they make plays.Just as important for both teams heading into the second leg was goalkeeper Stefan Freis shutout -- his second straight clean sheet in the playoffs and ninth of the season. Th

DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions have won this season with clutch kicks, timely takeaways and last-ditch drives.Now, add a couple game-changing penalty flags to the long list of things that have gone Detroits way.Two holding calls in the final minute kept Chicago out of reasonable field goal range, and the Lions beat the Bears 20-17 on Sunday for their eighth victory in nine games. Almost every Detroit game this season has come down to the wire, and this one might very well have gone to overtime if not for the two crucial flags on Chicago.It may not be pretty, but this is the way it is in this game, Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. I just know one thing: You dont do it that many times and consider it luck, so there is some skill in there. I think our guys do a tremendous job of being able to handle tough situations very, very well and they keep doing it week after week.The Lions, who have not won a division title since 1993, lead the NFC North by two games.Down by three, the Bears had the ball at the Detroit 43-yard line with 58 seconds left. Cameron Meredith caught a pass and outran the defense before going out of bounds at the 16, but the play was called back because of a holding penalty on lineman Charles Leno.On the next snap, Matt Barkley completed a pass to Daniel Braverman that would have put the ball at the 30, but there was a flag on that play too -- holding on lineman Ted Larsen.When I was playing it didnt feel like it, a grab, a hold or a restriction, Larsen said. They called it, so theres nothing you can do about that, but you cant really recover from two holding penalties back to back. They called it. I really dont have much to say about that.The Bears finished with 11 penalties for 139 yards, with 74 of those yards coming on three pass interference flags. A pass interference call on Tracy Porter helped the Lions drive for their first touchdown of the day in the second quarter, and Bryce Callahan was flagged for the same infraction shortly before Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford scored the winning touchdown on a 7-yard run late in the fourth.Detroit (9-4) has had only one game this season decided by more than seven points. The Lions have gotten consistently good kicking from Matt Prater, who made a 54-yarder Sunday, and Stafford has made fourth-quarter comebacks seem almost routine. Chicago took a 17-13 lead with 7:07 remaining when CreVon LeBlanc intercepted a pass and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown. Stafford then led a seven-play, 76-yard drive and scored the winning TD with 3:17 remaining.The Bears (3-10) were driving back the other way before the two holding calls left them facing first-and-30 from their own 37. They made it back across midfield to set up fourth-and-11 from the Detroit 44, but Barkleys pass over the middle was incomplete.When you keep getting pushed back like that, you really want to just get chunks at a time -- youre not going to gain it all back in one play, Barkley said. Gave ourselves a chance on fourth down. Weve just got to make a play.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL .---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtristerManny Mota Dodgers Jersey . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup. Brett Butler Dodgers Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. https://www.cheapdodgersonline.com/2725h-chris-taylor-jersey-dodgers.html . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. Dustin May Jersey . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. Dusty Baker Dodgers Jersey . LOUIS -- Cardinals cleanup hitter Allen Craig says hes recovered from a foot injury and ready to be put on St.SEATTLE -- For Nicolas Loderio, going two straight games without a goal or an assist amounted to a drought.He snapped out of it in a big way on Sunday night.Lodeiro scored twice and Nelson Valdez added a goal -- all in an 8-minute span early in the second half -- to help the Seattle Sounders roll past FC Dallas 3-0 in the first leg of the MLS Western Conference semifinals.Dallas, winner of the Supporters Shield with the best regular season record, now must score at least three times when the teams play the second leg in Texas next Sunday to keep its season alive.Since joining the Sounders in late July, the 27-year-old Loderio, a Uruguayan international midfielder, factored into the scoring in eight straight games. His last goal came on Oct. 16 -- in a 2-1 loss at Dallas -- but he was kept off the board in last Sundays 2-1 victory against Real Salt Lake that clinched a playoff spot, and Thursdays 1-0 knockout-round win against Sporting Kansas City.To me, its not only to score the goals, Lodeiro said. More than anything, its the assists, to support the attack, the defense, and be in the midfield.But of course, Im pleased when I can score the goals.Valdez, whose 88th-minute goal beat Sporting Kansas City, put Seattle on the board in the 50th minute. Joevin Jones crossed a target ball from the left side into the penalty area. Valdez ran to the top of the 6-yard box, went up and over Dallas defender Maynor Figueroa and headed it into the back left corner.I just want to be thankful to the coach and the team for their trust in me -- and the only way I could answer that trust was to score more goals and to continue to play the way I played tonight, said Valdez, who was insertedd into the starting lineup by interim head coach Brian Schmetzer.ddddddddddddLodeiro made it 2-0 at the outset of the 55th minute, running onto Jordan Morris short crossing pass and blasting it into the back right corner from 6 yards in front.Just three minutes later, Lodeiro took a through ball from Jones, streaked down the left side, and, from the top left corner of the 6, fired to the far corner.It was a typical first-leg game in a two-leg series -- two teams feeling each other out in the first half, Schmetzer said. In the second half, our team made the necessary adjustments, but then they also made the necessary plays. When youre trying to win an MLS cup, you have to make plays. Valdez, Loderio, Morris, Jones -- they make plays.Just as important for both teams heading into the second leg was goalkeeper Stefan Freis shutout -- his second straight clean sheet in the playoffs and ninth of the season. That denied Dallas a crucial away goal if the series should happen to come down to that tiebreaker next Sunday.This is the third straight year the Sounders and Dallas have met in the semifinals. Seattle prevailed in 2014; Dallas won last year on penalty kicks at home in the second leg.The first 20 minutes of the second half, we allowed them to get space, and they scored those goals, Dallas coach Oscar Pareja said. Obviously, were disappointed. But at the same time, we have to keep the optimism.We overcame a difficult result last year when we left this field, he added. This team has shown during the year that we can overcome difficult situations. ' ' '