TAMPA—Jameis Winston kept retreating toward his own goal line, seemingly in disregard for the best interests of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.The second-year quarterback often is at his best when he’s improvising, though, and the first overall pick from the 2015 draft kept scrambling into the end zone and back out before heaving a 38-yard completion to Mike Evans.The play started at his own 23 and ended at the Bears 38, where Evans made a leaping catch. On the next play, Winston threw his second TD pass in a 36-10 rout of the Bears on Sunday.

”That’s Jameis making plays,” Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said, though that hardly crossed the coach’s mind while Winston was heading the wrong way with the Bucs clinging to a seven-point lead early in the third quarter.”Throw it away. Throw it away. Do anything. Don’t take a safety,” Koetter recalled himself thinking.But, the thing about Jameis, Jameis is going to do some things that we don’t plan for and he’s going to do some things that sometimes I don’t like,” the coach added. ”But Jameis is going to make some plays. That’s who he is. … You can’t coach that out of him. He’s a special player in that respect.”

Winston finished 23 of 33 for 312 yards with one interception, helping the Bucs (4-5) win at home for the first time this season. The Bears (2-7) are winless in five road games.

”That was a great play by him. … He retreated. I tried to get him again and he stepped up in the pocket and let it rip,” Bears linebacker Leonard Floyd said. ”Great play by him.”

Winston threw for TDs of 10 yards to Cameron Brate and 43 yards to Freddie Martino, a former practice squad player with two career receptions.Two weeks after returning from injury and helping the Bears (2-7) beat NFC North leader Minnesota, Jay Cutler threw two interceptions and fumbled twice, one resulting in a third-quarter safety that put the Bucs up 29-10.The Bucs forced four turnovers overall and sacked Cutler four times. Even though the Bears are last in the league in scoring, it was a confidence-building performance for a defense that yielded 73 points and 1,087 yards – including 857 passing – in home losses to Oakland and Atlanta the previous two weeks.Cutler missed five games with a sprained right thumb before playing well and not turning the ball over against the Vikings. The Bears had a bye last week, but the momentum they built against Minnesota didn’t carry over to the trip to Tampa.The Bears scored on Cameron Meredith’s 50-yard TD reception on the final play of the first half. Cutler finished 16 of 30 for 182 yards, and Tampa Bay’s Chris Conte returned a first-quarter interception 20 yards to give the Bucs a 7-0 lead.

”Any given week, you can win, you can lose. It depends on how you execute,” Cutler said. ”Obviously, we didn’t get the job done today.” DUH!!!

Bucs running back Doug Martin returned from a hamstring injury that had sidelined him since Week 2. He rushed for 33 yards on 16 carries and scored on a 1-yard run that made it 36-10 late in the fourth quarter.Deep in their own territory and down two touchdowns after turning the ball over four times, the Bears weren’t content with merely running out the final 31 seconds of the opening half. They used timeouts after Jeremy Langford’s 13-yard run and Cutler’s 4-yard completion to the reserve running back, then set themselves up for a final play when Ka’Deem Carey scampered 16 yards to midfield on a reception before getting out of bounds. Cutler heaved his 50-yard TD pass to Meredith in the back of the end zone to finish a four-play, 83-yard drive.Winston’s second-quarter TD pass to Brate was the 40th of the second-year pro’s career. At 22 years, 312 days old, he’s the youngest quarterback in NFL history to reach that plateau, doing it in 25 games. He’s on pace to top 4,000 yards passing for the second straight year, and has thrown for 19 TDs vs. 10 interceptions this season.Lost the right side of their offensive line in the first half, with guard Kyle Long leaving with an ankle injury and tackle Bobby Massie suffering a concussion. Defensive lineman Will Sutton (ankle) left early in the third quarter and did not return.The Bears remain on the road, facing the New York Giants.

Whether he had the Bulls on his shoulders or not, Jimmy Butler couldn’t deny this. He sure gave them the lift they needed.Butler scored 37 points, and the Bulls beat the short-handed Washington Wizards 106-95 on Saturday night.He took charge when the Bulls needed it, helping them pull away on a night when the Wizards were missing star guards John Wall and Bradley Beal.Butler finished two points shy of a season high he set against Atlanta on Wednesday. He hit all 14 free throws, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out a season-high nine assists.

”I don’t consider that carrying,” Butler said. ”I consider that making some shots and doing what they need me to do. That’s being aggressive.”

Butler showed it early on and helped the Bulls put away the Wizards in the second half, though he did have some help.Nikola Mirotic came on strong to finish with 17 points. Dwyane Wade scored 14. Taj Gibson chipped in with 13 points, and Robin Lopez added 10 points and 13 rebounds.The Bulls won back-to-back games for the first time since a 3-0 start, but forward Doug McDermott exited with a concussion early in the fourth quarter.Markieff Morris had a season-high 24 points after scoring 20 the previous night. Marcin Gortat added 18 points and 14 rebounds.Sheldon McClellan scored 15 with Beal missing his second straight game because of a sore right hamstring. Tomas Satoransky chipped in with 12 points and nine assists filling in at point guard for Wall, who scored 28 in Friday’s loss to Cleveland, and the Wizards fell to 0-4 on the road.Washington’s reserves got outscored 32-18, though McClellan and Satoransky were in the lineup with Beal and Wall out.Butler got off to a scorching start with 21 points in the first half and kept it going with 11 more in the third to help the Bulls turn a 56-53 deficit into an 81-70 lead.

”When you’ve got a guy who is obviously an All-Star in this league but he’s right in the prime of his career, my job and (Rajon) Rondo’s job and everybody’s job is to get the best out of him,” Wade said. ”Right now, we’re seeing it – and he sees it, too – how great he can be.”

Leading 70-68 with about three minutes left in the third, Butler hit two free throws, a layup and a step-back jumper with 1:19 left.In the closing minute, Wizards coach Scott Brooks jumped off the bench and got called for a technical when Jason Smith fouled a dunking Gibson. McDermott made the technical free throw. Gibson missed his foul shot, but hit a layup to make it an 11-point game.McDermott was in the air going for a layup or dunk in the opening minute of the fourth when a rotating Morris hit his left arm and sent him crashing to the floor. McDermott banged his head in a hard fall that quieted the crowd.He walked off the court and headed back into the concussion protocol after missing a game 10 days earlier.Morris got called for a flagrant foul 1, and Mirotic hit two free throws.

”That was a regular old-school foul,” Gibson said. ”But the way Doug took off, he left himself out in the open. … I don’t think nobody really tries to hurt anybody. It’s one of those plays.”

Coach Fred Hoiberg said that Carter-Williams has not experienced any setbacks in his recovery from a bruised left knee and sprained left wrist. Carter-Williams was expected to miss four to six weeks after taking a hard fall at Brooklyn on Oct. 31.The Bulls play six straight on the road, starting with Tuesday’s game at Portland.

WEST LAFAYETTE—After losing back-to-back home games to Western Michigan and to Illinois State to begin the 2016 season, Northwestern knew it would be pressed to qualify for a bowl game.But including Saturday’s 45-17 victory at Purdue, the Wildcats (5-5, 4-3 Big Ten) are within one victory of bowl eligibility, having carved their path by posting a 3-1 record in conference road games.In addition to Purdue, they also have won at Iowa and at Michigan State.Clayton Thorson passed for a career-best 352 yards and three touchdowns, and Northwestern scored 31 second-half points on its way to an easy victory at Purdue (3-7, 1-6), which has lost five in a row by an average margin of 21.2 points.Thorson, who also ran for a touchdown, completed 23 of 36 passes, including five for 92 yards and two touchdowns to wide receiver Austin Carr, who tied the school single-season record with 12 TD receptions.

”Every time we came out in the second half, we were just licking our chops to get another good drive going,” Carr said. ”We were clicking on all cylinders. And of course, a bowl is a huge motivator. We viewed these last three games as a three-game playoff.”

Austin Jackson rushed 22 times for 127 yards and a touchdown, and John Moten IV had 16 carries for 119 yards, marking the first time since Sept. 14, 2013 against Western Michigan that two Northwestern backs rushed for more than 100 yards in the same game.

”The receivers were getting open, but the offensive line was playing really well,” Thorson said. ”There were only one or two times that I was rushed to even make a throw.”

Thorson’s third touchdown pass – a 42-yarder to Garrett Dickerson on the first play after an interception by linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. – gave Northwestern a 28-10 lead with 11:13 remaining in the third quarter. The Wildcats steadily pulled away.Finishing with 605 yards of offense, Northwestern outscored Purdue 31-7 during the final 30 minutes.

”We didn’t start the way we wanted, obviously, but you need to credit Purdue for that,” Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald said. ”We knew we would get a fast start from them. We talked about the first series of the second half being really important. Obviously, depth is important, especially when you see a couple of their defensive starters out.”

NU spotted Purdue a 10-0, first-quarter lead, then scored the opening half’s final 14 points to lead 14-10 through 30 minutes. Purdue lost its fifth in a row.The Wildcats extended their lead to 21-10 on Justin Jackson’s 14-yard touchdown run, capping a seven-play, 71-yard drive.Needing two victories in their final three games to become bowl eligible, the Wildcats scored touchdowns on each of their first four second-half drives and pulled away from the struggling Boilermakers. Northwestern gained 557 yards during the first three quarters…..Playing without their two best defenders – Jake Replogle (concussion) and Ja’Whaun Bentley (leg) – the Boilermakers’ defense was no match for Northwestern’s balanced offense and fell to 0-15 in November games during the four most recent seasons…..The Wildcats travel to Minnesota on Nov. 19 for their final Big Ten road game.

SAN ANTONIO—Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer loosened up the Army defense with his arm. Then the Irish took advantage with their legs.Kizer threw for three touchdowns and collected 72 of Notre Dame’s season-high 261 yards rushing, helping the Irish beat Army 44-6 on Saturday in ND’s annual Shamrock Series Game.C.J. Sanders returned the opening kickoff for a score, and then Kizer took over. He was 17 for 28 for 209 yards with an interception before he was replaced by Malik Zaire for the fourth quarter.Tarean Folston and Josh Adams each rushed for a score as Notre Dame rebounded nicely from last weekend’s 28-27 loss to Navy. Folston had 84 yards on 13 carries, and Adams finished with 15 carries for 70 yards.

”We were able to throw the ball over their heads, and it backed them off, so it gave us some opportunities to run the football,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said.

Along the way, Kizer looked at second and third options to find open receivers.

”He is maturing as a quarterback,” Kelly said. ”I liked his leadership today. I liked his leadership all week. He was holding players to a higher standard. I liked his toughness.”

Kell Walker had a 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter for Army’s only score. Ahmad Bradshaw, Army’s starting quarterback, was sidelined by a knee injury.The Black Knights (5-5) began the day ranked in the top 25 nationally in several defensive categories, but the Irish (4-6) were in complete control right from the start.Sanders returned the opening kickoff 92 yards, and Kizer tossed a 37-yard touchdown pass to freshman Kevin Stepherson with 10 minutes left in the first quarter. Adams had a 2-yard touchdown run with 3:44 remaining, and the rout was on.The Irish led 38-6 at halftime. Tight end Durham Smythe had second-quarter touchdown receptions of 10 and 31 yards.Notre Dame had dropped three of four. But Kizer and company got a chance to enjoy their first runaway victory in a while.The Irish host Virginia Tech on Saturday in the first-ever meeting between the schools.

MADISON—Finally, Wisconsin had a breather.Tested week after week with close games against the Big Ten’s tougher teams, the seventh-ranked Badgers assumed the role of playoff contender in beating up on one of the league’s weaker squads.Corey Clement ran for 123 yards and three touchdowns, Dare Ogunbowale added 103 yards on seven carries and Wisconsin’s defense intercepted Illinois quarterback Jeff George Jr. four times in rolling to a 48-3 win on Saturday.The Badgers (8-2, 5-2, No. 7 CFP) led by 18 after the first quarter with two scores from Clement, and 31-3 at the half on a homecoming weekend at Camp Randall Stadium.After playing five top 10 opponents over its first nine games, Wisconsin beat Illinois like it was a non-conference pushover.George had an awful day a week after helping Illinois rally to beat Michigan State. George was 5 of 16 for 79 yards in the first half against Wisconsin before getting pulled for former starter Wes Lunt.That didn’t work, either. Illinois (3-7, 2-5) managed just 60 yards and three first downs in the second half.

”I didn’t see much to talk about today. We were dominated by a better team. There was nothing we did that was good out there today,” coach Lovie Smith said.

It was that kind of afternoon for Wisconsin.Any momentum from the thrilling victory over the Spartans disappeared quickly in the first quarter. A defense allowing 191.9 yards rushing a game coming into Saturday got overwhelmed on the ground. Tackling was poor, allowing the Badgers’ backs to break free for extra yards. On offense, the deep passing game needs work. George threw two interceptions in the first quarter alone and tended to miss high on long throws down the field.Asked if his team took a step back, Smith said ”At the end of the season you put it all together. … Today we didn’t get the job done and played bad ball.” Illinois managed a few big rushing plays in the first half against the Big Ten’s best run defense. Kendrick Foster finished with 75 yards on 15 carries.With No. 3 Clemson losing to Pittsburgh, the Badgers figure to move up at least a spot when the next AP Top 25 poll is released on Sunday.Wisconsin dominated Illinois up and down the stat sheet. A few of the more eye-catching ones: Wisconsin 23, Illinois 12….Wisconsin 455, Illinois 200….Third-down conversions: Wisconsin 7 of 13, Illinois 0 of 9…..Wisconsin’s seventh straight win over Illinois is the longest win streak by either team in the history of the series…..Illinois wraps up its home schedule by hosting Iowa.

Marcus Johansson scored at 2:20 of overtime, Braden Holtby made 32 saves and the Washington Capitals snapped the Blackhawks seven-game winning streak with a 3-2 victory over the Blackhawks on Friday night.Jay Beagle scored two goals, giving him three on the season, and the Capitals won for the sixth time in seven games in the opener of a three-game trip.Washington defenseman Dmitry Orlov made a nice pass to Johansson for the one-timer that beat Corey Crawford on the glove side. It was Johansson’s seventh goal of the season.Marian Hossa had a goal and an assist for the Blackhawks, who extended their point streak to 10 games. Defenseman Brian Campbell also scored, and Crawford finished with 24 stops.The Blackhawks played without center Artem Anisimov, who was scratched after he left Wednesday night’s 2-1 overtime win at St. Louis with an upper-body injury. Anisimov, who has eight goals and nine assists in 14 games, could return as soon as Sunday against Montreal.The Hawks were trailing 2-1 when it pulled Crawford for an extra attacker with 2:13 to go. It broke through for the tying score when Artemi Panarin’s shot went off the stick of Washington defenseman Brooks Orpik and trickled through to Hossa on the side of the crease for his seventh goal in eight games.Washington jumped in front in the first after Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov was sent off for holding Hossa. Defenseman Matt Niskanen made a great diving play to knock the puck out of the Washington zone, starting a 2-on-1 with T.J. Oshie and Beagle.Oshie made a nice saucer pass to Beagle, who knocked it in for his first career short-handed goal. It was his first point since he scored his first goal of the season in a victory at Winnipeg on Nov. 1.Campbell responded with a tying power-play goal just 22 seconds later, but Beagle skated behind the net for a nifty wraparound and a 2-1 Washington lead at 14:44.It turned into a goaltender battle from there, with Crawford and Holtby taking turns frustrating would-be scorers.Holtby stopped a big drive by Brent Seabrook late in the first and made a right blocker stop on Panarin early in the third.Justin Williams got open for a nice look late in the second, but Crawford used a blocker to knock it over the net. He also made a glove save on John Carlson with 12:18 left in the third.Crawford went to the locker room with 7:02 left in the second, replaced by Scott Darling, but he quickly returned to the ice.

NOTES—Vinnie Hinostroza replaced Anisimov in the lineup. C Tyler Motte (lower body) and D Michal Rozsival also were inactive. … The Capitals scratched RW Brett Connolly and D Nate Schmidt. … The Blackhawks and Capitals also play on Jan. 13 in Washington….The Blackhawks host Montreal on Sunday night.Hossa

MIAMI—For 13 years, Dwyane Wade made plenty of what the Miami Heat call ”winning plays.” He made another one Thursday.And the Heat didn’t enjoy this one.Wade turned a debated foul call into two big free throws with 13.7 seconds remaining, helping the Bulls hang on for a 98-95 win and ensuring that his return to the arena he called home for 13 seasons would be a winning one.It was Wade’s first time facing the Heat as an opponent, and afterward he seemed more than a little relieved that this was over.

”I can only imagine what he was going through today,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. ”A lot of emotions coming back here.”

The Bulls were up 94-92 when Wade got the call that went against Miami’s Justise Winslow, a foul along the sideline on an inbounds pass where it appeared that the 12-time All-Star may have embellished a bit for effect.If he did, it worked.

”If it was last year, he got pushed out of bounds,” a smiling Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ”This year? He’s selling it.”

Jimmy Butler scored 20 points and Rajon Rondo finished with 16 points and 12 assists for the Bulls. Robin Lopez had, and Wade scored 13 on 5 for 17 shooting.

”I thought I’d shoot better, since I’ve been knowing these rims for a while,” Wade said.

But he made the two big free throws when it counted most, and acknowledged afterward that he might have gotten a break.

”I got the vet call,” Wade said.

Said Winslow: ”I didn’t agree with the call. I think that was because of the stage, because of him being back here. I don’t think if he was at another venue, another regular game, they would have made that call.”

Robin Lopez had 16 points for the Bulls, who prevailed in a game that had 14 ties and 19 lead changes. Doug McDermott scored 13 for the Bulls, and Nikola Mirotic added 10.Hassan Whiteside led Miami with 20 points and 20 rebounds. Dion Waiters and Josh Richardson each scored 16 for the Heat, who lost point guard Goran Dragic to a sprained left ankle in the third quarter.Winslow scored 15 and Tyler Johnson added 14 for Miami.Richardson tied the game with a 3-pointer with 6:13 remaining, but the Bulls scored the next six points and led the rest of the way. After the game, Wade went over and greeted the wife of Heat managing general partner Micky Arison, then general manager Andy Elisburg before leaving the floor and blowing a kiss to the fans who remained.

”That was the most emotional part of the night for me,” Wade said.

Wade spent the last couple minutes of halftime greeting Heat staff – with a big hug for Spoelstra. … Wade has made a career on his pump fake, which he taught to some Heat players – and Johnson burned him with it in the second half. ”It’s good that he takes notes,” Wade said.It was the third career 20-20 game for Whiteside. The only player to have more in a Heat uniform is Rony Seikaly, with 12. … Winslow entered the game in a 10-for-43 slump over his last three games, then shot 6 for 12 on Thursday. … Dragic left in a walking boot, but X-rays were negative.

NOTES—Rondo isn’t always the friendliest sort with opponents, but when he got a layup blocked by Whiteside with 5:20 left he offered the Heat center a congratulatory hand-slap….There was one thing Wade wanted that he didn’t get Thursday: He wanted to be on the floor with Udonis Haslem, his teammate on all three Miami championship teams. ”Let me get 1-on-1 with UD, that’s what I’ve been waiting on. That right there would make my night,” Wade said. Spoelstra said he was disappointed with himself that he didn’t make it happen….The Bulls host Washington on Saturday. It’s the lone home game in a stretch

AFC GAMES: JAX over Hou, SD over Mia,
NFC GAMES: Atl over PHIL, ARIZ over S.Fran
INTER-CONF GAMES: N.ORL over Denv, CAR over K.City, NYJ over LA Rams,.Dal over PITT
THURSDAY NIGHT: BALT over Cleve
SUNDAY NIGHT: N.ENG over Seat
MONDAY NIGHT: NYG over Cin
NFC NORTH GAMES: WASH over Minn, TENN over GB, Bears over TB
Teams in ALL CAPS are Home Teams
LAST WEEK: LES 9-4(70-52-2), ZACH 5-8(60-62-2), TONY 8-5(62-60-2) SHANE 9-4(70-52-2)

ST. LOUIS—Artemi Panarin scored 25 seconds into overtime and Corey Crawford made 27 saves, leading the Blackhawks over the St. Louis Blues 2-1 on Wednesday night for their seventh straight win.Crawford won his sixth consecutive game and improved to 15-5-5 against the Blues. The Hawks have earned a point in nine straight games.Panarin scored on a wrist shot from the slot for his sixth goal of the season.St. Louis’ Alex Pietrangelo tied it with 2:11 left in the third on a drive from the point that squeezed past Crawford, who got a piece of the shot.Early in the second period, Marian Hossa pounced on the rebound of a shot by Gustav Forsling and shot it in for a 1-0 lead. It was his seventh goal of the season and sixth in the last seven games.The Hawks have outscored opponents 30-15 during this nine-game run.Jake Allen made 28 saves for the Blues. He has lost three of his last four and fell to 5-4-2.This is the Blackhawks longest winning streak since they won 12 in a row from Dec. 29, 2015 to Jan. 19, 2016.

NOTES—Artem Anisimov had a career-high 11-game point streak snapped after exiting in the second period with an injury. … St. Louis LW Alexander Steen is one goal shy of 200 for his career. … The Blues placed D Joel Edmundson on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. He will be re-evaluated in three weeks. … The teams will meet on Jan. 2 in the Winter Classic at Busch Stadium. … Duncan Keith has 11 assists, tops among all defensemen. … The Blues have hit the goalpost or crossbar 15 times this season, tops in the NHL.The Blackhawks host Washington on Friday night in the first of back-to-back home games.

Kareem Hunt ran for 122 yards and scored a touchdown with 1:15 left in Toledo’s 31-24 comeback victory over Northern Illinois on Wednesday night in NIU’s Chi-Town Showdown at the White Sox’s newly re-named Guaranteed Rate Field.Logan Woodside threw for three touchdowns in the second half after entering the game with 34, tied with Jake Browning of No. 4 Washington for the national lead. That helped the Rockets (8-2, 5-1 Mid-American) overcome a 14-3 halftime deficit and snap a six-game losing streak in the series.Woodside’s second touchdown pass to Michael Roberts gave Toledo its first lead, 24-21, early in the fourth quarter. The Huskies (3-7, 3-3) tied the game on Christian Hagan’s 22-yard field goal with 4:31 left but the Rockets answered with a 9-play, 71-yard drive.Woodside finished 23 of 33 for 286 yards. Jon’Vea Johnson had six catches for 129 yards, including a 39-yard reception to set up the winning score.Aaron Covington’s interception with 15 seconds to play sealed the win.Ryan Graham had three touchdown passes for the Huskies, one to Kenny Golladay, who had 14 catches for 143 yards. Graham also ran for 97 yards.