After Portland held off Chicago, Martell Webster teased teammate Brandon Roy, poking him with a tape recorder and getting right in his mug before giggling.

Nothing like a win to bring out the pranksters, but Roy tried to keep it in perspective.

“You can sense that guys are getting ready for the All-Star break and some rest, but we’ve got to fight through,” Roy said.

Roy scored 28 points and LaMarcus Aldridge 18 points for the Blazers, who led Chicago by as many as 13 points in the second half.

Chicago threatened in the final minutes. Ben Wallace’s dunk with 2:01 left narrowed it to 91-88, but Travis Outlaw kept the Blazers out in front with a pair of free throws.

After Tyrus Thomas‘ hook shot closed the gap again for Chicago with 1:14 left, Outlaw answered with his own hook shot to make it 95-90 with 26.9 seconds to go.

Thabo Sefolosha, who had a career-high 22 points, made a layup for the Bulls to pull close again.

After Jarrett Jack made just one of two free throws for the Blazers, Chris Duhon hit a baseline jumper to make it 96-94 with 7.2 seconds left. Jack then went back to the free-throw line, this time making both shots.

Andres Nocioni’s 3-pointer closed it to 98-97 with 0.8 seconds left, but officials had to rule whether Duhon’s foul on Roy came before the buzzer.

The officials added 0.5 seconds to the clock, Roy went to the foul line and made both of his shots for the final margin.

Nocioni also had 22 points for the Bulls.

Chicago guard Kirk Hinrich wasn’t in the lineup because of bruised ribs. Hinrich, averaging 13 points, six assists and 3.5 rebounds, was injured in Chicago’s 118-108 victory at Seattle on Monday. Duhon started in his place.

Ben Gordon also didn’t play because of a sprained right wrist. The guard had 20 points against the SuperSonics and was averaging 20 points, but has struggled of late with his wrist.

I knew our guys would give a great effort tonight being short-handed,” Bulls interim coach Jim Boylan said. “We came up short, but we had our chances down the stretch.”

Thomas returned after missing the game against the SuperSonics with a sprained left foot.

Portland coach Nate McMillan shook up his starting lineup, going with Jack as shooting guard and Roy at small forward. The change wasn’t because of poor play, but because the Blazers have been forced to reshuffle their rotation with the absence of 3-point shooter James Jones, who’s out until after the All-Star game to rest a sore left knee.

The Blazers, who had a 13-game winning streak in December but cooled off considerably in January, next head out on a four-game road trip starting at Detroit on Friday night.

“It’s a good feeling to come out of here with the win, especially when you’re getting ready to go out on the road for a week,” Webster said.

And Roy got Webster back for the microphone-in-the-face routine.

“We’ve just got to stay focused. Right now, Martell is having a hard time getting focused. Hopefully he’ll be ready tomorrow,” Roy said jokingly.

Joakim Noah’s dunk late in the first quarter tied it at 21 before the Blazers began to pull away. Portland answered with a 14-3 run to lead 35-23.

Aldridge’s dunk made it 41-29, and the Blazers went on to lead 49-43 at the half.

The Bulls gained ground in the second half, closing within 66-62 on Nocioni’s 3-pointer. But Roy came back with an off-balance, falling-down jumper, and Webster followed with a dunk to make it 70-62.

“I think we did pretty good and we played hard and we played with heart,” Sefolosha said. “I don’t really see what we could have done different.”

A cortisone shot and three miserable days in bed without any desire to eat. That was Joe Smith’s unlikely prescription for a big night.

Smith returned to the starting lineup to score 25 points and the Chicago Bulls defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 118-108 on Monday night. He had been sidelined for two games last week with a sore knee and then the flu.

“Constant headache. Sore throat. Chest pains. Shivers. Sweats,” the 12th-year veteran said of what he had in the days before Chicago’s second victory in six games.

“I’m still fighting it a little bit.”

Tell that to Seattle. Its soft interior defense made Smith look like the healthiest man on the floor

Then again, the passive Sonics made almost everyone in a Bulls jersey look great. After a three-game spate of unusual defense spawned a season-best three-game winning streak, Seattle reverted to the usual, slacking ways that made it tied with Denver as third-worst in the league in allowing points (103.9 per game) entering Monday.

The Bulls, still playing without second-leading scorer Luol Deng and Monday’s final quarter without slashing point guard Kirk Hinrich, also got 20 points from Ben Gordon. Hinrich added 15 points before leaving with a rib injury, while Andres Nocioni and low-scoring rookie Aaron Gray each had 14 in Chicago’s third-highest scoring game of the season.

“They are not overly talented, so to speak, but they keep coming after you,” said Wally Szczerbiak, who led Seattle with 21 points off the bench.

“If you’re not ready to play, they are going to punch you in the mouth. We can really learn a lot from this team.”

Chicago interim coach Jim Boylan said Hinrich, who also had five assists and repeatedly pushed the ball into Seattle’s soft middle before he left, was to stay in Seattle to get tests at a hospital instead of joining his teammates on the postgame flight to Portland. The Bulls play there Wednesday.

“I don’t know the extent of the injury. I think they are just being cautious,” Boylan said.

Seattle, which also got 20 points from rookie Kevin Durant, still hasn’t won four in a row since April, 2006.

We got outplayed at every position,” said Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo, who added he was “very disappointed.”

“If you score 108 points, you should be able to win the game. We scored 108 and weren’t even in it.”

Boylan said he wanted to start Smith, who had scored nine points in 16 minutes off the bench Saturday at Sacramento while admitting he still felt sick, because he wanted the 12th-year veteran’s scoring early in games. That is especially true with Deng still out indefinitely with an Achilles injury.

Joakim Noah had averaged 10 points while starting the previous three games for Smith, but Boylan said he likes Noah’s rookie energy coming off the bench.

Smith roamed free while getting eight points in the first eight minutes and 14 in all in the first half, as Chicago twice built 10-point leads.

Seattle got no closer than to within five after halftime. Earl Watson made a 3-pointer and Kurt Thomas scored his only basket of the night to begin the second half. Consecutive 3-pointers by Nocioni and Hinrich plus a layup by Smith put the Bulls back up 64-54.

When Seattle got to within 77-71 late in the period, Gordon converted a three-point play and Noah had a tip-in and free throw to make it 82-71.

And when Luke Ridnour’s 3-pointer got Seattle to within 91-84 with 8:41 left, Chris Duhon answered with consecutive, long 3’s — his first two baskets of the game. Smith’s easy layup while roaming free in the lane had Chicago cruising 103-91 with four minutes remaining.

Smith was 9-for-18 shooting, after making just 2 of 12 in his previous start, Jan. 27 in a loss to Phoenix.

“I was knocking down shots before the game, in warmups,” Smith said. “I knew this might be a good one.”

With the Super Bowl on the line, look who had the perfection thing down Pat: Eli Manning and the road-conquering New York Giants.

And what a beauty their 11th straight road victory was, a 17-14 Super Bowl win Sunday that shattered the New England Patriots‘ unblemished season.

In one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history, Manning, New York’s unlikely Mr. Cool, hit Plaxico Burress on a 13-yard fade with 35 seconds left. It was the Giants’ fourth consecutive postseason away win and the first time the Patriots tasted defeat in more than a year.

“There’s something about this team,” Manning said. “The way we win games, and performed in the playoffs in the stretch. We had total confidence in ourselves. The players believed in each other.”

It was the most bitter of losses, too, because 12-point favorite New England (18-1) was one play from winning and getting the ultimate revenge for being penalized for illegally taping opponents’ defensive signals in the season opener against the New York Jets.

“I don’t rank them,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “It’s disappointing.”

The Giants had the perfect answer for the suddenly imperfect Patriots: a big, bad defense and the improbable comeback led by Manning. Yes, Eli Manning, who outplayed league MVP Tom Brady and furthered the family legacy one year after older brother Peyton led Indianapolis to the title.

“I talked to Peyton and he said, `Go in there, have some fun, you can do it.”‘

It was how Eli and the Giants did it.

After Brady found Randy Moss for a 6-yard touchdown with 2:42 to go, New England’s defense couldn’t stop a final, frantic 12-play, 83-yard drive. It featured Manning’s unlikely sack-avoiding scramble and a spectacular leaping catch by David Tyree, who had scored New York’s first touchdown on the opening drive of the fourth quarter.

“It’s the greatest feeling in professional sports,” Burress said before bursting into tears.

“That’s a position you want to be in,” said Manning, who followed Peyton’s MVP performance last year with one of his own. “You can’t write a better script. There were so many big plays on that drive.”

AP - Feb 3, 11:30 pm EST More Photos

And now the 1972 Miami Dolphins can pop another bottle of champagne in celebration of a record still intact, the NFL’s only perfect season.

“As for the 1972 Dolphins, I don’t take joy in the fact the Patriots lost — period,” said Jim Mandich, the tight end on the 17-0 team. “But I do relish and savor the fact that there has only been one unbeaten team in the history of the NFL, and it is the 1972 Miami Dolphins.”

The Patriots were done in not so much by the pressure of the first unbeaten season in 35 years as by the pressure of a smothering Giants pass rush. Brady, winner of his first three Super Bowls, was sacked five times, hurried a dozen more and at one point wound up on his knees, his hands on his hips following one of many poor throws in New England’s lowest scoring game of the season.

“They played well,” a dour Belichick said. “They made some plays. We made some plays. They just made a few more. We played as hard as we could. We just couldn’t make enough plays.”

Hardly a familiar position for the record-setting Patriots and their megastar quarterback. This time, it wasn’t the Patriots but the Giants making the game-winning rally. This time, the unflappable quarterback making the clutch play wasn’t Brady but Manning, who had been booed by Giants fans for most of his four seasons for a lack of emotion.

Oddly, it was a loss to the Patriots that sparked New York’s stunning run to its third Super Bowl and sixth NFL title. New England won 38-35 in Week 17 to finish the spotless regular season. But by playing hard in a meaningless game for them, the Giants (14-6) gained something of a swagger and Manning found his footing.

Their growing confidence carried them through playoff victories at Tampa, Dallas and Green Bay, and then past the mightiest opponent of all.

“Every team is beatable, you never know,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “The right moment, the right time, every team is beatable.”

Not that the Patriots were very mighty this day. They even conceded with 1 second on the clock as Belichick ran across the field to shake the hand of Coughlin, then headed to the locker room, ignoring the final kneeldown.

That it was Manning taking that knee was stunning. He showed the maturity and brilliant precision late in the game usually associated with, well, Brady.

Peyton Manning was seen in a luxury box jumping up and pumping both fists when Burress, who didn’t practice all week because of injuries, caught the winning score.

“We just hung in there on offense, kept executing,” said Burress, who wasn’t far off on the 23-17 prediction he made a few days ago. “It came down to one play and we made it.”

The Giants became the first NFC wild card team to win a Super Bowl; four AFC teams have done it. They also are the second wild-card champions in three years, following the Pittsburgh Steelers after the 2005 season.

“It’s the way we went about our work,” Coughlin said of the 11-1 road record. “The road signified the coming together of a team. We rode that emotion all the way through.”

The upset also could be viewed as a source of revenge not only for the Giants, but for the other NFL teams over Spygate back in September. That cheating scandal made headlines again late in Super Bowl week, and could have placed an infinite cloud over New England’s perfection.

Until the frantic fourth quarter, the only scoring came on the game’s first two drives.

The Giants did almost exactly what they sought with the opening kickoff, using up nearly 10 minutes to go 63 yards. Almost exactly, but not quite, because they settled for a 32-yard field goal after converting four third downs on the 16-play series. The 9:59 drive was the longest in Super Bowl history.

That 3-0 lead lasted for the rest of the quarter, but only because the Patriots were stopped at New York’s 1 as the period expired. On the next play, Laurence Maroney scored.

New England’s 12-play drive was aided by a 16-yard pass interference penalty on linebacker Antonio Pierce in the end zone. It began with Maroney’s 43-yard kickoff runback.

It was the fewest possessions in the first quarter of a Super Bowl.

New York’s first series of the second quarter looked dangerous after Amani Toomer’s lunging sideline catch for 38 yards. But rookie Steve Smith mishandled Manning’s throw at the New England 10, Ellis Hobbs intercepted and returned it 23 yards.

Those are opportunities teams can’t waste against a strong opponent, let alone the Patriots. It was Manning’s first interception of the postseason, albeit entirely not his fault; the last was by Hobbs in the season finale.

The Giants survived rookie Ahmad Bradshaw’s fumble, which he recovered, on their next series, because their league-leading pass rush came alive when the Patriots got the ball back. New York sacked Brady on successive plays, forcing a punt, but the Giants’ were hurt by an illegal batting of the ball penalty on Bradshaw after reaching the New England 25.

Justin Tuck’s second sack, in the final seconds of the half, forced a fumble recovered by New York teammate Osi Umenyiora. The Giants’ celebrated defensive line controlled much of the half, holding the most prolific offense in NFL history to a measly 81 yards and seven points. New England had the ball only 10:33.

“We played them five weeks ago and it was a three-point game,” Brady said. “And they made enough changes and really eliminated what we did offensively.”

But New York’s mistakes left the Giants with just three points at halftime — and there are no moral victories in Super Bowls.

So the Giants got a real one as the maturing Manning hung in to find Tyree for a 5-yard touchdown to cap an 80-yard drive for a 10-7 lead.

Pressed unlike they are accustomed to, the Patriots responded with their own 80-yard march as Brady finally got some time. Moss, who caught a record 23 of Brady’s record 50 TD throws this year, scored with 2:42 to go when cornerback Corey Webster fell. The first 19-0 season was right there.

Eli and the Giants snatched it away.

Illinois coach Bruce Weber says he has yelled, thrown tantrums, brought in guest speakers, peppered his players with motivational sayings and tried just about anything else he thought might shake the Illini out of their funk.

No luck yet.

Trevon Hughes scored 22 points and Brian Butch added 16 as No. 21 Wisconsin beat Illinois 70-60 on Thursday night to give the Illini their first four-game losing streak under Weber.

The losing streak began with three home losses, something Weber said was particularly troubling, and now the Illini (8-8, 0-3 Big Ten) head to No. 11 Indiana on Sunday as part of a stretch in which they’ll play five of seven on the road.

“We shouldn’t be in this dilemma,” said Weber, who is in his fifth season at Illinois. “If we played this hard back at the time, we wouldn’t be in this position, and this wouldn’t be a major catastrophe.”

The Illini, who came in as the only conference team to beat Wisconsin (13-2, 3-0) in the Kohl Center under coach Bo Ryan, managed to hang around for much of the game.

That was largely due to their 13 offensive rebounds, which produced 12 second-chance points, and shooting well from behind the 3-point line, a rarity for Illinois.

But the Badgers were finally able to take charge midway through the second half. Calvin Brock brought the Illini within 44-41 with just under 10 minutes to go before Wisconsin responded with consecutive 3-pointers from Jason Bohannon and Hughes. That sparked a 16-5 run over the next five minutes that put Wisconsin up 60-46, and Illinois wouldn’t threaten again.

Hughes played his best game since missing Wisconsin’s win at then-No. 9 Texas two weeks ago with a sprained ankle. The point guard had 11 points and five assists in Wisconsin’s wins over Michigan and Iowa, but he added five assists and six steals to his game-high 22 points Thursday.

He said he finally felt quicker than he had in the past two games, but the key was not trying to do too much.

“I just slowed it down a notch,” he said.

The Badgers shot 48 percent from the field, committed just nine turnovers and shot better than 72 percent from the free throw line, above their season average of 67 percent. But they were outrebounded 35-25.

Brock and Trent Meacham both had 14 points for Illinois, with Meacham hitting 4-of-5 from behind the 3-point arc. Illinois was 6-of-10 overall from 3-point range after coming into the game shooting just 28 percent from behind the arc.

While the Illini found their stroke from the outside, their post presence all but disappeared because of foul trouble. Shaun Pruitt was limited to 25 minutes and scored nine points, while Brian Randle scored four points and fouled out. The two combined to shoot 5-of-15 from the field and grabbed nine rebounds.

Randle had one particularly painful sequence on four straight Illinois possessions in which he missed an uncontested dunk, failed to convert a three-point play, jammed a second dunk attempt between the rim and backboard, and then had a third dunk attempt blocked by Greg Stiemsma.

“We’ve done all kinds of things,” Weber said. “We’ve just got to find a way to hang together and get a win.”

The battered San Antonio Spurs picked up another injury Wednesday. But playing a struggling Chicago Bulls team that just fired its coach, they also picked up another win.

The Spurs handily beat the Bulls 94-79 in Chicago’s first game since the dismissal of Scott Skiles on Monday.

Tony Parker led San Antonio with 28 points. Michael Finley added 15 and Tim Duncan had 11 rebounds. The Spurs were up by double digits for almost the entire second half and led by as many as 25 points.

Joe Smith had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Ben Gordon added 18 points for the Bulls. Assistant coach Pete Myers, who played in the NBA for eight years, served as interim coach for Chicago.

“I thought effort-wise we played in spurts,” Myers said. “I thought our first unit had some moments that looked pretty good. I thought our bench outside of Chris Duhon didn’t give us very much.”

The Spurs have seen Parker and Duncan sit out several games this season with injuries. And while center Francisco Elson returned Wednesday after missing three games with a sprained right ankle, San Antonio was without its No. 2 scorer, reserve Manu Ginobili, who has a sprained left index finger.

And on Wednesday, the Spurs lost key role player and 3-point shooter Brent Barry when he strained his left calf with 3:20 left in the first quarter.

The team said Barry will have an MRI Thursday. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called the loss of Barry and Ginobili, two key perimeter players, disappointing.

Since the timeline for those two players to return is unknown, the rest of the bench knows it will have to step up.

“Manu and Brent are huge offensive weapons off the bench,” said Matt Bonner, who scored 12 points. “So I wouldn’t say it adds pressure on us but it definitely makes things easier if other guys off the bench can come in and provide a lift on offense.”

The Bulls, though, had issues of their own. While they came out with energy and went up by five points early, they couldn’t get into an offensive groove and lost for the fourth time in five games.

“We tried to do something that we’ve never really done on Tony, just different pick-and-roll coverages,” said Chicago’s Kirk Hinrich. “And he just kind of got off on us. They did a good job of figuring out what we were doing and taking advantage of it.”

Skiles was let go on Christmas Eve as the Bulls, who started with high hopes, continued to struggle this season. They lost 10 of their first 12 games and have a 9-17 mark, one of the worst in the East.

“I’ve been here for four years with the same coach,” said Luol Deng, who scored 12 points for the Bulls. “It’s going to be an adjustment.”

Myers said lead assistant coach Jim Boylan had stayed behind in Chicago. Myers said he wasn’t sure whether he would continue to be interim head coach for upcoming games.

“I don’t know that yet, which is kind of good, because we always talk about taking one game at a time, taking one play at a time,” he said before the game. “That’s basically what I’m doing now.”

Bruce Bowen, Ime Udoka and Bonner all scored 12 points for San Antonio.

Duhon scored 13 points for Chicago and Ben Wallace, who has been dealing with a sore left foot, scored just two points on 1-of-4 shooting.

“Anything Ben Wallace gives us offensively is a bonus,” Myers said. “I don’t think you go into a game looking for him to score. I thought he did a respectable job against Tim Duncan tonight.”

After a good first quarter, the Bulls cooled in the second and shot 8-of-21 from the field, just as Parker heated up.

With the Spurs already up by seven, Parker scored 10 points in a 15-4 run that put them up 47-29 with 4:35 left in the half.

Parker scored 12 points in the quarter and had 17 at the break, when San Antonio was up 51-39. The Spurs went ahead for good on Finley’s jumper with 12 seconds gone in the second quarter that put San Antonio up 23-22.

The Bulls seemed to lose energy as the game went on, allowing San Antonio to extend its lead to 72-59 by the time three quarters were done and pull even farther away in the final 12 minutes.

Parker’s bucket that counted because of a goaltending call gave the Spurs an 86-65 lead with 6:33 to go. Finley’s bucket gave San Antonio its biggest lead, 94-69 with 3:56 to play, and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich subbed most of his starters soon after.

Trampled by Adrian Peterson the last time they met, Brian Urlacher and the Chicago Bears figured out how to stop Minnesota’s star rookie for the better part of three quarters.

At least until it really counted.

Peterson’s 8-yard touchdown run, his second of the night started by a shoulder-shake to fake Urlacher at the line of scrimmage, sent the Vikings past the Bears 20-13 on Monday for their fifth straight victory.

“Couldn’t finish,” said Urlacher, who kept his sparse postgame comments to grouchy sentence fragments.

The Vikings (8-6) stayed in control of the NFC’s last wild-card spot, despite four turnovers and a missed extra point. Tarvaris Jackson’s career-high 249 yards passing were overshadowed by three interceptions, mistakes that led to a 13-3 Bears advantage until Peterson’s first score early in the third.

“It just shows people and shows ourself that we can win all kinds of ways,” said Jackson, who completed 18 of his 29 throws.

Peterson finished with 78 yards on 20 carries, just enough to keep Minnesota one game in front of New Orleans and Washington in the conference race. Defending NFC champion Chicago (5-9) was officially eliminated from contention.

“We know you have to play a complete game, and in the end those same guys who made plays early have to step up there in the fourth quarter,” said Bears coach Lovie Smith, who winced while his team was whistled for 11 penalties totaling 95 yards.

Coming off the self-declared worst game of his career, just 3 yards on 14 carries against the San Francisco 49ers, Peterson had trouble finding room to run again for most of the night and took the blame from coaches for a fumble on a botched first-half handoff.

But he came through in the clutch, plunging through the line for a yard out to pull Minnesota within 13-12 before a low snap by Cullen Loeffler preceded a missed point-after attempt by Ryan Longwell.

Then in the fourth quarter, with Jackson sidelined temporarily by a cramp in his calf muscle, Peterson added another clip to his rookie highlight video.

On third-and-goal, after brushing backup Brooks Bollinger during a bad handoff, Peterson stutter-stepped to freeze Urlacher before darting left and scurrying over the goal line. Urlacher just shook his head, while Peterson hammed it up with teammates in the end zone.

It was a communication error, but I was able to make a big play out of it,” Peterson said.

Bollinger’s dive forward on a draw play gave the Vikings the 2-point conversion and a 20-13 lead with 10:56 left, plenty of time for Chicago to come back.

Kyle Orton, though, didn’t have it in him. In his first start in two years, the Bears quarterback avoided turnovers until the very end. His long pass to the end zone just after the 2-minute warning was intercepted by Darren Sharper.

Too many of Orton’s throws were way off target, though. He completed 22 of 36 passes for 184 yards.

“The more you play the more comfortable you get, but I didn’t make enough plays to win,” Orton said. “I felt comfortable in the game. We just didn’t make enough plays. Put that on me.”

The throw that hurt Orton the most came near the end of the third quarter, on fourth-and-1 at the Minnesota 35. On a curious call, Orton lofted a swing pass to fullback Jason McKie that sailed over his head. After the exchange, Peterson got going and led the drive for the winning score.

The Vikings have come a long way since Nov. 11, when they were whipped on the road by the rival Packers by a humbling score of 34-0.

So what’s different about this team?

“It’s really not any of the bodies,” coach Brad Childress said. “I think it’s mind-set, more than anything.”

The Vikings wore purple from head to foot after pulling their dark pants from the back of the closet. This game had the look of one of those Black-and-Blue Division clashes with the Bears from 20 years prior.

It was a communication error, but I was able to make a big play out of it,” Peterson said.

Bollinger’s dive forward on a draw play gave the Vikings the 2-point conversion and a 20-13 lead with 10:56 left, plenty of time for Chicago to come back.

Kyle Orton, though, didn’t have it in him. In his first start in two years, the Bears quarterback avoided turnovers until the very end. His long pass to the end zone just after the 2-minute warning was intercepted by Darren Sharper.

Too many of Orton’s throws were way off target, though. He completed 22 of 36 passes for 184 yards.

“The more you play the more comfortable you get, but I didn’t make enough plays to win,” Orton said. “I felt comfortable in the game. We just didn’t make enough plays. Put that on me.”

The throw that hurt Orton the most came near the end of the third quarter, on fourth-and-1 at the Minnesota 35. On a curious call, Orton lofted a swing pass to fullback Jason McKie that sailed over his head. After the exchange, Peterson got going and led the drive for the winning score.

The Vikings have come a long way since Nov. 11, when they were whipped on the road by the rival Packers by a humbling score of 34-0.

So what’s different about this team?

“It’s really not any of the bodies,” coach Brad Childress said. “I think it’s mind-set, more than anything.”

The Vikings wore purple from head to foot after pulling their dark pants from the back of the closet. This game had the look of one of those Black-and-Blue Division clashes with the Bears from 20 years prior.

Urlacher played like the six-time Pro Bowl pick that he is, harassing Jackson often, recording two sacks, and twice taking the ball from Minnesota.

He was angry and embarrassed two months ago when Peterson shredded the Bears defense for 224 yards and three touchdowns to send the Vikings to a 34-31 victory at Soldier Field. Never in the history of the franchise had an opposing player gained so much on the ground.

Well, they didn’t forget that game, and the return of starting cornerback Nathan Vasher — after nearly two months due to nagging groin injury — gave the Bears’ beat-up defense another boost.

Though they moved the ball well at times in the first half, six points were all the Vikings managed, and they were lucky to get the last three.

Jackson’s first throw was on target to Robert Ferguson, but the ball bounced off his chest and into Urlacher’s hands and he returned it to the Minnesota 14. Two false-start penalties on the Bears forced them to settle for a 29-yard field goal by Robbie Gould.

Minnesota drove to the Chicago 22 on its next possession, but Peterson didn’t handle Jackson’s handoff cleanly, and Urlacher grabbed the errant ball for another turnover.

Chester Taylor dropped a third-down pass in the second quarter that would have put Minnesota in field-goal range, and with less than 1 minute left before halftime Jackson made his worst throw in more than a month by forcing a ball over Bobby Wade’s head that Vasher picked off and took 34 yards to the 12.

McKie’s short touchdown run came next, and the Bears had a 10-point lead. The Vikings used an 18-yard scramble by Jackson and a 15-yard late-hit penalty on Charles Tillman to sneak into range for Longwell to kick a 48-yard field goal at the gun.

Michael Vick’s outlook changed as the dogfighting case against him grew, going from disbelief that he could be hurt to depression at what he’d lost.

Vick broke down when an FBI agent suggested he was lying on a polygraph test about his role in the killing of dogs, ultimately admitting to full involvement in the hope of showing he had accepted responsibility for his actions, lawyer Billy Martin said in court. He sought the numbing comfort of marijuana to cope with his depression.

As Vick awaited his federal sentencing, already having relinquished his lucrative standing as one of the NFL’s most popular stars, he shared another emotion: relief.

“He understood that some of the things he was doing in life and off the field were dangerous,” longtime family attorney Lawrence Woodward said outside the courthouse where Vick was sentenced Monday to 23 months in prison, “and he told me he feels lucky that he’s alive and not hurt and now it’s all about the future.”

At least until the summer of 2009, that future will be in a federal prison, most likely a camp-style facility with dormitories and jobs instead of barbed-wire fences and cells.

“He doesn’t want anyone to feel sorry for him,” Woodward said, sharing a message at Vick’s request. “He just wants a chance to prove himself when all this is over.”

The suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback, who turned himself in Nov. 19 to begin serving his sentence, wore a black-and-white striped prison suit as he stood before U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. He acknowledged using “poor judgment” and added, “I’m willing to deal with the consequences and accept responsibility for my actions.”

Vick also apologized to the court and his family, drawing a rebuke from Hudson: “You need to apologize to the millions of young people who looked up to you,” he said.

“Yes, sir,” Vick answered.

Hudson then rebuffed the defense team’s appeals for leniency, determining Vick had lied about his involvement in the killing of dogs, and about his drug use. Vick tested positive for marijuana Sept. 13 after claiming to have avoided illicit drugs.

“You were instrumental in promoting, funding and facilitating this cruel and inhumane sporting activity,” Hudson told Vick, who exhibited no visible reaction.

The sentence means Vick will be in prison until at least mid-July 2009, even if he meets the federal standard of 54 days’ reduction per year for good behavior.

Vick, whose $130 million contract was once the richest in NFL history, was suspended without pay by the NFL and lost all his lucrative endorsement deals. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was asked after the sentencing if Vick should play again.

“That’s a determination we’ll make later on,” he told The Associated Press from a legislative hearing in Austin, Texas. “As I said earlier when we suspended him indefinitely, we would evaluate that when the legal process was closed.”

Hudson also ordered Vick to three years of supervised probation upon his release, enrollment in a substance abuse program if his parole officer deems it necessary, reminded him that felons can’t own guns and said he can never again own a dog.

Throughout the 45-minute hearing, Vick’s brother, Marcus, sat with his arm around their mother, Brenda Boddie, comforting her as she covered her eyes and wept.

Much of what she heard could not have made her feel any better.

Hudson agreed with a federal probation officer’s finding that Vick had lied about his hands-on killing of dogs, calling honesty “really the crux of the matter here.”

“You were a full participant and you were at least equally culpable” as the three other defendants, the judge told Vick in summing up his own findings. “This is a racketeering case in front of me and you are to be sentenced accordingly.”

Hudson said Vick at times admitted killing dogs, and other times denied it.

“I’m not convinced you’ve fully accepted responsibility,” Hudson said.

Federal sentencing guidelines called for a term of 18 months to two years. Federal prosecutor Michael Gill said Vick’s involvement warranted a sentence at the high end.

“He did more than fund it,” Gill said, referring to the “Bad Newz Kennels” dogfighting operation. “He was in this thing up to his neck with the other defendants.”

Vick pleaded guilty in August, admitting he bankrolled the dogfighting operation on his 15-acre property in rural Virginia and helped kill six to eight pit bulls that did not perform well in test fights. He also admitted providing money for bets on the fights by his co-defendants, but said he never shared in any winnings.

After making his plea, Vick apologized to the NFL, the Falcons and youngsters who viewed him as a role model and vowed: “I will redeem myself. I have to.”

Court papers revealed gruesome details about the operation, including the execution of underperforming dogs by electrocution, drowning, hanging and other means. Those details prompted a public backlash against the NFL star and outraged animal-rights groups, which used the case to call attention to the brutality of dogfighting.

John Goodwin of the Humane Society of the United States called the sentence appropriate and said the benefits of the exposure the case has received continue.

“People that are involved in this blood sport are on notice. You can throw your life away by being involved in this,” he said. “His future is in his hands.”

Co-defendants Purnell Peace, of Virginia Beach, got 18 months, and Quantis Phillips, of Atlanta, got 21 months at their sentencing hearings on Nov. 30.

Another co-defendant, Tony Taylor, will be sentenced Friday.

The case began in April when a drug investigation of Vick’s cousin led authorities to the former Virginia Tech star’s Surry County property, where they found dozens of pit bulls — some of them injured — and equipment associated with dogfighting.

Vick initially denied any knowledge about dogfighting on the property. He changed his story after the co-defendants pleaded guilty and detailed Vick’s involvement.

Todd Collins kept waiting for another chance to play in the NFL. And waiting … and waiting … and waiting.

Forget about the five years without throwing for a touchdown. How about the three years without so much as attempting a pass of any sort?

Collins finally was called upon Thursday night by the weary Washington Redskins, and the perennial understudy performed brilliantly. Replacing injured starter Jason Campbell, Collins tossed two TDs to lead Washington over the fading Chicago Bears 24-16, ending the Redskins’ four-game losing streak.

Making it even more special for Collins and the rest of the Redskins was the context of this win, coming as it did 1 1/2 weeks after the shooting death of safety Sean Taylor, and only three days after his burial.

“We’ve been through a lot. We really didn’t have any practice time this week, dealing with the death of a teammate and a funeral,” said Collins, 15-for-20 for 224 yards and his first two TD throws since 2002, when he played for Kansas City.

Said Redskins coach Joe Gibbs: “It seems like it’s been forever since we won a game. This team’s overcome so much. … It’s been an emotional roller coaster for us.”

While the Redskins (6-7) consider themselves very much in the playoff chase in the so-so NFC, the Bears (5-8) were ready to concede they’ve followed up a trip to the Super Bowl with a dud of a season.

“It’s pretty much over now,” defensive end Alex Brown said.

Campbell departed in the second quarter with a dislocated left kneecap a few plays after hurting his throwing elbow, and Chicago quarterback Rex Grossman never returned from a left knee injury on his second drive.

Campbell will have an MRI exam Friday, and the Redskins said they would wait for those results before offering any prognosis.

Asked whether Grossman will play again this season, coach Lovie Smith said, “Don’t know enough about it. You know, it didn’t look good.”

Grossman’s replacement, Brian Griese, threw interceptions on consecutive passes in the second quarter, both picked off by Shawn Springs. The cornerback returned the first 53 yards, setting up Collins’ 21-yard touchdown pass to another backup, tight end Todd Yoder, to put Washington ahead 7-0.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever had a better performance coming off the bench. Ever,” Gibbs said.

Griese was 21-for-45 for 295 yards and one TD, but also raised his interception total to 12 in seven appearances this season.

Both teams had a short turnaround from games Sunday, but the Redskins’ preparation was even more limited. The entire organization traveled to Florida for the funeral of Taylor, who died after being shot last week.

Coincidentally, tickets for this game, printed months ago, featured a picture of Taylor.

“We got closure on Monday, and that’s one of the things that helped us,” defensive end Phillip Daniels said. “To get closure and move forward, that was big for us, for this team.”

One sign of moving forward: The makeshift memorial to Taylor, set up on a patch of grass outside the stadium where his number 21 was painted, is gone. Fans dropped off flowers, candles, teddy bears, homemade signs and other tokens before Sunday’s game, but nothing remained in that spot Thursday, other than some piles of snow.

The temperature was 26 degrees at kickoff, and perhaps a combination of the cold and the lack of regular rest contributed to all of the injuries. Among them: Daniels (sprained knee), running back Clinton Portis (stomach illness and bruised hand), right guard Randy Thomas (elbow) and cornerback Fred Smoot (cramps) of Washington, and defensive tackle Antonio Garay (ankle) of Chicago.

Also, Redskins tight end Chris Cooley limped off to the locker room with a bruised shin but was able to return. Portis made it back, too, but was limited to 36 yards rushing on 17 carries.

There were plenty of blunders on both sides: turnovers, missed field-goal attempts, penalties. Lots of penalties, 10 in the third quarter alone.

The trouble for Campbell began when he was hit on his throwing arm by Brandon McGowan at the end of a scramble. Campbell left for one play, allowing Collins to record his first NFL completion in three years, a 5-yarder to Reche Caldwell.

Campbell returned on Washington’s next possession, but lasted three plays before hurting his knee and being driven off the field on a cart. Then, right before halftime, Springs’ interception set up Collins-to-Yoder — hardly a combination the Redskins would have imagined.

After all, Yoder hadn’t caught a TD this season or any pass at all over the previous five games. And the 36-year-old Collins? He had a grand total of one touchdown toss over the past decade.

“I’ve been preparing … for literally hundreds of games,” Collins said. “This was really the first time I was able to go in and get to play in a situation that really mattered.”

Eli Manning’s second pass landed in Brian Urlacher’s hands. There was a fumble that led to a field goal, too, and just when it seemed his day couldn’t get much worse, he threw an interception in the end zone.

Then, everything turned around.

Manning redeemed himself just in time, and the New York Giants dealt the Chicago Bears‘ playoff hopes another staggering blow.

Manning led two late touchdown drives and Reuben Droughns scored on a 2-yard run with 1:33 remaining to lift the Giants to a 21-16 victory over the Bears on Sunday.

Manning was awful for most of the game but delivered in the latter stages after throwing four interceptions the previous week in a drubbing by Minnesota.

“It’s easy to forget bad plays,” Manning said. “And to be a quarterback, to be a football player, you have to be able to do that. You have to be able to forget the week before. You have to be able to forget the play before and just move on and work out the next play.”

The embattled quarterback threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Amani Toomer, which was initially ruled incomplete, with 6:54 left to cap a 75-yard drive and cut the Giants’ deficit to 16-14.

“I knew I caught it,” Toomer said. “And I knew (the replay) was going to look like I caught it, so it wasn’t a problem. I don’t know if it hit my arms or hands, but I was underneath it. I didn’t even think it was that close.”

After the Bears (5-7) punted, the Giants launched a 77-yard drive that ended with Droughns running around the right end with 1:33 left. Manning hit David Tyree with a 24-yard pass and threw a 15-yarder to Plaxico Burress that put the ball on the 2.

The Bears got the ball with 1:28 remaining and marched from their 41 to the Giants 28, before Rex Grossman threw three incompletions — the last one broken up by James Butler.

It was a brutal loss for the defending NFC champions, who looked like they were about to put together back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

“We’ll continue to play until they tell us we’re out of it,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “Winning out would’ve pretty much guaranteed us getting in. … You just have to keep playing and see what happens.”

Defensive end Alex Brown wasn’t ready to quit, either: “We got to play anyway, so let’s go play and let’s try to win and see what happens.”

Manning kept at it and made up for the turnovers with a strong finish.

He was 16-for-27 with 195 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble, the turnovers dousing several scoring threats by the Giants (8-4) or putting Chicago in good position. He got intercepted on the game’s opening possession by Urlacher, leading to a touchdown, and he fumbled the ball away deep in Chicago territory in the second quarter. That led to a field goal by Robbie Gould.

Manning’s problems continued in the third period. Trailing 16-7, the Giants drove to the 1, only to see him give it away again. He spun and avoided a sack by Alex Brown and lofted a pass to Burress in the left corner of the end zone that a leaping Charles Tillman intercepted.

The crowd erupted, but the Giants celebrated in the end.

Derrick Ward ran for 154 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries for New York, but injured his left ankle. He left the stadium on crutches and is scheduled for an MRI on Monday.

Although he got sacked six times, Grossman was solid. He completed 25 of 46 passes for a season-high 296 yards and did not throw an interception.

After losing Cedric Benson to a season-ending left ankle injury last week, the Bears turned to Adrian Peterson and he ran for 67 yards and caught seven passes for 82. Peterson had been used primarily on third downs this season, after spending most of his five years on special teams.

But the offense stalled in the second half. There were no sparks from Devin Hester, either.

As expected, the Giants did all they could to avoid Hester and limited him to just three punt returns and one kickoff return for a total of 35 yards.

New York’s defense tightened up in the second half, holding the Bears to 98 yards after allowing 214 through the first two quarters.

Cedric Benson’s season is over.

The Chicago Bears‘ running back needs surgery after injuring his left ankle Sunday — another setback for the team’s first-round draft choice in 2005.

Benson, who took over this season as the Bears’ starter after the trade of Thomas Jones to the Jets, broke free for a 21-yard run in Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos.

But he was hurt as he landed while being tackled by Denver safety Hamza Abdullah and later had to be carted off the field following the second-quarter play.

“It’s tough when you lose your starting tailback. Cedric went down with a season-ending injury, which is a tough break,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said Monday, the day after the Bears beat the Broncos 37-34 in overtime.

“He went out on a good run. He had put together two good weeks. … We’ll miss him.”

Veteran Adrian Peterson will now move up to the starter’s role with rookie Garrett Wolfe the backup. Peterson had 45 yards on 17 carries Sunday, including a 4-yard TD run during the Bears’ fourth-quarter comeback from a two-touchdown deficit. He also caught five passes.

“You could say he’s a guy who deserves the opportunity to get more playing time,” Smith said of Peterson. “He’s done everything we’ve always asked him to do.”

Benson gained 47 yards on eight carries before he was hurt Sunday. He’d rushed for 674 yards this season on 196 carries, an average of 3.4 yards per carry and had four touchdowns.

Benson had taken his share of criticism for the lackluster performance of Chicago’s running game, one that is averaging only 3.3 per carry. But a week earlier against Seattle, he showed the form that made him a star at Texas when he broke off a 43-yard TD run. It was the longest run in a career that has been slowed by injuries.

“He had a good game against Seattle last week and the run he went out with was a good run,” Smith said. “We rushed over 100 yards yesterday and with him you never know what we would have been able to do.

“If you look at his play there was definitely improvement that he’s made so that’s the light coming on, I guess you would say that. I just know that he had made improvement and he was feeling more comfortable in his role by the production he was having.”

Asked if the Bears regretted trading Jones — who had more than 1,000 yards in each of the previous two seasons in Chicago — Smith said: “We don’t have Thomas Jones here. This is the group we have and we feel comfortable with it.”

A lengthy contract negotiation caused Benson to miss his first training camp two years ago, and a knee injury knocked him out of six games that season.

In 2006, Benson sprained his shoulder during training camp. He went on to become a strong backup to Jones, gaining 647 yards and averaging 4.1 yards per carry. In the Super Bowl, however, he was knocked out of the game in the first quarter after hurting his knee.

Now the Bears will turn to Peterson, who has 189 yards on 52 carries. He also had 33 receptions, tied for second most on the team.

The Bears’ victory Sunday kept their slim wild card chances alive in the wide open NFC, even at 5-6. They face the Giants this week at Soldier Field, looking for their first two-game winning streak.

Devin Hester had a 75-yard punt return and an 88-yard kickoff return, both in the third quarter against the Broncos.

“Seems like every time we need a boost, he’s the guy that steps up to the plate,” Smith said.

In just his second NFL season, Hester broke a club record he shared with Gale Sayers for kick return touchdowns (eight) with his ninth and 10th (six on punts, four on kickoffs). Those numbers don’t include a missed field goal he returned 108 yards last season against the Giants or his return of the Super Bowl’s opening kickoff for a TD against the Colts.