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The Chargers won their third straight division title by finishing 8-8, becoming the first team to go from 4-8 to the playoffs by routing the Denver Broncos 52-21 in the Ed Hochuli Bowl on Sunday night.

HOUSTON -- With the 2008 season in the books, it's time to start building for next year. The first question -- the eternal question when it comes to the Bears -- is whether the team finally has solved its unending issue at quarterback.

Perhaps it was a Missouri hangover. Maybe one could call it Christmas rust. Whatever, the Fighting Illini basketball team struggled to put away an inspired Eastern Michigan quintet 62-53 Sunday afternoon at the Assembly Hall. Energy and emotion were lacking, but the Illini did what they had to do to win and end the nonconference slate with a glowing 12-1 audit.

The Wizards find a measure of relief in snapping an eight-game losing streak Saturday, but the team has a lot of digging to do to get out of a 5-23 hole.

Liverpool have ended 2008 as Premier League leaders after thrashing Newcastle at St James' Park.

By JENNIFER FLOYD ENGEL So embarrassing, so ugly, so pathetic was this latest Cowboy debacle that not even coach Wade Phillips could find a positive spin afterwards.Apparently Coach Cupcake too has run out of sugar-coating. ?Not much I can say about this. It was a disaster,? he said, his most honest assessment of his team in at least a year, probably since he arrived. He was talking about the Cowboys' 44-6 loss to Philly. He may as well have been describing this season and this Cowboys team. They were the disaster, a fraud, a collection of underachievers who needed a good, swift kick in the butt that never came. Of course, that is not how this Cowboy team operates. They are all about finding excuses and assigning blame. And it is Jason Garrett?s turn.The RHG is now officially the RHS, or Red-Headed Scapegoat for the Cowboys. T.O. echoed his previous criticisms of The RH-no G to Deion on Sunday, and QB Tony Romo piled on as well. They would have us believe he is why they lost so ugly i

The Bulls certainly are capable of playing better defense than they did in a 129-117 loss to the atlanta hawks on Saturday, but the reality is the team's current injury situation greatly reduces its margin for error. Playing without starting forwards Drew Gooden (sprained right ankle) and Luol Deng (sprained left ankle) makes the Bulls even smaller and weaker up front.

Diego Tristan's first goal for West Ham, which gave manager Gianfranco Zola only his second home victory since he began his reign against Newcastle in September, should have been the subject of all the post-match conversations. But even Hammers' fans went away laughing not at a fortunate three points but at the most bizarre sending-off of the season.

San Diego WR Chris Chambers, who had four catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns against Denver earlier this season, had three catches for 50 yards Sunday against the Broncos in the season finale. He led the team in receiving yards and helped San Diego win the AFC West title and advance to the first round of the playoffs against Indianapolis.

The Seahawks lost to the Arizona Cardinals 34-21 in the 2008 regular-season finale and finished 4-12. It was also coach Mike Holmgren's final game with the team.