Quartet book play-off places

Brady: guided Patriots to seventh AFC East title in nine years

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The New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals both sealed play-off places by clinching their respective AFC divisions on Sunday, while over in the NFC the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys booked spots in the post-season.

But the Denver Broncos, who started the season 6-0, are no longer in control of their play-off destiny after losing at the Philadelphia Eagles to a late David Akers' field goal.

Jacksonville Jaguars 7-35 New England Patriots

The Patriots clinched the AFC East with a commanding 35-7 victory over Jacksonville at Foxboro that showcased Tom Brady and his men will still be a force in the play-offs.

Brady's bunch completed a perfect regular-season home record of 8-0 and moved to 10-5 overall as their all-star quarterback threw for 267 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in a near-perfect performance.

Wes Welker had another 100-yard game while fellow wide receiver Randy Moss caught three TD passes and, with Sammy Morris scoring and Fred Taylor returning, New England's ground game is also improving heading towards the post-season.

Kansas City Chiefs 10-17 Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals left it late against the lowly Chiefs to book their place in the play-offs, but a Chad Ochocinco touchdown two minutes from the end sealed the AFC North title for this year's surprise package.

The Bengals, still grieving following the death of Chris Henry, could not get in front heading into the final stages of the match but Carson Palmer led a 98-yard drive that ended with Ochocinco's TD to clinch the win, and the division.

Moving on to 10-5, Cincinnati booked just a second passage into the post-season in 19 tough years as they eventually put away the now 3-12 Chiefs.

Seattle Seahawks 10-48 Green Bay Packers

The Packers booked a wild card spot in the NFC by running riot over the Seahawks at Lambeau Field while the Giants were humbled by the Panthers in New York.

Green Bay's back-up running back Brandon Jackson scored three times, while starter Ryan Grant ran in two scores as the Seahawks' defensive unit were battered on the ground and in the air.

Aaron Rodgers played three quarters before taking a break, while the Packers defence also had a big say in the game as they picked off Matt Hasselbeck four times during the rout.

Baltimore Ravens 20-23 Pittsburgh Steelers

The champions kept their play-off hopes alive for another week with a tense victory over their fierce rivals thanks to Jeff Reed's fourth-quarter field goal and a rare defensive stand in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers joined rivals Baltimore on 8-7 and further muddied the waters in the AFC wild card picture, but at least they go into the final week of the season still in with a chance, although the Ravens hold the tie-breaker advantage should it come down to it.

A fierce encounter saw Joe Flacco find Todd Heap for two touchdowns, but the Ravens' cause was hindered by their concession of penalties totalling 113 yards.

Ben Roethlisberger had 259 yards with one touchdown and one interception while Rashard Mendenhall just got over from a yard to ensure the Steelers head to Miami next week still hoping to extend their season.

Carolina Panthers 41-9 New York Giants

A sell-out home crowd witnessed one of the most embarrassing defeats in Giants history as Carolina came to New York and wiped out the home side's play-off chances with an emphatic victory in their final game at the Meadowlands.

The farewell to Giants Stadium should have been a positive one for the hosts, but the Panthers shredded the Big Blue defence despite not having anything to play for themselves, with Jonathan Stewart leading the way with a career-best 209 yards and a score.

Muhsin Muhammad, Jeff King and Steve Smith all had TD grabs from Matt Moore while Brad Hoover also ran in a score from one yard to add extra insult to the injury of a season-ending loss for the Giants.

Houston Texans 27-20 Miami Dolphins

The Texans blew the Dolphins away when scoring on their first five possessions, but Miami came storming back and in the end Houston had to hang on to join the cue of teams on 8-7 hoping for an AFC wild card.

Matt Schaub hit Andre Johnson and Jacoby Jones for touchdowns while Arian Foster ran in from 17 yards but Kris Brown's second field goal 10 minutes into the second quarter was to be the last score for the visitors.

From 27 points down, Lex Hilliard scored twice as Miami came storming back but Ricky Williams' shoulder injury hampered their progress and Houston held on to stay in with a chance of making the play-offs for the first time in franchise history.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-17 (OT) New Orleans Saints

After going 13-0 the Saints lost their second game on the bounce at the Superdome as struggling Tampa Bay stunned the home crowd with a Connor Barth field goal giving them the win in overtime.

The Saints could have wrapped up home field advantage throughout the play-offs with a win, but after dropping a second game on the spin on home turf maybe they would prefer to go on the road.

Pierre Thomas and Robert Meachem put the Saints ahead before Cadillac Williams' run and Michael Spurlock's punt return gave the Bucs a sniff.

But they could only take advantage in overtime after Garrett Hartley missed a 37-yard field goal with five seconds left in regulation.

Oakland Raiders 9-23 Cleveland Browns

The Browns secured a rare third consecutive victory to give coach Eric Mangini something to show to new boss Mike Holmgren to say he should keep his job for next season.

Cleveland have improved no end in recent weeks in cutting out penalties and strengthening on defence, while Jerome Harrison continues to shine as he scored another touchdown and ran for 148 yards.

The Raiders also have some talent, but their discipline was woeful as they tallied 126 yards in penalties while quarterback Charlie Frye may have passed for 333 yards but had no scores and three interceptions.

Buffalo Bills 3-31 Atlanta Falcons

Neither team had any hope of extending their season in Atlanta with the Falcons just hoping to end with a winning record, and they are halfway there after beating the Bills comfortably.

Matt Ryan threw three touchdown passes amongst his 250 yards, two of them to Roddy White who had a monster performance with eight catches for 142 yards.

The lowly Bills had just a Rian Lindell field goal in the third quarter to show for their efforts as their anaemic offence mustered just 11 first downs and 178 yards overall.

Dallas Cowboys 17-0 Washington Redskins

The Dallas Cowboys clinched the final play-off spot in the NFC with a 17-0 victory over the Washington Redskins.

Tony Romo threw for 286 yards and a touchdown as the Cowboys produced a dominant display to see off their NFC East rivals at FedEx Field.

Roy Williams scored on a four-yard pass from Romo in the first quarter and the Cowboys doubled their advantage to 14-0 before half-time when Marion Barber went in on the ground from three yards.

Former Redskins kicker Shaun Shuisham, making the first start of his second spell in Dallas after being brought back to replace the out-of-form Nick Folk, completed the scoring with a 23-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

The Cowboys' victory, coupled with the Giants' loss to the Panthers earlier in the day, means Wade Phillips' men are guaranteed at least a wild card.

And they can yet win the NFC East if they beat the Philadelphia Eagles at Cowboys Stadium next week.

New York Jets 29-15 Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts' bid for a perfect season was ended by the New York Jets after head coach Jim Caldwell pulled some of his starters, including Peyton Manning, during the third quarter.

Jets running back Thomas Jones rushed for 105 yards on 23 carries and iced the result with a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The Jets' other scores came from Brad Smith's 106-yard kick-off return to open the second half and Marques Douglas' one-yard fumble return later in the third quarter after Manning's replacement Curtis Painter, making his NFL debut, had surrendered possession.

The Colts, who came into the match on a league record 23-match regular season winning streak, led 9-3 at half-time following Joseph Addai's 21-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and an exchange of field goals between Adam Vinatieri and Jay Feely.

Donald Brown's one-yard run put them 15-10 ahead mid-way through the third quarter but, once the Caldwell took the decision to give his key men a rest, the Jets pulled away.

Manning finished with 192 yards from 14-of-21 completions and, in the process, became the fourth quarterback in NFL history to reach 50,000 passing yards.

The Jets' victory means Rex Ryan's team are now 8-7 and will make the play-offs for the first time since 2006 if they beat the Cincinnati Bengals in the final week of the season.

Denver Broncos 10-27 Philadelphia Eagles

The Denver Broncos' play-off destiny is no longer in their own hands after they suffered a 30-27 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Broncos, who opened the campaign with six straight wins, produced a furious rally from 27-10 down late in the third quarter.

Kyle Orton threw touchdowns to Jabar Gaffney and Knowshon Moreno within the space of a minute to reduce Denver's deficit to three points.

Matt Prater's 46-yard field goal with just over six minutes remaining tied the scores but Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb led his side on a six-play, 32-yard drive to set up David Akers' game-winning field goal from 28 yards with four seconds left on the clock.

McNabb has earlier thrown three touchdowns, one each for DeSean Jackson, Brent Celek and Jason Avant, as the Eagles built a big advantage.

Andy Reid's men will win the NFC East if they beat the Dallas Cowboys in Texas next week.

St Louis Rams 10-31 Arizona Cardinals

Kurt Warner threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns as the Arizona Cardinals demolished his former team the St Louis Rams 31-10 in Phoenix.

The Cardinals, who had already sealed the NFC West title, scored four touchdowns in total during a one-sided affair.

Warner found Larry Fitzgerald and Early Doucet in the end zone during the opening 10 minutes to put the defending NFC champions in control.

And Arizona running backs Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells each scored on a short-range run in the second half to make the game safe.

The Rams, who have won just once all season, were restricted to a touchdown for Brandon Gibson from Kevin Null's 21-yard pass early in the third quarter and a Josh Brown field goal.

Detroit Lions 6-20 San Francisco 49ers

Frank Gore completed 1,000 rushing yards for the season in the San Francisco 49ers' 20-6 win over the Detroit Lions at Candlestick Park.

Gore racked up 71 yards of 28 carries and scored a touchdown from short range in the third quarter.

Tight end Vernon Davis caught the 49ers' other touchdown, also in the third quarter in a match otherwise dominated by field goals - two apiece for Ricky Schmitt and Jason Hanson.