Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Philip Rivers threw three touchdown passes as the visiting San Diego Chargers kept their flickering playoff hopes alive with a 38-14 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night.

The Chargers (5-7) scored the final 28 points to snap a six-game losing streak and pull within two games of co-AFC West leaders Denver and San Diego.

Rivers finished 22 of 28 for 294 yards to spark a quick-strike offense that produced three touchdowns in a span of 4 minutes, 22 seconds bridging the halftime break to blow the game open.

He threw a pair of touchdown passes in the final 86 seconds of the first half, hooking up with Vincent Brown for 22 yards and finding Vincent Jackson for 35 yards to send the Chargers into the intermission with a 24-14 lead.

San Diego put the game away on its opening drive of the second half when Rivers connected with Malcom Floyd on a 52-yard scoring strike down the right sideline.

Even with plenty of time left, that was too much of a deficit to overcome for rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert and the Jaguars, who entered the weekend as the league's lowest-scoring team.

Ryan Mathews rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown and Mike Tolbert had a 13-yard scoring run as the Chargers won for the first time since a 29-24 victory at Denver on Oct. 9.

The loss capped a turbulent week for Jacksonville (3-9), which fired Jack Del Rio last Tuesday and announced the team was being sold on the same day.

The Jaguars did show flashes in the second quarter as Gabbert led two long scoring drives, tossing a pair of short TD passes to Maurice Jones-Drew and Cecil Shorts to give the Jaguars a 14-10 lead.

Jones-Drew accounted for the bulk of Jacksonville's offense by rushing for 97 yards and catching six passes for 91 more.

Gabbert wound up 19 of 33 for 195 yards with two TDs and one interception.

Drew Brees threw for 342 yards and three touchdown passes as the New Orleans Saints extended their winning streak to four games with a xx-xx victory over the visiting Detroit Lions on Sunday night.

Brees went over 4,000 yards for the sixth consecutive season to help New Orleans (9-3) improve to 6-0 at home and open a two-game lead over the Atlanta Falcons atop the NFC South.

Despite a season-high 408 yards from Matthew Stafford, Detroit (7-5) lost for the fifth time in seven games, enabling Green Bay to clinch the NFC North title.

Brees' third TD pass, a 6-yarder to Darren Sproles with 9:44 to play, blunted a comeback attempt by the Lions, who had erased a pair of 17-point deficits and pulled within 24-17 early in the fourth quarter.

During the Saints' four-game winning streak, Brees has thrown 11 scoring passes and been intercepted only once to reach 30 touchdown passes for the fourth season in a row.

Brees extended his own NFL record by completing at least 20 passes for the 32nd consecutive game and threw a TD pass in his 39th straight game to move within eight of tying Johnny Unitas' all-time record.

The Lions repeatedly killed themselves with penalties, committing 11 for 107 yards. They were also forced to play without star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who served the first of a two-game suspension for stomping on a Packers player on Thanksgiving Day.

Detroit fell into a 17-0 hole midway through the second quarter as Brees led a nine-play 97 yard drive capped by rookie Mark Ingram's 14-yard run and followed it with a 67-yard strike to Bobby Meachem on New Orleans' next possession.

Kevin Smith's 2-yard run capped an 80-yard drive to cut the deficit to 17-7 with 2:28 left in the half, but Brees responded by driving the Saints 80 yards before hitting Lance Moore between defenders in the end zone for a 24-7 halftime advantage.

Brees was 17 of 22 for 252 yards and two touchdowns in the opening 30 minutes.

Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdowns, Mason Crosby kicked a 30-yard field goal as time expired and the Green Bay Packers kept their perfect season alive with a 38-35 victory over the host New York Giants on Sunday.

Clay Matthews returned an interception 38 yards for a score and Greg Jennings had a touchdown catch for the Packers (12-0), who have won 18 straight and clinched a playoff berth.

Green Bay survived a huge scare from a Giants' team that has a history of knocking off unbeaten teams. The Packers will win the NFC North title if Detroit loses at New Orleans on Sunday night.

New York was trying to end a perfect season for the second time in four years. The Giants (6-6) knocked off the 18-0 New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

They nearly did it again. Eli Manning's second touchdown to Hakeem Nicks drew New York to within 35-33 with 1:02 left, and the Giants tied the game when D.J. Ware ran in for the two-point conversion.

Green Bay got the ball with 58 seconds left and Rodgers needed just two plays to get the Packers in field goal range. Rodgers hit Jermichael Finley for 24 yards and then hooked up with Jordy Nelson for 27 more.

Three plays later, Crosby split the uprights and sent the Giants to their fourth straight loss.

It was a spirited effort from a Giants team that was embarrassed by New Orleans 49-24 just six days ago.

Lawrence Tynes' 50-yard field goal pulled New York within 28-27 with just under 11 minutes left. Rodgers responded with his second touchdown to Donald Driver - a 7-yard strike that gave Green Bay a 35-27 lead with 3:34 to play.

Kevin Kolb threw a 52-yard pass to LaRod Stephens-Howling in overtime to lift the Arizona Cardinals to a 19-13 victory over the visiting Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Beanie Wells rushed for 67 yards and a score and Kolb finished 16 of 25 for 247 yards and a touchdown for the Cardinals (5-7), who have won back-to-back games.

The Cowboys (7-5) had a four-game winning streak snapped remained atop the NFC East.

Arizona won the toss in overtime and needed five plays for the score. The Cardinals drew a first down on the drive when Dallas cornerback Terrence Newman was called for pass interference on second-and-19.

Kolb picked on Newman for another first down pass to Andre Roberts before unloading the touchdown pass to Stephens-Howling.

It was a defensive battle through most of regulation, with each team managing only one touchdown. The Cardinals tied at 13-13 early in the fourth quarter when Wells capped a 79-yard drive with a 4-yard run.

The Cowboys were driving for the win but could only make it to the Arizona 31-yard line with two seconds to play. Dan Bailey came up short on a 49-yard field goal attempt, forcing overtime.

Tony Romo threw for 299 yards and a touchdown but Dallas rookie running back DeMarco Murray was held to 38 yards on 12 carries.

About the only thing missing for San Francisco's top-ranked defense this season was a shutout. The 49ers got that on Sunday and clinched their first playoff berth since 2002 with a 26-0 win over the visiting St. Louis Rams on Sunday.

San Francisco (10-2) wrapped up the NFC West title by limiting the Rams to just 31 yards on the ground and getting a pair of long touchdown passes from Alex Smith.

A.J. Feeley filled in for Sam Bradford (ankle) at quarterback for the Rams with no success. Feeley passed for 156 yards as St. Louis, losers of three straight, spent virtually the entire game in its own territory.

Stephen Jackson finished with 19 yards on carries and St. Louis (2-10) had just nine first downs in the game.

It was the sixth straight game that the Niners didn't allow a touchdown in the first half, setting a franchise record. Buoyed by three David Akers field goals, they led 9-0.

San Francisco made it 16-0 early in the third quarter when Alex Smith connected with Michael Crabtree for a 52-yard touchdown.

Smith fired another long touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to Kyle Williams covering 56 yards. The two completions were the longest plays of the season for San Francisco.

Smith finished 17 of 23 for 274 yards before being removed in the fourth quarter.

Ray Rice rushed for 204 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries as the Baltimore Ravens held onto first place in the AFC North with a 24-10 victory over the host Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

Lardarius Webb returned a punt for a touchdown and Ricky Williams added a rushing score for the Ravens (9-3), who own the tiebreaker over the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) in the division.

Baltimore still has a strong shot at the overall No. 1 seed in the AFC.

Going up against the best pass defense in the league, the Ravens put the game on Rice. The Rutgers product rushed seven times for 48 yards on Baltimore's first scoring drive, punching it in for a 6-yard score.

Rice piled up 107 yards in the first half alone as the Ravens took a 10-0 lead into the break.

Rice set up Williams' 1-yard score with a 67-yard run in the third quarter, making it 17-3, and Webb put the game away when he broke a punt 68 yards for a touchdown.

The Ravens' defense had its way with the Browns, pressuring Colt McCoy into one interception and sacking him three times. They bottled up the running game as well, limiting Cleveland to 59 yards on 17 carries.

The Browns (4-8) have dropped five of six.

Mark Sanchez fired a 30-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes late in the fourth quarter and the New York Jets scored 21 points in the final five minutes to defeat the Redskins 34-19 at Washington on Sunday.

It was the 10th career game-winning drive in the fourth quarter executed by Sanchez and his second in two weeks as the Jets (7-5) won a game they couldn't afford to lose to stay in the AFC playoff picture.

Shonn Greene scored three touchdowns for New York, including a 9-yard run that followed a fumble by Rex Grossman deep in Washington territory to give New York a 27-16 lead.

Greene added another one from 25 yards out a couple of minutes later as New York turned a close game into a rout in the final minutes.

Sanchez threw for just 165 yards but was on the mark when it counted, hitting Holmes in stride to erase a 16-13 deficit with 4:49 to play.

The Redskins (4-8) marched down the field to score a touchdown on their first possession of the game, capped by a 2-yard run by rookie Roy Helu (23 carries, 100 yards).

Greene responded on the Jets' first drive, tying the score on a 1-yard run to cap a 17-play drive for the Jets.

Graham Gano booted a pair of field goals to give the Redskins a 13-10 halftime lead, and New York's Nick Folk accounted for the only scoring in the third quarter with a 51-yard field goal to tie the game.

Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson returned to action after missing a couple of games with a knee injury, but he was injured again early in Sunday's game. He did return later.

Tim Tebow engineered his fifth second-half comeback of the season and Matt Prater kicked a 23-yard field goal on the final play of the game as the Denver Broncos moved into a first-place tie in the AFC West with a 35-32 victory over the host Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

The winning kick was set up by Andre Goodman's interception at the Minnesota 35 with 1:25 remaining as the Broncos (7-5) won their fifth straight game.

Denver trailed by eight points three times in the second half and answered with a touchdown each time.

Demaryius Thomas had four catches for 144 yards and two second-half touchdowns of 21 and 41 yards that trimmed Minnesota's lead to one point each time.

Willis McGahee rushed for 111 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown scamper with 8:52 remaining. Tebow followed with a two-point conversion run to make it 29-29.

After Ryan Longwell's 39-yard field goal with 3:05 left gave the Vikings a 32-29 lead, Prater answered with a 46-yarder prior prior to Goodman's pick.

Tebow finished 10 of 15 for 202 yards and improved to 6-1 as a starter this season with his fourth final-quarter comeback.

Christian Ponder threw for a Vikings rookie record 381 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Percy Harvin had 156 yards receiving and two touchdowns for the Vikings (2-10).

The defenses were responsible for the game's first nine points.

Minnesota's Jared Allen tackled McGahee in the end zone for a safety, one play after Chris Kluwe's punt spun down at the 1.

Denver's Mario Haggan, starting for the injured Von Miller, intercepted Ponder's pass and returned it 16 yards for a touchdown to make it 7-2 with 5:42 left in the first quarter.

Miller missed the game with torn ligaments in his thumb. He entered Week 13 fourth in the NFL with 10.5 sacks, and first among rookies.

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson missed his second straight game with an ankle injury.

Arian Foster rushed for 111 yards and the winning touchdown and rookie quarterback T.J. Yates won in his first NFL start as the Houston Texans continued to win despite a revolving door under center, beating the visiting Atlanta Falcons 17-10 on Sunday at Reliant Stadium.

The Falcons (7-5) drove inside the Texans' 30 in the final minute, but two shots into the end zone fell incomplete on the final two plays.

The Texans (9-3) continue to stay in control of the AFC South race despite losing starting quarterback Matt Schaub to a season-ending foot injury two weeks ago and putting his replacement, Matt Leinart, on injured reserve with a broken collarbone last week.

Yates, a former North Carolina player, became the first Tar Heel to start at quarterback in NFL history, and he made his first start a memorable one. He completed only 12 of 25 passes for 188 yards but tossed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Joel Dreessen in the second quarter and did not throw an interception.

The Falcons (7-5) lost for only the second time in seven games, dealing a blow to their hopes of catching NFC South leader New Orleans and damaging their chances of earning a wild card.

Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez had seven catches for 100 yards, giving him an NFL-record 13 consecutive seasons with 60 or more catches.

Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson, playing in only his second game since missing seven games with a hamstring injury, had four catches for 97 yards but left in the second half with an apparent hamstring injury.

The loss snapped a streak of five consecutive wins against AFC teams for Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who threw a pair of first-half interceptions.

Dexter McCluster caught a 38-yard Hail Mary from Tyler Palko at the end of the first half and the visiting Kansas City Chiefs ended a four-game losing streak with a 10-3 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

McCluster finished with 107 total yards and Ryan Succop kicked a 21-yard field goal for the Chiefs (5-7), who racked up seven sacks en route to their first win since Oct. 31.

Things went from bad to worse for the Bears (7-5), who were already without quarterback Jay Cutler and lost running back Matt Forte to a right knee injury in the first half. Without Forte, who leads the league in yards from scrimmage, the Bears' offense grew even more anemic.

Caleb Hanie completed 11 of 24 passes for 133 yards with three interceptions in his second career start in place of Jay Cutler (broken thumb). The Bears went 0-for-11 on third down. Hanie also threw three interceptions in a 25-20 loss to Oakland that ended the Bears' five-game winning streak.

The Chiefs weren't much better (6-for-20 on third down), thus allowing Chicago to hang around. Hanie drove Chicago to the Kansas City 20-yard line with just over four minutes left, but an ill-advised pass to Roy Williams bounced off several defenders and was intercepted in the end zone by John McGraw.

It was one of two bounces that went Kansas City's way. 

The Chiefs took a stunning 7-3 halftime lead when Palko's prayer was answered. Chicago's Brian Urlacher had a chance to intercept it, but teammate Chris Conte batted it out of his hands and into the lap of McCluster.

Kansas City hadn't crossed midfield prior to that 16-play, 87-yard drive. It was Palko's first touchdown pass since taking over for Matt Cassel (broken hand) three weeks ago. The ironic part is he was only back in the game because former Bear Kyle Orton left with a dislocated index finger after throwing just one pass.

Orton, who entered at the start of the second quarter, didn't return after taking a big hit on his hand from Major Wright while attempting a flea-flicker. Orton's injury came shortly after Forte left after taking a helmet to his right knee late in the first quarter. He walked off the field under his own power.