GREEN BAY, Wis. — With an aggressive defense and solid running game, the Chicago Bears already were shaping up as a contender. Now they’ve discovered the forward pass.

Starting his first game of the season, quarterback Rex Grossman added a new dimension to the Bears’ offense as Chicago clinched the NFC North title and a first-round playoff bye with a 24-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

It wasn’t easy. Grossman watched helplessly as Brett Favre tried to rally the Packers one more time. Favre’s 56-yard completion to Donald Driver put the Packers at the Bears 35 with less than a minute remaining, but a fourth-down heave was picked off by Chris Harris as time expired.

Grossman was 11-of-23 for 166 yards. Meanwhile, Favre threw four interceptions — including one that resulted in a 10-yard return for a touchdown by linebacker Lance Briggs to put the Bears ahead 24-7 in the third quarter.

Favre has thrown 28 interceptions this season, surpassing his previous career high of 24 in 1993.

The Bears (11-4) swept the Packers (3-12) for the first time since 1991.

BALTIMORE — The Minnesota Vikings’ flickering playoff hopes were snuffed out by a barrage of precision passes from a suddenly effective Kyle Boller.Boller went 24-for-34 for 289 yards and three touchdowns, and the Baltimore Ravens eliminated the Vikings (8-7) from the postseason hunt. Vikings loss gave the New York Giants (10-5) a playoff berth.Baltimore (6-9) trailed 20-17 before Boller threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Mason with 14:47 left. Then, after Minnesota punted from the Ravens 38, Boller directed a 68-yard drive that produced a 38-yard field goal by Matt Stover with 1:55 to go.Any chance the Vikings had of winning their fourth straight road game vanished when quarterback Brad Johnson fumbled on a sack by Adalius Thomas. Baltimore turned it into a field goal with 1:03 remaining, and the Ravens followed Paul Edinger’s 46-yard field goal by recovering the ensuing onside kick.

SEATTLE — A team in mourning was no match for one with so much to gain.Seattle’s Shaun Alexander ran for 139 yards and scored three touchdowns — including a rare TD receiving — to tie Priest Holmes’ NFL record of 27 touchdowns in a season. That helped the Seahawks clinch NFC home-field advantage Saturday with a 28-13 victory over the injured, resting and reflective Indianapolis Colts.The Colts, who already own home field in the AFC playoffs, were without coach Tony Dungy. Dungy is in Tampa, Fla., where his son died Thursday in an apparent suicide.The Seahawks’ 11th straight victory came against a depleted Indianapolis team without Pro Bowlers Marvin Harrison, Cato June and Bob Sanders — and with Pro Bowl quarterback Peyton Manning playing just one quarter.Indy also rested Pro Bowl defensive end Dwight Freeney. He not listed on the injury report, but did not start and played little.The Seahawks (13-2) also set a franchise record for wins in a season.Meanwhile, the Colts (13-2) set off for Tampa, Fla., to rejoin Dungy for Tuesday’s funeral. Their coach has been there since Thursday, hours after his 18-year-old son James was found dead. First-year assistant head coach Jim Caldwell is filling in for Dungy indefinitely.

LANDOVER, Md. — In his first four plays after replacing Mark Brunell, Patrick Ramsey used two time outs. On the fifth, he threw a 72-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss.Moss caught three touchdown passes, and Clinton Portis ran for one score and threw for one Saturday as the Redskins beat the Giants to stay on pace for their first playoff berth in six years.The Redskins (9-6) have won four straight and will clinch at least a wild-card berth if they win at Philadelphia in next week’s regular-season finale. They will win the NFC East with a win and a Giants loss at Oakland next week.

Bucs 27, Falcons 24 (OT)TAMPA, Fla. — Given a second chance, Matt Bryant redeemed himself and moved the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a step closer to the playoffs for the first time since winning the Super Bowl three seasons ago.Bryant’s 41-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining in overtime gave the Bucs (10-5) the win over Atlanta Falcons and a share of first place in the NFC South heading into the final week of the season.The Bucs are tied with Carolina, which lost to Dallas. They finish at home against the Saints, while Atlanta hosts Carolina.

HOUSTON — Fred Taylor’s 15-yard touchdown run with just more than nine minutes left allowed Jacksonville to clinch an AFC wild-card playoff berth.The Jaguars trailed 13-10 at halftime and 20-17 in the fourth quarter before scoring three late touchdowns against the Texans, (2-13), who have the league’s worst record and the inside track on the first pick in next April’s draft — likely Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Terry Glenn caught a 2-yard touchdown pass with 24 seconds to play to give the Cowboys the win and ruin the Panthers’ chance to lock up a postseason berth.Dallas (9-6) needed a second chance to win, getting it when Julius Peppers was called for running into the kicker after Billy Cundiff missed a game-tying 33-yard field goal attempt with 1:12 to play. The Panthers thought Peppers — who blocked a Cundiff attempt in the first half — or Ken Lucas tipped the ball, but an official review said they didn’t and Dallas had three more chances.

DENVER — Jake Plummer threw for 268 yards, Mike Anderson surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on the season as the Broncos clinched the AFC West and a first-round bye in the playoffs by beating the archrival Raiders.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Larry Johnson went over 100 yards rushing for the eighth game in a row and the Chiefs won their 18th straight December home game, eliminating the defending AFC West champion Chargers from playoff contention and clinching the division title for Denver.Playoff hopes remain alive for Kansas City (9-6), which seized a 20-7 halftime lead and made it stand.

CINCINNATI — Terrence McGee ran a kickoff back 99 yards for a touchdown and returned an interception 46 yards for another Saturday as the Bills (5-10) broke a five-game losing streak.

SAN ANTONIO — Jason Hanson rushed onto the field and kicked a 39-yard knuckleball field goal as the final seconds ticked off, giving the Detroit Lions a 13-12 victory.

MIAMI — In his best performance since returning from a one-year retirement, Ricky Williams rushed for 172 yards and helped the Miami Dolphins cap a perfect December.The Dolphins (8-7), eliminated from playoff contention last week, have won five in a row for the first time since 1999. They went 4-0 in December under first-year coach Nick Saban, finishing the month unbeaten for the first time in 20 years.

ST. LOUIS — Frank Gore ran 30 yards for a touchdown and seldom-used Maurice Hicks scored untouched on a 73-yarder on the game’s first snap as the 49ers (3-12) ended a seven-game losing streak. The win dropped them behind Houston in the race for the first pick in next April’s draft and the probable rights to Bush.

TEMPE, Ariz. — Josh McCown threw touchdown passes to Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin and the Cardinals beat the depleted Eagles.Karlos Dansby returned an interception 11 yards for a score in the final game at its “temporary” home since the franchise moved from St. Louis in 1988.The Cardinals (5-10) move to their $370 million new stadium in the western suburb of Glendale next fall. The loss guarantees Philadelphia (6-9) its first losing season since 1999.