Packers close in on division title

— The Green Bay Packers added even more spice to next weekend’s game in Chicago, moving within one victory of the NFC North title with their 27-20 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday night.

DaJuan Harris rushed for a score in the first NFL game of his career, Aaron Rodgers added the longest touchdown run of his career and Mike Daniels returned a fumble 43 yards as the Packers (9-4) opened a one-game lead over Chicago. Beat the Bears next weekend at Soldier Field, and Green Bay wins the NFC North for a second consecutive year.

Calvin Johnson had 118 yards receiving to put him over 1,500 for the year, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Lions (4-9) from dropping their fifth consecutive game. This was the third consecutive game they’ve blown a lead of 10-plus points, tying an NFL record shared by six other teams. After touchdowns on their first two drives, the Lions could only manage a pair of field goals by Jason Hanson.

The Packers have now won 22 consecutive at home against the Lions, the longest streak in the NFL.

Green Bay Coach Mike McCarthy likes to say that all division games are big, but this one got even bigger when Chicago lost to Minnesota earlier in the day.

SEAHAWKS 58, CARDINALS 0

Marshawn Lynch had three touchdown runs and Seattle set a franchise record for points. The Seahawks forced eight turnovers. Richard Sherman and Bobby Wagner each had two interceptions.

Seattle (8-5) kept firm grasp on the final NFC wild-card spot and kept alive chances of catching San Francisco in the NFC West race. The Seahawks also picked up their first division victory and assured Coach Pete Carroll of his first eight-win season in three years with them. The 58-0 victory was the biggest shutout in Seattle’s history. Leon Washington’s 3-yard touchdown run with 2:32 left set a franchise record for points. Arizona (4-9) was shut out for the first time since 2003 against Seattle. Arizona lost its ninth consecutive overall.

49ERS 27, DOLPHINS 13 Frank Gore ran for a 1-yard touchdown and reached 1,000 yards rushing for the sixth time in his career. Gore finished with 63 yards, Anthony Dixon also had a 1-yard scoring run and Colin Kaepernick ran for a late 50-yard touchdown and threw for 185 yards in his fourth consecutive start since being promoted over Alex Smith. NFL sacks leader Aldon Smith added two to his total for 19 1/2, passing Fred Dean’s franchise-best single-season mark of 17 1/2 set in 1983.

Smith also moved within three sacks of Michael Strahan’s seasonal NFL record set in 2001 with the New York Giants.

Michael Crabtree had nine catches for 93 yards and rookie LaMichael James ran for 30 yards in a solid NFL debut for the 49ers (9-3-1).

PANTHERS 30, FALCONS 20

Cam Newton threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns and scored on a 72-yard run. Newton piled up a career-high 116 yards on the ground as the Panthers racked up 475 total yards to avenge an early-season loss with a dominating performance against the NFC South champion Falcons. Carolina (4-9) came in with little to play for except to gain a measure of revenge on Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, whom they felt disrespected them after Atlanta’s 30-28 come-from-behind victory earlier this season at the Georgia Dome. Ryan threw for 342 yards and two scores and had a costly fourth-quarter interception.

The Panthers opened a 23-0 lead en route to snapping a five-game losing streak against the Falcons.

VIKINGS 21, BEARS 14

Adrian Peterson rushed for 154 yards and two touchdowns and Harrison Smith returned an interception for a score. Peterson topped 100 yards before the first quarter was over, helping the Vikings (7-6) overcome another lackluster day from quarterback Christian Ponder to get a victory that will keep their faint playoff hopes alive. Jay Cutler threw for 260 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions and couldn’t finish the game for the Bears (8-5), who have lost four of their last five.

BROWNS 30, CHIEFS 7 Rookie Travis Benjamin’s 93-yard punt return touchdown gave Cleveland momentum and the Browns won their third consecutive game. Benjamin’s game changing run back helped the Browns (5-8) continue their resurgence under second-year coach Pat Shurmur, whose future in Cleveland remains uncertain.

The Browns have one more victory than last season, and their longest winning streak since 2009. Trent Richardson had two 1-yard touchdown runs for Cleveland. Jamaal Charles ran for 165 yards, breaking off an 80-yard touchdown run on the game’s first play for Kansas City. It was the first road game for the Chiefs (2-11) following linebacker Jovan Belcher’s suicide. The 25-year-old killed his girlfriend at their home before driving to the team’s practice facility on Dec.

1 and shooting himself.

CHARGERS 34, STEELERS 24

Philip Rivers threw three touchdown passes, two to Danario Alexander, and San Diego won for the first time in 15 regular-season visits to Pittsburgh.

The Chargers (5-8), who snapped a four-game losing streak, dominated from the outset. They never let Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger get comfortable in his first game in nearly a month. Roethlisberger completed 22 of 42 passes for 285 yards and three second-half touchdowns. But he also threw an interception and had a botched screen pass turn into an easy San Diego score as Pittsburgh (7-6) hardly played like a team readying for a postseason run.

COLTS 27, TITANS 23

Andrew Luck led Indianapolis back from a 13-point second-half deficit and Adam Vinatieri made two fourth-quarter field goals.

Luck has now engineered six fourth quarter comebacks for Indianapolis (9-4). Delone Carter cut the deficit to 20-14 with a 1-yard touchdown run on Indy’s opening possession of the second half. And after Pat McAfee’s 52-yard punt went out of bounds at the Titans 1, Cassius Vaughn jumped in front of Nate Washington, picked off Jake Locker’s pass and scored on a 3-yard interception return to make it 21-20. Rob Bironas gave the Titans (4-9) a 23-21 lead with a 25-yard field goal, but VInatieri hit from 53 yards to retake the lead and from 40 to seal it.

JETS 17, JAGUARS 10

Shonn Greene and Bilal Powell ran for short touchdowns and the New York Jets kept their postseason hopes alive. The Jets (6-7) were shut out at halftime for the second consecutive week, but they didn’t need to change quarterbacks to spark the offense this time. Instead, they just pounded the Jaguars (2-11) up the middle. Mark Sanchez, benched last week in a 7-6 victory against Arizona, was hardly a factor. Greene scored on a 1-yard plunge in the third quarter, and Powell added a 4-yarder early in the fourth. Greene finished with 77 yards rushing. Powell added 78 yards on the ground.

EAGLES 23, BUCCANEERS 21

Nick Foles threw two touchdown passes in the final four minutes, including a 1-yarder to Jeremy Maclin with no time remaining. The rally allowed the Eagles to end an eight-game losing streak - their longest in 42 years.

Foles completed 32 of 51 passes for 381 yards in his fourth start in place of the injured Michael Vick. The rookie threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Clay Harbor with 3:55 remaining, then led the Eagles on a 64-yard game-winning drive after the Philadelphia defense forced a Tampa Bay punt. Doug Martin rushed for 128 yards and Josh Freeman shrugged off a slow start to throw for two second-half touchdowns to help Tampa Bay overcome a 10-0 halftime deficit and take a 21-10 lead on Martin’s 4-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter.

RAMS 15, BILLS 12

Sam Bradford threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Gibson with 48 seconds left.

Bradford completed 5 of 8 passes for 68 yards to cap a 14-play, 84-yard drive. St.

Louis (6-6-1) continued its late-season resurgence by winning its third consecutive for the first time since closing the 2006 season with three victories.

THURSDAY’S GAME

Denver 26, Oakland 13

SUNDAY’S GAMES

Minnesota 21, Chicago 14 Washington 31, Baltimore 28, OT Cleveland 30, Kansas City 7 San Diego 34, Pittsburgh 24 Indianapolis 27, Tennessee 23 NY Jets 17, Jacksonville 10 Carolina 30, Atlanta 20 Philadelphia 23, Tampa Bay 21 St. Louis 15, Buffalo 12 Dallas 20, Cincinnati 19 San Francisco 27, Miami 13 Seattle 58, Arizona 0 NY Giants 52, New Orleans 27 Green Bay 27, Detroit 20

TODAY’S GAME

All times Central

Houston at New England, 7:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, DEC. 13

Cincinnati at Philadelphia, 7:20 p.m.

SUNDAY, DEC. 16

Green Bay at Chicago, noon Tampa Bay at New Orleans, noon Minnesota at St. Louis, noon Indianapolis at Houston, noon NY Giants at Atlanta, noon Washington at Cleveland, noon Jacksonville at Miami, noon Denver at Baltimore, noon Carolina at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

Detroit at Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

Seattle vs. Buffalo at Toronto, 3:05 p.m.

Kansas City at Oakland, 3:25 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Dallas, 3:25 p.m.

San Francisco at New England, 7:20 p.m.

MONDAY, DEC. 17

NY Jets at Tennessee, 7:30 p.m.

Sports, Pages 19 on 12/10/2012

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