In the final stop on a seven-game, 12-day road trip which began Nov. 18 in Los Angeles against the Lakers, the 20-year-old No. 1 overall pick in the draft still had plenty of energy.

Ben Gordon scored 21 points, Drew Gooden had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and the Chicago Bulls rallied from an early deficit for a 103-92 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.

Rose contributed 18 points and 10 assists and reached double figures in assists for the first time this season. Reserve Larry Hughes had 16 points for the Bulls (8-9), who won for only the third time in 10 games on the road.

All three of Chicago’s road wins came during this stretch.

“We got the ball in his hands in transition and he was finding guys,” Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said of Rose.

Rose entered the game averaging 5.8 assists, the best mark among rookies.

“I’m feeling good and taking it game by game,” said Rose, who played a team-high 40 minutes. “We’re moving the ball and finding the open person. We’re playing team basketball and that’s what it’s all about.”

Elton Brand had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Thaddeus Young added 17 points for the reeling Sixers, who have lost four straight to fall to 7-10. Andre Miller had 15 points and 10 assists, and Willie Green chipped in with 12 points.

Philadelphia scored a season-low 78 points in a 24-point loss at Boston on Friday and has been held below the 100-point mark in seven consecutive games.

“We’ve got to step it up,” Brand said. “We’ve lost two games in a row where the other team has taken it to us.”

The Bulls held a 71-66 lead late in the third before running off 12 straight points to take an 83-66 advantage at the end of the quarter. Rose had six of the 12 points, including a high-flying, one-handed dunk with 32 seconds remaining.

“I think by us spreading out the basketball the way we did, we were really consistent with our effort in the zone and we got in transition,” Del Negro said.

After a 3-pointer by Hughes gave the Bulls a 92-73 lead with 7:21 left, the fans booed and a large throng of them began to vacate the arena. When the game ended, the boos careened down once again.

“We have to get ourselves back in the mind-set of defending,” Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said.

The Sixers led by as many as 15 points in the first half before Chicago went on a 14-0 run to cut the lead to 41-40 on a basket by Luol Deng with 4:57 remaining.

Philadelphia finished the half strong and held what would wind up being a short-lived 55-52 lead.

Hookscenter.com wire report.

Cutler passed for 357 yards and two touchdowns and rookie Peyton Hillis ran for 129 yards and a score in the Broncos’ 34-17 victory over the Jets at a wet and windy Meadowlands on Sunday. 

The Broncos (7-5) washed away the sting of a 31-10 loss to Oakland at home last weekend by stopping the Jets’ five-game winning streak. Denver leads the AFC West by three games with four weeks left.

It was a disappointing loss for New York (8-4), which was coming off emotional victories at New England and Tennessee and was making a claim as the conference’s top team.

Cutler finished 27-of-43, and Hillis became the first to rush for 100 or more yards against the Jets’ third-ranked run defense. Brandon Stokley and Eddie Royal each had touchdown catches, and tight ends Tony Scheffler and Daniel Graham combined for 13 catches and 149 yards.

Thomas Jones had 138 yards rushing and two touchdowns for New York, but Brett Favre struggled in the sloppy conditions. He finished 23-of-43 for 247 yards and an interception.

The Jets are still a game ahead of both New England and Miami in the AFC East.

Broncos safety Vernon Fox gave the Broncos an early lead when he returned a fumble 23 yards for a touchdown on a controversial play midway through the opening period that set the tone for the game.

Wide receiver Brad Smith took a direct snap and tried to hand off to Jerricho Cotchery, but the ball squirted away. Cotchery jumped on top of the bouncing ball and was immediately hit by Fox. The ball then came loose and Fox picked it up and returned it for a touchdown.

Jets coach Eric Mangini threw out the red challenge flag, but the officials ruled Cotchery had never gained possession so it was still a fumble, and not a reviewable play.

Jones tied it with a 59-yard touchdown run on the opening play of New York’s next possession. Jones went up the middle, broke right and took off untouched down the sideline for the longest run in his career.

Denver came right back four plays later when Royal, showing no signs of the toe injury that limited him in practice, scored on a 59-yard touchdown pass with 6:44 left. Mangini challenged the play, thinking Royal stepped out of bounds, but the call was upheld after a short review.

Matt Prater’s 25-yard field goal made it 17-7 with 1:44 remaining in the opening quarter.

Jones scored his second touchdown on an athletic, heads-up play. On first-and-10 from Denver’s 29, Jones took the handoff and went down near the line of scrimmage, but his body rolled over the Broncos’ Kenny Peterson without touching the ground. Jones bounced up off the defender’s back and zipped into the end zone, scoring a 29-yard touchdown - with many of the Broncos standing around, thinking the play was dead. After a review to check to see if Jones’ left elbow touched the turf, officials upheld the original call.

Denver took advantage of Dre’ Bly’s interception of Favre as Hillis scored on a 1-yard run to cap a seven-play drive that made it 24-14 late in the first half.

Prater’s 35-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining before halftime made it 27-14.

Dwight Lowery’s first NFL interception helped the Jets close within 10 as Jay Feely kicked a 30-yard field goal with 2:50 left in the third quarter. The Broncos had players injured - Spencer Larson, Ebenezer Ekuban and Bly - on consecutive catch-and-runs by Leon Washington on the drive.

Stokley’s 36-yard touchdown reception with 9:26 left sealed the victory for the Broncos.

Hookscenter.com wire report.

Benjamin Brafman wrote in an e-mail to the Associated Press on Sunday that he was advised the New York Giants’ star receiver will be charged after accidentally shooting himself in the right thigh.

“I do not expect that Mr. Burress will make a statement,” Brafman wrote.

He met with Burress for about an hour Sunday at the player’s home in New Jersey.

“I would ask that his fans, the Giants and the media withhold judgment in this matter until all of the facts have been disclosed,” Brafman wrote to the AP.

Brafman is a well-known criminal lawyer who has defended mobsters and other high-profile figures, including hip-hop impresario Sean “Diddy” Combs on a bribery and gun possession charge in 2001.

Burress shot himself at a Manhattan nightclub Friday night and was released from a hospital early Saturday, the Giants said.

“As far as we know, he’s going to be OK,” general manager Jerry Reese said before the Super Bowl champions’ game Sunday at the Washington Redskins.

Before the shooting, Burress already had been ruled out of the game because of an unrelated leg injury.

New York police and NFL security are investigating what happened Friday. Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce was interviewed by NFL security at the team’s hotel Saturday, Reese said.

Pierce — who started against Washington — reportedly was present for the latest dramatic turn in a tumultuous season of fines and suspension for Burress.

“Antonio is working on trying to beat the Redskins right now,” Reese said before kickoff. “That’s where his focus is and where it should be right now.”

Neither Reese nor Giants president and CEO John Mara would say what Burress’ status with the team might be going forward.

“I want to wait until we find out all the facts and circumstances before we make any determination,” Mara said. “I don’t know what happened there, and until we find out exactly what happened, I’m not going to make any comment or make any decision about what his future is.”

Reese and Mara said they hadn’t spoken to Burress, who hurt his hamstring two weeks ago and was going to miss the game against the Redskins because of that injury.

“I reached out to him,” Reese said. “I did not get a return phone call.”

Mara repeatedly said the Giants would cooperate with the police and the NFL in their investigations.

Asked if he knows what the scope of those inquiries are, Mara said: “I do not know, no. I guess the circumstances of how he got shot, whose gun it was. There are a lot of questions like that that are still unanswered.”

Burress caught the go-ahead touchdown pass in the Giants’ Super Bowl victory against the New England Patriots in February, following a regular season in which he scored a career-high 12 TDs. He was rewarded with a $35 million, five-year contract, only hours before the current season.

But his consecutive-games streak with at least one catch ended at 115 last week against Arizona, after he aggravated his hamstring injury during the first series and did not return.

Burress has 35 catches for 454 yards and four touchdowns while constantly drawing double coverage this season.

Off the field, he was suspended for a game against Seattle in October and fined $117,500 for missing a team meeting and failing to notify the Giants of his absence. He said he had a family emergency.

Burress also was fined $45,000 by the NFL for his conduct during a game against San Francisco in which he abused an official and tossed a ball into the stands.

Hookscenter.com wire report.

Four of the team’s free agents are up for debate, and all are pitchers: Eric Gagne, CC Sabathia, Ben Sheets and Brian Shouse. The Brewers have until 10:59 p.m. CT on Monday to decide whether to offer arbitration, a move which could net compensatory Draft picks if any of those players sign elsewhere but also could lock the team into high-priced, one-year contracts.

“Monday is a big day,” Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said. “A lot of teams are waiting until that day passes to make other decisions.”

Here’s how it works. Teams receive Draft-pick compensation for certain high-profile players who depart via free agency — two picks for so-called Type A players and one for Type B players. Sabathia and Sheets are Type A and Gagne and Shouse are Type B, according to a formula set by the Elias Sports Bureau and based on players’ statistics over the past two seasons.

In order to qualify for those compensatory picks, a departing player must first be offered arbitration by the end of the day Monday. Players then have until Dec. 7 to decide whether to accept.

If a Type A player declines, he remains free to sign with any team and his former team is compensated based on his new ballclub’s record in the previous season. If his new team was in the top half of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams, the former team receives the new team’s first-round Draft pick plus a “sandwich” pick between the first and second rounds. If the new team fell in the bottom half, the former team receives the sandwich pick plus the new team’s second-round selection.

Type B players who are offered arbitration and then sign elsewhere net their former teams one compensatory Draft pick instead of two.

The Brewers are certain to offer arbitration to Sabathia, the most prized pitcher in this winter’s free-agent market and who is sure to cash in with a multiyear mega-deal, and Shouse, whom Milwaukee would like to have back on a one-year contract but who instead is seeking two years on the open market.

But Melvin would not offer any clues about longtime Brewers ace Sheets, a four-time All-Star whose value on the free-agent market is complicated by his injury history, including a torn flexor muscle near his right elbow that forced Sheets to miss the Brewers’ postseason series against the Phillies. Sheets earned about $12 million in 2008 and would get a hefty raise in arbitration after going 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA in 31 starts, including five complete games.

The Brewers almost certainly will not offer arbitration to Gagne because he earned $10 million in 2008, a figure that would factor into his 2009 salary. He went 4-3 with a 5.44 ERA in 50 games, and Salomon Torres took over the closer’s role in May after Gagne injured his right shoulder.

The Brewers’ other free agents who did not qualify for Draft compensation include reliever Guillermo Mota, infielders Russell Branyan, Craig Counsell, Ray Durham and Mike Lamb and outfielder Gabe Kapler. Melvin was particularly disappointed that Durham did not qualify as a Type A or Type B free agent, likely the result of Durham’s below-average 2007 season in San Francisco.

The Brewers may have some interest in bringing back Counsell, even after declining his $3.4 million option on Halloween, and Kapler, who was excellent as a reserve outfielder before suffering a season-ending upper back or shoulder injury. Melvin said he would not make a decision on Mota, who posted a 1.57 ERA in his final 25 appearances, until later this winter because there are so many relievers on the market.

It rarely makes sense for teams to extend an offer of arbitration to a player not eligible for compensation. The Brewers are not expected to do so.

Hookscenter.com wire report (McCalvy).

Swindle, 25, was a 14th-round Draft pick of the Red Sox in 2004 and debuted in the Major Leagues briefly last season with the Phillies, making three appearances in July for the World Series champions. He was charged with four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings.

The Brewers were more impressed with Swindle’s Minor League numbers over the past four years, including his 10.4 strikeouts and 1.1 walks per nine innings pitched. In 194 Minor League innings for the Red Sox, Yankees and Phillies farm clubs, Swindle has a 226-to-25 strikeouts-to-walks ratio and a 1.58 ERA.

The native of Vancouver pitched last summer for Team Canada at the Beijing Olympics, and he’s currently working in the Venezuelan Winter League. Swindle posted a 3.17 ERA in his first 13 appearances for Magallanes with 17 strikeouts and three walks.

“He gets left-handed hitters out,” Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said. “He’s more of a situational guy, not necessarily a full-inning guy. But he’s a guy that we feel can get people out.”

Swindle joins Mitch Stetter as the only left-handed relievers on Milwaukee’s roster, though the door remains slightly open for Brian Shouse to return. Melvin said the team was “not sure” about striking a deal with Shouse, 40, who is seeking a two-year contract. The Brewers have only been open to offer a one-year deal.

Swindle’s style is somewhat similar to Shouse’s despite their differing statures (Shouse is listed at 5-foot-10 and 196 pounds; Swindle at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds). Swindle throws a variety of pitches from different arm angles, including a 55-mph curveball. His fastball tops out in the 84-85-mph range.

Swindle is believed to have agreed to a split contract that pays the Major League minimum salary — $400,000 in 2009 — if he remains in the big leagues. He has two Minor League options remaining.

Tracy Paul Hunt, Swindle’s agent, said the Brewers were among three “serious contenders,” with six other teams, including the Phillies, offering Minor League deals with an invitation to attend Spring Training.

“We wanted a 40-man roster spot and the Brewers stepped up,” Hunt said.

The Brewers are working to fill holes in the bullpen left by free agents Eric Gagne, Guillermo Mota and Shouse and more recently by Salomon Torres, who announced his intent to retire. The Brewers sent Torres the necessary paperwork to make that intent official, but Torres has not yet filled it out and returned it.

Melvin did slam the door shut Tuesday on one rumor that the Brewers were interested in 39-year-old Japanese left-hander Ken Takahashi.

“We’re not involved with any Japanese players,” Melvin said.

The Brewers have 36 players on the 40-man roster, including Torres.

Hookscenter.com wire report (McCalvy).

Oklahoma — not Texas — is headed to the Big 12 Championship Game with an inside track to the national title game by finishing ahead of the Longhorns in the BCS standings.

Texas’ victory against the Sooners in October wasn’t enough to give the Longhorns the advantage in a three-way tie between Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech atop the Big 12 South. And that’s sure to leave many in Austin feeling slighted.

The Big 12 had to use its fifth tiebreaker, best BCS rating, to determine which team will play North winner Missouri on Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.

The Sooners (11-1), who lost to Texas 45-35 in October, barely edged the Longhorns. Oklahoma has a .9351 BCS average. Texas’ BCS average is .9223.

Oklahoma was a point ahead of Texas in the coaches poll and six points behind the Longhorns in the Harris Interactive. The computer ratings preferred the Sooners and that made the difference.

So the Longhorns will be watching two teams they beat play for the conference title, rooting for Missouri.

Oklahoma is second in the BCS standings behind unbeaten Alabama. Texas is third and Florida is fourth.

The winner of the Southeastern Conference Championship Game between the Crimson Tide and Gators is virtually guaranteed a spot in the BCS national title game on Jan. 8 in Miami.

Oklahoma would earn the other spot by beating Missouri. If the Sooners lose, it could open the door for Texas to go to the national title game, despite not playing for its conference championship.

If voters are squeamish about letting a team that didn’t win its conference play for a national championship, maybe Southern California could get a shot at the SEC champ in South Florida.

The Trojans are fifth in the BCS standings with a game to go at rival UCLA.

The Sooners were behind Texas last week in the BCS standings, but just barely. The Sooners actually led the Longhorns in the polls, but a week ago the computers had Texas ahead of Oklahoma.

After the Sooners’ 61-41 victory Saturday night against Oklahoma State — 14th in the latest standings — and the Longhorns’ 49-9 win over lowly Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night, the polls tightened but the computers flipped.

The strength of the Big 12 South led to this new BCS controversy, with the top three teams in the conference each finishing 11-1.

After beating Oklahoma and jumping to No. 1 in the polls, Texas (11-1) lost at Texas Tech 39-33 on Nov. 1. The Red Raiders (11-1), No. 2 at the time, then lost at Oklahoma 65-21 on Nov. 22.

The lopsided loss dropped Texas Tech to seventh in Sunday’s standings.

After beating Texas Tech, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops touted his team publicly. But later in the week, Stoops passed on a chance to make another pitch to poll voters and said the politicking that’s become a part of the BCS was making more coaches favor a playoff system in major college football.

Brown, maybe sensing that his team was in danger of losing its spot despite the head-to-head advantage, did his best to campaign for his team without slighting the Sooners in several national television and radio interviews last week. Brown was even part of the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State broadcast, doing a telephone interview with ABC’s announcers during the game.

Brown has stopped short of supporting a playoff, saying only that the BCS is flawed.

Brown also lamented the Big 12’s tiebreaker system, which removed the head-to-head element. In the SEC, a similar three-way division tie would be settled by eliminating the lowest rated team in the BCS standings, then reverting back to head-to-head results between the remaining teams.

But ultimately, the Longhorns victory against Oklahoma couldn’t trump the Sooners’ surge over the last two months.

Oklahoma has scored at least 60 points in its last four games, and has won its last five games by at least 20 points each.

Though it’s not as if Texas has been struggling down the stretch. The Longhorns only loss came on a Graham Harrell-to-Michael Crabtree touchdown pass with one second left in the game. That was also the fourth of four consecutive games for the Longhorns against teams ranked in the top 11 of the AP poll.

Since losing to the Red Raiders, Texas has won three games by a combined score of 129-37.

Hookscenter.com wire report.

The top-ranked Crimson Tide and second-ranked Gators held their spots in the Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday, setting up the 41st game matching the highest ranked teams in the AP Top 25.

Alabama (12-0) and Florida (11-1) will play Saturday at the Georgia Dome in the Southeastern Conference title game. The winner is virtually guaranteed a spot in the BCS championship game in Miami on Jan. 8.

No. 3 Texas slipped past No. 4 Oklahoma in the latest rankings, a week after the Sooners had jumped over the Longhorns.

The Crimson Tide received 62 first-place votes and 1,620 points from the media panel. The Gators received three first-place votes, up one from last week, and 1,516 points.

Texas had 1,488 points, eight more than Oklahoma.

There was little movement throughout the poll after a weekend when most ranked teams either won or were off.

No. 5 Southern California and No. 6 Penn State held their spots. No. 7 Utah jumped a spot ahead of No. 8 Texas Tech, after the Red Raiders had to rally to beat Baylor 35-28 at home.

No. 9 and unbeaten Boise State and Ohio State round out the top 10.

The 1 vs. 2 matchup in Atlanta will be the fourth in which Alabama has been involved, but the first not played in a bowl game and the first in which the Tide will be No. 1. The Tide are 2-1 in games matching the top two teams in the AP poll.

Florida has also appeared three times in a 1 vs. 2 matchup, going 2-1.

In 1 vs. 2 games, the top-ranked team is 23-15-2.

No. 11 is TCU in the poll, followed by unbeaten Ball State, Big East champion Cincinnati, and Oklahoma State, which slipped three spots after losing 61-41 at home to Oklahoma.

No. 15 is Georgia Tech and No. 16 is Oregon. Both the Yellow Jackets and Ducks had big wins against their in-state rivals on Saturday.

No. 17 Georgia lost to Georgia Tech 45-42.

No. 18 Boston College will play unranked Virginia Tech for the Atlantic Coast Conference championship in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday.

No. 19 Missouri dropped seven spots after losing 40-37 to Kansas and will have to wait for the BCS standings to come out later Sunday to find out what team it will play for the Big 12 title in Kansas City, Mo.

Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech finished tied atop the Big 12 South standings and the spot in the conference championship game will go to the highest-rated team in the BCS standings. The BCS uses the coaches and Harris polls, along with computer ratings, to rank teams.

No. 20 BYU is followed by Michigan State, Mississippi, Pittsburgh, Northwestern and Oregon State, which dropped eight spots after losing 65-38 to Oregon.

Florida State was the only team to drop out of the rankings.

Hookscenter.com wire report.

Coach, you’re not alone. Tim Tebow and No. 2 Florida have left many others feeling the same way the past two months.

Tebow threw three touchdown passes, ran for 80 yards and another score, and the Gators thumped No. 23 Florida State 45-15 in sloppy conditions Saturday. It was the most points Florida has ever scored at Doak Campbell Stadium.

“It was a good tail-whipping,” FSU coach Bobby Bowden said. “I didn’t think they would beat us like that here. The last time we had a beating like that was last year against them.”

Florida (11-1) extended its winning streak to eight games, continued its dominance in the intrastate rivalry and set up a 1-2 showdown with Alabama in next week’s Southeastern Conference title game.

The Gators have won five in a row against Bowden’s team, and this one was nearly as big a laugher as last season’s 45-12 victory in Gainesville.

Florida scored on five of its first seven possessions, held the Seminoles (8-4) without a touchdown for the first 2½ quarters and again proved that the gap between the two programs is as wide as ever.

“They score so many points so fast that everybody gets out of their game plan,” said Bowden, whose team allowed 28 first-half points for the first time since 1989. “You’re trying to catch up and you start doing things you shouldn’t be doing.”

Tebow and Co. pretty much ruined Florida State’s day. Boston College piled on, beating Maryland and knocking the Seminoles out of the hunt for the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game.

FSU likely will have to settle for a spot in the Gator Bowl against Nebraska. Florida’s postseason outlook is much brighter. If the Gators can beat Alabama next Saturday in Atlanta, they would lock up a spot in the Bowl Championship Series national title game in Miami.

The Gators looked capable of winning it all, too.

They ran for 317 yards — the most against the Seminoles since Clemson had 321 on the ground in 1985 — and dominated just about every aspect of the game.

Florida State’s lone bright spot was Michael Ray Garvin’s 172 yards on five kickoff returns. The Seminoles were outgained 502-242, had three turnovers and finished 3-of-14 on third-down conversions.

Florida State’s Christian Ponder was picked off twice, including on the first play of the second half, and eventually benched. Brandon Spikes returned the interception to the FSU 20, and Tebow took over from there.

He rolled right on third down and threw a strike across his body to Louis Murphy to make it 35-9. Tebow finished 12-of-21 passing for 185 yards and burned the Seminoles with scrambles and quarterback draws.

Late in the first, he started right, cut up field and capped a 24-yard run by bowling over safety Jamie Robinson — an early sign of how things would unfold on a rain-soaked field.

“If it was up to me, I probably would have run him 50 times,” said coach Urban Meyer, who improved to 12-1 in games against Florida’s biggest rivals Tennessee, Georgia, FSU and Miami.

Tebow, who strengthened his case for becoming the second to win consecutive Heisman Trophies, also made a key block on Percy Harvin’s TD run, recovered a fumble and made a touchdown-saving tackle following an early fumble by John Demps.

Tebow’s only miscue came when he got stuffed on a fourth-and-1 run near the goal line.

“He played very well,” FSU safety Myron Rolle said. “There was really no way to stop them.”

Bowden was even more complimentary.

“He deserves to be mentioned again for the Heisman,” said Bowden, who compared Tebow to legendary fullback Bronco Nagurski. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a better leader. … He directed everything out there. He’s a tremendous player and a tremendous leader.”

The Seminoles fired up Tebow before last year’s game when linebacker Geno Hayes vowed to “take him down.” This time, the FSU fans offered Tebow a little extra motivation.

They cheered wildly when Harvin, the team’s leading receiver, left the game in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle. He limped off the field with the help of trainers and didn’t return.

Tebow was incensed by the reaction.

“That kind of irritated me,” Tebow said. “I told the coach to give me the ball because I really wanted to hit somebody.”

Meyer obliged, and Tebow carried several defenders into the end zone from 4 yards out two plays after Harvin’s injury.

When it was over, Tebow’s white uniform was stained with grass, mud and some garnet-colored paint. Maybe he should have rubbed a little of that FSU gold on there for good measure. After all, that would have been a better indication of how he played against the Seminoles.

“That’s a really good football team in that locker room,” Meyer said. “I’ve done this for quite a while, and that’s as proud as I’ve ever been.”

Hookscenter.com wire report.

The Packers appeared headed for a comeback victory of their own after breaking a 28-28 tie on Mason Crosby’s 19-yard field goal with 1:57 remaining. But Green Bay immediately gave up a 45-yard kickoff return to Mark Jones and a 54-yard heave from Jake Delhomme to Steve Smith to set up first-and-goal on the Green Bay 1.

Williams then went up the gut for his career-high fourth score of the game, helping Carolina (9-3) keep pace in the competitive NFC South.

And the loss could be crushing for the Packers (5-7), who will fall two games out of the NFC North lead with four games left unless division co-leaders Chicago and Minnesota play to a tie Sunday night.

Green Bay’s last-minute special teams and defensive breakdowns ruined what could have been a signature win for first-year Packers starter Aaron Rodgers. He led Green Bay back from a 21-10 halftime deficit despite blustery wind, temperatures in the 30s and snow showers, with the Packers poised to take the lead in the fourth quarter.

And with the game tied at 28, Rodgers drove the Packers deep into Panthers territory, then absorbed a jarring late hit out of bounds by Carolina’s Julius Peppers for a penalty. That set up first-and-goal on the 7.

Green Bay’s Brandon Jackson ran to the 1, but the Panthers stuffed the Packers on two straight running plays. Packers coach Mike McCarthy briefly considered going for it on fourth-and-goal, but instead sent in Crosby to kick the field goal for the lead — only to watch it all fall apart on two big plays.

Jones weaved through the Packers’ kick coverage for 45 yards to Carolina’s 45. Delhomme then heaved a jump ball to Smith, who brought it down as Packers defensive back Charles Woodson appeared to slip.

After a replay review confirmed the spot of the ball, Williams scored to win it.

Rodgers finished 29-of-45 for 298 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Packers’ confounding last-minute mistakes.

Trailing 21-10 at halftime, Rodgers drove the Packers to a field goal to open the half. He then put together an eight-play, 95-yard drive ending with a touchdown pass to Donald Lee and 2-point conversion pass to Greg Jennings to tie the game late in the third quarter.

After a defensive stop by the Packers, Rodgers threw a 21-yard dart to Jennings in the end zone, giving Green Bay a 28-21 lead early in the fourth quarter.

But the Panthers tied the game on a 1-yard run by Williams after a 36-yard completion from Delhomme to Smith on third-and-11.

Smith finished the game with 105 yards receiving — all in the second half. Delhomme was 12-of-17 for 177 yards.

Hookscenter.com wire report.

Defensive end Robert Mathis scooped up Derek Anderson’s fumble and rumbled 39 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter as the Colts stayed in the thick of the AFC playoff chase by winning their fifth straight, an ugly 10-6 decision over the snake-bitten Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

Mathis’ big play helped bail out Manning and Indy’s high-octane offense, which failed to score a TD and never got humming with its usual efficiency.

Still, the Colts (8-4) got a 30-yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri and improved to 5-0 in November, a month-long run that has allowed them to recover from a 3-4 start.

The Browns (4-8) lost their fourth straight at home and may have lost quarterback Derek Anderson and tight end Kellen Winslow for an extended period.

Anderson, starting in place of the injured Brady Quinn, injured his left leg in the final two minutes. He was dropping back to pass when offensive tackle Kevin Shaffer fell on him while being knocked backward by a charging Mathis. Anderson tried to get up, but couldn’t and had to be helped to the sideline.

Ken Dorsey, Cleveland’s third stringer who hadn’t played all season, came in for the final three plays and was intercepted on the Browns’ last snap.

Winslow went out on the first play of the third quarter with an ankle injury and didn’t return.

Those losses won’t help coach Romeo Crennel, who may be down to his final days for the Browns, who are 1-6 at home and haven’t scored in nearly 135 minutes.

Manning finished 15-for-21 for 125 yards and was unable to find the same holes in Cleveland’s secondary that Houston’s Sage Rosenfels, Denver’s Jay Cutler and Baltimore’s Joe Flacco exploited in recent weeks. The Colts had only 215 total yards, ran just 50 plays and had the ball for less than 28 minutes.

But they won, and that’s all that matters this time of year.

Anderson, who went 16 of 26 for 110 yards in his first start since being benched for Quinn, was setting up to throw on third down when he was hit from behind by Dwight Freeney, who bull rushed tackle Joe Thomas into his quarterback. The ball squirted loose, Mathis picked it up and lumbered in for the game’s first and only TD.

Crennel’s future could hang on the way the Browns finish this season. There are already rumors about the club’s interest in former Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher, but Browns owner Randy Lerner said earlier this week that he won’t make a decision on Crennel or general manager Phil Savage until after the season.

Lerner denied he has made contact with Cowher, who played linebacker for the Browns for three seasons and was an assistant coach with Cleveland from 1985-88.

The Colts came in as the NFL’s most efficient team inside their opponent’s 20-yard line, scoring a touchdown on 72 percent of their visits and coming away with points 94 percent of the time.

But they failed to get a TD on two drives deep into Cleveland territory in the first half.

Manning fumbled trying to sneak in from the 1-yard line just before halftime. On fourth-and-goal, Manning seemed to be on his way across the goal line, but when he reached out with the ball it was knocked away by Browns safety Brodney Pool. Colts tight end Dallas Clark pounced on the ball in the end zone, but only the fumbling player is allowed to recover it for a score.

Anderson completed his first seven passes — only one longer than 5 yards — and had the Browns on the Colts 9 following a 16-yard slant pass to Braylon Edwards.

But Cleveland’s longest scoring drive of the season bogged down and Phil Dawson kicked his second field goal to make it 6-3.

Hookscenter.com wire report.