Cleveland ? Those lightning-bolt decals streaking across their helmets never have been more fitting: The San Diego Chargers have shocked the NFL — and maybe even themselves.

LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns, Antonio Gates tied a league record with his 12th TD, and San Diego captured the AFC West title Sunday, sliding through the snow for a 21-0 win over the Cleveland Browns.

One season after a league-worst 4-12 mark, the Chargers (11-3) won their eighth straight and earned their first postseason berth since 1995 with their victory combined with Denver’s loss at Kansas city. San Diego is division champions for the first time since 1994.

“I’ve only been here for four years, but in some ways it feels like eight,” Tomlinson said. “To go from where we were to this is awesome. I’ve dreamed of the playoffs for a long time, but it’s only been a dream.”

Reality set in quickly. As the Chargers walked off the frozen field, each player was handed an “AFC West 2004 Champions” baseball cap.

“This feels great,” said quarterback Drew Brees, who attempted just six passes. “It’s been a long road for San Diego fans and us. It feels great because we weren’t expected to do too much this year. Instead of 11-3, a lot of people thought we’d be 3-11.”

With a mistake-free offense and hard-nosed defense, coach Marty Schottenheimer has led the Chargers to their longest win streak since 1987 and turned them into the league’s most unlikely success story.

San Diego, which hasn’t lost since Oct. 17, also showed it can be a factor in the postseason regardless of climate. The Chargers ignored the blowing snow, a game-time temperature of 18 and a subzero wind chill to post their first shutout since 1993 and easily handle the Browns (3-11), who lost their eighth straight.

After winning on the frozen shores of Lake Erie, the Chargers should be prepared to play in frigid New England or Pittsburgh in the playoffs.

San Diego's LaDanian Tomlinson runs for 20 yards against Cleveland's Lewis Sanders. Tomlinson rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns, and the Chargers won, 21-0, Sunday in Cleveland to clinch the AFC West title.

“Our confidence is just snowballing with each performance,” Gates said. “We’re playing at a tremendous level and we want it to continue.”

Eagles 12, Cowboys 7

Philadelphia — Dorsey Levens’ two-yard touchdown run with 1:57 left helped Philadelphia clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

But the victory was costly for Philadelphia, which lost All-Pro wide receiver Terrell Owens to an ankle injury. Owens didn’t return after spraining his right ankle early in the third quarter.

Philadelphia (13-1) plays its first playoff game Jan. 15 or 16.

Vinny Testaverde also was intercepted twice, including a pick by Lito Sheppard on Dallas’ final drive. Keyshawn Johnson had a TD catch for Dallas (5-9).

Vikings 28, Lions 27

Minnesota's Corey Chavous celebrates his interception of a Joey Harrington pass at the three-yard line. The Vikings beat the Lions, 28-27, Sunday in Detroit.

Detroit — A botched extra-point kick with eight seconds left that would’ve tied the game allowed Minnesota to hang on for a much-needed victory.

Detroit went 80 yards in 1:29 to pull within a point on Joey Harrington’s second touchdown pass to Roy Williams. Then, Don Muhlbach’s snap bounced to holder Nick Harris, who was tackled before he could get the football spotted for kicker Jason Hanson.

Despite losing five of their previous seven games, Minnesota (8-6) can win the NFC North with victories Friday at home over Green Bay and Jan. 2 at Washington.

The Lions (5-9) officially fell out of the postseason race with their seventh loss in eight games.

Daunte Culpepper was 25-of-35 for 404 yards with three TD passes and Moe Williams scored the go-ahead TD on an 11-yard run with 1:37 left.

Jets 37, Seahawks 14

East Rutherford, N.J. — Chad Pennington threw three touchdown passes, and Curtis Martin had 134 yards and two touchdown runs, helping New York keep its lead in the AFC wild-card standings.

The Seahawks (7-7) had another disappointing day in their bid to stay atop the NFC West, with three turnovers the Jets (10-4) converted into 14 points.

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck injured his right elbow later in the quarter, and Trent Dilfer came on in relief.

The Seahawks also were on the losing end of another call officials appeared to blow. Martin scored on a three-yard run in the second quarter even though replays showed he never reached the goal line. Coach Mike Holmgren lost his challenge of the call.

Bills 33, Bengals 17

Cincinnati — Takeo Spikes returned an interception 62 yards for a pivotal touchdown against his former team, and Buffalo turned in another dominating defensive performance. Buffalo (8-6) bolstered its playoff chances with a solid all-around game. Jason Peters blocked a punt and recovered in the end zone for a score, and the defense turned Jon Kitna’s latest comeback into a bad flashback.

Texans 24, Bears 5

Chicago — Houston allowed the fewest points in its three-year history and got four turnovers to beat the bumbling Bears. With the temperature at 9 degrees at kickoff and the wind chill 10 below zero, it was the Texans (6-8) who handled Soldier Field’s frigid conditions better than the Bears. The Bears (5-9) failed to score a touchdown for the second straight game and their bundled-up fans booed at another inept performance by the NFL’s worst offense.

Cardinals 31, Rams 7

Tempe, Ariz. — Josh McCown threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more, and the Cardinals snapped a four-game losing streak. A victory would have moved the Rams into a tie with Seattle atop the NFC West, the league’s weakest division, and St. Louis holds the tiebreaker with two wins over the Seahawks. Instead, the Rams fell to 6-8, just one game ahead of the Cardinals (5-9), who improbably still are alive in the division race.

Raiders 40, Titans 35

Oakland, Calif. — Kerry Collins threw for 371 yards and matched his career high with five touchdown passes, hitting Jerry Porter for three scores, and outdueling Billy Volek. Volek had the second-best passing day in franchise history with 492 yards and four touchdowns. But it wasn’t enough to keep Tennessee (4-10) from losing its fourth straight game. Drew Bennett established a career high with 13 receptions (for 160 yards), tying the Titans’ franchise record for catches. He caught two touchdown passes in the first half, reaching 10 TDs for the first time in his career. Porter caught scoring passes of 32, 18 and 3 yards, his second three-TD game of the season, and had eight catches for 148 yards for the Raiders (5-9).

Jaguars 28, Packers 25

Green Bay, Wis. — Byron Leftwich threw two touchdown passes, Fred Taylor rushed for 165 yards and a touchdown, and Rashean Mathis picked off Brett Favre twice. Jimmy Smith caught two touchdowns for Jacksonville (8-6). Favre turned over the ball four times and fell to 31-4 at home after Dec. 1, losing for just the second time in 40 cold-weather games at home. Nevertheless, the Packers (8-6) became the ninth team in NFL history to reach the playoffs after a 1-4 start. They clinched before kickoff because Chicago, Dallas, Carolina and New York all lost in the run-of-the-mill NFC. The Packers fell into a tie with Minnesota atop the NFC North. They travel to Minnesota for a Christmas Eve matinee that likely will decide the division.

Saints 21, Buccaneers 17

Tampa, Fla. — Aaron Brooks threw two touchdown passes in the last four minutes, including a seven-yarder to Donte’ Stallworth with 32 seconds left, to keep alive the Saints’ playoff hopes. It was the second straight comeback win for New Orleans, which the previous week overcame a 10-point deficit against Dallas to stop a three-game losing streak. The victory lifted the Saints (6-8) into a tie with Carolina and St. Louis for the last wild-card spot in the weak NFC. The Bucs (5-9) became the first team to win the Super Bowl and then post consecutive losing records the next two seasons.