Indianapolis and Chicago make history

UNDEFEATED Indianapolis and once-beaten Chicago made National Football League history Sunday in proving themselves the teams to beat for home-field advantage in the playoffs.

The Colts became the first club in NFL history to start consecutive seasons with nine triumphs after a narrow escape in a 17-16 home victory over Buffalo while a stunning runback led Chicago past the host New York Giants 38-20.

Chicago’s Devin Hester returned a missed field goal attempt 108 yards for a touchdown that gave the Bears a 31-20 lead with 11:20 remaining. The play matched the longest in NFL history.