San Diego frolicked in the snow on its way into the NFL playoffs. Green Bay, which knows something about winning in wintry conditions, backed into the postseason.

The Chargers won their eighth straight game, their longest winning streak since 1987, and clinched the AFC West. Ignoring the blowing snow, a game-time temperature of 18 and subzero wind chill, they got their first shutout since 1993, 21-0 at Cleveland.

"It feels great," said quarterback Drew Brees, who attempted just six passes. "It's been a long road for San Diego fans and us. We weren't expected to do too much this year. Instead of 11-3, a lot of people thought we'd be 3-11."

Despite falling 28-25 at home to Jacksonville, the Packers (8-6) became the ninth team in NFL history to reach the playoffs after a 1-4 start. They clinched before kickoff because Chicago, Dallas, Carolina and New York all lost in the run-of-the-mill NFC - where a team with a .500 or worse record will make the playoffs.

But the Packers fell into a tie atop the NFC North with Minnesota, which edged Detroit 28-27. The Packers travel to Minnesota for a Christmas Eve matinee that will likely decide the division.

LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns, and Antonio Gates tied a record for tight ends with his 12th TD of the season, a 72-yarder.Tomlinson scored on a pair of 1-yard runs, his 15th and 16th TDs this season."To go from where we were to this is awesome. I've dreamed of the playoffs for a long time, but it's only been a dream," Tomlinson said.The Browns (3-11) have lost eight straight.

At Green Bay, Byron Leftwich threw two touchdown passes to Jerry Smith, Fred Taylor rushed for 165 yards and a touchdown, and Rashean Mathis picked off Brett Favre twice in bitter cold to help Jacksonville improve to 8-6.Favre turned over the ball four times and fell to 31-4 at home after Dec. 1, losing for just the second time in 40 cold-weather games at home.Jaguars safety Donovin Darius was ejected for a helmet-stripping, clothesline hit that sent receiver Robert Ferguson to the hospital in an ambulance. Ferguson has a sprained neck. Team trainer Pepper Burruss said the receiver had movement and sensation in his arms and legs Sunday night. Ferguson was admitted to Bellin Hospital for observation overnight.

At Indianapolis, Peyton Manning threw for one TD, moving within one of Dan Marino's record for one season, 48 set in 1984. Manning hit Marvin Harrison for a 29-yard score, but otherwise was flustered by Baltimore's rugged defense.The fans even booed when Manning knelt down twice in the final minute at the Baltimore 4, running out the clock with a chance to tie the record."That's the right way to play," Manning said.Baltimore's playoff hopes took a hit. The Ravens (8-6) are tied with Buffalo, Jacksonville and Denver for the final AFC wild-card spot.

At Kansas City, Larry Johnson and Eddie Kennison each scored two touchdowns and Dante Hall returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for another score.Johnson had his third straight game with over 100 yards rushing, running for 151 yards. The Chiefs (6-8) got their biggest margin of victory in the series since a 31-point win in 1983.The Broncos (8-6) lost for the third time in four games, and were flagged 10 times for 100 yards. Jake Plummer, who was fined $5,000 last week for making an obscene gesture at a fan in Denver, threw two interceptions that set up Kansas City touchdowns and was sacked six times.

Curtis Martin, 31, had 134 yards and two touchdown runs, becoming the oldest runner to gain 1,500 yards in a season.Chad Pennington threw three touchdown passes, helping host New York (10-4) keep its lead in the AFC wild-card standings. The Jets never punted.The Seahawks (7-7) had three turnovers that the Jets converted into 14 points, and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck injured his right elbow.

Josh McCown threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more and the host Cardinals (5-9) snapped a four-game losing streak. He had TD passes of 8 and 4 yards to Larry Fitzgerald, and scoring runs of 1 and 9 yards.A victory would have moved the Rams (6-8) into a tie with Seattle atop the NFC West. The Rams' touchdown came on Leonard Little's 61-yard fumble return with 7 seconds left in the first half.

At Detroit, the Lions (5-9) went 80 yards in 1:29 to pull within a point on Joey Harrington's second touchdown pass to Roy Williams. Then, Don Muhlbach's snap bounced to holder Nick Harris, who was tackled before he could get the ball spotted for kicker Jason Hanson.Despite losing five of their previous seven games, Minnesota (8-6) can win the NFC North with victories Friday at home over Green Bay and then at Washington. Daunte Culpepper passed for 404 yards and three TDs.

At Cincinnati, Buffalo (8-6) enhanced its playoff chances with a fifth straight victory, scoring at least 33 points in each.Takeo Spikes returned an interception 62 yards for a pivotal touchdown against his former team, Jason Peters blocked a punt and recovered in the end zone for a score.The Bengals (6-8) will have their 14th consecutive season without a winning record - one of the longest streaks of futility in NFL history.

Receiver Terrell Owens sprained his right ankle, but will have almost a month to recover before Philadelphia's next meaningful game, in the second round of the playoffs.Dorsey Levens' 2-yard touchdown run with 1:57 left helped Philadelphia (13-1) clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Keyshawn Johnson had a TD catch for Dallas (5-9).

At Tampa, Donte' Stallworth's 7-yard TD catch with 32 second left capped a late comeback for the Saints (6-8), who revived their postseason hopes with a second straight comeback win. They are tied with Carolina and St. Louis for the last wild-card spot in the weak NFC.The Bucs (5-9) became the first team to win the Super Bowl and then post consecutive losing records the next two seasons. Simeon Rice had 31/2 sacks.

At Chicago, the Texans (6-8) allowed the fewest points in its three-year history and got four turnovers to beat the bumbling Bears (5-9).With the temperature 9 degrees at kickoff and the wind chill 10 below zero, David Carr threw a TD pass to Corey Bradford and also set up a field goal with a 69-yarder to Jabar Gaffney. Charlie Anderson capped the victory by returning a fumble 60 yards for a TD.

At Oakland, Kerry Collins threw for 371 yards and matched his career high with five touchdown passes, hitting Jerry Porter for three scores for the Raiders (5-9).The Titans' Billy Volek had the second-best passing day in franchise history with 492 yards and four touchdowns. But it wasn't enough to keep Tennessee (4-10) from losing its fourth straight game.

At Atlanta, Michael Vick scored the tying touchdown on a 12-yard fourth-down run with less than 2 minutes to go in regulation, then Jay Feely kicked a 38-yard field goal in overtime, helping Atlanta snap Carolina's five-game winning streak.The Panthers (6-8) recovered from a pair of double-digit deficits, only to have the Falcons (11-3) respond. JakeDelhomme was 24-of-35 for 340 yards, but he had two big fumbles and an overtime interception. Muhsin Muhammad had 10 receptions for 135 yards.

At San Francisco, Antonio Pierce returned one of Washington's four interceptions 78 yards for a score just before halftime.Clinton Portis rushed for 110 yards, Rod Gardner caught six passes for 111 yards and newcomer Jeff Chandler kicked four field goals for the Redskins (5-9).San Francisco dropped to 2-12.