisher to beat Chicago 30-20 Sunday.
Fisher, an undrafted free agent from Notre Dame, replaced Ahman Green, who hurt his left knee in the third quarter. Fisher had 91 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
On a cold, windy day at Lambeau Field, Brett Favre threw two second-half touchdown passes and improved to 33-0 at home when the temperature is 34 or below. He beat the Bears for the 18th time in 22 tries.
The Packers (9-3) trailed 14-6 at halftime and appeared on their way to a third straight loss until Rod Walker forced a fumble by Bears center Olin Kreutz at the Green Bay 1 early in the third quarter.
The play appeared to be a fumble by quarterback Jim Miller, but Walker timed the snap perfectly, grabbed the ball and pulled it back to his chest, covering up all in one fluid motion.
The Packers also got a huge play from receiver Javon Walker, who ran about 100 yards to chase down Roosevelt Williams as he was about to dance into the end zone at the end of the first half.
Damon Moore had intercepted Favre’s pass at the Chicago 5 but fumbled at midfield. Packers lineman Mike Flanagan recovered but tossed the ball into the air. Williams grabbed it and started running before Walker caught him.
The Bears (3-9) lost starting running back Anthony Thomas with a broken right index finger. Tight end Dustin Lyman scored his first two career TDs.
Falcons 30, Vikings 24, OT
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Michael Vick ran for 173 yards – the most by a quarterback sine the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 – and scored the winning touchdown in overtime from 46 yards out as the Falcons stayed unbeaten in their last eight games.
The previous high by a QB was 127 yards, set by the Chicago’s Bobby Douglass against Oakland on Dec. 17, 1972.
The Falcons (8-3-1) are 7-0-1 since a home loss to Tampa Bay on Oct. 6.
Vick was just 11-for-28 for 173 yards passing with a touchdown, an interception and two fumbles. But on the Falcons’ second offensive play of overtime, Vick dropped back, rolled left and broke two tackles on his way to the end zone.
Minnesota’s Daunte Culpepper was 23-of-43 for 266 yards, one touchdown passing and another running, but he threw three interceptions and was sacked six times. He has 26 of Minnesota’s league-high 35 turnovers.
Bills 38, Dolphins 21
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) – Drew Bledsoe overcame the elements, and the Buffalo Bills overcame Ricky Williams’ career-high 228 yards rushing.
Bledsoe threw three touchdown passes and scored on a 2-yard run as the Bills rallied from a 14-3 first-quarter deficit.
Braving snow, a cold wind and a slick field, Bledsoe finished 15-for-27 for 306 yards, directing three straight TD drives in the second half.
The Bills (6-6) ended a three-game losing streak while jumping back into the AFC East playoff race, getting within a game of the Dolphins (7-5). Miami also lost ground, falling into a tie with the New England Patriots.
The Dolphins, who lost quarterback Ray Lucas to a nerve injury, couldn’t be carried by Williams, who scored on runs of 45 and 55 yards.
His rushing total set a team single-game record, and his 1,284 yards is a new franchise mark, surpassing the 1,258 by Delvin Williams in 1978. It also was the second-most yardage ever for a losing team.
Steelers 25, Jaguars 23
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Kordell Stewart made a bid to get his job back for good, Jeff Reed made all six of his field-goal attempts and the Steelers’ defense closed the door on the Jaguars.
Reed, a rookie signed two weeks ago to replace the injured Todd Peterson, kicked a 50-yarder to give Pittsburgh (7-4-1) a 25-17 lead with 4:30 left.
Mark Brunell and the Jags (5-7) answered with a 65-yard TD drive to cut the deficit to two with 1:16 left. But the Steelers’ defense stopped Jacksonville on the 2-point try when Dewayne Washington broke up the pass Brunell threw into quadruple coverage trying to hit Jimmy Smith.
Stewart, who regained the starting job after Tommy Maddox’s scary injury two weeks ago, threw for 202 yards and ran for 84 more and the team’s lone touchdown.
Chiefs 49, Cardinals 0
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Despite a defense ranked last in the league, the Kansas City Chiefs shut out the injury-weakened Cardinals, handing Arizona its worst loss in memory.
The Cardinals’ previous worst loss was on Oct. 12, 1941, when the Chicago Cardinals lost to the Chicago Bears 53-7. Records aren’t available between 1898, when the Cardinals were founded, and 1920.
It also was the biggest margin in the NFL since the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Houston Oilers 61-7 on Dec. 17, 1989.
Dante Hall added a team-record 90-yard punt return for a touchdown for the Chiefs (6-6), who sent the Cardinals (4-8) to their sixth straight loss.
Kansas City’s Priest Holmes scored two touchdowns and had 169 total yards, personally eclipsing the 122 net yards of the hapless Cardinals.
Titans 32, Giants 29, OT
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – After sitting out all week because of rib, shin and toe injuries, Steve McNair threw three touchdown passes, ran for a game-tying 2-point conversion and set up Joe Nedney’s 38-yard field goal in overtime.
McNair, who didn’t know until game time whether he was going to play, was 30-of-43 for 334 yards.
The Titans (7-5) have won six of seven and are in the thick of the playoff chase, while the Giants (6-6) have lost two in a row.
The Giants had their chances to put the Titans away late in the fourth quarter when they got a first-and-goal from Tennessee’s 1. But they lost a yard in three plays and settled for Matt Bryant’s 19-yard field goal to take a 29-21 lead with 2:21 to go.
McNair made the Giants pay with a 9-yard TD pass to tight end Frank Wycheck barely in the end zone with nine seconds to play. A video review allowed the catch, and McNair ran straight ahead for the conversion to tie the game at 29.
Panthers 13, Browns 6
CLEVELAND (AP) – After nearly three months of self destruction, the Panthers finally damaged somebody else’s season.
Dee Brown rushed for 122 yards in his first career NFL start as Carolina ended an eight-game losing streak Sunday with a 13-6 win over Cleveland, crippling the sloppy Browns’ playoff chances.
The Panthers (4-8), who began the season 3-0, won for the first time since Sept. 22 and ended a string of futility that included all sorts of off-field problems – the most notable being wide receiver Steve Smith’s assault of teammate Anthony Bright during a film session.
The Browns (6-6) committed five turnovers and quarterback Tim Couch threw three interceptions.
Ravens 27, Bengals 23
CINCINNATI (AP) – Baltimore rookies Chad Williams and Ron Johnson scored touchdowns on returns, and a defense missing Ray Lewis held on to avoid an upset.
Jon Kitna, who passed for 308 yards, completed his first 10 passes and helped the Bengals take a 13-0 lead.
But Williams returned an interception 98 yards for a touchdown, and he later blocked a punt that Williams brought back for a TD. A 22-yard pass from Jeff Blake to tight end Todd Heap gave the Ravens (6-6) the go-ahead score over the Bengals (1-11) with 5:12 left.
