Amazing Bears use trick play to upend Redskins

LANDOVER, Md. -- The Chicago Bears are still finding amazing ways to win games. This time, they let their star linebacker catch a touchdown pass.

Brad Maynard, the holder on a fake field goal, threw a 27-yard pass to linebacker Brian Urlacher for the winning touchdown with 9:55 left Sunday as the Chicago Bears eliminated the Washington Redskins from the playoff race with a 20-15 victory.

"We're basically writing a storybook," said Maynard, who also is Chicago's punter. "We keep adding pages to it. I'm kind of anxious to see where we are in six or seven more weeks."

The Bears (11-3) are the surprise team in the NFC, atop the Central Division with a season that has included come-from-behind overtime victories over San Francisco and Cleveland and a fourth-quarter comeback against Detroit.

The Redskins (6-8), meanwhile, are out of the playoff chase, their revival from an 0-5 start ending with their third straight home loss.

"To come back from 0-5 and to 5-0, it doesn't matter," tackle Jon Jansen said. "We wanted to get into the postseason, and this year we won't, so it's tough to swallow."

Trailing 20-13, the Redskins had a chance to tie on their final drive. Starting at their 36 with 3:15 remaining, they moved to Chicago's 3.

But Stephen Davis was stuffed for no gain on the next play, and two incomplete passes ended the threat with 1:25 remaining.

Maynard ran out of the end zone for a safety with 20 seconds left for the game's final points.

STEELERS 47, LIONS 14

PITTSBURGH -- Kordell Stewart threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as Pittsburgh improved to 12-2 for the first time since 1978 with its seventh straight victory.

The Steelers can wrap up home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs by winning next Sunday at Cincinnati. Detroit fell to 1-13.

Mike McMahon, Detroit's rookie quarterback, lost two fumbles and threw an interception in the first 18 minutes. The mistakes led to two touchdowns and a 27-7 Steelers lead.

Stewart, who had only two 200-yard passing games the previous two seasons, went over 200 for the eighth time this season with 226 yards. He had touchdowns of 4 yards to Matt Cushing, 5 yards to Hines Ward and 19 to Plaxico Burress and scrambled for a 2-yard touchdown.

Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala ran for 126 yards as Jerome Bettis sat out a third consecutive game with a hip and groin injury.

"When things are going your way like this, all you can do is ride the wave and see how far it takes you," said Stewart, one of the NFL's worst-rated passers a year ago.

BUCS 48, SAINTS 21

TAMPA, Fla. -- Brad Johnson threw three touchdown passes and Martin Gramatica kicked four field goals before being injured on an extra point as Tampa Bay rebounded from a 24-point road loss to Chicago.

The Bucs (8-6) took a big step toward making the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons and took a one-game lead over New Orleans (7-7) in the race for an NFC wild-card spot.

Mike Alstott rushed for 101 yards and one touchdown, while Ronde Barber returned one of his three interceptions 36 yards for a TD.

Tampa Bay improved to 12-1 at home in December under coach Tony Dungy.

GIANTS 27, SEAHAWKS 24

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Kerry Collins threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Ike Hilliard with 20 seconds left as defending NFC champion New York won for the second straight week with a last-minute touchdown.

Seattle's loss clinched a playoff berth for the New England Patriots and damaged the Seahawks' playoff hopes.

Collins hit his first five passes and seven overall in the 10-play, 96-yard drive that sends the Giants (7-7) into Philadelphia with a chance to make the race in the NFC East more interesting.

Seattle (7-7) took the lead early in the third quarter when Shaun Alexander scored on a 16-yard screen pass, breaking a 17-17 halftime tie.

JAGUARS 33, VIKINGS 3

MINNEAPOLIS -- Stacey Mack rushed for two touchdowns and 111 yards in Jacksonville's rout of Minnesota.

The Vikings lost another quarterback to injury, went without a touchdown for the second time in the last three home games and dropped to 5-9.

Mike Hollis kicked four field goals for Jacksonville (6-8). Jimmy Smith caught eight passes for 122 yards, and Mark Brunell was 17-for-24 passing for 217 yards.

Spergon Wynn completed 24 of 39 passes for 217 yards and an interception for Minnesota in place of Todd Bouman, who aggravated a thumb injury on the first possession and didn't return. Daunte Culpepper is already out with a knee injury.

RAVENS 16, BENGALS 0

BALTIMORE -- Ray Lewis had two of Baltimore's three interceptions off Jon Kitna, and the Ravens overcame a 127-yard rushing performance by Corey Dillon to defeat Cincinnati.

Terry Allen scored the game's lone touchdown, and Matt Stover kicked three field goals as Baltimore (9-5) enhanced its wild-card hopes with its first shutout of the season.

Dillon ended Baltimore's string of 50 straight games without allowing a 100-yard rusher, but it didn't stop the Bengals (4-10) from losing their seventh straight game or from being shut out for the third time.

FALCONS 33, BILLS 30

ATLANTA -- Jay Feely made all four of his field-goal attempts, including a 52-yarder on the final play, and Chris Chandler passed for a career-high 431 yards to keep Atlanta in the playoff race.

Before Sunday, Feely was 11-for-18 at the Georgia Dome and 12-for-12 on the road. The game-winner was his second-longest kick of the season; he had a 55-yarder at Arizona.

Chandler threw two touchdown passes and drove the Falcons (7-7) 23 yards to set up Feely's kick that snapped a three-game losing streak. It was the first time an Atlanta quarterback threw for more than 400 yards since Steve Bartkowski had 416 on Nov. 15, 1981, against Pittsburgh.

CHIEFS 20, CHARGERS 17

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Tony Richardson's 1-yard touchdown run with 48 seconds left for Kansas City handed San Diego its eighth straight loss.

Chargers strong safety Rodney Harrison was called for roughing the passer in the Chiefs' last-minute drive, wiping out Leonardo Carson's interception and giving Kansas City a first-and-goal from the 4.

Then Harrison was whistled for defensive holding against Tony Gonzalez, then Richardson followed with his TD run for the Chiefs (5-9).

Four minutes earlier, Steve Christie's 27-yard field goal gave the Chargers a 17-13 lead.

LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 145 yards as the Chargers (5-10) nearly got their first win in Kansas City in five years.

PACKERS 30, BROWNS 7

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Brett Favre threw three touchdown passes as Green Bay ended a two-year postseason drought by beating Cleveland (6-8) at cold, snowy Lambeau Field.

Favre, who completed 18 of 28 passes for 139 yards and no interceptions, extended his NFL record with his sixth 30-touchdown season.

Green Bay (10-4) remained a game behind Chicago in the NFC Central. If the Packers gain a game on the Bears in the last two weeks, they own the tiebreaker and would get a home playoff game with the division title.

The Packers have never lost a playoff game at home, and Favre is 29-0 at home when the temperature is 34 or below. On Sunday, it was 24 degrees at kickoff.

Ahman Green, who ran just 10 times for 11 yards at Tennessee last week, gained 150 yards on 21 carries.

CARDINALS 17, COWBOYS 10

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Dallas and Emmitt Smith dominated Arizona everywhere but the scoreboard as the Cowboys clinched at least a tie for last in the NFC East.

Dallas had a 21-11 advantage in first downs and led 343-209 in total yards, but Smith's 80th career 100-yard rushing game couldn't overcome Dallas' mistakes against Arizona (6-8).

Smith, who said this week he wants more carries, got his wish with 128 yards in 26 attempts for the Cowboys (4-10). Smith, the No. 2 NFL career rusher behind Walter Payton, is 16 yards short of 16,000, and he needs 182 in the last two games to reach 1,000 for the 11th straight year.

Quincy Carter threw two interceptions and fumbled the ball out of the end zone for a touchback, and a bad snap ruined a field-goal try.

JETS 29, COLTS 28

INDIANAPOLIS -- Vinny Testaverde has become the master of the comeback.

For the second straight week, Testaverde found Anthony Becht for the game-winning score in the fourth quarter. This time it was a 6-yard pass with 58 seconds left, giving New York a victory.

The Jets (9-5) stopped the Colts (5-9) on downs on the next series to preserve the victory -- and eliminated Indianapolis, Denver, Tennessee and Cleveland from playoff contention.

-- From wire reports