Chica o ins t ill miss playo s
e Vi in s ictory o er ac ers wastes t e ears -1 start
The Chicago Bears held on against host Detroit — before their playoff hopes faded away.
Chicago needed a win over the Lions and a loss by Minnesota on Sunday to make the postseason. The Bears took care of their end, beating Detroit 26-24, but the Vikings edged the Packers 37-34 to earn a wild card.
Jay Cutler threw for 257 yards and a TD, but Chicago (10-6) became just the second team since the playoffs expanded to 12 teams to miss out after a 7-1 start, according to STATS, LLC. The other was Washington in 1996.
The Lions (4-12) lost their last eight games and turned the ball over four times in the finale. Calvin Johnson fell short in his attempt to become the first player with 2,000 yards receiving in a season. Detroit’s Matthew Stafford went 24 of 42 for 272 yards with three TDs and an interception. He finished the season with an NFL-record 727 pass attempts, surpassing Drew Bledsoe’s mark of 691 from 1994.
Patriots 28, Dolphins 0: Tom Brady threw two TD passes, Stevan Ridley ran for two scores and host New England (12-4) rolled over Miami (7-9).
Buccaneers 22, Falcons 17: Josh Freeman threw a TD pass, Doug Martin ran for 142 yards and a TD, and Tampa Bay (7-9) topped host Atlanta (13-3). Falcons coach Mike Smith used his starters for most of the game and defensive end John Abraham, Atlanta’s best pass rusher, left with a left ankle injury in the fourth quarter.
Bengals 23, Ravens 17: Carlos Dunlap returned an interception 14 yards for a TD in the fourth quarter, lifting host Cincinnati (10-6) over Baltimore (10-6) in a game where the playoffbound teams used their starters sparingly.
Steelers 24, Browns 10: Ben Roethlisberger threw three short TD passes, and host Pittsburgh (8-8) avoided its first losing season in nearly a decade with a victory over Cleveland (5-11). The Browns’ thirdstring QB, Thaddeus Lewis, passed for 204 yards with a TD and an interception in his first start.
Panthers 44, Saints 38: DeAngelo Williams rushed for 210 yards and two TDs, Cam Newton threw for 248 yards and Carolina (7-9) defeated host New Orleans (7-9) for its fourth straight win. Drew Brees passed for four TDs and 396 yards, giving him 5,177 this season and making him the first player to eclipse 5,000 yards three times.
Chargers 24, Raiders 21: Micheal Spurlock returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a TD and host San Diego (7-9) beat Oakland (4-12). The Chargers missed the playoffs for the third straight year.
Titans 38, Jaguars 20: Tennessee became the first team in NFL history with two players scoring twice on returns in a game as the host Titans (6-10) beat Jacksonville (2-14). Darius Reynaud scored on two punt returns and rookie linebacker Zach Brown returned two interceptions for touchdowns.
Bills 28, Jets 9: C.J. Spiller scored on a 66-yard catch and run and host Buffalo (6-10) snapped a three-game skid with a win over New York (6-10), which lost its third straight.