Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS ó Adrian Peterson had 97 yards and two touchdowns, pushing Minnesota past mistake-prone Cincinnati 30-10.
Peterson added 40 yards receiving and set a single-season team record with 14 rushing touchdowns, moving Minnesota (11-2) within one more win of a second straight NFC North title.
Brett Favre completed 17 of 30 passes for 192 yards, one touchdown and an interception for the Vikings.
Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer was 15 for 25 for a season-low 94 yards and one touchdown, and Cedric Benson’s 16 carries for 96 yards gave him his first 1,000-yard season but left the Bengals short of 100 for the first time in a month.
The Bengals (9-4) committed 11 penalties for 85 yards, failing in their first chance to clinch the AFC North.
Migraines that bothered Minnesota wide receiver and kickoff returner Percy Harvin all week forced the rookie to miss a game for the first time.
Texans 34, Seahawks 7
HOUSTON ó Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson put together their best game of the season to help Houston snap out of a slump and keep its dwindling playoff hopes alive.
Johnson had a season-high 193 yards receiving and two touchdowns to lead the Texans (6-7) over Seattle (5-8), breaking a four-game losing streak.
Schaub had 336 yards passing before halftime and finished with 365 yards and two touchdowns. His first-half yardage was the second-most in a first half this season in the NFL.
The defense did its job too, returning an interception for a touchdown and hurrying and harassing Matt Hasselbeck into a sub-par performance. The quarterback had three fumbles, was sacked three times and take down numerous other times and finished with 247 yards.
Packers 21, Bears 14
CHICAGOó Ryan Grant ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns, and Green Bay beat Chicago after letting a lead slip away.
Grant broke off a season-long 62-yard touchdown on the Packers’ first play from scrimmage and scored the go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter after Nick Collins intercepted Jay Cutler.
Aaron Rodgers threw for 180 yards, Jermichael Finley caught five passes for 70, and Charles Woodson added his 44th career interception for the Packers (9-4), who have won five straight.
The Bears (5-8) lost for the seventh time in nine games.
Tied for the NFL lead entering the game, Cutler has 22 interceptions after getting picked off twice. He threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns even though Devin Hester missed the game with a calf injury.
Titans 47, Rams 7
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ó Chris Johnson ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns and took a short pass 66 yards for another score to lead Tennessee to a rout of woeful St. Louis.
The Titans (6-7) must win out and get plenty of help after their 0-6 start. But they started a three-game homestand by handing the struggling Rams (1-12) a fifth straight loss even with Vince Young sidelined by a strained right hamstring most of the game.
The Titans intercepted five passes they turned into 20 points, ruining the NFL debut of rookie Keith Null as St. Louis’ third quarterback this season.
Bills 16, Chiefs 10
KANSAS CITY, Mo. ó Rian Lindell kicked three field goals, and Buffalo intercepted Matt Cassel four times to beat struggling Kansas City.
Buffalo (5-8) overcame three turnovers and an ineffective passing game to finally close out a win in the fourth quarter. The Bills had lost seven times this season when they were within a touchdown headed into the final 15 minutes, pulling this one out with two interceptions in the final 2:11.
Kansas City (3-10) got a career-high 143 yards and a touchdown from Jamaal Charles, but couldn’t overcome another shaky game from Cassel, who threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter.
Ravens 48, Lions 3
BALTIMORE ó Ray Rice ran for a career-high 166 yards and a touchdown, and Baltimore enhanced its playoff hopes with a rout of Detroit.
Baltimore (7-6) built a 20-3 halftime lead behind the play of Rice, who had 155 yards rushing on only nine carries, and four catches for 53 yards. His 59-yard touchdown run made it 17-3, and the Ravens cruised to the finish in handing the hapless Lions (2-11) their 19th straight road loss.
Jets 26, Buccaneers 3
TAMPA, Fla. ó Thomas Jones ran for 99 yards and two touchdowns, Jay Feely kicked four field goals, and the New York Jets intercepted rookie Josh Freeman three times while holding sputtering Tampa Bay to 135 yards.
Filling in for injured rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, Kellen Clemens completed 12 of 23 passes for just 111 yards. Receiver Brad Smith had the Jets’ longest completion of the day ó 27 yards ó when he threw to Eric Smith on a fake punt play.
The Jets (7-6) climbed over .500 for the first time since beating Oakland to improve to 4-3 on Oct. 25. The Bucs (1-12) lost for the third straight week to a backup quarterback.
Dolphins 14, Jaguars 10
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. ó Chad Henne completed a team-record 17 consecutive passes, Ricky Williams ran for 108 yards and a score and Miami beat Jacksonville.
The loss snapped Jacksonville’s five-game winning streak at home, and now the Jaguars (7-6) no longer control their wild-card hopes.
Miami (7-6), which won its sixth consecutive game decided by seven points or less, stopped David Garrard on fourth-and-3 with 1:20 remaining and then sacked Garrard on the final play to seal the victory.
Miami held Maurice Jones-Drew to 59 yards and a touchdown, sacked Garrard three times and forced six three-and-outs on Jacksonville’s first eight possessions.
Henne set the team record for most consecutive completions in a game. He fell one shy of Chad Pennington’s franchise mark of 18 set over two games in 2008. Henne finished 21 of 29 for 220 yards.
Chargers 20, Cowboys 17
ARLINGTON, Texas ó Philip Rivers hit Antonio Gates for a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, lifting San Diego over Dallas.
San Diego (10-3) won its eighth straight and is on the verge of a playoff berth. The Chargers also won their 16th straight in December, all with Rivers.
Dallas coach Wade Phillips fell to 3-8 in December with the Cowboys (8-5). They have dropped consecutive games for the first time this season.
Tony Romo was 19 of 30 for 249 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions for the Cowboys. He fell to 5-10 in Decembers. Miles Austin caught six passes for 71 yards and a touchdown, and went over 1,000 yards for the first time.
Rivers was 21 of 32 for 272 yards with a touchdown ó the 100th of his career ó and an interception, his first in five games.
Eagles 45, Giants 38
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ó Dynamic DeSean Jackson tied an NFL record for long touchdowns and carried the Philadelphia Eagles to the top of the NFC East on Sunday night.
Jackson scored on a 72-yard punt return and a 60-yard pass from Donovan McNabb, sparking the Eagles to their most points this season.
The second-year wide receiver missed last week with a concussion, but was in sensational form in boosting Philadelphia (9-4) into prime position for the playoffs.
He has eight touchdowns of 50-plus yards this year.
New York (7-6) also had its share of big plays, including TD passes of 68 and 61 yards by Eli Manning in a game marked by shoddy tackling on both sides.