Facing one last chance to avoid their dubious destiny, the Detroit Lions lost Sunday's season finale to the Green Bay Packers 31-21 to complete the league's first 0-16 season. The 1976 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-14) were the last NFL team to complete a season without a victory. It didn't come without a fight. After falling behind 24-14 midway through the fourth quarter, Kevin Smith's 9-yard touchdown run put Detroit back within a field goal. But Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers responded with a 71-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver and the Lions' Dan Orlovsky threw an interception on fourth-and-27 with 3 minutes left, dooming Detroit to futility of historic proportion. The Lions were building toward this for years and now have lost 23 of their last 24 games. Indeed, the Lions haven't won since Dec. 23, 2007, when they beat Kansas City. Green Bay is where this woeful streak began at the end of last season. Since then, the Lions have lost 17 straight and have been outscored 551-281. Chargers 52, Broncos 21: At San Diego, the American Football Conference West belongs to LaDainian Tomlinson, Philip Rivers and the rest of the Chargers after a win over Denver. They won the NFL's weakest division with an 8-8 record, becoming the first team to go from 4-8 to the playoffs. Mission Valley turned into Mediocre Valley for the evening as the Chargers became the first team to win a division at 8-8 since the Cleveland Browns in 1985. Dolphins 24, Jets 17: At East Rutherford, New Jersey, Chad Pennington walked off the field where he spent his first eight NFL seasons, surrounded by cameras and jubilant teammates after leading the Dolphins to an improbable AFC East title. On the Jets' sideline, a disappointed Brett Favre jogged off the field and into the locker room, maybe for the last time in a storied career. Pennington, cut in the offseason by the Jets to make room for Favre, threw two touchdown passes in leading the Dolphins to a division title. A year after going 1-15, the Dolphins completed a remarkable turnaround under first-year coach Tony Sparano, joining the 1999 Indianapolis Colts as the only teams in NFL history to make 10-game improvements. Vikings 20, Giants 19: At Minneapolis, Ryan Longwell's 50-yard field goal as the game ended lifted the Vikings to the National Football Conference North title for their first postseason appearance in four years.They face Philadelphia next weekend. David Carr took over at quarterback for Eli Manning after halftime and threw a touchdown pass to Domenik Hixon midway through the third quarter for a 16-10 lead. But New York (12-4), the NFC East winner with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, was on cruise control from there with a bunch of backups on the field. Panthers 33, Saints 31: At New Orleans, John Kasay's 42-yard field goal with a second left locked up the NFC South title and the second seed in the conference for the Panthers (12-4). In other games it was: Falcons 31, Rams 27; Eagles 44, Cowboys 6; Ravens 27, Jaguars 7; Texans 31, Bears 24; Raiders 31, Buccaneers 24; Patriots 13, Bills 0; Steelers 31, Browns 0; Colts 23, Titans 0; Bengals 16, Chiefs 6.
