CHICAGO -- The Portland Trail Blazers had dropped three straight games and appeared in danger of losing considerable playoff ground in the tough Western Conference before LaMarcus Aldridge returned to the lineup on Thursday. Terry McLaurin Redskins Jersey . Two games later, the Blazers seemed to have turned things following a pair of comfortable wins, the latest a 91-74 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night. Is the turnaround as easily explained as the return of an All-Star performer? Well, yeah, the Blazers say. "Other than us getting our best player back, which changes everything, I think our urgency is going up," Damian Lillard said. "After the loss at Orlando (on Tuesday), we realized, All right, its time to turn it around now. We cant wait and we cant have all of these lackadaisical efforts. "Everybodys got on the same page and, during these last two games, weve really defended and done everything together." Mo Williams scored 18 points to lead five Blazers in double figures. Lillard had 16 points, Nicolas Batum and Robin Lopez each had 13, Wesley Matthews had 11 and Thomas Robinson added 10. The Blazers got past the Bulls easily, despite a quiet night from Aldridge, who was playing just his second game after missing two weeks with a back injury. He had five points and 13 rebounds in 29 minutes after having 25 points and 16 rebounds in Atlanta. "His presence on the court puts pressure on everyone," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "He does a lot more to help us win than just his field-goal percentage." No one in the Bulls locker room would disagree. "He is a load down there; a great player," Joakim Noah said. "You can tell when he is on the court, whether he scores or not. He changes their team. He is one of the best in the game." Carlos Boozer had 16 points and 12 rebounds in 24 minutes to lead Chicago. D.J. Augustin had 15, Taj Gibson 13 and Noah added 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Bulls, who had a chance to clinch a playoff spot with a win on their own, lost both games of the season series and have dropped 11 of 13 overall against Portland, including five of seven at the United Center. With the New York Knicks loss to the Phoenix Suns, the Bulls still managed to wrap up a playoff spot. Before Friday, the Bulls had been 10-3 in their last 13 home games, averaging 96.8 points on 44.5 per cent shooting during that span. But it was apparent early that they wouldnt approach either of those marks in this one. "We were flat," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "They had something to do with that." Getting off to fast starts was one reason behind the Bulls recent home success, but they were cold at the start, going 8-of-23 (34.8 per cent) from the field in scoring 16 points in the first quarter. Minus Boozers 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting, the rest of the team managed just six points on 3-of-13 shooting. The Blazers had a 47-36 halftime lead and then took charge at the start of the third quarter, beginning the second half with a dunk by Lopez and a 3-pointer by Batum to make it 52-36. In all, Portland stretched the run to 15-2 for a 62-38 lead. The Bulls ended the third quarter on a mini-spurt -- including a three-point play on a dunk and foul by Gibson -- to trim the deficit to 73-58 entering the fourth quarter. The Bulls got the ball first in the final quarter and had a couple of inside looks on that initial possession, but came up empty. Lillard then essentially dashed any hopes of a huge rally with a 3-pointer at the other end to make it 76-58. The Bulls failed to score 80 points for the 11th time this season and are 0-11 in those games. "Our defence tonight was just an example of everybody being there for each other," Lopez said. "When you know there is someone behind you, it gives you the confidence to be aggressive." NOTES: Bulls G Derrick Rose, out for the season with a torn right meniscus, suffered the injury in the first game against the Blazers on Nov. 22 and had surgery three days later. ... Thibodeau was asked if he was taking part in the Bulls NCAA pool. "I didnt get a chance to participate," the coach said. "I was looking at that Quicken Loans one. I think I would have won that." That was the contest in which Warren Buffett offered $1 billion to anyone who could fill out a perfect bracket. No one made it through the third day without at least one game wrong. ... Portland entered with a 20-18 road record but was 2-7 in last nine. Darrell Green Youth Jersey . The 20-year-old Barkley, whose impressive form this season could earn him a place in Englands World Cup squad, was hurt in Evertons 4-0 win over Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup on Jan. Dexter Manley Youth Jersey . Vonn "reopened" the idea of competing in the season-opening World Cup event on Oct. 26-27 in Soelden, Austria after returning to the slopes last month in Portillo, Chile. https://www.redskinssportsgoods.com/Womens-Daron-Payne-Inverted-Jersey/ . The CFL will help tackle womens cancers by playing four special "CFL PINK" games this weekend.Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Kyle Orton passed for 230 yards and two touchdowns as the Buffalo Bills routed the New York Jets 38-3 Monday night at Detroits Ford Field. The game was moved from Ralph Wilson Stadium after the venue was deemed unplayable due to several feet of snow that fell last week, crippling Buffalo and neighboring areas. Boobie Dixon rushed for a touchdown and blocked a punt that was recovered in the end zone for another score, helping the Bills (6-5) keep their playoff hopes alive. Michael Vick struggled mightily against the Buffalo defense, completing only 7-of-19 passes for 76 yards. He limped off the field after a third-quarter interception and was replaced by Geno Smith, who saw his first action since he was intercepted three times on eight passes in the first quarter against the Bills on Oct. 26. Smith threw for 89 yards on 10-of-12 passing for the Jets (2-9). Final Score: Baltimore 34, New Orleans 27 New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - Justin Forsetts career night helped propel the Baltimore Ravens to a 34-27 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Monday. Forsett finished with a career-high 182 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries for the Ravens (7-4), who moved into a three-way tie for second place in the AFC North behind the Bengals (7-3-1). Joe Flacco threw for 243 yards and a touchdown on 18-of-24 passing, Steve Smith made four catches for 89 yards and a touchdown and Torrey Smith hauled in five passes for 98 yards in the win. Drew Brees completed 35 of his 45 passes for 420 yards with three scores and an interception, and Jimmy Graham had two touchdowns to go with 47 yards on six catches for the Saints (4-7), who went 0-3 on a homestand for just the third time in franchise history (1967, 1997). Despite the loss, New Orleans is tied for first with Atlanta in the underwhelming NFC South. It is the first time in NFL history that a division leader is three games under .500. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23 Final Score: Cleveland 26, Atlanta 24 Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - Billy Cundiff kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Cleveland Browns to a 26-24 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Cundiffs winner came after the Falcons took the lead on Matt Bryants 53-yard field goal at the other end of the field. But Atlanta left 44 seconds on the clock -- Matt Ryan threw an incomplete pass on third down to stop it before Bryants kick -- and Cleveland had all three of its timeouts. Brian Hoyer, who threw interceptions on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter -- including one in the end zone -- completed four passes for 61 yards to set up Cundiffs winning kick. One of the passes was to Josh Gordon for 24 yards. Gordon returned from a 10-game suspension to make eight catches for a game-high 120 yards. The Browns (7-4) bounced back from last weeks loss to Houston and havent dropped back-to-back games this season. The Falcons (4-7) had a two-game winning streak snapped. Hoyer finished 23-of-40 for 322 yards and three interceptions. Isaiah Crowell rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Ryan was 27-of-43 for 273 yards, one interception and touchdown passes to Julio Jones and Jacquizz Rodgers. Final Score: Chicago 21, Tampa Bay 13 Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Lovie Smith and Josh McCown were not greeted warmly in their return to Chicago. The Bears scored three straight touchdowns in the third quarter to take the lead, including two by Matt Forte, who finished with 89 yards on 23 carries to lead Chicago to a 21-13 win over Smith and McCowns Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. McCown, who spent the past three seasons with Chicago, threw a touchdown pass to rookie Mike Evans 1:36 into the second quarter to give the Bucs a 7-0 lead, but they didnt find the end zone again. The Bucs quarterback committed three turnovers, including two in the second half, as the Tampa Bay offense never gained footing after the break. Jay Cutler completed 17-of-27 passes for just 130 yards for the Bears (5-6). Alshon Jeffery caught a 2-yard touchdown pass for Chicagos first touchdown in the third quarter. Tampa Bay (2-9) never got its ground game going. Doug Martin led the team with 27 yards on 11 carries and Charles Sims added 22 yards. Vincent Jackson and Louis Murphy both had over 100 yards receiving for the Bucs. Final Score: Cincinnati 22, Houston 13 Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - A.J. Green racked up 121 yards on a career- high 12 catches, and the Cincinnati Bengals received a stout effort on defense to come through with a 22-13 victory over the Houston Texans. The Bengals kept the Houston offense out of the end zone and limited the Texans to 248 total yards in their fourth win in five games, which gave Cincinnati (7-3-1) a slim lead atop a crowded AFC North. Andy Dalton completed 24-of-35 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown to Mohammed Sanu in the triumph, with Jeremy Hill adding 87 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 attempts. The Texans only touchdown came on Johnathan Josephs 60- yard interception return of Dalton in the third quarter. Ryan Mallett was largely ineffective in his second career start at quarterback, mustering just 189 yards with an interception on a 21-of-45 completion rate. Alfred Blue, coming off a 36-carry, 156-yard effort in last weeks win at Cleveland, was held to 46 yards on 16 rushes in place of an injured Arian Foster for Houston (5-6). Final Score: Indianapolis 23, Jacksonville 3 Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Trent Richardson and T.Y. Hilton scored touchdowns 2:23 apart in the third quarter to help the Indianapolis Colts pull away for a 23-3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Andrew Luck fumbled twice on his teams first three possessions and the Colts (7-4) were tied with the Jaguars (1-10) until Adam Vinatieri kicked his second of three field goals at the end of the first half. Richardsons 1-yard touchdown run and Hiltons electric 73-yard catch pushed the lead to 20-3. Luck finished 21- of-32 for 253 yards and Hilton had four catches for 122 yards on the day his daughter was born. The AFC South-leading Colts bounced back from a 22-point loss to New England last week, during which leading rusher Ahmad Bradshaw suffered a season-ending broken leg. Dan Herron led them with 65 yards rushing on 12 carries. Blake Bortles completed 15-of-27 passes for 146 yards with an interception for the Jaguars, who have lost four in a row since beating Cleveland on Oct. 19. They were coming off a bye after losing to Dallas in London the week before. Final Score: Green Bay 24, Minnesota 21 Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Aaron Rodgers had two touchdown passes and Eddie Lacy scored twice as the Green Bay Packers edged the Minnesota Vikings, 24-21, in an NFC North battle on Sunday. Rodgers went 19-for-29 for 209 yards while Lacy finished the game with 25 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown, along with two catches for 13 yards and a score for the Packers (8-3), who have won three straight and now sit atop the NFC North. Green Bay came into the game tied with Detroit, but the Lions lost in New England on Sunday and the Packers now hold a one-game lead in the division. The Packers entered the game after consecutive 50-plus point games, just the sixth team in NFL history to turn that trick. Teddy Bridgewater went 21-for-37 for 210 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Vikings (4-7), who have dropped their past two games. Final Score: New England 34, Detroit 9 Foxboro, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes in leading the New England Patriots to a 34-9 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Brady carved up the NFLs top-ranked defense, completing 38-of-53 passes for 349 yards. LeGarrette Blount had two rushing scores in his first game back with the AFC-leading Patriots (9-2), who secured their 14th consecutive winning season. New England has won seven games in a row, 14 straight against NFC North teams and 15 straight at home. Matthew Stafford was 18-of-46 for 264 yards as the Lions (7-4) fell one game behind Green Bay in the division with a second consecutive loss. Final Score: Philadelphia 43, Tennessee 24 Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Philadelphia Eagles bounced backk from a blowout loss with their seventh 30-point game of the season. Joe Theismann Redskins Jersey. LeSean McCoy led the way in Philadelphias 10th consecutive regular-season home win, a 43-24 decision over the Tennessee Titans. McCoy carried the ball 21 times for 130 yards and a score for the Eagles (8-3), who rebounded from last Sundays 53-20 defeat at Green Bay. Darren Sproles rushed for 25 yards and one touchdown on six carries. Mark Sanchez completed 30-of-43 passes for 307 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for Philadelphia, which will play at Dallas on Thanksgiving in a highly-anticipated NFC East matchup. Jordan Matthews caught six passes for 77 yards for the Eagles, who improved to 7-0 this season against teams .500 or worse. Cody Parkey made 5-of-6 field goals. Zach Mettenberger connected on 20-of-39 passes for 345 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Titans (2-9), who have lost five in a row. Delanie Walker caught five passes for a career-high 155 yards for Tennessee, which lost left tackle Taylor Lewan to an ankle injury. Justin Hunter caught four passes for 64 yards and a score. Final Score: San Diego 27, St. Louis 24 San Diego, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Marcus Gilchrist intercepted a Shaun Hill pass just inside the end zone as the San Diego Chargers held on for a 27-24 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. The Rams were already in position to attempt a tying field goal when Hill completed a 27-yard pass to Kenny Britt to the San Diego 6-yard line with a little over a minute remaining in the game. Hill looked Britts way again after a short Benny Cunningham run, but Gilchrist picked off the throw. Philip Rivers was 29-of-35 for 291 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Chargers (7-4), who earned their second straight win following a three-game skid. Hill finished 18-of-35 for 198 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for St. Louis (4-7), which was coming off a surprising 22-7 home win over Denver last week. Final Score: Seattle 19, Arizona 3 Seattle, WA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Seattle Seahawks used a stellar defensive performance to prevent the Arizona Cardinals from beating them at home for a second straight year. The Seahawks came away with a 19-3 victory to put an end to Arizonas six-game winning streak. The Cardinals handed the Seahawks their only home loss in 2013, winning 17-10 on Dec. 22 to end Seattles 14-game home win streak and move within striking distance of the franchises first postseason berth since 2009. However, the 10-6 Cardinals eventually missed out. Russell Wilson completed 17-of-22 passes for 211 yards and one touchdown for the Seahawks (7-4), who bounced back from last Sundays 24-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Wilson also carried the ball 10 times for 73 yards. Steven Hauschka made 4-of-5 field goals in the win. Drew Stanton connected on 14-of-26 passes for 149 yards and an interception for the Cardinals (9-2), who lost for the first time since Oct. 5 at Denver. Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was unable to play due to a knee injury, snapping his consecutive games played streak at 110. Calais Campbell accounted for three of Arizonas seven sacks. Final Score: Denver 39, Miami 36 Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - Peyton Manning threw four touchdown passes, three to Demaryius Thomas and two during a fourth-quarter rally that lifted the Denver Broncos to a hard-earned 39-36 win over the Miami Dolphins in a key AFC clash. The Broncos trailed a gritty Dolphins team for most of the game and were down 28-17 after three quarters, then erupted for 22 consecutive points in the fourth to regain sole possession of first place in the AFC West and bounce back from last weeks startling 22-7 loss at St. Louis. Manning hit Thomas and Wes Welker for touchdowns during the stretch, while C.J. Anderson had a go-ahead touchdown run with 5:01 left to highlight a career-high 167-yard, 27-carry performance. Thomas amassed 10 catches totaling 87 yards and Emmanuel Sanders snared nine Manning passes for 125 yards in the Broncos eighth straight home victory. Manning finished a sharp 28-of-35 for 257 yards for Denver (8-3). Ryan Tannehill threw for three touchdowns and ran for another to put Miami (6-5) in position for the upset before Manning engineered his 41st career fourth-quarter comeback. The young quarterback completed 26-of-36 throws for 228 yards with a costly late interception that helped seal the outcome. Jarvis Landry hauled in two of Tannehills scoring strikes and recorded seven catches for 50 yards. Final Score: San Francisco 17, Washington 13 Santa Clara, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Carlos Hydes late touchdown gave the San Francisco 49ers a 17-13 win over the Washington Redskins on Sunday. Colin Kaepernick was 20-for-29 for 256 yards with an interception and a touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin for the 49ers (7-4), who have won their past three games. Coming off a tough week, Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III didnt do much to help himself in the game as he went 11-for-19 for 106 yards while adding just 11 yards on the ground. Griffin had said after last weeks loss to Tampa Bay about needing other guys to play well, with some thinking he was throwing his team under the bus, which he went on to deny on his Twitter account. On Monday, head coach Jay Gruden pointed out fundamental issues Griffin was still having but then backtracked on Wednesday by saying that no one should be singled out. Alfred Morris had 21 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown for the Redskins (3-8), who have lost their past three games. Final Score: Dallas 31, NY Giants 28 East Rutherford, NJ (SportsNetwork.com) - Odell Beckham sent social media into a frenzy and had everyone buzzing. Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys still found a way to upstage him. Romo hit Dez Bryant for a go-ahead 13-yard touchdown with 1:01 remaining and the Cowboys defense stood tall in the final minute as Dallas edged the New York Giants 31-28 on Sunday night. Right after Adrien Robinsons 1-yard TD catch gave the Giants a 28-24 advantage with three minutes left, Romo hit Cole Beasley for a gain of 21 yards to put the ball at the Giants 36. Dallas offensive line took over from there. Romo had an eternity to scan the field before firing a 15-yard completion to Jason Witten over the middle and two plays later, had all day to throw again as Bryant hauled in his 13-yard score in the back left corner of the end zone. Rashad Jennings was unable to power for a first down after bringing in a short completion from Eli Manning on 4th-and-2 and a couple of Dallas kneel downs sealed the outcome. Prior to that, Beckhams jaw- dropping 43-yard TD catch was all anybody wanted to talk about. During pregame warmups, Beckham puts headphones on and casually practices an array of one-handed snatches. That routine was put to use early in the second quarter. With Dallas cornerback Brandon Carr draped all over him along the right sideline, Beckham leapt inside the 5-yard line. He contorted his body and reached back as far as he could behind his head to snatch Mannings rainbow toss with his right hand before pulling it into his body and landing backwards in the end zone. The snag highlighted his 10-reception, 146-yard, two touchdown night. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20 Final Score: Oakland 24, Kansas City 20 Oakland, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - It has been a long 368 days for Oakland, but there was finally joy at the Black Hole on Thursday night. Rookie quarterback Derek Carr led the way as the Raiders put an end to their 16-game losing streak with a thrilling 24-20 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Carrs late touchdown pass to James Jones capped off a lengthy drive that proved to be the difference as the Raiders (1-10) won their first game since Nov. 17, 2013 against Houston. Latavius Murray rushed for two touchdowns and 112 yards on four carries before departing after the first half with a concussion. Carr threw for 174 yards on an 18-of-35 completion rate in the win. Alex Smith completed 20-of-36 passes for 234 yards with two touchdowns and Jamaal Charles ran 19 times for 80 yards while also adding a receiving score for the Chiefs (7-4), who were coming off a 24-20 win over Seattle. ' ' '