The New England Patriots clinched the AFC East crown in beating Jacksonville 24-21 on Sunday, and probably knocked the Jaguars out of the NFL playoffs for the second successive season.
Tom Brady directed three long touchdown drives, capped one with a perfect touch pass to David Thomas, and helped the Patriots clinch their fourth consecutive division title.
New England (11-4) also crippled Jacksonville's postseason chances. The Jaguars (8-7) need to win at Kansas City next week and get lots of help to return to the playoffs as a wild card.
Laurence Maroney, who missed the previous two games with torn rib cartilage, had a 27-yard touchdown run to put the Patriots ahead 24-14 with 4:36 remaining.
Brady had 31 yards rushing, but was at his best in the pocket, completing passes to 10 receivers and picking apart the NFL's second-ranked defense. He finished 28-of-39 for 249 yards.
Maurice Drew, starting in place of Fred Taylor (hamstring), had a 74-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and scored again in the third quarter to finished with 131 yards rushing and 41 yards receiving.
Texans 27, Colts 24
At Houston, Ron Dayne had a career-high 153 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and Kris Brown kicked the winning 48-yard field goal as time expired, giving Houston its first win over Indianapolis.
The loss denied the AFC South champion the chance to clinch a first-round playoff bye.
It was the first time Dayne had gained 100 yards since September 2001.
The Texans (5-10) exploited the Colts' suspect run defense, ranked last in the NFL, and broke a nine-game losing streak to Indianapolis (11-4).
Houston led for most of the game, until Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison connected for their second touchdown, this one a 7-yard pass that tied it 24-24 with 2:41 remaining.
David Carr, 16-of-23 for 163 yards, and the Texans then engineered a six-play, 31-yard drive that ended with Brown's winning kick.
Ravens 31, Steelers 7
At Pittsburgh, Steve McNair threw three touchdown passes and Baltimore moved ahead in the race for a first-round AFC playoffs bye. They shut down Pittsburgh for the second time in a month and eliminated the defending Super Bowl champion from playoff contention.
The Ravens (12-3) matched a franchise record for victories in a season set by their Super Bowl championship team in 2000 and swept the season series from the despised Steelers (7-8) for the first time since the former Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore in 1996. They also won in Heinz Field for the first time since their initial game there in 2001.
With Ben Roethlisberger (156 yards passing, 2 interceptions) and Willie Parker (29 yards on 13 carries) again having rough afternoons against one of the NFL's top defenses, the Steelers (7-8) became the first Super Bowl champions since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002 to miss the playoffs the following season.
Titans 30, Bills 29
At Orchard Park, New York, Vince Young threw two touchdown passes and rushed for another, keeping Tennessee's playoff hopes alive with a win over Buffalo.
Young also engineered his fourth comeback in the fourth quarter or overtime, rallying Tennessee from a 29-20 deficit. After hitting Brandon Jones for a 29-yard touchdown pass, Young led a 14-play, 75-yard drive, which Rob Bironas capped with a 30-yard field goal with 2:10 left.
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