Sunday, December 16, 2012

Packers and Texans both win on Sunday and clinch their division


CHICAGO (AP) --With one championship under their belt, the Green Bay Packers are already eyeing a few others. Aaron Rodgers connected with James Jones on all three touchdowns, Clay Matthews continued his dominance of Jay Cutler with two more sacks and Green Bay clinched its second straight NFC North title with a 21-13 victory over the archrival Chicago Bears on Sunday. After starting the season 2-3, the Packers are showing signs they might have a run in them like the one that carried them to the Super Bowl title two years ago. They have assured themselves of a home playoff game and, at 10-4, are still in the running for the No. 2 seed in the NFC. ''We're just getting started,'' coach Mike McCarthy said. ''We feel that way as a football team. We feel there's a lot better football in front of us.'' Chicago, meanwhile, continues to slide. This was the Bears' fifth loss in six games, and they're in danger of missing the playoffs after beginning the season 7-1. Chicago (8-6) lost ground in the race for the last wild-card spot, and fans at Soldier Field showered the team with boos for much of the game. Cutler had another dismal day against the Packers, throwing an interception that led to the game-winning touchdown. He's been picked off 17 times by the Packers, including 10 in his last five games. Alshon Jeffery was whistled for three offensive pass interference calls, all late in the second half when the Bears were scratching to get something going. Brandon Marshall had Chicago's only touchdown, but had just 56 yards receiving. The Bears were held to 67 yards of offense in the second half and finished with 190, their third-lowest of the season. The Packers have now won six straight against their rivals to the south. ''Everybody involved in this offense should be held accountable, even if that means jobs,'' said Marshall, who struggled to compose himself as he spoke before cutting short his post-game interview. ''It's been this way all year. There's no excuse. We still have two games left. There's still hope, but at the same time, we need to be held accountable.'' 

HOUSTON (AP) -- The Houston Texans now own the AFC South, and they have a message for the rest of the NFL: Last week's debacle against New England was not the real Texans. The real Texans, they claim, clinched the division for the second straight year with a 29-17 victory over Indianapolis. ''A lot of people were wondering how we were going to respond,'' Andre Johnson said. ''I think a lot of people doubted us after what happened last week. We (felt) like we had to show people what we were really about.'' They believe they did so against the Colts, a team that dominated the division for years before Houston's recent rise. But Sunday's celebrations were more subdued than last year's. This time the Texans expected to win the division, and have much bigger goals ahead. ''It's awesome,'' J.J. Watt said. ''But there's a lot more fun ahead, so I hope everybody is not celebrating too early.'' Johnson gained 151 yards receiving and a touchdown, Bryan Braman had a special teams score on a blocked punt, and Shayne Graham kicked five field goals. The Texans (12-2) grabbed their first AFC South title last season after the Colts nosedived without injured quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning is gone to Denver and rookie Andrew Luck couldn't do much against the inspired Houston defense. The Colts (9-5) had won three straight games and needed a win to clinch a playoff berth a year after going 2-14 in 2011. Before that, they took the division seven times since Houston entered the league in 2002. ''It was a tough loss for us in that we came here with one idea and that was to win the division, and we're not going to win the division - they did it,'' Indianapolis interim coach Bruce Arians said. Thanks in great part to three sacks from Watt, Houston bounced back six days after the 42-14 loss to New England on national television. The Texans will have home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs if they win out. 

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