Saturday, December 24, 2011

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SPORTS - Cowboys play it safe, rest Romo, Felix vs. Philly (AP)

SPORTS - Cowboys play it safe, rest Romo, Felix vs. Philly (AP)
 Tony Romo AP – Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo stands on the sideline after leaving the game with an injury to …

ARLINGTON, Texas – Tony Romo was in the locker room dealing with a passing hand that wasn't broken, but was swelling.

At the same time, the New York Giants were polishing off a victory that rendered the result of this game just about meaningless, and turned their game against the Cowboys in New York next weekend into a battle for the NFC East title.

So Jerry Jones left his midfield viewing booth and marched right to coach Jason Garrett on the sideline. Neither would give a clear explanation of their conversation, but it's obvious how the chat went considering Romo didn't return and oft-injured running back Felix Jones soon joined him on the sideline.

Missing those crucial players, and lacking intensity, the Cowboys came within 7 seconds of being shut out at home for the first time in 20 years, losing 20-7 to the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday.

"You have to step back and understand what the situation is," Garrett said. "We need to be as healthy as we can be next week."

New York's victory eliminated the Eagles from the playoffs and meant the Cowboys couldn't clinch the division title with a win. Dallas could've still been playing for a wild-card backup plan, but was clearly more concerned about getting ready for the "win and you're in" route to the playoffs, especially after Romo banged his hand on the helmet of a defender.

Garrett said the club had decided earlier in the week who would and wouldn't play if the Giants won. Garrett said Romo's injury added a new wrinkle.

The question of why Jones decided to personally go over the plan with Garrett again, and in light of the Romo injury, wasn't really answered.

"I did want to go and communicate real good and we did communicate real good," Jones said. "These are decisions made by Jason, ultimately."

Michael Vick threw touchdown passes on his first drive and just before halftime, which was all the scoring the Eagles would need. They added a pair of field goals in the second half, while their defense prevented an offense powered by Stephen McGee, Sammy Morris and Chauncey Washington from sustaining any drives.

Dallas' only points came after a blocked punt set up McGee on the Philadelphia 16-yard line with 19 seconds left. He ran for 12 yards, then hit Miles Austin for a 4-yard touchdown pass to avoid the first shutout since November 2003, and the first at home since September 1991, also against Philadelphia.

"I just feel like we dodged a bullet — Romo is healthy, that's critical to us," Jones said. "I certainly agree with how we played the game tonight, and who played what, when and how they played — complete agreement with it."

Dallas (8-7) lost for the third time in four games, guaranteeing another losing record after Thanksgiving. If the Cowboys end up missing the playoffs, this flop at the finish will loom large all offseason. Of course, if they win the division, it'll only be a footnote.

The upcoming week will be filled with all sorts of similar high-stakes ramifications that will be riding on the finale for both Dallas and New York. Anticipating huge interest — and high ratings — that game has been moved to NBC's prime-time Sunday night showcase.

"If at the beginning of the year you told us we would have a chance to win the division in Week 17, we would have jumped at it," tight end Jason Witten said. "We will have to play our best football. It's on the road. It's going to be tough. But that's the environment you have to take. The Giants have been in these situations, too. It's going to be a huge challenge."

When this game kicked off, the Giants were up by only six points midway through the fourth quarter, so the Cowboys and Eagles still had a lot to play for.

Philadelphia got the ball first and Vick picked up where he left off the last time these teams met, cruising 80 yards in eight plays for a 7-0 lead. Then the Eagles snuffed Romo, forcing a punt from around midfield.

On the final play of that series, Romo rushed a third-down pass to avoid a sack. On his follow-through, he smacked his passing hand on Jason Babin's helmet. That's when things got about as interesting as they'd be the rest of the afternoon.

The drama began with Jones leaving his midfield viewing booth to chat with Garrett. He returned to his booth about the same time Romo returned to the sideline.

Romo couldn't grip the ball or take a snap, so he got his hand and wrist wrapped. While he was trading his helmet for a baseball cap, team vice president Stephen Jones arrived on the sideline and spoke with trainers. Felix Jones then joined Romo as being done for the day.

McGee — who moved up from third-stringer to backup when Jon Kitna went on injured reserve — took over for Romo and went 24 of 38 for 182 yards, with four runs for 28 yards.

McGee beat the Eagles in last season's finale, but he struggled to even sustain drives this time. It didn't help that his running backs were Morris (pulled from retirement before last week's game) and Washington (signed off the street this week).

"It took me a little while to get comfortable," McGee said. "I don't get very many reps, basically never in a real game. I felt like I made progress through the game."

Philadelphia (7-8) won its third straight, giving the preseason "Dream Team" and midseason nightmare the chance to break even if it can beat the Redskins at home in its finale next weekend. The Eagles also swept the season series against the Cowboys for the first time since 2006, having clobbered Dallas 34-7 in October.

"If we had gotten into the playoffs we would have definitely done some damage," Vick said. "It's unfortunate we didn't. That's the game of football. We made some mistakes early (this season) and got behind in the win-loss column. But we're just happy we're finishing strong."

The defense sure is. Philadelphia has allowed just 36 points and 683 yards over the last three games, with 16 sacks.

"I think it took a little time to gel," said defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins, one of the offseason additions whose arrival raised expectations. "I guess it took longer than we anticipated. We just didn't get the job done. You can make all the excuses in the world, but they really don't mean anything. At the end of the season when you look at our final record, there's not going to be asterisk by it. You just have to own up to it. We let a lot of opportunities get away from us early. All we can do now is control what we do in the future."

Vick was 18 of 32 for 293 yards, with the touchdowns going to Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek. Jason Avant nearly had another TD, but fumbled inches before touching the pylon, resulting in a touchback for the Cowboys.

DeSean Jackson caught five passes for 90 yards, and ran for 27 yards on two end arounds, both on consecutive plays.

Alex Henery kicked field goals of 43 and 51 yards for the Eagles' only points in the second half.

"They're disappointed we don't have a shot at the playoffs," coach Andy Reid said. "At the same time I was pleased with the energy they brought to the football field. They wanted to dominate and play aggressive football. Nobody was hanging their heads."

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SPORTS - Pavlik pleads not guilty to drunken driving (AP)

SPORTS - Pavlik pleads not guilty to drunken driving (AP)
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SPORTS - New look Clippers ready to deal with great expectations (Reuters)

SPORTS - New look Clippers ready to deal with great expectations (Reuters)

LONDON – It's an Olympic party venue fit for a king — or even Russian sporting authorities.

Russia's Olympic Committee plans to host events during the London 2012 Olympics on part of the grounds of the future home of Prince William and his wife Kate.

Buckingham Palace said Thursday that Perks Field, used by the royal family as a soccer field and a helicopter landing pad, had been made available for hire to those seeking to wow their guests. The site is adjacent to Kensington Palace, which will be the London residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge from 2013.

A planning application lodged with local authorities shows that Eventica, a company with offices in London and Moscow, hopes to construct a temporary national pavilion on the field during the summer games, which run from July 27 to Aug. 12.

Eventica confirmed that the Russian Olympic Committee planned to use the venue after an agreement was reached with royal officials to hire out the site. The firm would not disclose how much it had cost or give details of planned events.

Britain's royal family has already taken a rare decision to rent out rooms at St. James's Palace — where William and Prince Harry have offices — as party venues.

The moves come as Queen Elizabeth II and her family face a potential financial shortfall, after Britain's government that announced public funding to the royal family would be cut by about 9 percent by 2015 under a deficit-reduction program.

"The renting of Perks Field is a way of managing and adding to the budget," a Buckingham Palace spokesman said, on condition of anonymity in line with policy.

William is second in line to the British throne, after his father Prince Charles.

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SPORTS - Vick, Eagles beat Cowboys 20-7 in snoozer (AP)

SPORTS - Vick, Eagles beat Cowboys 20-7 in snoozer (AP)
DeSean Jackson, Jeremey Maclin AP – Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (18) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver DeSean …

ARLINGTON, Texas – Michael Vick threw two touchdown passes to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a 20-7 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday in a game that had all the intensity of a preseason dress rehearsal.

This game became somewhat meaningless midway through the first quarter. A victory by the Giants eliminated the Eagles from the playoffs and turned the Dallas-New York game next weekend into a showdown to decide the NFC East title. The Cowboys said late Saturday that the game has been moved to prime time.

The Cowboys still had wild-card hopes to play for, but clearly were more concerned about getting ready for the "win and you're in" route to the playoffs. Quarterback Tony Romo left after injuring his throwing hand on the first series and oft-injured running back Felix Jones hit the bench for good after the second series. They came within 7 seconds of getting shut out.

Vick threw a touchdown pass on the opening series and again just before halftime. Alex Henery kicked field goals of 43 and 51 yards for the Eagles' only points in the second half.

Philadelphia (7-8) won its third straight, giving the preseason "Dream Team" the chance to avoid a losing record by beating the Redskins at home in its finale next weekend. The Eagles also swept the season series against the Cowboys for the first time since 2006, having clobbered Dallas 34-7 in October.

The Cowboys (8-7) lost for the third time in four games, and are guaranteed another losing record after Thanksgiving. If they end up missing the playoffs, that flop at the finish will loom large all offseason. Of course, if they win the division, it'll only be a footnote. The upcoming week will be filled with all sorts of similar high-stakes ramifications that will be riding on the finale for both Dallas and New York.

When this game kicked off, the Giants were up by only six points midway through the fourth quarter, so the Cowboys and Eagles still had a lot to play for.

Philadelphia got the ball first and Vick picked up where he left off the last time these teams met, cruising 80 yards in eight plays for a 7-0 lead. Then Eagles snuffed Romo, forcing a punt from around midfield.

On the final play of that series, Romo rushed a third-down pass to avoid a sack. On his follow-through, he smacked his passing hand on Jason Babin's helmet. That's when things got about as interesting as they'd be the rest of the afternoon.

While Romo was in the locker room getting X-rayed, the Giants began pulling away. Soon after, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones arrived on the sideline from his midfield viewing booth, presumably to discuss or demand the play-it-safe approach.

Jones returned to his booth about the same time that Romo returned to the sideline, doctors having determined he had no broken bones, just a bruise. Romo threw a few wobbly warm-up passes, spoke to a trainer, then got his wrist wrapped. About the same time he was trading his helmet for a baseball cap, team vice president Stephen Jones arrived on the sideline and spoke with trainers. Jones then joined Romo as being done for the day.

Vick was 18 of 32 for 293 yards, with the touchdowns going to Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek. Jason Avant nearly had another TD, but fumbled inches before touching the pylon, resulting in a touchback for the Cowboys.

DeSean Jackson caught five passes for 90 yards, and he ran for 27 yards on a pair of end arounds, both coming on consecutive plays.

Dallas' Stephen McGee — who moved up from third-stringer to backup when Jon Kitna went on injured reserve — was 24 of 38 for 182 yards, and ran four times for 28 yards. McGee beat the Eagles in last season's finale, but he struggled to even sustain drives this time.

It didn't help that his running backs were Sammy Morris (pulled from retirement before last week's game) and Chauncey Washington (signed off the street this week).

McGee appeared to have overseen Dallas' first shutout since November 2003, and first at home since September 1991, also against the Eagles, when a fourth-down pass from the Philadelphia 18 fell incomplete in the end zone with 2:13 left.

But the defense forced a punt and rookie Bruce Carter blocked it, giving McGee one last drive. He started on the 16 with 19 seconds left, running for 12 yards, then hitting Miles Austin for a 4-yard touchdown pass.

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SPORTS - Brady leads comeback, Patriots top Dolphins 27-24 (AP)

SPORTS - Brady leads comeback, Patriots top Dolphins 27-24 (AP)
Deion Branch AP – New England Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch (84) celebrates in the end zone after his touchdown against …

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots emphasize playing well for 60 minutes every game. On Saturday, 30 was enough — barely.

Rallying from their worst half of the season, the Patriots scored on their next five possessions and clinched a playoff bye with a 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins on Saturday.

"You don't want to, certainly, make a habit of this," said Tom Brady, who scored on two 1-yard sneaks and threw for a 1-yard touchdown. "We showed some resiliency."

New England (12-3) won its seventh straight game. After the Houston Texans lost to the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night, the Patriots needed a win or a tie to lock up one of the top two spots in the AFC.

"It's good to clinch," said Deion Branch, who caught the touchdown pass from Brady, "but not by the way we played. It's not the way you want to do it."

Miami (5-10) lost for the third time in eight games after opening at 0-7 and is 1-1 under Todd Bowles, who took over when Tony Sparano was fired.

"First half we came out and played our tempo and our ballgame," Bowles said. "The second half they made us play theirs."

The AFC East champions trailed 17-0 at halftime but made the necessary adjustments and went to their no-huddle offense more, keeping the Dolphins from making defensive substitutions. And Brady was on target after a first half in which heavy defensive pressure against a makeshift offensive line affected his accuracy. He completed just 7 of 19 passes for 87 yards and was sacked three times in the half.

But in the second half, he completed 20 of 27 passes for 217 yards, finishing at 27 for 46 for 304 yards and leading one scoring drive after another — a 45-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski, the scoring pass to Branch, his own sneak that tied the game, Gostkowski's 42-yard go-ahead kick after Devin McCourty's first interception of the year, and the other sneak with 2:56 to go, making it 27-17.

The Dolphins made it closer on Matt Moore's 15-yard scoring pass to Davone Bess with 1:48 to play. They had three timeouts left, but their hopes faded when Brady hit Wes Welker for a 6-yard gain and a first down.

"We had (Brady's) number in the first half, but in the second half he came out and made a lot of plays," Miami linebacker Karlos Dansby said. "He is a coach on the field."

The Dolphins seemed headed for a victory and got a break even before the game started when Patriots left tackle Matt Light hurt his ankle in warmups and didn't play. Left guard Logan Mankins took his spot, but he left with a knee injury suffered on New England's second series.

"There's always things that are going to go wrong in a football game and things aren't going to work out the way you want them to all the time," said Welker, who finished with 12 catches for 138 yards after managing just two for 20 in the first half. "The main thing is just playing a full 60 minutes and never giving in and understanding that one drive and one score (can) get things going."

The Patriots punted on their first six series of the first half then missed a field goal on the other. The Dolphins struggled in the second half when Moore fumbled the snap at his 38-yard line and Vince Wilfork recovered, starting the drive capped by Branch's touchdown.

"They committed penalties in the first half," Dolphins guard Richie Incognito said. "We turned the ball over and committed penalties in the second half. That is never a good recipe."

Reggie Bush had another outstanding game for Miami with his fourth straight rushing day of at least 100 yards. He finished with 113 on 22 carries one week after gaining a career-high 203 yards.

His latest performance gave him 1,086 yards rushing for the season, the first time in his six years, the first five with the New Orleans Saints, that he passed 1,000.

"It really doesn't mean anything right now," he said. "This one's pretty tough."

The Dolphins had taken a 3-0 lead on Dan Carpenter's 47-yard field goal 4:01 into the game and made it 10-0 with 1:15 gone in the second quarter on Moore's 19-yard pass to Brandon Marshall.

They stretched that to 17-0, the Patriots biggest deficit of the season, on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Moore to Charles Clay. The 89-yard drive was helped by two defensive pass interference penalties on third down.

But the Patriots remained calm in the locker room at intermission.

"There wasn't a bunch of yelling," Wilfork said. "We just came in and said we've got to play better, we've got to make more plays."

They did. The Dolphins didn't.

"Our guys fought," Bowles said, "but we didn't finish."

Notes: Welker set a franchise record for one season with 1,518 yards receiving. He broke the mark of 1,493 set by Randy Moss in 2007. ... Bush was checked my medical personnel on the sideline late in the game "Something in my leg just didn't feel right," he said. "I'm walking. If it was serious, I wouldn't be walking." ... Moore completed 17 of 33 passes for 294 yards, his highest total as a Dolphin. He threw for more than that with the Carolina Panthers once in 2009 and once in 2010. ... The victory was the largest comeback by the Patriots from a second-half deficit since Nov. 10, 2002 when they beat the Chicago Bears 33-30 after trailing 27-6 in the third quarter.

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SPORTS - Lions get wild card; Patriots earn playoff bye (AP)

SPORTS - Lions get wild card; Patriots earn playoff bye (AP)
A fan holds a sign for the Detroit Lions making the playoffs in the third quarter of an NFL football game against the San Diego Chargers in Detroit, S AP – A fan holds a sign for the Detroit Lions making the playoffs in the third quarter of an NFL football …

The last time the Detroit Lions made the NFL playoffs, Barry Sanders was their star.

They're back, for the first time in 12 years, earning an NFC wild-card berth by beating San Diego 38-10, knocking the Chargers from contention Saturday.

"This is an accomplishment," coach Jim Schwartz said. "It's a big step for our team and our organization."

The Lions gave owner William Clay Ford the game ball.

Detroit (10-5) plays at NFC North champion Green Bay next Sunday before going on the road in the wild-card round.

New England, which already owns the AFC East title, grabbed a first-round bye with a 27-24 comeback victory against Miami. The Patriots (12-3) will have home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs if they beat Buffalo next week.

"It's good to clinch," said Deion Branch, who caught a touchdown pass from Tom Brady, "but not by the way we played. It's not the way you want to do it."

The Dolphins led 17-0 at halftime before New England stormed back.

The New York Giants beat the local rival Jets 29-14 to tie Dallas at 8-7 atop the NFC East. The Cowboys, who lost 20-7 to Philadelphia, visit the Giants next Sunday night, with the winner taking the division, the loser going home.

Dallas lost to the Giants 37-34 on Dec. 11.

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo missed most of Sunday's game with a bruised right hand as Dallas got within 7 seconds of being shut out.

"We need to be as healthy as we can be next week," coach Jason Garrett said.

The Giants virtually ended the Jets' shot at the AFC playoffs in a sloppy game.

"Given everything that was at stake, and all the noise that has been coming out of Florham Park," Giants co-owner John Mara said of the Jets' bragging all week that they were the better team, "yeah, it means a little more."

Denver's 40-14 loss at Buffalo dropped it into a tie atop the AFC West with Oakland, which beat Kansas City 16-13 in overtime. Still, if the Broncos (8-7) beat Kansas City in Denver next Sunday, they take the division.

"Everything is still on the table," quarterback Tim Tebow said. "We have to go and execute and play a little better. Hopefully, we can get in the tournament."

The Raiders get in if they defeat the Chargers in Oakland and the Chiefs beat the Broncos.

"The man told me, `Hue, we'll win it in the end.' I believe that," said Raiders coach Hue Jackson, reflecting on a conversation he had with Al Davis before the Raiders owner died in October. "I don't know how it's going to happen. I don't care how it's going to happen."

Baltimore and Pittsburgh remained atop the AFC North at 11-4, with the Ravens holding the tiebreaker after sweeping the Steelers. Baltimore beat Cleveland 20-14 and Pittsburgh blanked St. Louis 27-0.

If the Ravens win at Cincinnati (9-6) next week, they take the division and the Steelers get a wild card. If the Bengals win, they not only hand the Steelers a chance to grab the AFC North, but the Bengals get the last conference wild card.

"We started this quite a while ago — seems like just yesterday," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said after a 23-16 win over Arizona, which was eliminated from NFC wild-card contention. "But now we're right where we want to be at the end."

Seattle (7-8) also dropped out of the NFC wild-card race with a 19-17 home loss to San Francisco (12-3), which currently is seeded second to the Packers (13-1 heading into the Sunday night game with Chicago) in the NFC and owns the NFC West crown.

Tennessee (8-7) has a slim hope of grabbing the final AFC wild card, but needs tons of help despite a 23-17 win over Jacksonville.

If Atlanta (9-5) beats New Orleans (11-3) on Monday night, it still could take the NFC South, but would clinch at least a wild card. The Saints already are in the playoffs.

Also with an outside shot at a wild card is Chicago (7-7), which must win its last two games and have the Falcons fall twice.

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SPORTS - Royal garden to be hired out for Olympic parties (AP)

SPORTS - Royal garden to be hired out for Olympic parties (AP)
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SPORTS - Busch gets new ride with Phoenix Racing (AP)

SPORTS - Busch gets new ride with Phoenix Racing (AP)
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SPORTS - Frankie Edgar eager for UFC return to Japan (Reuters)

SPORTS - Frankie Edgar eager for UFC return to Japan (Reuters)
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SPORTS - LPGA founding member Danoff dies at 88 (AP)

SPORTS - LPGA founding member Danoff dies at 88 (AP)
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SPORTS - Smyth scores twice in Oilers' 4-2 win over Blues (AP)

SPORTS - Smyth scores twice in Oilers' 4-2 win over Blues (AP)
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SPORTS - Paralympian eyes Olympic glory after "miracle" crash (Reuters)

SPORTS - Paralympian eyes Olympic glory after "miracle" crash (Reuters)
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SPORTS - No. 22 Southern Miss tops Nevada in Hawaii Bowl (AP)

SPORTS - No. 22 Southern Miss tops Nevada in Hawaii Bowl (AP)
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SPORTS - Newton sets rookie passing mark, Panthers top Bucs (AP)

SPORTS - Newton sets rookie passing mark, Panthers top Bucs (AP)
Cam Newton AP – Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) reacts after a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Cam Newton had no shortage of doubters coming into the NFL.

They're much harder to find now.

The No. 1 pick in the NFL draft added to his remarkable season by breaking Peyton Manning's rookie record for yards passing and setting a franchise mark with a 91-yard touchdown toss to Brandon LaFell as the Carolina Panthers handed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers their ninth straight defeat, 48-16 on Saturday.

Newton threw for 171 yards and three touchdowns and scored on an amazing 49-yard run up the middle in which he showed his speed by outracing smaller defensive backs to the end zone.

He has accounted for 34 touchdowns on the season and has the Panthers playing well down the stretch, something coach Ron Rivera wanted to see so his team can carry momentum into next season.

Carolina (6-9) has won four of its last five games.

"There's always going to be something," Newton said when asked if he's answered his critics this season. "I continuously try to do what I can control. ... I don't worry about what people say because you know one day you'll be on top of the world and everybody is praising you and the next day the world will be on top of you and everybody else will be criticizing you."

Nobody was criticizing him Saturday.

Behind Newton's masterful performance, the Panthers scored on eight of their first nine possessions and piled up 397 yards in three quarters against the league's 30th-ranked defense.

Rivera pulled Newton and the other key starters early in the fourth.

As Newton walked over to the bench, teammates DeAngelo Williams and Jordan Gross sat with towels over their head — some good-natured ribbing directed at Newton, who has been criticized by some fans for covering his head when things weren't going well.

That drew a big smile from Newton.

So did the support he got from his teammates on the field.

Williams scored on runs of 8 and 22 yards, his sixth and seventh TDs of the season, and Jonathan Stewart ran for 88 yards and caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Newton.

Newton entered the game needing 18 yards passing to break Manning's rookie record of 3,739 and did so with a 7-yard pass to LaFell on the first possession.

"It's very nice to do something with a record that's so prestigious in this league," Newton said before crediting his teammates and coaching staff for allowing him to break the mark.

Newton, however, was just getting started at that point.

On Carolina's third possession, he backpedaled into his own end zone and unleashed a strike to LaFell, who got a key downfield block from Steve Smith to spring him for a 91-yard score. That topped the franchise record of 89 yards set in the Panthers' expansion season of 1995 by Kerry Collins and Willie Green.

LaFell finished with a career-high 103 yards receiving.

Carolina's offensive line completely mauled a Bucs defense that was without starting defensive tackles Albert Haynesworth and Brian Price due to injuries. The Panthers piled up a season-high 270 yards on the ground and scored three rushing touchdowns, giving them 25 for the season — most in the NFL.

"It's unfortunate that we're playing like this at the end when we let a lot of games slip away," Panthers left tackle Jordan Gross said. "It's exciting for the future. I love the look of this team right now."

The Panthers have led in all but one of their 15 games this season, but have shown a penchant for blowing fourth-quarter leads.

They left no doubt on Saturday, breaking open a 20-10 halftime lead with three touchdowns in 15:04 to start the second half. The 48 points were the second-most in team history.

"I believe there is certainly that kind of talent in the locker where we can certainly take the next step and become a very competitive football team (next year)," Rivera said. "We have that ability."

Newton scored eight touchdowns in two games against Tampa Bay this season — four rushing and four passing — as the Panthers racked up 79 points.

The play of the game came when Newton faked a handoff to Stewart and took off through a huge hole on the right side of the line. Newton juked a defender before shifting into another gear and blowing through the Tampa Bay secondary for the longest touchdown run ever by a Panthers quarterback.

"With the guys that we have on our team, with my father, my family members here, it was just saying, `Don't get caught. Don't get caught because if I get caught I'm never, ever going to hear the last of this,'" Newton said.

"I just wanted to finish it out with a touchdown and put a smile on my face first so I can have something to talk about."

He added a touchdown toss to Jeremy Shockey to close out the scoring.

Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris came into the game on the hot seat and Saturday's loss may not bode well for his future. After a 4-2 start, the Bucs have dropped nine straight, scoring more than 20 points only once during that span.

The Bucs turned the ball over four times.

"The mistakes led to points, and that's been the difference between this year and last," Morris said. "When you can't maintain possession, this is the result. It causes lopsided results. It causes mental mistakes. It causes poor performances on defense, and out-of-character offense. Things begin to spiral out of control."

Starting running back LaGarrette Blount fumbled on Tampa Bay's first play from scrimmage, leading to Olindo Mare's field goal.

Blount was benched until the second half.

"It's a basic thing, and to fumble like that, that's unacceptable," Morris said. "If some players aren't ready to play, we'll put others in."

NOTES: Jordan Pugh was slated to start at strong safety for the injured Charles Godfrey, but developed concussion-like symptoms prior to the game and didn't play. That forced the Panthers to start Jonathan Nelson, who was added to the roster from the practice squad. Nelson had the game's only interception. ... Josh Freeman had a hand in both Tampa Bay touchdowns — one rushing and one passing. ... In two games against the Panthers, Blount was held to 30 yards rushing combined.

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SPORTS - Nationals bolster rotation with Gonzalez (Reuters)

SPORTS - Nationals bolster rotation with Gonzalez (Reuters)
Larry Fedora AP – Southern Mississippi head coach Larry Fedora holds up the 2011 Hawaii Bowl trophy after an NCAA college …

HONOLULU – Austin Davis threw two touchdowns, including a 4-yarder late in the game, and No. 22 Southern Mississippi earned a school-record 12th victory by holding off Nevada 24-17 in the Hawaii Bowl on Saturday night.

Davis overcame a shaky start for the Conference USA champion Golden Eagles (12-2), and the defense in the second half managed to shut down Nevada's potent pistol attack led by Lampford Mark.

Davis was off most of the night but made it count on the game-winning drive. On third-and-goal, he scrambled right and found Kelvin Bolden for the 4-yard score, capping a seven-play, 68-yard drive. He had just 59 yard passing at halftime and finished 18 of 41 for 165 yards.

On the winning drive, Davis was 3 of 4 for 66 yards, including a 43-yard completion to Dominique Sullivan down the right sideline and a 19-yarder to a crossing William Spight. Sullivan had five catches for 75 yards.

With Davis held in check, the Golden Eagles relied on their defense, stopping Mark on fourth-and-1 at midfield with 3:56 left. Mark had 183 yards rushing for the Wolf Pack (7-6) but was held to just 21 yards in the second half.

Cody Fajardo was 8 of 19 for 60 yards for Nevada. He also was held to just 14 yards rushing on nine carries before being replaced by Tyler Lantrip.

It was the final game for Southern Miss under coach Larry Fedora, who is leaving after four seasons to take over at North Carolina. The Golden Eagles got another big win after capturing their fifth C-USA title by upsetting previously unbeaten Houston 49-28 in the conference championship game. This was the first 10-win season for Southern Miss since 1988.

Nevada tied the game 17-17 late in the third quarter on a 37-yard field goal by Allen Hardison, taking advantage of a miscue by Southern Miss. Lampley waved for a fair catch on a punt and was run into by teammate Alex Smith. The ball bounced off Lampley's left leg and Nevada's Brandon Marshall recovered on the Southern Miss 14, leading to the field goal.

Just as Nevada seemed to take control of the game, Southern Miss scored 10 points in the final 1 1/2 minutes of the first half to take a 17-14 lead into the break.

Mark's 45-yard run gave the Wolf Pack a 14-7 lead with about 5 minutes left in the half, and Nevada took the ball right back on the ensuing kickoff.

Lorenzo Devers returned the kickoff 61 yards and appeared to be heading for a touchdown. After shedding the kicker, Devers was stripped from behind by Khalid Wooten and Thaddeus Brown returned it 16 yards to the Nevada 36.

But the team from Reno gambled and ended up turning it over on downs on its own 45 when Mark was stopped short on fourth-and-1. That led to a 48-yard field goal by Hrappman with 1:21 left in the half.

On the kickoff, Wooten fumbled and Southern Mississippi's Emmanuel Johnson recovered at the Nevada 24. Seven plays later, Davis threw a 2-yard pass to Lampley in the back of the end zone for the go-ahead score. A brief scuffle broke out between some of the players after the catch, but no one was ejected.

With both teams struggling to get going, special teams got the Golden Eagles on the scoreboard from a blocked punt by Tim Green early in the second quarter.

Green burst through the middle and leaped in the air, getting his hand on the ball as he flipped over a blocker. Tray Becton-Martin then dropped on the ball in the end zone, giving the Golden Eagles a 7-0 lead. Tray Becton-Martin is the 25th different player to score for the Golden Eagles this year, which leads the nation.

Nevada answered with a 5-yard touchdown run by Mark, who had a 25-yard scamper to begin the 81-yard drive. Mark had 41 yards rushing on the drive, giving him 112 yards and his sixth-straight game with 100 or more.

Both teams blew good scoring opportunities in the first quarter.

Mark burst up the middle for 43 yards and was chased down from behind by Presley, getting Nevada inside the red zone. But Cody Fajardo's pass on third down was tipped and intercepted in the end zone by Jacorius Cotton.

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SPORTS - Cruz, Bradshaw lead Giants past Jets 29-14 (AP)

SPORTS - Cruz, Bradshaw lead Giants past Jets 29-14 (AP)
Victor Cruz AP – New York Giants' Victor Cruz jumps over a New York Jets defender while scoring 99-yard touchdown during …

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – As far as bragging rights go, this was far from one to boast about.

Neither the Giants nor Jets looked much like playoff material after a week of trash talk about who ruled New York football. But the Giants kept their postseason hopes alive by winning 29-14 on Saturday, with Victor Cruz setting two franchise receiving records and Ahmad Bradshaw running for two touchdowns.

The Giants (8-7) are now in position to win the NFC East with a victory next week against Dallas. Meanwhile, the Jets' playoff hopes took a serious hit, and at 8-7 they'll need to win at Miami next week and get some help from several other teams.

Cruz, who had three catches for 164 yards, broke Amani Toomer's single-season mark for yards receiving — and the team's record for longest touchdown reception, a 99-yarder that gave the Giants the lead for good in the second quarter.

Jets coach Rex Ryan set the tone early in the week, saying he believed his club was the better team in the area. Tom Coughlin responded by saying, "Talk is cheap. Play the game."

It was the Giants who did.

"They were the better team today, and they're the better team this year," Ryan said. "Clearly, I was wrong."

The back-and-forth continued even before the game, when Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes and running back Brandon Jacobs both removed black curtains placed by the Jets over the Giants' Super Bowl logos. The Jets said it was simply their standard practice to cover those logos for every one of the team's home games, regardless of opponent, because it is the players' entrance.

It was a brutal game at times, with both offenses sluggish and prone to mistakes. The Jets were also penalized 10 times, including a late hit call on Aaron Maybin, who plowed into D.J. Ware in the fourth quarter — a play on which Coughlin was injured out of bounds.

The Giants coach needed to be checked out on the bench briefly before limping back to the sideline.

Eli Manning finished just 9 of 27 for 225 yards. Mark Sanchez completed 30 passes on a career-high 59 attempts but put up only 258 yards and was intercepted twice

The sloppiest stretch came midway through the fourth quarter with wild swings of momentum. The Jets got new life after an incompletion on fourth-and-1 from the 47 when Deon Grant was called for pass interference.

Two plays later, Plaxico Burress — playing against the Giants for the first time since they cut him in 2009 and he served a 20-month prison sentence on a gun charge — was called for offensive pass interference to negate a touchdown pass.

On the next snap, Jason Pierre-Paul sacked Sanchez, who lost the ball, and it was recovered by Justin Tuck. Ryan challenged the play, and officials reversed the call, saying Sanchez's arm was going forward.

The Giants got their turnover moments later, though, when Sanchez fumbled the snap from center Nick Mangold in the end zone.

The ball changed hands again when David Harris intercepted Manning's toss that tipped off Hakeem Nicks' hands. The Jets got yet another break after Sanchez was ruled to have been sacked by Linval Joseph, who forced a fumble that the Jets recovered. Ryan challenged again, and the play was reversed, with officials saying it was incomplete.

On third-and-12 from the 13, Sanchez scrambled for 11 yards — and Antrel Rolle was called for holding, putting the ball at the 1. Sanchez rolled right on the next play and dived into the end zone, making it 20-14 with 7:17 left.

But the Jets wouldn't get any closer. Chris Canty sacked Sanchez for a safety, and after an onside free kick by the Jets was recovered by the Giants, Bradshaw had a 19-yard TD run with 2:04 left.

Cruz's 99-yard catch — the longest scoring pass in team history — came with the Giants in dire straits facing third-and-10 from the 1. Manning, standing in the back of the end zone, zipped a pass to Cruz, who dodged tackle attempts by Antonio Cromartie and Kyle Wilson and took off down the right sideline. Eric Smith was the only one with a chance to get him, but Cruz outran him to give the Giants a 10-7 lead with 2:12 left in the opening half.

It was also the longest offensive play against the Jets in team history.

The Giants nearly had another huge play moments later when Sanchez completed a short pass to Jeremy Kerley, who was spun down by Rolle and lost the ball. Aaron Ross picked it up and raced into the end zone. But the play went to video review and officials reversed the call, saying Kerley's elbow was down — although it looked as if the ball might have come out when the receiver's elbow hit Rolle's shoe.

With a second chance, Sanchez marched the Jets down the field to the 19, but the Giants' defense stiffened and Pierre-Paul got a sack on third down. Nick Folk then missed an opportunity to tie it, hooking a 44-yard attempt wide right as the first half ended.

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SPORTS - Lions rout Chargers 38-10 to clinch playoff spot (AP)

SPORTS - Lions rout Chargers 38-10 to clinch playoff spot (AP)
Matthew Stafford AP – Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) passes against the San Diego Chargers in the first half …

DETROIT – After a decade of losing, the Detroit Lions are in the playoffs.

And they made sure the San Diego Chargers are out.

With their fans chanting "PLAYOFFS" for the final minutes, Detroit got there for the first time since 1999 after Matthew Stafford threw three touchdown passes in the first half to beat the Chargers 38-10 Saturday.

The Lions (10-5) have won three straight after a seven-game slump to earn a wild-card spot in the playoffs, turning around their franchise after the NFL's only 0-16 season just three years ago.

Following the game, coach Jim Schwartz and his players did a victory lap at Ford Field, high-fiving fans in the front row.

"There's going to be a time that we don't celebrate getting to the playoffs, but it's not going to be tonight," Schwartz said. "It's been a long time coming."

No one has been waiting longer than owner William Clay Ford.

Ford, whose first season leading the franchise was in 1964, was handed a keepsake in the jubilant locker room.

"We gave him the game ball," said center Dominic Raiola, who endured a string of miserable seasons after Detroit drafted him in 2001.

After Raiola's postgame news conference, he gave Stafford a bear hug.

"I'm excited for them, more than for myself and some of the other young guys," the 22-year-old Stafford said.

According to the Chargers (7-8), they will not be in the postseason for a second straight year after making it five times in a six-season stretch. And that might cost coach Norv Turner his job.

"I've been concentrating every week as well as I can on getting this team ready to play and doing the things we need to do," Turner said. "We all know that's something that's discussed at the end of the year."

Knowing they could move into the postseason simply by winning, the Lions held San Diego scoreless until midway through the third quarter, when Philip Rivers threw an 11-yard pass to Malcom Floyd to make it 24-7.

Detroit, though, closed strong to restore the rout.

The Lions and the Buffalo Bills started the season with the league's longest playoff droughts at 11 seasons. Detroit hasn't been in the playoffs since Barry Sanders was its star running back and its drought is over because a decades-long search for a franchise quarterback ended with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft. Coming off the league's only 0-16 season, Detroit selected Stafford and kept him healthy for the first time this season.

Stafford was almost perfect in the first half against San Diego, completing 21 of 26 passes for 260 yards with three TDs. He capped the first drive with a 7-yard pass to Brandon Pettigrew, threw a 3-yarder to Kevin Smith in the second quarter and connected with Calvin Johnson from 14 yards just before halftime to give the Lions a 24-0 lead.

Stafford finished with 373 yards passing to give him 4,518 this year, breaking Scott Mitchell's single-season team record from 1995. Perhaps not coincidently, that season marked the last time the Lions had double digits in wins.

The Lions will go for their 11th victory and to improve their playoff positioning, perhaps to draw the NFC East winner, on Jan. 1 against Green Bay, who they haven't beaten on the road since 1991.

The Chargers needed to extend their winning streak to four games to keep their postseason hopes alive, but the loss and Cincinnati's victory dashed them.

Eric Weddle recovered an onside kick after San Diego finally scored in the third quarter, but the Chargers stalled inside the Lions 5. Cornerback Chris Houston broke up a pass in the end zone and the Chargers had to settle for Nick Novak's field goal and a 14-point deficit.

Detroit's potent offense got the ball for the first time in the second half with 4:53 left in the third quarter and quickly gained 48 yards on passes to Nate Burleson and Johnson. Smith had a 4-yard run for a 6-yard TD and a 31-10 lead.

The Chargers then drove to the Detroit 2 and turned over the ball on downs, firing up its sideline and the fans who have been waiting a long time for a season like this one. It's the first time the Lions made the playoffs since Ford Field opened in 2002.

Rivers was 28 of 53 for 299 yards with a too-late TD and two interceptions, the second of which defensive end Cliff Avril snagged with his right hand and returned 4 yards to make it 38-10 late in the game.

Antonio Gates had four receptions to give him 588 in his career, breaking the Chargers record of 586 set by Hall of Famer Charlie Joiner.

Detroit got off to a good start, lobbing a pass into double coverage to Johnson for a 46-yard gain on the first snap and converting a third down for a TD.

Stafford found Pettigrew open in the end zone for a 7-yard throw, taking advantage of the Chargers assigning two defensive backs to Johnson on the same side of the field.

San Diego, meanwhile, didn't score on its opening possession for the first time in eight games and finished with just 10 points — not nearly enough to keep up with the Stafford-led Lions.

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