Faced with one last chance to make the playoffs, the Chicago Bears blew it.
Andre Johnson had two touchdowns and the Houston Texans got a 31-24 win over the Bears on Sunday to knock them out of the playoff picture.
The Bears (9-7) needed a win to keep any postseason hopes alive.
The Vikings beat the Giants to take the NFC North title; Chicago could have still made the wild-card spot, but needed a victory combined with losses or ties by Dallas and Tampa Bay.
“Our team failed today,” coach Lovie Smith said. “Overall our team didn’t play well enough ... this year to accomplish our goals. It’s kind of as simple as that.”
Long out of the playoff picture, the Texans were determined to win this one to finish with their second straight 8-8 record. They were desperate for a big finale after an embarrassing loss to Oakland last week.
“Our whole thing was to ruin their season,” Texans defensive end Mario Williams said.
DOLPHINS 24, JETS 17
At East Rutherford, New Jersey, Chad Pennington walked off the field where he spent his first eight NFL seasons, surrounded by cameras and jubilant teammates after leading the Dolphins to an improbable AFC East title.
VIKINGS 20, GIANTS 19
At Minneapolis, Minnesota, Ryan Longwell’s 50-yard field goal lifted the Vikings to the National Football Conference North title for their first postseason appearance in four years.
PANTHERS 33, SAINTS 31
At New Orleans, John Kasay’s 42-yard field goal with a second left locked up the NFC South title and the No. 2 seed in the conference for the Panthers.
FALCONS 31, RAMS 27
At Atlanta, Jerious Norwood ran for two touchdowns, including the go-ahead 45-yard run with 3:41 left, as the Falcons held off the Rams to clinch the No. 5 seed in the NFC.
EAGLES 44, COWBOYS 6
At Philadelphia, the Eagles overcame daunting odds to capture an NFC wild-card spot with a dominating victory over Dallas.
In other games, it was:
• Ravens 27, Jaguars 7
• Raiders 31, Buccaneers 24
• Patriots 13, Bills 0
• Colts 23, Titans 0
• Bengals 16, Chiefs 6
Robinson Cano spent 17 seasons playing in the MLB in front of all kinds of baseball fans, but he said there is something special about his stint with the Mexican Baseball League’s Diablos Rojos. He is not alone. The league last week opened its 100th season, aiming to keep an impressive growth in attendance that began after the national team’s surprise run at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and is already surpassing some first-division soccer clubs. After finishing third in the 2023 tournament, many casual fans, some of them soccer enthusiasts disappointed after Mexico were eliminated in the first round in the 2022
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
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CUNNINGHAM CONNECTS: In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons snapped their record 15-game playoff losing streak by beating the Knicks to level their series at 1-1 Kawhi Leonard on Monday scored 39 points on 15-of-19 shooting as the Los Angeles Clippers evened their first-round NBA Playoffs series against the Nuggets with a 105-102 win in Denver. “It feels like he didn’t miss a shot,” James Harden said. “His shot-making ability is elite.” Good thing, too, because his teammates were a combined 26 of 66 for a 39 percent clip. “I made shots tonight,” Leonard said. “I just keep playing, try to stay in the zone no matter if I’m making or missing shots.” The fifth-seeded Clippers needed every bit of his brilliance to snatch the homecourt advantage in the series
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