Marc Bulger threw for 450 yards and three touchdowns and Jeff Wilkins kicked a 31-yard field goal with 3:03 left in overtime Sunday to give the St. Louis Rams a 32-29 victory over the New York Jets, clinching their National Football League fourth playoff berth in five seasons under coach Mike Martz.
The Rams (8-8) won their last two games to qualify as the NFC wild card, and had a chance to win the West if the Seattle Seahawks lost to the Atlanta Falcons later Sunday.
PHOTO: AP
Their effort took on more meaning when the Minnesota Vikings lost to the Washington Redskins, a result that meant the Rams had to win to make it into the postseason. The Jets (10-6) qualified before overtime began when the Buffalo Bills lost 29-24 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Despite the loss, New York made the playoffs for the third time in four seasons under coach Herman Edwards. The Jets play at San Diego next weekend, but enter the playoffs on a downer. They have gone 5-6 in their final 11 games following a 5-0 start, and lost three of their last four.
Redskins 21, Vikings 18
In Landover, Maryland, despite the loss, the Vikings qualified for the playoffs when the New Orleans Saints beat the Carolina Panthers.
The Vikings (8-8) lost seven of their last 10 games after a 5-1 start. Last year, they fell from 6-0 to 9-7 and were eliminated by a touchdown pass on the last play of the season at Arizona.
The Redskins (6-10) gave a spirited finish to Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs' disappointing comeback season, his worst in 13 years with the Redskins. The defense rattled Minnesota quarterback Daunte Culpepper with four sacks, and Ladell Betts ran 26 times for a career-high 118 yards subbing for injured Clinton Portis.
Saints 21, Panthers 18
In Charlotte, North Carolina, the Saints (8-8) forced three turnovers and had six sacks but still missed the playoffs.
Aaron Brooks passed for 216 yards and threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Joe Horn.
The win was New Orleans' fourth straight, capped an impressive turnaround for the Saints and might have saved coach Jim Haslett's job.
Steelers 29, Bills 24
In Orchard Park, New York, fourth-string running back Willie Parker had 102 yards rushing and backup linebacker James Harrison returned a fumble 18 yards for a touchdown, knocking Buffalo out of playoff contention.
The Steelers won their 14th straight to match the record set by Miami in 1972 and became just the fourth team in NFL history to finish 15-1.
Ravens 30, Dolphins 23
In Baltimore, after the early games, Baltimore was alive for the playoffs, but needed late losses by Denver and Jacksonville to get in. Jamal Lewis scored a touchdown and ran for 167 yards, as Baltimore (9-7), built a 27-7 lead, then held on.
Baltimore's Jarret Johnson returned an interception for a score and teammate Ed Reed got his ninth interception and returned it 41 yards to get an NFL record for return yardage in a season (358).
Patriots 21, 49ers 7
In Foxboro, Massachusetts, New England, a franchise-best 14-2 for the second straight season, got Tom Brady's two TD passes after he threw an interception and lost a fumble.
Corey Dillon ran for 116 yards and one touchdown, but also lost a fumble. And the Patriots' regular-season record of scoring first in 20 straight games ended on Ken Dorsey's 4-yard pass to third-string tight end Steve Bush late in the first quarter.
The 49ers matched their franchise-worst 2-14 record and clinched the top pick in this year's draft.
Bengals 38, Eagles 10
In Philadelphia, with Donovan McNabb and several other starters sitting out, the Eagles' backups were thoroughly dominated. Rudi Johnson ran for three touchdowns and 99 yards, and Jon Kitna threw a scoring pass, helping the Bengals win their second straight game to finish 8-8 for the second year in a row.
The Eagles (13-3) had five turnovers in their worst performance since a 38-0 loss to Seattle in the 1998 season opener.
Titans 24, Lions 19
In Nashville, Tennessee, Billy Volek threw for 175 yards and a touchdown before being knocked out of the game with a separated right shoulder in the fourth quarter, and the Titans snapped a five-game skid.
The Titans (5-11) were without 14 players from their opening day roster because of injuries, but had more than enough to handle Detroit (6-10).
Packers 31, Bears 14
In Chicago, Brett Favre and the Packers (10-6) warmed up for the playoffs, where they'll host Minnesota.
Favre played the first quarter and one series in the second, going 9-of-13 for 196 yards and two touchdowns as the Packers beat the Bears (5-11) for the 21st time in the last 26 meetings -- including 11 straight on the road.
Browns 22, Texans 14
In Houston, Texas, Kelly Holcomb's return to the lineup provided a lift to the Browns' punchless offense and Cleveland (4-12) ended a nine-game losing streak, denying Houston (7-9) its first non-losing season.
Lee Suggs had his third straight 100-yard rushing day with 131 yards and Phil Dawson kicked five field goals, giving Browns interim coach Terry Robiskie his only win in five games since replacing Butch Davis on Nov. 30.
Cardinals 12, Buccaneers 7
In Tempe, Arizona, Neil Rackers kicked four field goals and the Cardinals stifled the Tampa Bay offense.
Coach Jon Gruden's team lost its fourth in a row to finish 5-11, Tampa Bay's worst record since going 5-11 under Sam Wyche in 1993.
Jaguars 13, Raiders 6
In Oakland, California, on a muddy, rain-soaked field, the Jaguars (9-7) concluded their first winning season in five years. Greg Jones scored on a 1-yard run for the game's only touchdown that broke a third-quarter tie.
The Broncos' victory over the Colts eliminated Jacksonville. The Raiders (5-11) had a chance to send the game into overtime in the final seconds, but Kerry Collins fumbled the snap on fourth-and-goal at the 2, and was tackled for a loss.
Giants 28, Cowboys 24
In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Tiki Barber became the Giants' all-time leading rusher and capped his achievement with a winning flair. Barber finished a record-setting night by scoring on a 3-yard run with 11 seconds to play. Eli Manning also threw three touchdown passes as the Giants (6-10) snapped an eight-game losing streak.
The late heroics provided Manning with his first career victory and spoiled a great effort by Cowboys quarterback Vinny Testaverde in what might have been the final game of his 18-year career. Testaverde threw for a touchdown and engineered a late 80-yard march that set up Julius Jones' go-ahead 1-yard run with 1:49 to play. But the Cowboys (6-10) couldn't hold on.
Barber set Giants single-season and career rushing records in the game, surpassing marks held by Rodney Hampton and Joe Morris, respectively. He also wound up leading the league in all-purpose yards this season with 2,096.
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