SAN DIEGO — With chants of ‘‘L.T! L.T!’’ pouring from the stands, LaDainian Tomlinson delivered a record and a division title for San Diego.
Tomlinson scored three touchdowns Sunday, including the final two in a span of 47 seconds late in the game, to break the NFL single-season record with 29 TDs. He led the Chargers to a 48-20 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The victory, coupled with Kansas City’s 20-10 loss to Baltimore, gave the Chargers (11-2) their second division title in three seasons.
The Chargers also grabbed the inside track to home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs when Indianapolis lost 44-17 at Jacksonville to fall into a tie with Baltimore at 10-3.
But this game was all about Tomlinson, who has become the MVP frontrunner by scoring 26 touchdowns in the last nine games.
Tomlinson tied Shaun Alexander’s record of 28, set in 2005, when he scored on a 6-yard run with 3:57 left. He got hit at the 3, but spun right and scored.
The Chargers got the ball back when Shawne Merriman recovered a fumble at the Denver 7. On the next play, with the crowd at full throat, Tomlinson ran to his left and scored.
He was mobbed in the end zone by his teammates, who hoisted him on their shoulders. He held up the ball and waved the index finger of his other hand.
Denver (7-6) lost its fourth straight game.
Jaguars 44, Colts 17
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There was nothing Peyton Manning could do to prevent this outcome — unless he decided to play defense or special teams.
Rookie Maurice Drew ran for a career-high 166 yards and two touchdowns, had a 93-yard kickoff return for a score, and the Jaguars literally ran the Colts out of town and maybe out of contention for home-field advantage in the AFC.
Fred Taylor was equally effective against the league’s worst run defense, gaining 131 yards on nine carries before leaving with a sore right hamstring.
By then, the Jaguars (8-5) were ahead 34-10 and coasting to their first win against Indianapolis since 2004.
The Colts (10-3), who were looking to clinch their fourth consecutive AFC East title. Now, they will try to regroup from a third loss in four games and wonder whether they’ve gone from the leading candidate to secure the conference’s No. 1 seed to a possible wild-card team.
The Colts allowed a franchise record 375 yards rushing. Indy’s Marvin Harrison became the fourth player in NFL history with 1,000 receptions Sunday, joining Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Cris Carter. Harrison had six catches for 101 yards.
Manning finished 25-of-50 for 313 yards.
Dolphins 21, Patriots 0
MIAMI — New England’s best play was an illegal forward pass. It was that kind of day for Tom Brady and his offense.
Miami sacked Brady four times, forced him to fumble twice, held him to 78 yards passing and shut out the Patriots for the first time since the perfect-season Dolphins of 1972.
The Patriots (9-4) still lead the AFC East, but the loss hurt their chances of earning a first-round bye in the playoffs. They lost on the road for the first time in six games this season.
Miami (6-7), virtually eliminated from the playoff race a week ago, won for the fifth time in six games.
The Patriots totaled a season-low 189 yards and lost three fumbles, giving them 11 turnovers in the past three games.
Titans 26, Texans 20, OT
HOUSTON — Vince Young and the Titans did it again — spectacularly.
Young ran for a 39-yard touchdown in overtime for a third straight comeback victory and fourth win in a row.
Young ran into the end zone virtually untouched and then jumped into the stands to the open arms of a throng of burnt orange-clad fans. He then blew kisses and waved to a crowd that had cheered the Texans most of the game, but went wild when the former University of Texas star scored.
Two weeks ago, the Titans (6-7) rallied from a 21-0 deficit in the final 91⁄2 minutes to beat the Giants. Last week, Rob Bironas’ 60-yard field goal in the final seconds beat Indianapolis.
The Texans fell to 4-9.
Bengals 27, Raiders 10
CINCINNATI — Carson Palmer threw for a pair of touchdowns and Rudi Johnson ran for two more to strengthen Cincinnati’s playoff chances.
The Bengals (8-5) have won four in a row, moving to the forefront of the AFC wild card race. At the moment, Cincinnati is positioned for one of the two spots, with pivotal games coming up the next two weeks at Indianapolis and Denver.
The Raiders (2-11) had another self-destructing performance against a defense setting new team standards. The Bengals have allowed only 17 points in the last three games, a franchise first.
Two Bengals receivers — T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson topped 100 yards, and a running back also ran for 100 yards — Johnson had 117 yards — the first time that has happened in franchise history.
Eagles 21, Redskins 19
LANDOVER, Md. — The Eagles intercepted two passes — one was returned 84 yards for a TD by Michael Lewis — and Jeff Garcia threw two TD passes.
Garcia threw for 164 yards in another solid outing to improve to 2-1 as the starter since Donovan McNabb’s season-ending injury. Brian Westbrook had 88 yards rushing and 38 receiving for the Eagles (7-6), who have swept the Redskins (4-9) four times in the last five years.
Washington has lost four of five. Ladell Betts led the Redskins with 171 yards on 33 carries.
Ravens 20, Chiefs 10
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One big pass play, one big defensive day — and Baltimore is one step closer to the AFC North title.
Steve McNair hooked up with Mark Clayton for an 87-yard score and Ed Reed had two interceptions Sunday, leading the Ravens.
Baltimore (10-3) maintained its two-game division lead over Cincinnati, which beat Oakland.
The Ravens forced three turnovers and sacked Trent Green four times. Green also lost a fumble after being sacked and stripped of the ball by Terrell Suggs. Kansas City is 7-6.
Vikings 30, Lions 20
DETROIT — Minnesota stayed in the playoff picture with an unlikely boost from a player haunting his former team.
Artose Pinner had career highs with 125 yards rushing and three touchdowns to lift the Vikings (6-7).
Despite losing five of the previous six games and being under .500, the Vikings still have a shot at playing in January.
The Lions (2-11), meanwhile, have lost five straight.
Giants 27, Panthers 13
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Chris Weinke couldn’t turn around Carolina’s disappointing season. Tiki Barber and Eli Manning helped revive the Giants’ playoff hopes.
Barber rushed for 112 yards, Manning threw three touchdown passes and the Giants snapped a four-game losing streak.
Weinke, making his first start in more than four years in place of the injured Jake Delhomme, threw for a team-record 423 yards, but had three second-half interceptions for the Panthers (6-7), losers of three straight.
The Giants (7-6) remained in the top spot in the NFC wild-card race. Barber went over 10,000 career yards rushing in the second quarter on the way to his fifth 100-yard game of the season.
Cardinals 27, Seahawks 21
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Edgerrin James topped 100 yards rushing for the second game in a row and Matt Leinart threw touchdown passes of 56 and 5 yards to lead the Cardinals to their third victory in four games.
Seattle lost three fumbles resulting in 14 Arizona points, including Leinart’s 5-yard scoring pass to Larry Fitzgerald for the go-ahead points on the first play of the fourth quarter.
After Neil Rackers’ 40-yard field goal with 31⁄2 minutes to go to put Arizona (4-9) up by six points, Seattle (8-5) drove from its 17 to the Cardinals 15. But on third-and-12 from the 17, ex-Seahawk Chike Okeafor sacked Matt Hasselbeck for an 8-yard loss. On fourth down, Hasselbeck threw to Deion Branch but the receiver was tackled by Adrian Wilson at the Arizona 6, a yard shy of the first down.
Bills 31, Jets 13
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Willis McGahee scored on a 57-yard run, Lee Evans had a 77-yard TD catch and Nate Clements returned an interception 58 yards for a score.
Buffalo (6-7) looked more like the playoff contender than the Jets (7-6), winning for the third time in four games. It was the third time in Bills history, and first since Sept. 24, 1989, at Houston, that they had three plays of over 50 yards in a game. It was also the first time since Dec. 5, 1965, also at Houston, the Bills had TDs rushing and passing of over 50 yards in a game.
McGahee had 125 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. He has gained 100 or more yards in each of his last five games against New York.
Packers 30, 49ers 19
SAN FRANCISCO — Brett Favre can still carve up Candlestick Park. Favre passed for 293 yards and hit Donald Driver for a 68-yard touchdown Sunday, and the Green Bay Packers snapped a three-game losing streak.
Playing in the waterfront stadium that hosted some of his greatest playoff performances, Favre was steady and fearless while breathing life back into the Packers (5-8), who had been floundering on offense since early November.
Ruvell Martin also caught a long TD pass, and Driver had nine catches for 160 yards as Favre went 22-for-34 and surpassed 3,000 yards passing for the 15th straight season to extend his own NFL record.
Tomlinson scored three touchdowns Sunday, including the final two in a span of 47 seconds late in the game, to break the NFL single-season record with 29 TDs. He led the Chargers to a 48-20 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The victory, coupled with Kansas City’s 20-10 loss to Baltimore, gave the Chargers (11-2) their second division title in three seasons.
The Chargers also grabbed the inside track to home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs when Indianapolis lost 44-17 at Jacksonville to fall into a tie with Baltimore at 10-3.
But this game was all about Tomlinson, who has become the MVP frontrunner by scoring 26 touchdowns in the last nine games.
Tomlinson tied Shaun Alexander’s record of 28, set in 2005, when he scored on a 6-yard run with 3:57 left. He got hit at the 3, but spun right and scored.
The Chargers got the ball back when Shawne Merriman recovered a fumble at the Denver 7. On the next play, with the crowd at full throat, Tomlinson ran to his left and scored.
He was mobbed in the end zone by his teammates, who hoisted him on their shoulders. He held up the ball and waved the index finger of his other hand.
Denver (7-6) lost its fourth straight game.
Jaguars 44, Colts 17
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There was nothing Peyton Manning could do to prevent this outcome — unless he decided to play defense or special teams.
Rookie Maurice Drew ran for a career-high 166 yards and two touchdowns, had a 93-yard kickoff return for a score, and the Jaguars literally ran the Colts out of town and maybe out of contention for home-field advantage in the AFC.
Fred Taylor was equally effective against the league’s worst run defense, gaining 131 yards on nine carries before leaving with a sore right hamstring.
By then, the Jaguars (8-5) were ahead 34-10 and coasting to their first win against Indianapolis since 2004.
The Colts (10-3), who were looking to clinch their fourth consecutive AFC East title. Now, they will try to regroup from a third loss in four games and wonder whether they’ve gone from the leading candidate to secure the conference’s No. 1 seed to a possible wild-card team.
The Colts allowed a franchise record 375 yards rushing. Indy’s Marvin Harrison became the fourth player in NFL history with 1,000 receptions Sunday, joining Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Cris Carter. Harrison had six catches for 101 yards.
Manning finished 25-of-50 for 313 yards.
Dolphins 21, Patriots 0
MIAMI — New England’s best play was an illegal forward pass. It was that kind of day for Tom Brady and his offense.
Miami sacked Brady four times, forced him to fumble twice, held him to 78 yards passing and shut out the Patriots for the first time since the perfect-season Dolphins of 1972.
The Patriots (9-4) still lead the AFC East, but the loss hurt their chances of earning a first-round bye in the playoffs. They lost on the road for the first time in six games this season.
Miami (6-7), virtually eliminated from the playoff race a week ago, won for the fifth time in six games.
The Patriots totaled a season-low 189 yards and lost three fumbles, giving them 11 turnovers in the past three games.
Titans 26, Texans 20, OT
HOUSTON — Vince Young and the Titans did it again — spectacularly.
Young ran for a 39-yard touchdown in overtime for a third straight comeback victory and fourth win in a row.
Young ran into the end zone virtually untouched and then jumped into the stands to the open arms of a throng of burnt orange-clad fans. He then blew kisses and waved to a crowd that had cheered the Texans most of the game, but went wild when the former University of Texas star scored.
Two weeks ago, the Titans (6-7) rallied from a 21-0 deficit in the final 91⁄2 minutes to beat the Giants. Last week, Rob Bironas’ 60-yard field goal in the final seconds beat Indianapolis.
The Texans fell to 4-9.
Bengals 27, Raiders 10
CINCINNATI — Carson Palmer threw for a pair of touchdowns and Rudi Johnson ran for two more to strengthen Cincinnati’s playoff chances.
The Bengals (8-5) have won four in a row, moving to the forefront of the AFC wild card race. At the moment, Cincinnati is positioned for one of the two spots, with pivotal games coming up the next two weeks at Indianapolis and Denver.
The Raiders (2-11) had another self-destructing performance against a defense setting new team standards. The Bengals have allowed only 17 points in the last three games, a franchise first.
Two Bengals receivers — T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson topped 100 yards, and a running back also ran for 100 yards — Johnson had 117 yards — the first time that has happened in franchise history.
Eagles 21, Redskins 19
LANDOVER, Md. — The Eagles intercepted two passes — one was returned 84 yards for a TD by Michael Lewis — and Jeff Garcia threw two TD passes.
Garcia threw for 164 yards in another solid outing to improve to 2-1 as the starter since Donovan McNabb’s season-ending injury. Brian Westbrook had 88 yards rushing and 38 receiving for the Eagles (7-6), who have swept the Redskins (4-9) four times in the last five years.
Washington has lost four of five. Ladell Betts led the Redskins with 171 yards on 33 carries.
Ravens 20, Chiefs 10
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One big pass play, one big defensive day — and Baltimore is one step closer to the AFC North title.
Steve McNair hooked up with Mark Clayton for an 87-yard score and Ed Reed had two interceptions Sunday, leading the Ravens.
Baltimore (10-3) maintained its two-game division lead over Cincinnati, which beat Oakland.
The Ravens forced three turnovers and sacked Trent Green four times. Green also lost a fumble after being sacked and stripped of the ball by Terrell Suggs. Kansas City is 7-6.
Vikings 30, Lions 20
DETROIT — Minnesota stayed in the playoff picture with an unlikely boost from a player haunting his former team.
Artose Pinner had career highs with 125 yards rushing and three touchdowns to lift the Vikings (6-7).
Despite losing five of the previous six games and being under .500, the Vikings still have a shot at playing in January.
The Lions (2-11), meanwhile, have lost five straight.
Giants 27, Panthers 13
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Chris Weinke couldn’t turn around Carolina’s disappointing season. Tiki Barber and Eli Manning helped revive the Giants’ playoff hopes.
Barber rushed for 112 yards, Manning threw three touchdown passes and the Giants snapped a four-game losing streak.
Weinke, making his first start in more than four years in place of the injured Jake Delhomme, threw for a team-record 423 yards, but had three second-half interceptions for the Panthers (6-7), losers of three straight.
The Giants (7-6) remained in the top spot in the NFC wild-card race. Barber went over 10,000 career yards rushing in the second quarter on the way to his fifth 100-yard game of the season.
Cardinals 27, Seahawks 21
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Edgerrin James topped 100 yards rushing for the second game in a row and Matt Leinart threw touchdown passes of 56 and 5 yards to lead the Cardinals to their third victory in four games.
Seattle lost three fumbles resulting in 14 Arizona points, including Leinart’s 5-yard scoring pass to Larry Fitzgerald for the go-ahead points on the first play of the fourth quarter.
After Neil Rackers’ 40-yard field goal with 31⁄2 minutes to go to put Arizona (4-9) up by six points, Seattle (8-5) drove from its 17 to the Cardinals 15. But on third-and-12 from the 17, ex-Seahawk Chike Okeafor sacked Matt Hasselbeck for an 8-yard loss. On fourth down, Hasselbeck threw to Deion Branch but the receiver was tackled by Adrian Wilson at the Arizona 6, a yard shy of the first down.
Bills 31, Jets 13
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Willis McGahee scored on a 57-yard run, Lee Evans had a 77-yard TD catch and Nate Clements returned an interception 58 yards for a score.
Buffalo (6-7) looked more like the playoff contender than the Jets (7-6), winning for the third time in four games. It was the third time in Bills history, and first since Sept. 24, 1989, at Houston, that they had three plays of over 50 yards in a game. It was also the first time since Dec. 5, 1965, also at Houston, the Bills had TDs rushing and passing of over 50 yards in a game.
McGahee had 125 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. He has gained 100 or more yards in each of his last five games against New York.
Packers 30, 49ers 19
SAN FRANCISCO — Brett Favre can still carve up Candlestick Park. Favre passed for 293 yards and hit Donald Driver for a 68-yard touchdown Sunday, and the Green Bay Packers snapped a three-game losing streak.
Playing in the waterfront stadium that hosted some of his greatest playoff performances, Favre was steady and fearless while breathing life back into the Packers (5-8), who had been floundering on offense since early November.
Ruvell Martin also caught a long TD pass, and Driver had nine catches for 160 yards as Favre went 22-for-34 and surpassed 3,000 yards passing for the 15th straight season to extend his own NFL record.
