Texans beat Patriots to stay alive 1/3/2010 11:19 PM
Associated Press HOUSTON -- Rookie Arian Foster scored two touchdowns, Bernard Pollard recovered a fumble for a touchdown and had a key interception as the Texans (9-7) defeated the Patriots 23-27, with a winning record for the first time in team history and kept their slim playoff hopes alive.
The Texans need the New York Jets to lose against Cincinnati in Sunday's night game to earn the team's first postseason appearance in its eight-year history.
Ravens 21, Raiders 13
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Willis McGahee ran for a career-high 167 yards and three touchdowns and the Ravens clinched an AFC wild-card berth.
The Ravens (9-7) went into the regular season finale knowing a win would put them in the playoffs and a loss would send them home for an early winter. The Raiders (5-11) provided a stiff challenge for much of the game but were unable to pull it out in the end behind former starter JaMarcus Russell.
Baltimore will open the playoffs next weekend at either Cincinnati or New England, depending on the results of the Bengals' game against the New York Jets later Sunday.
Cowboys 24, Eagles 0
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys had their way with the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Their reward: the NFC East title and the challenge of trying to do it again.
Titans 17, Seahawks 13
SEATTLE -- Chris Johnson became the sixth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, then scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard run with 4:33 remaining.
Chiefs 44, Broncos 24
DENVER -- Josh McDaniels' first season as Denver coach ended the same way Mike Shanahan's last one did: with a late-season flop and an embarrassing blowout that wasted a strong start and kept the Broncos out of the playoffs.
Steelers 30, Dolphins 24
MIAMI -- A swarming Steelers defense sent two Miami quarterbacks to the sideline, including Pat White with a scary head injury, but the reigning Super Bowl champions were eliminated from the playoff chase.
Vikings 44, Giants 7
MINNEAPOLIS -- Brett Favre passed for 316 yards and four touchdowns without a turnover in less than three quarters against the barely there Giants (8-8).
The NFC North champion Vikings (12-4) cruised into the locker room to start watching the Philadelphia-Dallas game with an eye on their seed for the NFC playoffs. With the Eagles' loss, the Vikings earned the No. 2 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye.
Bills 30, Colts 7
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Despite near whiteout conditions in the first half, Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three touchdown passes for Buffalo (6-10), including a 41-yarder to Terrell Owens.
The Colts squandered a chance to become the sixth NFL team to win 15 games in one season and also had a franchise-best 11-game road win streak snapped.
Packers 33, Cardinals 7
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers knew well before kickoff that they would be playing each other again on the same field in a few days.
The Cardinals can only hope this wasn't a preview of that first-round playoff matchup.
Chargers 23, Redskins 20
SAN DIEGO -- The Washington Redskins couldn't even hold off San Diego's backups in Jim Zorn's last game as coach.
Billy Volek threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to fullback Mike Tolbert with 35 seconds left to rally the playoff-bound Chargers to their 11th straight victory.
Browns 23, Jaguars 17
CLEVELAND -- Jerome Harrison rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown, and Josh Cribbs ran for a TD, giving Cleveland its first four-game winning streak since 1994. That pushed coach Eric Mangini into an uncertain offseason with momentum to fight for his job.
While the Browns (5-11) ended their season on a high, they ended Jacksonville's razor-thin AFC playoff hopes. The Jaguars (7-9), who had to win and needed four other teams to lose just to qualify, dropped their last
49ers 28, Rams 6
ST. LOUIS -- Vernon Davis tied the NFL record for touchdown receptions for a tight end with his 13th of the season, helping the 49ers finish strong and the lowly Rams clinch the No. 1 overall draft pick.
Bears 37, Lions 23
DETROIT -- Jay Cutler matched a career high for a second straight week with four touchdown passes.
The Bears (7-9) won their final two games and three of the first four. The problem: Chicago lost eight of 10 games between its strong start and finish.
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