All our week 18 content

New York Giants 19, Minnesota Vikings 20

What you need to know

New York Giants - Brandon Jacobs was held out of the game as a precautionary measure. There was talk that he could have played if needed.

Derrick Ward was very impressive against one of the toughest NFL rush defenses. He averaged over five yards per carry and would have done more if he played the whole game.

Eli Manning along with many offensive starters only played in the first half. The Giants seemed pretty clear they were looking toward the playoffs.

Minnesota Vikings - Bernard Berrian was reported to be 100% Sunday morning and he didn't disappoint anyone. He showed no signs of the injury from last week. In fact, he looked like an All-Pro.

Bobby Wade had a great day by going down the field and getting yards after the catch. It was his most impressive performance this season.

What you ought to know

QB Eli Manning, Pass: 11 - 19 - 119 - 0 TD / 0 INT - Eli Manning did not look in sync during the first quarter. He started to get in a groove in the second quarter but didn't come back in the second half. Eli along with his brother Peyton Manning are the only QBs to lead their teams to four current straight playoff appearances.

QB David Carr, Pass: 8 - 11 - 110 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - 15 - 0 - David Carr played the whole second half and it was a good chance to see if he has improved since Houston. He was precise with his passes and seemed calm in the pocket. However, he fell short on the last drive that could have put the Giants up by more than a field goal. It wasn't a horrible performance but it was not worthy of a former number one draft pick either. Carr did end up with a 134.7 passer rating.

RB Derrick Ward, Rush: 15 - 77 - 0, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (1 targets) - Derrick Ward ran the ball very well against a tough Viking run defense. Ward was able to attain 1,000 rushing yards for the year. Brandon Jacobs and Ward became another team rushing duo to have 1,000 yards each. This was the first time since the '85 Browns. Ward did not see the field after the drive that he reached 1,000 yards. It looked like that if the Giants had needed to win the game Ward could have got the job done.

RB Ahmad Bradshaw, Rush: 10 - 28 - 0, Rec: 1 - -2 - 0 (1 targets) - Ahmad Bradshaw did most of his work on kick returns. He had a few nice runs but Derrick Ward was the primary back with Brandon Jacobs out.

RB Madison Hedgecock, Rec: 2 - 11 - 0 (2 targets) - Madison Hedgecock was mainly blocking for Derrick Ward but had a couple receptions on short passes.

WR Domenik Hixon, Rec: 4 - 62 - 1 (8 targets) - Domenik Hixon was very active in the first half. He had some very nice yards after the catch. He also received the first touchdown pass of David Carr before he rested the rest of the game. Hixon did experience some problems in going up for the ball. Out of eight targets he only hauled in four. The passing game was not very active but Hixon made the most of it.

WR Amani Toomer, Rec: 2 - 16 - 0 (6 targets) - Amani Toomer continued to play like a veteran. Half of his targets were in the third quarter from David Carr. Toomer faced the better coverage most of the day.

WR Sinorice Moss, Rec: 2 - 43 - 0 (2 targets) - Sinorice Moss's only action was during the third quarter.

WR Steve Smith, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (3 targets) - Steve Smith was active with Eli Manning with many looks. However, he only had two targets in the first half.

WR Mario Manningham, Rec: 2 - 21 - 0 (2 targets) - Mario Manningham saw the field in the fourth quarter and made some nice receptions. He was not on the field until that point.

TE Darcy Johnson, Rec: 2 - 44 - 0 (3 targets) - Darcy Johnson is the tall WR replacement for Plaxico Burress. However, he didn't show he was ready to replace Burress in this game. He did make some nice catches but the Giants did not look his direction a lot.

PK John Carney 4 - 5 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 13 points - John Carney made some very hard kicks including a 51 yarder.

NYG Rush Defense - With the exception of one running play the Giants held Adrian Peterson in check. But, all he needs is one play. On that play the safeties were taking out on the misdirection and Peterson had only green space in front of him. The rest of the day there was not much of a running game. Tarvaris Jackson could not even scramble for his usual rushing yards.

NYG Pass Defense - The pass rush was not very great. It was clear that the Giants were prepared to let the Vikings throw the ball. They gave up some pass rush to keep Tarvaris Jackson in the pocket. There were only two sacks and one interception. Without an intense pass rush they could not keep Jackson from finding receivers. Jackson was able to roll out and hit receivers on releases. The only thing they were able to accomplish was no positive rushing yards for Jackson.

QB Tarvaris Jackson, Pass: 16 - 26 - 239 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - -4 - 0 - Tarvaris Jackson had an average day. The Giants were clearly trying to stop the running game and were making the Vikings beat them with the pass. Jackson was able to pass pretty well but did not take advantage of the opportunity. New York was also able to keep Jackson from running the ball.

RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 21 - 103 - 1 - Adrian Peterson had one great run on a great play. The misdirection fooled the Giants and that was all Peterson needed. The rest of the day was different. Peterson had one fumble that could have been the game breaker. It was recovered by a lineman. There were no rushing plays for over ten yards the rest of the day.

RB Chester Taylor, Rush: 4 - 10 - 0, Rec: 1 - 19 - 0 (1 targets) - Chester Taylor made the most of his one target igniting the first scoring drive of the day. However, he wasn't involved in much of the game for the second week in a row.

RB Naufahu Tahi, Rec: 2 - 4 - 0 (3 targets) - Naufahu Tahi had three targets but nothing of note.

WR Bernard Berrian, Rec: 4 - 81 - 1 (9 targets) - There is absolutely no concern with his injury status. Bernard Berrian was troubled last week, but this week he looked like it was week 1. Berrian outran the Giants secondary to his touchdown. He was also able to get many yards after the catch during the game. There were many times he had to fight for the ball and he won. Berrian is back to normal and playing up to expectations again.

WR Bobby Wade, Rec: 4 - 98 - 0 (5 targets) - Bobby Wade had his most impressive performance of the year. He was targeted twice deep. He took a short pass for over ten yards making moves and breaking a tackle. He also fought hard for the ball and made a great catch at the sideline.

WR Sidney Rice, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (3 targets) - Sidney Rice had zero targets in the end zone and did not do much in this game.

TE Visanthe Shiancoe, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (3 targets) - Visanthe Shiancoe played very well but only had three targets on the day. He was able to get a first down on a great play that kept the game winning drive alive. He had a lot of energy and played hard but did not have many targets.

TE Jim Kleinsasser, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) - Jim Kleinsasser was targeted on a planned pass play but that was his only play of the day.

PK Ryan Longwell 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - Ryan Longwell had a fifty yarder as well as the game winner.

MIN Rush Defense - Derrick Ward was able to have his way with the defense. Pat Williams was out but that could not explain everything that was happening to this defense. Ward averaged over five yards per carry and would have done more if he had played the whole game. Ahmad Bradshaw was also able to move the ball in his limited touches. It was not an impressive performance from this defense know for stuffing the run.

MIN Pass Defense - This was not the pass rush one is accustomed to seeing from the Vikings. There were only two sacks and no interceptions. Eli Manning and David Carr had all the time they wanted. It was not what Minnesota has come to be known for. It was enough to win the game but just barely.

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Tennessee Titans 0, Indianapolis Colts 23

What you need to know

Tennessee Titans - The Titans looked fully content resting the majority of their starters for the playoffs, even despite being shut out by their division rivals in the final game of the 2008 regular season.

Vince Young replaced starting Titans QB Kerry Collins early in the second quarter but failed to mount much of an attack to warrant tallying a score. Starting RB Chris Johnson did not play at all while his powerful counterpart, LenDale White, received just seven total carries.

The offense in general barely did anything at all but the team certainly didn't look concerned as they were likely looking ahead to the playoffs.

Indianapolis Colts - Despite also resting the majority of their starters, the Indianapolis Colts were able to capitalize on a few big play opportunities and finish their 2008 regular season on a winning streak.

While the Colts won their ninth straight game with their victory of the Titans Sunday, it would be hard to say that the spotlight of the day was not on backup QB Jim Sorgi and his impressive performance even in the face of a meaningless situation.

Even though both teams rested the majority of their starters for much of the game, another win tacked onto the Colts streak even by their backups looked to have value still.

What you ought to know

QB Vince Young, Pass: 9 - 13 - 55 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 5 - 25 - 0 - Young likely didn't think he'd be finishing the season like he did, completing nine of his 13 passes for 55 yards as the backup in a meaningless game due to its playoff implications. Of which he will unlikely be a part of. Young also tacked on 25 yards with his legs.

QB Kerry Collins, Pass: 1 - 2 - 0 - 0 TD / 0 INT - Although he started the game, Collins only completed one of his two passes for zero yards before taking a seat and resting.

QB Chris Simms, Pass: 1 - 2 - 7 - 0 TD / 0 INT - Simms saw brief, end of the game action, completing one of his two total attempts for seven yards.

RB Quinton Ganther, Rush: 4 - 27 - 0, Rec: 3 - 3 - 0 (3 targets) - Ganther did the most with what he was given in gaining 27 yards on just four carries. He also caught three balls for another three yards.

RB LenDale White, Rush: 7 - 25 - 0 - White was given seven carries during the game, none of which were near the end zone. He finished one quarter of the way to the century mark with an even 25 yards.

WR Brandon Jones, Rec: 2 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) - Jones was only targeted twice in the game but converted both into receptions for 13 total yards.

WR Justin McCareins, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (1 targets) - McCareins' only target was hauled in for 11 yards. There were only 11 total receptions in the game.

WR Paul Williams, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) - Williams caught one ball for seven yards. His performance was indicative of just how little the Titans produced offensively on Sunday.

TE Bo Scaife, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (5 targets) - Although Scaife was targeted five times, he only ended up with one catch for eight yards when all was said and done.

PK Rob Bironas 0 - 1 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 0 points - Self proclaimed best kicker in the NFL, Bironas missed the only opportunity for the Titans to put points on the board Sunday: a 48 yarder in the third quarter.

TEN Rush Defense - While the unit let Lance Ball and Najeh Davenport rack up more than 100 yards on them, it was primarily done without many of the starters playing.

TEN Pass Defense - Backups or not, the passing unit still let Jim Sorgi look like a young Peyton all day long, letting up nearly 200 yards and close to a 75% completion percentage.

QB Jim Sorgi, Pass: 22 - 30 - 178 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 5 - 8 - 0 - Despite the game being virtually meaningless, backup QB Jim Sorgi still made many Colts fans feel mighty optimistic about life after Peyton after his 22/30 178 yard passing performance. He looked exactly as a backup understudy to Peyton Manning should.

QB Peyton Manning, Pass: 7 - 7 - 95 - 1 TD / 0 INT - Manning played early on in the game, getting the Colts on the board with its very first drive, going 7/7 for 95 yards and a touchdown. He and Coach Dungy decided to call it a day for him after this, likely so he could rest up for the playoffs and avoid injury.

RB Najeh Davenport, Rush: 8 - 26 - 0, Rec: 4 - 54 - 0 (4 targets) - Davenport ran for 26 yards and caught 54 more to help backup Jim Sorgi feel at ease in his not very important but still a game nonetheless experience.

RB Joseph Addai, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0, Rec: 2 - 55 - 1 (2 targets) - Addai, like Manning, was only in the game for the team's first drive. But he, like Manning, was a key factor in making sure this drive got the Colts on the board and was on the receiving end of the 55 yard TD pass to cap it off.

WR Marvin Harrison, Rec: 7 - 31 - 0 - Harrison put in just another day at the office with seven receptions for 31 yards. While it doesn't sound impressive he did more than just his stat line reads and opened up the field for other receivers.

WR Pierre Garcon, Rec: 3 - 21 - 0 (3 targets) - Garcon converted all three of his targets into receptions for 21 yards.

WR Reggie Wayne, Rec: 1 - 15 - 0 (1 targets) - Wayne caught but one ball for 15 yards but like the other key starting players on offense didn't see much game time.

WR Anthony Gonzalez, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (1 targets) - Gonzalez didn't play for most of the game but did catch an early first quarter pass for 12 yards.

TE Dallas Clark, Rec: 6 - 59 - 0 (8 targets) - Clark caught six balls for 59 yards and set the Colts single season receiving mark for a TE with 848 yards.

PK Adam Vinatieri 3 - 3 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points - Vinatieri was perfect per usual, going three for three on field goals and two for two on extra points. His longest field goal was 38 yards.

IND Rush Defense - The Colts rushing defense managed to hold the entire Titans rushing attack to just under 84 yards. To be fair though, the Titans rushing attack did not contain RB Chris Johnson at all day.

IND Pass Defense - Backups or not, the Colts B team defense managed to hold Vince Young to just 55 yards through the air.

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Chicago Bears 24, Houston Texans 31

What you need to know

Chicago Bears - The Bears scored ten points in the first quarter but surrendered 21 consecutive points, and could not muster enough offense to keep pace with the Texans, and ultimately lost the game after pulling to within a touchdown late in the fourth quarter when an onside kick was recovered by Houston. The Texans enjoyed an advantage of just over 15 minutes in time of possession, and as such Matt Forte did not have as many rushing attempts as he normally does. Forte ran well on most of his carries, gaining four or more yards on seven of his 13 rushing attempts. However, Forte only had two rushing attempts in the second half.

Kyle Orton played well early on, displaying an accurate arm on short passes and moving his team efficiently early. However when they fell behind and he had to execute deeper routes, his accuracy fell off. Orton did not attempt any passes of over 15 yards in the first half, and threw seven such passes in the second half. He missed open receivers four times on deep throws, and was victimized by a drop of another deep throw. While he targeted Brandon Lloyd the most in the first half with five short passes including one for a touchdown, Orton looked more for Devin Hester and Greg Olsen in the second half. He targeted Hester five times in the second half, including three times deep, one of which Hester caught inches outside the end zone. Orton threw a touchdown pass to Olsen on the next play, which was one of seven second half passes thrown to Olsen, and the second pass thrown to him in the end zone. That second end zone target was deflected by Olsen's defender.

The Bears attempted eight plays on three possessions in the red zone, and scored touchdowns on all three possessions. Chicago ran the ball three times, once by Forte and two pushes up the middle by Orton on plays of less than a yard, including one for a touchdown. Five of Orton's red zone passes went for touchdowns, and another one to Adrian Peterson ended inches outside of the end zone.

Houston Texans - The Texans overcame a ten point deficit and used a balanced attack to keep Chicago's defense on the field for most of the game, while scoring 31 points. Matt Schaub threw the ball 37 times and Houston's running backs carried the ball a combined 32 times. Steve Slaton had 20 of those carries, and despite a slow start where he lost a fumble that led to a Bears field goal, finished the game strong. Slaton ran with great determination between the tackles when asked to do so, and displayed great burst at times breaking tackles and gaining yards after initial contact. Slaton's presence was felt most on the Texans' fourth quarter drive that consumed over six minutes, and Slaton contributing 69 yards on nine carries. That drive culminated with Houston taking a 31-17 lead. Both Slaton and his backup Ryan Moats scored rushing touchdowns with Slaton having to work extra hard for his. He scored a touchdown on an 11 yard run that was called back due to a penalty, but managed to score from two yards out later in the same drive.

Matt Schaub overcame a slow start in the first quarter to play very well. Schaub displayed pinpoint accuracy on most of his passes, the majority of which were thrown either short or intermediate in distance but in a place where his receivers were able to catch in stride and gain yards after the catch. Schaub targeted Andre Johnson 12 times, and on a wide variety of routes, with Johnson catching ten of them, two for touchdowns. The two players were in sync no matter the route, and Chicago's defenders could not slow them down. Schaub was very accurate on all of his deep passes, connecting on all four of those passes to four different receivers. He directed the offense well, and although under duress from the Bears' pass rush early on, did not get rattled and led his team to the victory. Apart from Johnson, Schaub distributed the ball around to his other players fairly evenly, with Slaton and Daniels being next in terms of targets with six and four respectively.

The Texans ran 23 plays on four red zone possessions and scored three touchdowns and one field goal. Slaton had nine of the red zone carries, including a carry where he was ruled to have fumbled with the ball recovered by Chicago, but retained possession as review showed the ground caused the fumble. Slaton scored his touchdown later on the same drive. Moats had five red zone carries, including a touchdown run. Schaub threw two red zone passes apiece to Andre Johnson, Moats and David Anderson, with Johnson catching one for a touchdown.

What you ought to know

QB Kyle Orton, Pass: 22 - 37 - 244 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 2 - 1 - Orton played reasonably well, but appeared much more comfortable throwing shorter passes than longer ones. When the game was close, he threw shorter passes almost exclusively. Eleven of the intermediate and deep passes he threw were in the second half. He only connected on one deep pass, and that was in large part to a good catch by Hester in double coverage. Orton made good decisions on his shorter passes, and proved accurate on those throws. Orton looked for Devin Hester the most, targeting him nine times, with half of those targets being of the intermediate or deep variety. He looked to Greg Olsen a lot in the second half, targeting him seven times in the half, including two in the end zone, of which one was caught for a touchdown.

RB Matt Forte, Rush: 13 - 50 - 0, Rec: 3 - 25 - 0 (4 targets) - Forte played well in the chances he had, running with determination and grinding out yards against a defense that was focused on him. However, he played sparingly in the second half, and just had two carries and no targets in the second half. He did not appear to be injured, and came in the game late in the fourth quarter for a red zone play, but was not featured nearly as much in the second half.

RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 3 - 17 - 0, Rec: 2 - 28 - 0 (2 targets) - Peterson had a few touches, most of which were in the second half. He did take a short pass to within inches of the end zone before being brought down.

WR Devin Hester, Rec: 6 - 85 - 0 (8 targets) - Hester ran his routes well, and got open on most of the times he was targeted. He showed excellent quickness and used that to get open on several plays designed to hit him in stride and use his ability to gain yards after the catch. Hester also ran his deep routes well, using that skill in addition to his speed to get open deep a few times. He did drop a deep pass that glanced off his fingertips.

WR Brandon Lloyd, Rec: 4 - 34 - 1 (8 targets) - Lloyd was targeted on short routes in the first half, and ran them well, getting open and securing the passes, including one for a touchdown. His three second half targets were on deeper routes, and none of those passes were within his grasp.

WR Rashied Davis, Rec: 2 - 35 - 0 (2 targets) - Davis turned both of his second half targets late in the game into first downs.

WR Marty Booker (2 targets) - Booker was unable to get away from his defenders on the two passes thrown his way.

TE Greg Olsen, Rec: 4 - 30 - 1 (8 targets) - Olsen was targeted seven times in the second half, and may have had better numbers as he was missed twice while open and had a pass in the end zone deflected due to a good play by a Bears defender.

TE Desmond Clark, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) - Clark's only target came in the second half.

PK Robbie Gould 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - Gould made all three of his point after attempts and his only field goal attempt, which was from 37 yards.

CHI Rush Defense - Chicago's run defense played well most of the game, but gave up big plays. While they stopped Houston's running backs eight times at or behind the line of scrimmage on 32 combined rushing attempts, they allowed a 47 yard run late in the game and two rushing touchdowns.

CHI Pass Defense - The Bears had no answer for the Texans' quick hitting passing attack. Andre Johnson had his way with their secondary, getting open on a variety of routes and catching ten of the 12 targets thrown to him. Chicago generated pressure on Schaub sporadically, but did not sack him despite defending 37 passes.

QB Matt Schaub, Pass: 27 - 36 - 328 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - -3 - 0 - Schaub played with poise and confidence, and was very accurate when given a little time. He executed an offense that called for him to make a quick decision and pass the ball very well. Schaub and Johnson were in sync throughout the game, and Johnson received the lion's share of Schaub's passes and the two converted on all but two of them. Schaub not only was excellent in the short passing game, but also connected on all eight of his intermediate and deep passes, showing good touch and enough arm strength to get the ball to his receivers.

RB Steve Slaton, Rush: 20 - 92 - 1, Rec: 5 - 36 - 0 (6 targets) - Slaton showed his explosiveness on a play where he burst up the middle and ran for 47 yards, and on other plays where he turned short passes into gains that resulted in first downs. He played with good leverage, and constantly fought for extra yards, although one of those attempts resulted in him losing a fumble. Thankfully for his team he was ruled down before losing the ball. His head coach showed continued confidence in him by calling Slaton's number on five of the subsequent plays, with the fifth one resulting in a touchdown.

RB Ryan Moats, Rush: 12 - 38 - 1, Rec: 3 - 14 - 0 (3 targets) - Moats complemented Slaton well, and although he did not gain a lot of yards, helped his team maintain the time of possession with some tough interior running. He also scored his first touchdown of the season.

RB Vonta Leach, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (1 targets) - Leach caught the first pass of the game and concentrated on blocking thereafter.

WR Andre Johnson, Rec: 10 - 148 - 2 (12 targets) - Johnson was outstanding. He showed excellent route running ability on a wide variety of routes, and used that and his combination of size, strength, speed and hands to catch all but two of the passes thrown his way. He easily got open against single coverage and overpowered double teams at other times. Johnson's two touchdowns were as a result of him getting open deep on one play, and using strength to wrest the ball away from his defender on a fade route in the end zone.

WR Andre Davis, Rec: 3 - 58 - 0 (3 targets) - Davis caught each pass thrown his way, and showed his deep play ability by getting open deep and catching a pass. He was tackled before he could turn that play into an even longer, scoring play.

WR David Anderson, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (2 targets) - Anderson's impact was minimal in the passing game

WR Kevin Walter, Rec: 1 - 23 - 0 (2 targets) - Walter was not targeted until the second half. He ran well after his only reception to pick up an important first down later in the game.

TE Owen Daniels, Rec: 3 - 37 - 0 (5 targets) - Daniels was utilized mostly on short routes, but gained most of his yards on a deep pass thrown to him. Four of his targets were in the second half.

PK Kris Brown 1 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 7 points - Brown made both of his point after attempts, and made hiss only field goal attempt, which was from 22 yards. He also made a big play by recovering a fumble by a Bears kick returner. The ensuing drive gave Houston a 14-10 lead.

HOU Rush Defense - Houston's run defense was not tested in the second half. During the first half they held Forte to just under 4.0 yards per rushing attempt. While they did not allow any long runs, they did allow a short yardage push up the middle by Orton for a touchdown.

HOU Pass Defense - The Texans did not generate a consistent pass rush, in large part due to Orton relying on a short passing attack early. However, when Orton was forced to rely more on the pass, and less on the running game, Houston was able to disrupt his timing during the second half. They sacked Orton twice and the pass rush forced him to rush some of his throws that resulted in several incompletions.

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Oakland Raiders 31, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24

What you need to know

Oakland Raiders - Oakland opened scoring in the game with a second quarter Michael Bush touchdown from four yards out, and answered a Tampa Bay score with a touchdown pass from JaMarcus Russell to WR Chaz Schilens from three yards out right before the half to take a 14-7 halftime lead.

Oakland's offense stalled in the third quarter, where the Buccaneers were able to tie the score up at 14. A Matt Bryant field goal gave Tampa Bay a 17-14 and the Buccaneers struck again behind a Cadillac Williams score before Oakland rang off 17 straight points to win the game and spoil Tampa Bay's playoff hopes. WR Johnnie Lee Higgins scored from 12 yards out on a pass from Russell and RB Michael Bush sealed the deal with a 67 yard run that gave Oakland a 28-24 lead. K Sebastian Janikowski added a field goal to give the Raiders a 31-24 lead, and the Oakland defense sacked Tampa Bay QB Jeff Garcia on a third down play with little time remaining to win the game.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - The Buccaneers answered an Oakland score with one of their own, as Cadillac Williams took a handoff in from nine yards out to tie the score up at 7-7. Oakland responded with another score, and QB Jeff Garcia hit WR Michael Clayton from 58 yards out to even the score at 14-14. A Matt Bryant field goal and the second of Williams' touchdown runs gave the Buccaneers a 24-14 lead, but all of the momentum Tampa Bay had built up seemed to come to a complete halt when Williams wend down after a big run holding his knee, and had to be helped off the field. The Williams injury seemed to be serious and also seemed to deflate any energy the team and/or fans had and the play on the field definitely reflected it.

The Buccaneers defense allowed 17 unanswered points and let the Raiders punish them on the ground, but still had the ball late in the game with a chance to tie the score. However, following a big fourth down conversion on a long pass play, QB Jeff Garcia was sacked a few plays later as time expired, along with any hopes Tampa Bay had at a spot in the post season.

What you ought to know

QB JaMarcus Russell, Pass: 14 - 21 - 148 - 2 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0 - Russell was up and down against the Buccaneers as he finished 14 of 21 for 148 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the passing game, and one rush for two yards rushing. Russell connected with WR Chaz Schilens in the second quarter for a three yard scoring pass right before the half, and later in the fourth with WR Johnnie Lee Higgins from 12 yards out. After the Higgins score cut the Tampa Bay lead to three, Russell had it easy for the rest of the game. RB Michael Bush took the next drive to the house on one play, and Bush shouldered the load on Oakland's last scoring drive that ended in a Sebastian Janikowski field goal.

RB Michael Bush, Rush: 27 - 177 - 2, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - Michael Bush simply tore apart the struggling Tampa Bay rush defense to the tune of 27 rushes for 177 yards and two touchdowns, and added a six yard reception for the Raiders. Bush's touchdown runs came from four and 67 yards out, the latter of which proved to be the game winner for the Raiders. Bush showed toughness running inside and the burst and speed he showed early in his college career before breaking his leg, and proved to be too much for an ailing, struggling Buccaneer defense as the game went on. On the Raider's final scoring drive, Bush was given the ball 10 straight times, a drive that ended with a Sebastian Janikowski field goal.

RB Justin Fargas, Rush: 6 - 11 - 0 - Fargas chipped in with six rushes for just 11 yards on the ground and did not record a reception on zero targets in the passing game.

RB Darren McFadden, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (3 targets) - McFadden made minor contributions as he finished with one rush for two yards on the ground and two receptions for 10 yards on three targets in the passing game.

WR Johnnie Lee Higgins, Rec: 6 - 52 - 1 (8 targets) - Higgins was the most targeted Oakland receiver as he finished with eight targets that resulted in six catches for 52 yards and a 12 yard touchdown reception. JaMarcus Russell seemed to be locked onto Higgins for most of the game.

WR Chaz Schilens, Rec: 3 - 46 - 1 (3 targets) - Schilens caught all three passes thrown his way for 46 yards that included a second quarter score from three yards out right before the half.

TE Zach Miller, Rec: 2 - 34 - 0 (3 targets) - Miller was targeted three times and finished with two receptions for 34 yards. Both of his catches resulted in first downs, one of which came on a third down play.

PK Sebastian Janikowski 1 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 7 points - Janikowski connected from 25 yards out on his only field goal attempt and added four extra points to finish with seven points in the game.

OAK Rush Defense - Oakland allowed 125 net rushing yards on 26 attempts, for a 4.8 ypc average and allowed two rushing scores. For the game, they gave up five rushing first downs and while Cadillac Williams was able to put up big numbers on his touches, they held Warrick Dunn in check.

LB Kirk Morrison finished with a team high eight solo tackles and five assists and LB Thomas Howard added five solos and six assists of his own to lead the Oakland defense.

OAK Pass Defense - Oakland's defense played well against the pass, considering they were without arguably the best cover corner in the league in Nnamdi Asomugha. They allowed 255 net pass yards, but held Tampa Bay to six of 15 on third downs and while they did allow a score, they came up with big plays down the stretch to force Buccaneer punts and came up with a timely sack on the last play for their only sack of the game. However, with a few better Garcia throws, the 58 yard touchdown they allowed wouldn't have been the only big play given up by the Oakland secondary.

DB Gibril Wilson finished with five solo tackles and one assist to lead the Raiders secondary.

QB Jeff Garcia, Pass: 17 - 33 - 257 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 10 - 0 - Jeff Garcia struggled against an Oakland defense that was hurting in the secondary, but was playing not only for pride, but playing to be the spoiler and knock Tampa Bay out of the playoffs. Garcia finished 17 of 33 for 257 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and added three rushes for 10 yards on the ground. Garcia's score came on a 58 yard connection with WR Michael Clayton, but could not take advantage facing a Raider secondary that was missing their best corner in Nnamdi Asomugha. Garcia was only sacked once, but faced pressure throughout the game and was forced to make plays on the move, something he normally does well. However, the Raiders played well in coverage and were helped out on a few plays that simply did not work because of poorly thrown balls. Garcia missed wide open receivers on a number of big play attempts, and that came back to haunt Tampa Bay in the end.

RB Cadillac Williams, Rush: 12 - 78 - 2, Rec: 5 - 37 - 0 (5 targets) - Cadillac Williams was on his way to having his best game since returning from the knee injury that sidelined him two seasons ago with 12 rushes for 78 yards and two touchdown rushing, and five receptions for 37 yards receiving, before leaving the game with another apparent knee injury. Before the injury, Williams scored on runs from nine and eight yards out, and was showing signs of his brilliant rookie year before he hurt the knee on a long 28 yard run in the fourth quarter. Williams looked to be in a tremendous amount of pain, and football fans can only hope his injury isn't career threatening.

RB Warrick Dunn, Rush: 10 - 37 - 0, Rec: 2 - 4 - 0 (3 targets) - Dunn ran the ball ten times for 37 yards on the ground and added two receptions for four yards in the passing game. For most of the game, he gave way to Cadillac Williams, but when he was given touches, he was unable to do much with them.

WR Antonio Bryant, Rec: 3 - 77 - 0 (10 targets) - Bryant was targeted the most of any Tampa Bay receiver with ten, but was able to come down with just three receptions for 77 yards. He was able to gain separation on a number of plays, and was open on a few others where passes were not thrown his way, so Bryant could have had a much, much bigger game.

WR Ike Hilliard, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (2 targets) - Hilliard caught both passes thrown his way for 20 yards, both of which converted third down plays for the Buccaneers.

WR Michael Clayton, Rec: 2 - 87 - 1 (5 targets) - Michael Clayton was targeted five times, and finished with two receptions for 87 yards and a 58 yard touchdown reception. Three of his targets came on third downs, and one came on a crucial fourth down play that landed incomplete and ended Tampa Bay's season.

TE Jerramy Stevens, Rec: 2 - 28 - 0 (4 targets) - Stevens was targeted for times and finished with two receptions for 28 yards. He was targeted downfield a few times, and with better throws could have finished with a bigger day.

PK Matt Bryant 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - Bryant made good from 29 yards out on his only field goal attempt and added three extra points to finish with six points. His recent struggles on field goal attempts from 50 yards or more made the Buccaneers reluctant to send him out on a few occasions.

TB Rush Defense - Tampa Bay's struggles stopping the run continued against the Raiders, who ran through them for a total of 192 yards on 35 attempts, most of which came on the legs of RB Michael Bush. Oakland ran the ball at a 5.5 ypc clip and simply wore down the beat up Tampa Bay front seven throughout the game. The Buccaneers allowed two rushing scores, from four and 67 yards out, and the Bush 67 yard run in the fourth quarter ended up being the difference in the game, ending the season for Tampa Bay.

LB Barrett Ruud was his consistent self as he finished with six solo tackles and three assists and LB Cato June chipped in with five solos and four assists of his own. LB Derrick Brooks had four solo tackles and three assists before leaving the game in the fourth quarter after limping noticeably on the Bush 67 yard score.

TB Pass Defense - The Buccaneers allowed just 145 net passing yards, but gave up two passing scores, one of which came right before the half. They failed to get pressure on QB JaMarcus Russell, who was only sacked one time in the game, and allowed the Raiders to control the tempo behind a potent rushing attack that wore them down throughout the game.

DB Ronde Barber had five solo tackles and one assist and DB Sabby Piscitelli came up with a big 84 yard interception return that led to a Tampa Bay touchdown.

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Jacksonville Jaguars 7, Baltimore Ravens 27

What you need to know

Jacksonville Jaguars - QB David Garrard got off to a good start leading the Jaguars offense to a 7-3 lead, but the Baltimore pressure soon got to the quarterback, who had little success after the first couple of drives. Garrard finished the day only 14 of 25 for 127 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown pass. The only bright spot was that he ran for 40 yards on four scrambles.

RB Maurice Jones-Drew carried the bulk of the offense on his shoulders rushing for 78 yards on 23 carries. He added another ten yards on one reception. He was kept out of the end zone for the second consecutive game. He had two fumbles, losing one.

WR Dennis Northcutt finished the game as the Jaguar's leading receiver for an anemic passing attack. He finished the game with five catches for 35 yards.

Baltimore Ravens - Joe Flacco looked solid and led the Ravens offense on scoring drives of 65, 71, 78 and 77 yards to build a 24-7 halftime lead. Flacco went 17 for 23 for 297 yards and no touchdowns. He was intercepted once. He was replaced with 5:38 left to go in the fourth period.

RB LeRon McClain got the brunt of the rushing totals and finished the game with 25 carries for 70 yards and two touchdowns. McClain ran tough and bounced off numerous Jaguars defenders. His touchdown runs were five and one yards.

WR Mark Clayton had his second 100 yard game of the season and finished with 128 yards on four catches.

What you ought to know

QB David Garrard, Pass: 14 - 25 - 127 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 4 - 40 - 0 - Garrard had some success early on and led the Jaguars offense to a 7-3 lead in the first quarter. However, after that drive things got tough as he finished the game 14 for 25 for 127 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Although only sacked once, Garrard was pressured often and had little time to throw. He added 40 yards on four scrambles.

RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Rush: 23 - 78 - 0, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (3 targets) - Jones-Drew got the bulk of the carries on the day and finished with 78 yards on 23 carries. His longest run from scrimmage was 23 yards. He ran tough, but was no match for an aggressive Ravens defense. Jones-Drew caught one ball out of the backfield for 10 yards. He fumbled twice losing one.

RB Alvin Pearman, Rec: 1 - 23 - 1 (1 targets) - Playing in his first game of the season, Pearman made his only catch of the season a good one as it went for 23 yards and a touchdown. Pearman was playing for the injured Fred Taylor, and was signed to the Jaguars team early last week.

WR Dennis Northcutt, Rec: 5 - 35 - 0 (9 targets) - Northcutt was the Jaguar's leading receiver in an anemic offensive show. He ended the game with five catches for 35 yards with no touchdowns. His longest reception was just 12 yards. He also lost one fumble after a catch.

WR Reggie Williams, Rec: 2 - 16 - 0 (7 targets) - Williams was the only other receiver on the day for the Jaguars to have more than one catch in the game. He finished with two catches for only 16 yards.

PK Josh Scobee 0 - 0 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 1 points - Scobee had no field goal attempts and managed only one extra point in the first quarter. This was Scobee's lowest out put of the season.

JAX Rush Defense - The rush defense had little success against the Ravens giving up two short touchdown runs to LeRon McClain (five and one yards). They allowed 127 yards rushing on the day and failed to force a turnover.

JAX Pass Defense - The pass defense had little success after the first few drives as they gave up 297 yards to Joe Flacco. They also did not cause a turnover and allowed WR Mark Clayton to achieve his second 100 yard receiving performance of the year. The only positive, here, was that they had three sacks on the afternoon.

QB Joe Flacco, Pass: 17 - 23 - 297 - 0 TD / 0 INT - Flacco appeared unflappable on the afternoon and was well in command of the Raven's offense leading them on scoring drives of 65, 71, 78 and 74 yards to build a 24-7 halftime lead. He hit seven different receivers on the day, and had no turnovers. Although sacked three times, he was well in control of the offense. He was replaced with 5:48 left in the fourth quarter.

QB Troy Smith, Pass: 1 - 2 - 25 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rec: 1 - 36 - 0 - Smith came in late in the fourth quarter and was relegated to handing off to end the game.

RB LeRon McClain, Rush: 25 - 70 - 2 - McClain got the bulk of the Ravens rushing attempts and finished the game with 78 yards on 23 carries. He had two short touchdown runs of one and five yards. McClain ran hard and bounced off several Jaguar defenders.

RB Willis McGahee, Rush: 4 - 24 - 1, Rec: 2 - 25 - 0 (3 targets) - McGahee was used sparingly in this game but had some success against a tired Jaguar defense. He ended the game with 49 all-purpose yards (24 rushing, 25 receiving) and scored once on a 13 yard run up the middle to extend the Raven's first half lead to 17-7.

RB Jalen Parmele, Rush: 2 - 27 - 0 - Parmele seeing rare action for the Ravens carried the ball twice for 27 yards late in the fourth quarter.

WR Derrick Mason, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0, Rec: 6 - 77 - 0 (9 targets) - Mason, playing with a dislocated shoulder, had six catches for 77 yards on the day. The veteran played a pivotal part in the Raven's offense and even had one rush for three yards, when he took a lateral pass from Flacco. Mason was targeted deep several times in this game.

WR Mark Clayton, Rec: 4 - 128 - 0 (5 targets) - Clayton had his second 100 yard game of the season finishing with four catches for 128 yards. He was kept out of the end zone, but found himself open on several occasions. He had a long catch of 48 yards.

TE Todd Heap, Rec: 3 - 25 - 0 (4 targets) - Heap added three catches for 25 yards over the middle of the Jaguars' defense. His longest catch was 12 yards.

PK Matt Stover 2 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points - Stover was perfect on all three extra point attempts, but missed a 48 yard field goal wide left in the second quarter. He connected on efforts of 41 and 32 yards.

BAL Rush Defense - The rush defense held the Jaguars without a rushing touchdown on the day giving up 128 yards. They forced two fumbles and played a mistake free game playing aggressive after giving up a first quarter lead. The stopped the Jaguars offense with either a turnover or punt on the opponent's last eight possessions.

BAL Pass Defense - Playing aggressively, the pass defense held the Jaguars to only 127 yards on the day, but did give up a 23 yard score to little used running back Alvin Pearman. They sacked Garrard only once, but had two interceptions. Free safety Ed Reed had two interceptions on the day.

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Cleveland Browns 0, Pittsburgh Steelers 31

What you need to know

Cleveland Browns - QB Bruce Gradkowski was unable to sustain anything all day. It was a tough spot for his first start of the season against league's best defense on the road. Gradkowski did get his team down the field for a field goal attempt early on, but the Browns never threatened after that. He connected on just five passes all day for an anemic 18 yards.

RB Jamal Lewis was quite effective running the ball in the first half with 51 yards on 11 carries. The Browns seemed to be trying to protect Gradkowski by keeping the ball on the ground. Lewis was a workhorse in the second half carrying the ball even on obvious passing downs. He ended up with 94 yards.

WR Braylon Edwards was held to one catch, but no Brown receiver had more. The limited offensive scheme and Gradkowski's inexperience kept any receiving yards down to a season low. One could say that the Browns gave up on HC Romeo Crennel, whose future in Cleveland is in major doubt.

Pittsburgh Steelers - QB Ben Roethlisberger was hit by two Cleveland defenders and suffered an apparent concussion late in the second quarter. The hit itself did not look like that violent of a collision, but the back of Roethlisberger's head hit the turf. He was down on the field for a very long time and was taken off the field on a stretcher. A good sign was that he was seen moving both of his arms and legs, so hopefully this was precautionary. Prior to the hit, he was having an above average game, but was hit on more than one occasion. Roethlisberger did have a touchdown called back on a holding penalty.

RB Willie Parker got the start and was very tentative early in the first half, but a nifty 34 yard run seemed to get him going and he had his best game since week one. Parker was the focus of the offense for most of the game, playing deep into the fourth quarter in a meaningless game that had no playoff implications. It seemed that the Steelers' coaching staff wanted to see what Parker had going into the playoffs, given his string of four substandard games coming into today. RB Mewelde Moore was effective in the few opportunities he got. It is looking like the committee approach for the Steelers down the stretch this season may be reverting to the early part of the season when Parker was the main back.

WR Hines Ward played well working the middle of the field with crossing patterns. Ben Roethlisberger was able to find Ward on a deep pass for 24 yards on a first down play where he showed good ability to run after the catch. He ended up with 82 yards. He had another look in the red zone and that would have given him great final numbers.

What you ought to know

QB Bruce Gradkowski, Pass: 5 - 16 - 18 - 0 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0 - Bruce Gradkowski played one of the worst games of the 2008 season by any NFL quarterback. It was hard to find any positives, given the low yardage numbers and completion percentage. A second half interception was returned for a touchdown and sealed the game for Pittsburgh. In fairness to the young quarterback, himself a Pittsburgh native, he was facing a brutal defense in a tough place to play.

RB Jamal Lewis, Rush: 23 - 94 - 0 - Lewis ran the ball very well early on and ended up with solid numbers against a tough defense. The team's offensive line was able to control the line of scrimmage early and the Browns were able to keep things fairly close for a while. Lewis has a decent history against Pittsburgh over his career. Lewis was able to break more than a few tackles and showed some elusiveness that made others miss. He ended up with four yards a carry. Lewis did not get a target in the passing game.

WR Josh Cribbs, Pass: 1 - 2 - 8 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 7 - 0 - Cribbs took several snaps in the Wildcat formation and even threw a few passes. Cribbs, a college quarterback, could not get any big plays however.

WR Donte Stallworth, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (3 targets) - Stallworth was not a major part of the offense, despite reeling in a catch early in the first half. He beat single coverage for a first down on an acrobatic catch. In the second half, he got shutout.

WR Braylon Edwards, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (5 targets) - Edwards was only able to connect once for five yards from QB Bruce Gradkowski. Noticeable was a high number of incomplete passes, one of which was picked off. Not much else to comment on here.

PK Phil Dawson 0 - 1 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 0 points - Dawson missed on a long 53 yard attempt in the first half. He had no other opportunities.

CLE Rush Defense - The Steelers posted an impressive five yards rushing per play. Although Cleveland was able to contain RB Willie Parker early, the Steelers kept running the ball and basically wore the defense down.

CLE Pass Defense - The Browns' pass rush was semi-effective, putting some pressure on Steelers' quarterbacks to get a few knockdowns, but could not get a sack. They did get an interception on a poorly thrown ball by QB Ben Roethlisberger in first half.

QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pass: 9 - 14 - 110 - 0 TD / 1 INT - It was as quiet as Heinz Field has ever been during an injury timeout to QB Ben Roethlisberger. LB Willie McGinest and another player hit him and his head did connect with the turf. By the time this article was written, reports diagnosed him with a concussion. While the severity and outlook is unknown, nobody should be surprised if he missed the next game or more. A first round bye for the Steelers may gain him some time to recover. Prior to the injury, Roethlisberger was able to move his team into scoring range twice. His most significant drive was in the first half on a play where he showed veteran pocket presence to find WR Nate Washington for an apparent touchdown, but the play was called back on a holding call. QB Byron Leftwich came in to play more than half the game and showed good mobility on an eight yard scramble for a touchdown. His passing numbers were good (7/12/80) and he could be productive if called upon, based on his results from limited work this year.

RB Willie Parker, Rush: 23 - 116 - 1 (1 targets) - Parker had not been the same player since returning from a slate of injuries, but in this game the Steelers' running back returned to his early season form. He ended up with 116 rushing yards but did not catch a pass. Apparently HC Mike Tomlin wanted to see what Parker had for a playoff run and kept him in the game into the fourth quarter. Parker's speed was gone for the past few games but today he was able to get the edge and took a 34 yard play to the house. It will be interesting to see how the decision about Parker's future role plays out and if he will return as a featured back for the playoffs.

RB Mewelde Moore, Rush: 4 - 23 - 0, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (1 targets) - Moore did not get the start and came off the bench. He ended up with 33 total yards on five touches. Moore was not as involved in the passing game as usual. Moore had been the more effective back for the Steelers this season, but Parker may be returning to past form just in time for the postseason.

WR Hines Ward, Rec: 6 - 70 - 0 (7 targets) - Hines Ward had another good game and a missed opportunity in the end zone could have made it a great one. Ward is typically the most consistent option in the passing game for Pittsburgh and today was no different. He is healthy and depending on his quarterback, could be a weapon in the playoffs.

WR Santonio Holmes, Rec: 3 - 31 - 0 (8 targets) - Holmes was the most targeted player today but could not connect on his opportunities for any big plays. One of his targets did draw a pass interference penalty. Holmes draws most of the defense's attention throughout of the game and has had uneven success beating it this season. Today was another quiet game for his fantasy owners.

WR Nate Washington, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) - WR Nate Washington appeared to reel in a clutch catch for a TD in the first half, but a holding call brought it back. He was not really a factor after that play.

TE Heath Miller, Rec: 5 - 55 - 0 (7 targets) - TE Heath Miller made his mark for the second week in a row in the passing game. The Browns has no answers as Miller was able to beat linebackers over the middle. He would have had a possible touchdown after he beat the Cleveland defender but Roethlisberger threw the ball behind him and it was intercepted.

PK Jeff Reed 1 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 7 points - Reed hit a short 22 yard field goal and all four XP's. He had no other opportunities.

PIT Rush Defense - The Steelers gave up 106 total yards rushing, with 94 of it to RB Jamal Lewis. This was not a dominating day for the Steelers' run defense, but they played well enough to get a shutout.

PIT Pass Defense - The Pittsburgh pass rush was a major factor late in the game, recording three sacks, and several other QB pressures. ILB Larry Foote also forced a fumble. Backup DB Tyrone Carter picked off two passes, returning one for touchdown. Given how limited Cleveland was, much of this can be attributed to the opponent, but this Pittsburgh defense remains a force to be reckoned with for opposing quarterbacks.

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Miami Dolphins 24, New York Jets 17

What you need to know

Miami Dolphins - The Dolphins came into the final week needing a win to capture their first division title since the 2000 season. On the mistake free arm of Chad Pennington, they did just that, rolling up over 300 yards of total offense and controlling the clock in a seven point road win. Pennington posted his ninth game without throwing an interception as he threw for 200 yards and hit Anthony Fasano and Ted Ginn for the Dolphins only two offensive scores of the game.

On the ground Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams moved the ball, combining for over 100 yards on the ground and showing all sorts of versatility out of their Wildcat package. Through the air, Miami was able to move the ball and sustain drives thanks in part to their trio of Ted Ginn, Anthony Fasano and Davone Bess. They combined for 149 yards on 11 grabs and were able to hit pay dirt in the second and third quarters. The speedy Ginn led all receivers with 71 yards on only two catches including a beautiful 44 yard touchdown grab in the back corner of the end zone.

Defensively, Miami kept finding ways to be successful, forcing the Jets into turnovers and capitalizing on them. They scored ten points off of turnovers, including a big interception return for a touchdown by rookie defensive end Phillip Merling, who broke up a screen pass and proceeded to rumble 25 yards for the score. On the day they forced four turnovers in total as they sent their division rivals packing and marched into the post season, winning the AFC East for the first time since the 2000 season.

New York Jets - The Jets needed a win to close out their season and keep their playoff hopes alive in 2008. Faced with a familiar foe, New York came out swinging and scored quickly to open up the second quarter. It was all downhill from there as Brett Favre, playing in what could amount to his last game in the NFL, threw three interceptions as the Jets fell to the Miami Dolphins by seven points.

Favre finished the day completing 20 of 40 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown in the loosing effort. He found Laveranues Coles, who led the Jets in receiving, for a 13 yard score early in the second quarter. Coles finished the game with 88 receiving yards and was the lone bright spot through the air as no other Jet caught more than four balls or surpassed 50 yards receiving.

On the ground, New York found success but traded in the ground game to let Favre air it out. Leon Washington continued his explosive success, rushing 10 times for 60 yards and the only other offensive touchdown for the Jets. Workhorse running back Thomas Jones, started the game however became ineffective in his limited touches, gaining only 23 yards on 10 carries as he became a non factor as the game wore on. Washington's 10 yard touchdown run came in the third quarter, as he found a hole and burst towards the goal line, putting the Jets on top by three.

In the end, the defense was called upon to stop Pennington and company, which they could not do. They only recorded one sack on the day and were outscored in the second half, as Miami moved the ball down the field with ease, controlling the clock when it mattered most. They allowed 319 yards of total offense and a completion rate of 70 percent as they saw their playoff hopes come to an end in front of a sold out home crowd.

What you ought to know

QB Chad Pennington, Pass: 22 - 30 - 200 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0 - Chad Pennington led the Dolphins by doing what he does best, playing mistake free football. He was insanely accurate as he threw for an even 200 yards while tossing two touchdowns and no interceptions. He found ten different receivers and did what he needed to do to put points on the board and keep the Jets defense on the field. Both of his touchdowns came on perfectly placed passes in the corner of the end zone.

RB Ronnie Brown, Pass: 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 11 - 57 - 0, Rec: 4 - 15 - 0 (4 targets) - Brown was held in check for most of the game as he only totaled 57 yards on 11 attempts. He helped moved the chains through the air as he caught all four of his targets for 15 yards. Brown saw his usual time out of the wildcat package taking direct snaps under center.

RB Ricky Williams, Rush: 10 - 50 - 0, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (1 targets) - Williams had a solid performance sharing the backfield with Brown, totaling 50 yards on ten carries and hauling in one catch for three yards. He ran well and still looked to have fresh legs late in the season.

RB Patrick Cobbs, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (2 targets) - Cobbs was used in the wildcat package mostly as he saw two targets, catching both of them for 14 yards.

WR Davone Bess, Rec: 6 - 39 - 0 (9 targets) - Bess saw a team high nine targets and managed to haul in six of them for a slender 39 yards. He worked underneath and helped Pennington and the Dolphins move the chains and sustain long drives.

WR Ted Ginn, Rec: 2 - 71 - 1 (4 targets) - Ginn made the most of his limited looks as, getting separation down field and catching two passes for 71 yards and a 44 yard score. He beat his man deep as Pennington floated a beautiful touch pass to the corner of the end zone.

WR Brandon London, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (2 targets) - The young receiver saw limited action in three wide sets, seeing two targets and caught one ball, good for ten yards.

TE Anthony Fasano, Rec: 3 - 39 - 1 (3 targets) - Fasano was also able to do a lot with a little as he hauled in all three of his targets for 39 yards and a touchdown reception of 20 yards. Pennington was clearly looking Fasanos' way often, however he was forced to battle tight coverage all game long. His touchdown grab came on a beautiful sideline route as he managed to get two feet in bounds for the six.

PK Dan Carpenter 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - Carpenter banged home a big 48 yard field goal to put the Dolphins up seven late. He also converted on all three PAT tries.

MIA Rush Defense - The Dolphins rush defense did an excellent job bottling up Thomas Jones in his limited carries, however had no answer to the quick and tough running style that Leon Washington threw at them. They allowed less than 100 total rushing yards on 21 carries as they gave up a score to Washington in the third quarter. The lock down rush defense forced the Jets to throw 40 times as they found themselves trailing by a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

MIA Pass Defense - The Dolphins pass defense stepped up and made the plays as the Jets clearly took to the air in trying to win this game. They hurried Favre all game, failing to record a sack but forcing him into three interceptions, one returned for a Dolphins touchdown. They kept Jet receivers in front of them and did not get beat deep in coverage as they clinched their first division title in eight years.

QB Brett Favre, Pass: 20 - 40 - 233 - 1 TD / 3 INT - Favre put up another poor outing completing an even fifty percent of his passes and throwing three interceptions. Throwing for 233 yards against a physical Miami defense, Favre started out well hitting Laveranues Coles for a 13 yard touchdown in the second quarter. The adjustments caught up to him as he followed that up with an interception which was batted and caught by Phillip Merling and returned for a 25 yard touchdown. This was a clear momentum shift in the game and gave Dolphins a visible confidence.

RB Leon Washington, Rush: 10 - 60 - 1, Rec: 6 - 29 - 0 (8 targets) - Washington received a heavier workload and proved he can handle it as converted 16 touches into 89 yards and a score. He ran well and was a dual threat out of the backfield, catching six passes. His touchdown run came on a tough ten yard run as he used his speed and open field moves to punch in New York's second touchdown of the game.

RB Thomas Jones, Rush: 10 - 23 - 0, Rec: 1 - 1 - 0 (2 targets) - Jones was keyed and shut down for most of the game, gaining only 23 yards on ten carries as well as being obsolete in the passing game. He found no room to run as the Jets were clearly more effective with Leon Washington working out of the backfield.

WR Laveranues Coles, Rec: 4 - 88 - 1 (6 targets) - Coles saw six targets and converted a 12 yard reception into the first six points of the game for New York. He led the Jets with 88 receiving yards despite being targeted a mere six times in total and showed good speed as he gained good yardage after the catch.

WR Chansi Stuckey, Rec: 4 - 50 - 0 (5 targets) - Stuckey saw five targets in late action as he managed to grab four of them for 50 yards. He was used to move the ball late in the game as New York lined up with three and four wide receiver sets, trying to move the ball downfield for a tying score.

WR Jerricho Cotchery, Rec: 2 - 41 - 0 (8 targets) - Cotchery, like two of his teammates saw a high of eight targets but was only able to grab two balls for 41 yards. He was targeted often by Favre however most passes were thrown enough off target to fall incomplete.

TE Dustin Keller, Rec: 2 - 24 - 0 (8 targets) - Keller's eight looks led New York but he was only able to grab two balls for 24 yards against a Miami defense who was very physical off the line of scrimmage. He was used on intermediate routes however was defended well and had a few balls thrown off the mark his way.

PK Jay Feely 1 - 1 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 3 points - Feely connected on his only field goal attempt of 28 yards.

NYJ Rush Defense - The Jets rush defense buckled down, limiting the Dolphins to short runs while bottling up the wildcat package for most of the game. Combined on the ground they allowed a shade over four yards per carry and managed to keep both Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown out of the end zone. With their backs against the walls, this defensive front did everything they could to keep themselves in the game, limiting the big play and forcing Miami to score through the air.

NYJ Pass Defense - The pass defense was again less than stellar, as they allowed ten different receivers 200 yards of offense and two scores through the air. Allowing Chad Pennington to pick them apart with short passes and in turn keeping the chains moving, the Jets were unable to stop Miami through the air, which ultimately sent the Jets packing to end their 2008 season.

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Carolina Panthers 33, New Orleans Saints 31

What you need to know

Carolina Panthers - The Panthers came into their final regular season game with a spot in the playoffs already locked up, but they are still playing for a division title and a bye during the first round. If they were to manage a victory against the Saints they would wrap up their first NFC South title since 2003.

They managed to pull out a victory on a field goal with one second left after blowing a 20 point fourth quarter lead. The lead was lost due to mistakes on special teams, including a missed 41 yard field goal and a 20 yard punt that lead to the go ahead Saint score.

The Panthers offense was fueled by a strong ground game featuring DeAngelo Williams as the primary back. Williams hit the 100 yard mark in the second quarter and in the process, broke two franchise records, most 100 yard games rushing and the single season mark for rushing yards.

Jake Delhomme was not asked to pass much as the Panthers were content with keeping the ball on the ground and out of the hands of the Saint offense. When he was asked to pass his offensive line was able to give him plenty of time to throw.

Somehow Steve Smith is able to have good receiving games no matter how well covered he is. The Saints would routinely double cover him, and somehow he was able to come down with the reception and give the offense key first downs.

New Orleans Saints - The Saints are out of the playoff picture, but still had two things that they could accomplish during their game with the Panthers. A win would prevent Carolina from clinching the division title, and they are potentially gunning for one of their players to break an NFL record. With 402 yards passing Drew Brees would break Dan Mario's record for most passing yards in a season, which was set in 1984. Brees fell just 16 yards short of the mark, but did manage to tie the NFL record for most 300 yard passing games in a season along the way to becoming only the second player to throw for over 5,000 yards.

Brees was able to have a good shot at breaking the record due to mistakes early on. Two turnovers in the second quarter led to 14 points and a 13 point halftime lead. They were able to get back in the game on the strength of Brees' passing and overcame a 20 point deficit to take a short lived one point lead late in the fourth quarter.

Fan favorite Deuce McAllister was possibly playing in his final game as a member of the Saints and he did nothing to disappoint the hometown crowd. Coming into the game midway through the second quarter, he seemed to ignite the offense with his hard nosed rushing style and refusal to go down on contact.

What you ought to know

QB Jake Delhomme, Pass: 14 - 20 - 250 - 1 TD / 0 INT - Delhomme only attempted 20 passes due to the offense game plan. The coaches relied on the rushing attack to keep the ball out of the hands of the Saint offense, and only passed the ball in either obvious passing situations or to keep the defense honest. When he did drop back to pass he usually had plenty of time in the pocket to find an open receiver deep downfield. The pass rush was only able to get to him on the final two drives of the game, sacking him once and almost getting to him on another play. On the final drive he was hit just as he released the ball and got up limping while running downfield. There did not appear to be a serious injury as he was able to stay in the game and throw another pass before the game winning field goal.

RB DeAngelo Williams, Rush: 25 - 178 - 0 - The main running back in the Panthers offense is DeAngelo Williams. Williams gained over 100 yards in the first half in leading the team to a 13 point half time lead. The offensive line was able to open holes for him on most plays, and he took advantage by finding the holes and sprinting out to over seven yards per carry. The coaching staff made it a point to not overuse him before the playoffs.

RB Jonathan Stewart, Rush: 17 - 56 - 1 - Jonathan Stewart provided the change of pace in the rushing game as he periodically spelled DeAngelo Williams. He was asked to get the tough yards between the tackles, but was not always in the game during short yardage situations. Stewart saw the bulk of his action when the game appeared to be well in hand and the coaches wanted to give Williams an extended rest. His touchdown run in the third quarter made the Panthers only the fourth team in NFL history to have two running backs score at least 10 rushing touchdowns in one season.

WR Muhsin Muhammad, Rec: 7 - 79 - 1 (9 targets) - The possession receiver in the offense is Muhsin Muhammad. Muhammad has nose for finding the open areas of the defense and is able to exploit them and give his quarterback a reliable target to throw to. His touchdown reception was a good example of his abilities as he was able to find an open spot in the front of the end zone and came up with the reception for an early 16 -- 3 lead.

WR Steve Smith, Rec: 5 - 134 - 0 (9 targets) - Steve Smith is the favorite target of Delhomme for good reason. Somehow he is able to get just open enough to catch the ball no matter how well covered he is. On three plays Delhomme was able to get the ball to him on deep passes, despite his being double covered by Saint defenders. His biggest play was on his final reception, a 39 yard completion that gave the Panthers excellent field position after the Saints had just taken the lead. Smith had managed to get open despite being double covered while his quarterback was facing pressure and his catch seemed to take the wind out of the Saint comeback.

WR D.J. Hackett, Rec: 2 - 37 - 0 (2 targets) - D.J. Hackett provided the offense with a good third option in the passing attack. Delhomme was able to hit him in stride on a quick slant route for a 30 yard gain on his second catch.

TE Dante Rosario (1 targets) - Rosario was unable to come up with his only target as the ball was knocked out by the defender as soon as he got his hands on the ball.

PK John Kasay 4 - 5 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 15 points - Kasay was four of five on field goals, with his only miss being from 41 yards out. The miss was his first in 30 attempts from inside 50 yards.

CAR Rush Defense - The rushing defense was able to keep the Saint backs under wraps, only allowing a total of 50 yards on the ground for the entire game. The Saints only ran the ball for 11 plays as they were trailing for most of the game and had to rely on the passing attack to get back in the game during the final three quarters.

CAR Pass Defense - The pass defense was facing one of the best passing offenses in the NFL and held up well. Despite giving up 386 yards through the air, they were able to get some pressure on Brees, sacking him twice and forcing him to dump the ball off quickly on numerous other occasions.

QB Drew Brees, Pass: 30 - 49 - 386 - 4 TD / 1 INT - Brees needed a total of 402 passing yards to break Dan Marino's single season passing mark and came within one pass completion of breaking the mark. With the Saints falling behind early they needed to go to the pass in order to get back in the game. They almost succeeded when they took a one point lead with just over three minutes left in the game. Needing only 16 yards after the final score the Saints got the ball back with one second left on the clock. Brees had an open receiver to his left and instead threw the ball deep downfield to his right, with the ball being off target. Despite coming up short of the record, he had an excellent game passing for 386 yards and four touchdowns. He did face pressure from a good pass rush that forced him to dump the ball off early to his backs and tight ends, and sometimes before his receiver was ready for the ball. The Panther defensive backs did not make it any easier as they did a good job of double covering the main receivers and would hit the receivers after the catch was made. The coverage was responsible for the first interception and almost came up with a second pick, but the pass was ruled to be incomplete upon review.

RB Deuce McAllister, Rush: 8 - 40 - 0, Rec: 5 - 41 - 0 (8 targets) - Despite not starting McAllister was the force that began to turn the Saint offense around. His hard nosed running style seemed to energize both the home crowd and the offense. His involvement in the passing game was on screen passes and as the emergency dump off target. Two of his targets were passes thrown at his feet by Brees to avoid a sack.

RB Mike Bell, Rush: 3 - 10 - 0 (1 targets) - Bell started but gave way to Deuce McAllister in the second quarter. He was ineffective running the ball, with his best carry coming on a third and two play where he cutback into the middle of the field on a designed sweep and gained a first down.

RB Mike Karney, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets) - Karney caught his only target on a screen play that he took for a seven yard gain.

WR Lance Moore, Rec: 8 - 91 - 2 (11 targets) - Moore closed out an excellent season as the leading receiver for the Saints by catching eight passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns. With the defense concentrating on stopping Colston, Moore was able to find open areas in the zone defense on crossing routes and in seems down the deep middle of the field. He catches the ball well in traffic and, when catching the pass, is able to put some good moves on the defenders to gain extra yards.

WR Marques Colston, Rec: 7 - 123 - 1 (15 targets) - Colston was the number one target for Brees, and the focus of the Panther defensive backs. The defense did a good job of keeping him double covered, but he did find ways to get open against the coverage by splitting the defenders in the middle of the field or catching well placed balls along the sidelines. He was the target on the Brees interception in the second quarter and almost was the cause of a second turnover later in the quarter when the defensive back knocked the ball out shortly after Colston got his hands on the ball. The ball popped out and was recovered by the Panthers, but the game officials ruled the pass to be incomplete and negated the turnover. Three plays later he caught the first touchdown from Brees and brought the Saints to within 13 points just before halftime.

WR Robert Meachem, Rec: 3 - 36 - 1 (5 targets) - The Saints featured Meachem as the third option in the passing attack to try and gage the second year player's prospects for next season. He showed some value, catching three balls for 36 yards and a touchdown. But he was bothered by close coverage on passes thrown to the middle of the field and was seen asking an official for a pass interference call on a play where the defender made an excellent play on the ball.

WR Devery Henderson, Rec: 2 - 29 - 0 (2 targets) - Henderson was able to haul in both of his targets, both resulting in key first downs.

TE Billy Miller, Rec: 3 - 56 - 0 (7 targets) - Billy Miller got the start due to the injury to Jeremy Shockey and did well in the passing game. Miller was almost used like a slot receiver on most passing plays, as he primarily lined up in the receiver position and not in a traditional tight end spot. He was asked to help out in pass blocking during the second half, as the defense was having success with their pass rushers getting pressure on the quarterback.

TE Buck Ortega, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (2 targets) - Ortega was targeted twice in the first quarter, but was used after that primarily as a blocking tight end in the offense.

PK Garrett Hartley 1 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 7 points - Hartley was perfect on his only field goal attempt during the game, from 21 yards out.

NO Rush Defense - The rushing defense did not do a good job in stopping the two pronged Panther rushing game. DeAngelo Williams was able to gain over 100 yards during the first half and the defense was unable to stop the backs from gaining first downs during the second half when they needed a stop to get the ball back in the hands of the offense. The defense did a poor job of wrapping up the backs and both players were able to break tackles and gain extra yards.

NO Pass Defense - The passing defense was unable to get pressure on Jake Delhomme, giving him plenty of time to throw. Of the Panthers 14 pass completions, ten of them went for a first down as they only passed the ball when necessary. The lack of pressure on the quarterback allowed the receivers time to get open despite being double covered.

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Seattle Seahawks 21, Arizona Cardinals 34

What you need to know

Seattle Seahawks - QB Seneca Wallace started hot and led the Seattle offense on a 12 play 64 yard drive to give Seattle a 7-0 lead. He finished the game with a season high 250 yards on 24 of 43 attempts with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

RB Maurice Morris led the Seahawks in rushing with 45 yards on 15 attempts. He failed to get into the end zone.

WR Deion Branch was the Seahawk's biggest offensive weapon with two touchdown catches (30 and two yards.) He ended the game with six catches for 90 yards.

Arizona Cardinals - QB Kurt Warner started slowly as Seattle held the ball for most of the first half. He got on track late in the second quarter and finished the game with four touchdown passes and 264 yards on 19 of 30 attempts. RB Edgerrin James got his second 100 yard game of the season and carried the rushing load for the playoff bound Cardinals. James finished the game with 14 carries for 100 yards.

WR Larry Fitzgerald was unstoppable and carried the offense on his shoulders. Fitzgerald scored on touchdown catches of 38 and 5 yards. He finished the game with 130 yards on only five catches.

WR Anquan Boldin did not play due to his shoulder injury.

What you ought to know

QB Seneca Wallace, Pass: 24 - 43 - 250 - 2 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 3 - 14 - 0 - After throwing an interception on the game's second play, Wallace quickly settled down and led the Seattle offense to a 64 yard scoring drive. He finished the game with a season high 250 yards on 24 of 43 attempts, and two touchdowns. He did throw two interceptions. He hit six different receivers, and looked good controlling the line of scrimmage for most of the first half. He rushed for 14 yards on three carries.

RB Maurice Morris, Rush: 15 - 45 - 0, Rec: 3 - 26 - 0 (6 targets) - Morris had 15 carries for 45 yards on the day. His longest rush was 16 yards. He added 26 more yards on three catches mostly out of the backfield. Morris had one fumble and was kept out of the end zone.

RB T.J. Duckett, Rush: 6 - 13 - 1 - Duckett got the only Seattle rushing touchdown of one yard. He was the Seahawk's go to back in short yardage and red zone opportunities. Duckett finished the game with six rushes for 13 yards

RB Leonard Weaver, Rush: 2 - 9 - 0, Rec: 4 - 30 - 0 (5 targets) - Weaver had just two rushes for nine yards, but was effective catching passes out of the backfield with 30 yards on four receptions.

WR Deion Branch, Rec: 6 - 90 - 2 (13 targets) - Branch was Seattle's most prolific offensive weapon catching two touchdown passes (30 and five yards.) He finished the game with six catches for 90 yards. His longest catch went for 30 yards. He was in sync with Wallace most of the game.

WR Bobby Engram, Rec: 6 - 50 - 0 (8 targets) - Engram had six receptions for 50 yards with a long catch of just 12 yards.

WR Koren Robinson, Rec: 3 - 40 - 0 (4 targets) - WR Koren Robinson caught three balls for 40 yards with the longest being 16 yards.

TE John Carlson, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (5 targets) - Carlson had only two catches for 14 yards, and failed to find the end zone. His longest catch was for only seven yards.

PK Olindo Mare 0 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 3 points - Mare missed a 42 yard field goal wide left in the second quarter, but was perfect on all three of his extra point attempts.

SEA Rush Defense - The Seattle rush defense gave up a 100 yard game to the veteran Edgerrin James, but held Arizona without a rushing touchdown. In all they gave up 111 net rushing yards.

SEA Pass Defense - The pass defense had no answer for Larry Fitzgerald who made many spectacular catches. They gave up touchdown passes of 16, 5, 38 and 14 yards. They did have one interception.

QB Kurt Warner, Pass: 19 - 30 - 263 - 4 TD / 1 INT - Warner started slowly, but quickly got on track in the second quarter and had a season high four touchdown passes (16, 38, 5 and 14 yards.) He was intercepted once, but was well in command of the office. He did have a fumble on a sack. He completed passes to nine different receivers. He was replaced in the fourth quarter.

QB Matt Leinart, Pass: 5 - 8 - 83 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 - Leinart came in with 12:04 to play in the fourth period, and led the Cardinals on two long drives that ended with field goals. He finished the game five of eight for 83 yards.

RB Edgerrin James, Rush: 14 - 100 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - James had his second 100 yard game of the season and ran hard through the Seattle rush D. He finished the game with 14 carries for 100 yards, but no touchdowns. James looked good and may figure in the Cardinals' playoff picture,

RB J.J. Arrington, Rush: 1 - 9 - 0, Rec: 2 - 18 - 0 (5 targets) - Arrington also had few carries and did not figure prominently in the Cardinal offensive plans. He caught two balls out of the backfield for 18 yards. He had two kick off returns for an average of 25 yards each.

RB Tim Hightower, Rush: 3 - 3 - 0 - Hightower appeared to not be part of the game plan. He carried only three times for three yards. It appeared the Cardinals were saving Hightower for the playoffs.

WR Larry Fitzgerald, Rec: 5 - 130 - 2 (8 targets) - Fitzgerald's simply was unstoppable on the day with two touchdown catches on only five receptions. He finished the day with 130 yards, with a long catch of 50 yards. Many of Fitzgerald's catches were spectacular as he took over the game.

WR Steve Breaston, Rec: 5 - 91 - 1 (7 targets) - Breaston started slowly and scored a 14 yard touchdown on his first catch. His stats were aided late in fourth quarter when Leinart hit him on long passes to ensure Breaston's first 1000 yard season. His longest catch was 35 yards on the day.

WR Jerheme Urban, Rec: 4 - 43 - 1 (7 targets) - Urban caught the Cardinals' first touchdown on the day, a 16 yard effort on an out pattern. He finished the game with 43 yards on just four catches. It was Urban's fourth touchdown catch of the season.

WR Early Doucet, Rec: 4 - 29 - 0 (4 targets) - Doucet had four catches for 29 yards. His longest was 12 yards.

PK Neil Rackers 2 - 2 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 10 points - Rackers was perfect on the day in field goals connection on efforts of 23 and 32 yards. He made all four of his extra point attempts.

ARI Rush Defense - The Cardinals' rush defense played well and gave up only 87 yards rushing on the day. They did give up a short rush touchdown to T.J. Duckett of one yard. The longest rush of the day was just 16 yards.

ARI Pass Defense - Gave up a two touchdowns to Deion Branch, but kept the Seattle offense in check most of the second half. They sacked Wallace once and had one turnover.

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Kansas City Chiefs 6, Cincinnati Bengals 16

What you need to know

Kansas City Chiefs - The Chiefs fell behind in this one, and couldn't get enough offense going to come back against the Bengals in the final game of the season. Tyler Thigpen completed 19 of 36 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown. Tony Gonzalez was the recipient of that touchdown, to go along with five catches for 53 yards, but was not Thigpen's top target in this game. Dwayne Bowe turned in an impressive second half to finish with ten receptions for 103 yards against the Bengals defense. Mark Bradley added 21 yards on two grabs, while Devard Darling mixed in two additional receptions for fourteen yards.

Larry Johnson got off to a slow start, and with the Chiefs falling behind, had very few opportunities to get things going. Johnson finished with just 18 yards on ten carries. Backup running back Jamaal Charles picked up nine yards on three attempts, while Tyler Thigpen gained four yards on two official carries.

Cincinnati Bengals - The Bengals finished the season with three wins in a row against the Redskins, Browns and Chiefs with a significantly different offense than the Bengals had showed for most of the season, one which heavily featured the run. Cedric Benson gained 111 yards and scored a touchdown on 25 carries. The Bengals got rookie wide receiver Andre Caldwell involved in all phases of the game, as Caldwell received four rushes for 49 yards. Additionally, backup running back James Johnson added fifteen yards on three carries and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was credited with 29 yards on seven attempts.

In the passing game with T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson both inactive, Ryan Fitzpatrick spread the ball around in the victory, finishing 18 of 30 for 129 yards. Through the air, rookie Andre Caldwell paced the Bengals with five receptions for 34 yards. Wide receiver Chris Henry added nineteen yards on two catches, while Glenn Holt picked up ten yards on his only reception. Fitzpatrick got his running backs involved, with James Johnson gaining 20 yards on three catches and Cedric Benson picking up 19 yards on a pair of receptions. The Bengals also utilized three different tight ends in the receiving game, with Nate Lawrie adding 11 yards on two catches, Reggie Kelly nine yards on a pair of receptions and Ben Utecht picking up a single catch for seven yards.

What you ought to know

QB Tyler Thigpen, Pass: 19 - 36 - 191 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 4 - 0 - Thigpen finished with a passer rating of 68.2 by completing 53 percent of his passes for an average gain of 5.3 yards. Thigpen struggled to come from behind in this game, perhaps due to the Bengals focus to stop Tony Gonzalez and keep Dwayne Bowe from getting down the field, the two players which Thigpen was focusing upon.

RB Larry Johnson, Rush: 10 - 18 - 0 (2 targets) - Johnson gained just four yards in the first half on four carries, but didn't do much better in the second half as the Chiefs were forced to play from behind, averaging 1.8 yards per carry on the afternoon against the Bengals.

WR Dwayne Bowe, Rec: 10 - 103 - 0 (15 targets) - Bowe was heavily targeted in this game, but was unable to get behind the secondary for a big play or get open in the end zone. On his longest play from scrimmage, a 32 yard gain, the Chiefs challenged that he had broke the plane, however were unsuccessful. Later on the same drive, Bowe caught a would be touchdown pass that was taken off the scoreboard when it was ruled Bowe was guilty of pass interference on the play. Bowe averaged 10.3 yards per reception in this game.

WR Mark Bradley, Rec: 2 - 21 - 0 (6 targets) - Despite the Bengals shifting their focus to Tony Gonzalez and Dwayne Bowe, a hobbled Bradley was unable to take advantage of the defense, catching just 33.3 percent of passes thrown his way and averaged just 10.5 yards on a pair of receptions.

TE Tony Gonzalez, Rec: 5 - 53 - 1 (13 targets) - Gonzalez was quiet until adding a late touchdown to cap off his 2008 season. He was targeted previously on the same drive in the red zone, but defensive pass interference prevented the touchdown at that point. Gonzalez was also targeted on the two-point play. Facing blanketed coverage much of the afternoon, Gonzalez averaged 10.6 yards per reception against the Bengals, leading the Chiefs on the afternoon.

PK Connor Barth 0 - 0 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 0 points - Barth did not attempt any kicks on the afternoon, as the Chiefs elected to go for two while down 16-6 in the fourth quarter.

KC Rush Defense - The Chiefs gave up 126 yards to traditional running backs, but a total of 204 yards on the ground once rushing yardage from Andre Caldwell and Ryan Fitzpatrick were added in.

KC Pass Defense - As the Bengals led much of the game, and didn't pass much with TJ Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson both out, holding the Bengals to 129 yards in a loss was somewhat unimpressive as they failed to come up with any interceptions and had just one sack.

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, Pass: 18 - 30 - 129 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 7 - 29 - 0 - Fitzpatrick completed 60 percent of his passes, but averaged just 4.3 yards per attempt with TJ Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson inactive to finish with a passer rating of 70.0.

RB Cedric Benson, Rush: 25 - 111 - 1, Rec: 2 - 19 - 0 (2 targets) - Benson ran hard and topped 100 all-purpose yards for the third week in a row, all of which were Bengals victories in which he also received twenty carries. Benson averaged 4.4 yards per attempt in this game, and by finishing the season as strongly as he did, may have turned his career around as a former top draft pick.

WR Andre Caldwell, Rush: 4 - 49 - 0, Rec: 5 - 34 - 0 (7 targets) - The rookie receiver out of Florida was very active in this game with TJ Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson both out. In addition to his 34 receiving yards to pace the Bengals, he also added 49 yards on the ground on four attempts and 17 yards on one kickoff return to get to 100 total yards on the afternoon.

WR Chris Henry, Rec: 2 - 19 - 0 (5 targets) - Henry was a secondary option in the passing game and averaged just 9.5 yards per catch on the afternoon.

TE Ben Utecht, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (3 targets) - Utecht had just the one catch, but shared tight end receptions with Nate Lawrie and Reggie Kelly in this game.

PK Shayne Graham 3 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 10 points - Graham was perfect on the afternoon, connecting on field goals of 30, 38 and 43 yards in addition to converting his extra point successfully.

CIN Rush Defense - The Bengals shut down Larry Johnson, limiting him to just 18 yards, and all Chiefs rushing plays to 31 yards in the season finale.

CIN Pass Defense - By shadowing Tony Gonzalez over the middle of the field, and playing the safety over the top on Dwayne Bowe's side, the Bengals shut down the Chiefs passing game and limited them to just 191 yards and one touchdown with the Chiefs throwing almost exclusively in this game.

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Detroit Lions 21, Green Bay Packers 31

What you need to know

Detroit Lions - The Detroit Lions became the first team in NFL history to go 0-16 with poor defense and ill timed bad play offensively. Although the Lions didn't go out without a fight. QB Dan Orlovsky connected on two passing scores to WR Calvin Johnson from nine and 14 yards out to bring Detroit back and tie the game at 14 in the third quarter, before the Lions defense allowed 17 fourth quarter points, and giving the offense virtually no chance at coming back against the Packers.

Detroit's lone score in the fourth quarter came on a nine yard Kevin Smith run that cut the lead to three, but Green Bay answered with a 71 yard touchdown that put the game out of reach for the Lions.

Green Bay Packers - The Packers took advantage of poor Detroit defense in the first half, where DeShawn Wynn scored on a 73 yard run to give Green Bay a 7-0 lead. QB Aaron Rodgers then connected with TE Jermichael Finley on a three yard touchdown pass to give the Packers a 14-0 lead. Detroit came back, behind two Calvin Johnson scores, to tie the game at 14, before the Packers offense exploded for 17 fourth quarter points.

K Mason Crosby opened the fourth quarter with a 36 yard field goal, and Rodgers hit RB John Kuhn on a five yard scoring pass for the Packers second score of the quarter. Detroit answered again, behind a Kevin Smith touchdown run, but their comeback attempt was laid to rest when Rodgers hit WR Donald Driver on a 71 yard score to give Green Bay a 31-21 lead that would hold up for the rest of the game.

What you ought to know

QB Dan Orlovsky, Pass: 22 - 42 - 225 - 2 TD / 2 INT - Orlovsky was up and down against the Packers and finished 22 of 42 for 225 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Both of his touchdown passes came on connections with WR Calvin Johnson from nine and 14 yards out, but his two turnovers were costly and Orlovsky couldn't get enough going offensively to keep pace with a productive Green Bay offense. Orlovsky was only sacked once, but while the Lions were just five of 17 on third downs, they converted four of five fourth down attempts.

RB Kevin Smith, Rush: 28 - 92 - 1, Rec: 3 - 7 - 0 (5 targets) - Kevin Smith ran the ball well against the Packers and finished with 28 carries for 92 yards and a score on the ground, and added three receptions for seven yards on five targets in the passing game.

WR Calvin Johnson, Rec: 9 - 102 - 2 (17 targets) - Johnson was targeted a team high 17 times and responded with nine receptions for 102 yards and touchdowns from nine and 14 yards out. He was targeted on four third down plays and two fourth down attempts.

WR John Standeford, Rec: 3 - 82 - 0 (5 targets) - Standeford continued to make plays for the Lions as he finished with three receptions for 82 yards on five targets. Nearly all of his targets came on long pass plays downfield, and Standeford has made the most of it for a few weeks in a row now. Clearly he is taking advantage of single coverage with Calvin Johnson on the other side of the field drawing all sorts of coverage.

TE John Owens, Rec: 1 - 2 - 0 (1 targets) - Owens caught the only pass thrown to him for a two yard gain.

PK Jason Hanson 0 - 0 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 3 points - Hanson did not attempt a field goal and had three extra points to finish with three points.

DET Rush Defense - The Lions were shredded by the Green Bay rushing attack, which racked up 211 yards on 27 attempts, for a 7.8 ypc average that included a 73 yard rushing score. They allowed both Packer running backs to eclipse the 100 yard rushing mark and gave up eight rushing first downs.

LBs Ernie Sims and Paris Lenon each finished with five solo tackles and two assists to lead the Lions.

DET Pass Defense - Unfortunately for Detroit, they were also unable to stop the Green Bay passing game, which totaled 273 net passing yards and three scores. They allowed five of 12 on third down conversions and 11 passing first downs. The big difference in the game though was the three scores allowed through the air, the last of which nearly killed any comeback chances the Lions had in Green Bay.

DB Kalvin Pearson registered nine solo tackles and one assist and DB Leigh Bodden finished with six solos and one assist to lead the secondary.

QB Aaron Rodgers, Pass: 21 - 31 - 308 - 3 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 - Aaron Rodgers capped off his first season as a starter with a big game against the Lions. Rodgers completed 21 of 31 passes for 308 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. His first score came on a three yard pass to TE Jermichael Finley and Rodgers followed that up with a five yard scoring pass to RB John Kuhn. Rodgers hit WR Donald Driver on a 71 yard scoring strike on a nice double move for his third score of the game that extended the Packer lead to ten. His only rush went for a one yard loss and Rodgers did have a fumble, but the ball was recovered by Green Bay.

RB Ryan Grant, Rush: 19 - 106 - 0, Rec: 3 - 23 - 0 (3 targets) - Grant had a solid rushing day for the Packers with 19 carries for 106 yards and added three receptions for 23 yards on three targets in the passing game. While Grant failed to get in the end zone and lost a fumble, he did have an 80 yard touchdown run called back and had another productive rushing day to cap off an improved second half of the year after his slow start.

RB DeShawn Wynn, Rush: 7 - 106 - 1, Rec: 1 - 16 - 0 (1 targets) - DeShawn Wynn contributed in a big way for the Green Bay run game as he opened scoring for the game with a 73 yard touchdown run in the first quarter to give the Packers a 7-0 lead. For the game, Wynn finished with seven rushes for 106 yards and added a 16 yard reception on his only target of the game.

WR Donald Driver, Rec: 6 - 111 - 1 (6 targets) - Driver caught all six passes thrown his way for 111 yards that included a 71 yard touchdown reception. He was targeted on one third down and one fourth down play and one of his receptions resulted in a first down.

WR Greg Jennings, Rec: 5 - 101 - 0 (10 targets) - Jennings led the Packers in targets with ten, and finished with five receptions for 101 yards. While he was held out of the end zone, Jennings made big plays down field like he has all year long. He was targeted twice on third downs, and three of his catches resulted in Green Bay first downs.

TE Jermichael Finley, Rec: 2 - 29 - 1 (4 targets) - Finley was targeted four times and finished with two receptions for 29 yards that included a three yard touchdown reception.

PK Mason Crosby 1 - 2 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 7 points - Crosby missed a 69 yard field goal attempt as time expired in the first half, but hit his second attempt from 36 yards out and added four extra points to finish with seven points in the game.

GB Rush Defense - The Packers played well against the run, and while they allowed one rushing score, they held the Lions to 96 rushing yards on 29 attempts, for a 3.3 ypc average, gave up just four rushing first downs and a long run of just 11 yards for the game.

DL Aaron Kampman finished with six solo tackles and A.J. Hawk added four solo tackles and one assist to lead the Packers.

GB Pass Defense - While the Packers allowed just 220 net passing yards and had two interceptions, they did give up two passing scores, 13 passing first downs, had just one sack, and allowed a few big pass plays downfield. Luckily for Green Bay, the Lions passing offense doesn't contain more weapons to exploit their weak coverage.

DBs Nick Collins and Charles Woodson each came down with picks for the Packers, and DB Al Harris finished with a team high eight solo tackles, many of which came after Harris allowed completions downfield.

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Dallas Cowboys 6, Philadelphia Eagles 44

What you need to know

Dallas Cowboys - QB Tony Romo continues to struggle in meaningful December games as Romo had a sub-par effort against an aggressive Eagles defense. Romo ended the day with just 183 yards on 21 of 39 attempts and one interception. He also had two fumbles on sacks. At one point Dallas turned the ball over on five straight drives. They did not find the end zone in this game.

RBs Marion Barber and Tashard Choice found the running tough all day long. The longest run from scrimmage was 18 yards (Choice). Barber had a crucial fumble that was returned for a 96 yard touchdown.

WR Terrell Owens played well and had 103 yards on six catches, but he was no match for the aggressive and opportunistic Eagle's defense. His longest catch was 42 yards, which was on a trick play.

Philadelphia Eagles - QB Donovan McNabb had an efficient day completing 12 of 21 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a score. He was in control from the onset of this game.

RBs Correll Buckhalter and Brian Westbrook both found running lanes against a Dallas defense that was on the field for most of the game. Buckhalter finished the game with ten rushes for 63 yards; Westbrook was 13 for 50.

Philadelphia Defense scored two third quarter touchdowns to put this game out of reach. In the entire defense forced five turnovers and completely dominated the Dallas team.

What you ought to know

QB Tony Romo, Pass: 21 - 39 - 183 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 11 - 0 - Romo was simply overwhelmed in this game and had three turnovers, two fumbles and one interception. He completed just 21 of 39 tosses for 183 yards. He was pressured often and looked out of sync with all of his receivers.

RB Tashard Choice, Rush: 13 - 56 - 0, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) - Choice had little success due in part of Dallas needing to abandon the run game to play catch up. Choice had 13 carries for 56 yards with a long run of 18 yards. He added another eight yards on one reception.

RB Marion Barber, Rush: 3 - 13 - 0, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (3 targets) - It appeared Barber was still affected by his dislocated toe, and only had three rushes for 13 yards. He caught two balls for 20 yards out of the backfield, and had a crucial fumble that was returned for a 96 yard Eagles' touchdown in the third quarter.

WR Terrell Owens, Rush: 1 - 7 - 0, Rec: 6 - 103 - 0 (10 targets) - Owens had an effective game but seamed out of sync with Romo. His longest catch was a 42 yard effort at the hands of Jason Witten on a double pass. Owens did have two drops in this game. He also had a rush for seven yards on a reverse.

WR Patrick Crayton, Rec: 3 - 34 - 0 (5 targets) - Crayton had three catches for just 34 yards. He was a non factor in the game.

WR Roy Williams, Rec: 2 - 4 - 0 (7 targets) - Williams had a horrible game and appeared to be just going through the motions. He looked completely lost in the Cowboys offense and broke a couple of patterns off when he should have made an effort to catch the ball.

TE Jason Witten, Pass: 1 - 1 - 42 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rec: 7 - 50 - 0 (11 targets) - Witten playing on a sore knee had an effective game with seven catches for 50 yards. He also threw a pass to Terrell Owens for 42 yards. Witten found some success over the middle of the Philadelphia Defense.

PK Nick Folk 2 - 2 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 6 points - Folk hit on both his field goal attempts of 42 and 37 yards.

DAL Rush Defense - It was a poor effort by the Dallas team and rush defense as they gave up 137 yards rushing on the day and one short score. They gave up long rushes of 33 and 16 yards. They did recover a fumble, but was completely outplayed.

DAL Pass Defense - Gave up 175 yards to McNabb but failed to get a turnover. They gave up a crucial 59 yard screen pass to Buckhalter, tow touchdown passes and sacked McNabb just once.

QB Donovan McNabb, Pass: 12 - 21 - 175 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - 4 - 1 - McNabb was in control of the game from the onset and looked comfortable in the pocket. He completed 12 of 21 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns (four and one yards.) He also scored on a quarterback sneak from the one yard line. He completed passes to six different receivers and did not turn the ball over.

RB Brian Westbrook, Rush: 13 - 50 - 0, Rec: 2 - 12 - 0 (3 targets) - Westbrook had a sub-par game and contributed only 50 yards on 13 carries. He added 12 more yards on receptions. He also had Philadelphia's only turnover on the day.

RB Correll Buckhalter, Rush: 10 - 63 - 0, Rec: 3 - 59 - 1 (3 targets) - Buckhalter was more productive on the afternoon and looked much quicker than any Dallas defender. Buckhalter had 122 yards total offense on the day (63 rushing and 59 receiving) including a 59 yard reception on a screen pass. He scored on a four yard reception in the second quarter.

RB Kyle Eckel, Rush: 8 - 22 - 0 - Eckel had eight rushes for 22 yards mostly in the fourth quarter when the Eagles started substituting their players to rest for the playoffs.

WR DeSean Jackson, Rec: 2 - 46 - 0 (6 targets) - Jackson had just two grabs for 46 yards. His stats were a result of Philadelphia not needing to pass due to the lopsided score.

WR Kevin Curtis, Rec: 1 - 15 - 0 (2 targets) - Curtis had only one catch for 15 yards.

TE Brent Celek, Rec: 3 - 30 - 1 (3 targets) - Celek scored his first touchdown on the season and contributed 30 yards on three catches. He was playing in place of regular TE L.J. Smith.

PK David Akers 3 - 4 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 14 points - Akers was three of four in the field goal department connecting on efforts of 50, 40 and 41 yards. He missed a 40 yard effort early in the fourth quarter. He was perfect on all five extra point attempts.

PHI Rush Defense - The defense over all was dominating causing five Dallas turnovers. They kept Dallas on its heels the entire day. The rush defense gave up only 87 yards on the day, and forced four fumbles. Defensive end Chris Clemons scored on a 73 yard fumble return in the third quarter.

PHI Pass Defense - The pass defense was also dominating, causes many errant Romo throws. They gave up 100 yards receiving to Terrell Owens, yet they harassed Romo all day long. Defensive back Joselio Hansen returned a Marion Barber fumble 96 yards for a score in the third quarter, and sacked Romo four times, twice causing crucial fumbles.

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Denver Broncos 21, San Diego Chargers 52

What you need to know

Denver Broncos - QB Jay Cutler looked solid at times but could never keep the momentum on his side. His receivers struggled with drops. He made one mistake forcing a ball into coverage and had another ball intercepted. He was moving around the pocket extremely well and displayed his arm strength throughout the night.

RB Tatum Bell looked strong when he got carries, amassing 26 and 37 yard touchdown runs. He looked comfortable in the blocking scheme of Denver, but never got the chance to make a continuing impact on the game because Denver had to throw the ball.

WR Brandon Marshall beat his reception mark from the previous year, ending up with 104 receptions on the year. He and Brandon Stokley each dropped passes on the night, making it tough for the offense to get going. Eddie Royal worked as the possession receiver as he racked up 11 receptions but had a bad dropped pass too.

San Diego Chargers - QB Philip Rivers was extremely efficient. He moved the ball with ease against Denver. He only threw the ball 20 times, but was able to come up with two touchdowns and 207 yards passing.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson had a strong showing against Denver, recording three touchdowns and coming up with 96 yards rushing. Tomlinson strained his abdomen late in the third quarter and after the game said he hoped to play next week but that they'd have to check things out. Darren Sproles had a great game also, accumulating 132 offensive yards and two touchdowns.

WR Vincent Jackson was key in the Chargers' game plan. They led off the night with a reverse to him and threw the ball downfield to him multiple times. He drew a pass interference on the opening drive and established that Denver could not put eight in the box. Antonio Gates sat most of the game with an apparent stinger.

What you ought to know

QB Jay Cutler, Pass: 33 - 49 - 316 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 2 - 4 - 0 - Cutler had to throw the ball often against the Chargers. He threw the ball well on most of the passes, but could not protect the ball as he tried to force the ball into traffic a couple of times. His arm was impressive as always, and he showed good pocket awareness -- often extending plays by avoiding sacks. He did suffer from some bad drops by his receivers.

RB Tatum Bell, Rush: 8 - 86 - 2, Rec: 4 - 31 - 0 (5 targets) - Bell looked surprisingly quick on the night, but really did not get a chance to run the ball more often due to the deficit Denver built. He hit holes fast and burst into the secondary on multiple runs, leading to two long touchdown runs. Part of this was due to great blocking but nevertheless Bell made good reads and finished on those plays.

WR Eddie Royal, Rec: 11 - 76 - 0 (18 targets) - Royal was targeted an eye-popping 18 times which led to 11 receptions. He only gained 76 yards, and was really targeted most of the time as the second option underneath. Still, Royal showed the ability to create space with his quickness.

WR Brandon Marshall, Rec: 6 - 55 - 0 (12 targets) - Marshall had a decent game, accumulating 55 yards and six receptions. Most of his receptions were medium passing routes. He blocked extremely well on the few running plays the Broncos ran, but he also had a bad drop.

WR Brandon Stokley, Rec: 4 - 47 - 0 (7 targets) - Stokley had a solid game serving as the third receiver for the Broncos, but really killed any chance the Broncos had of winning the game when he dropped a fourth down pass that would have been for a first down in the red zone late in the game.

WR Darrell Jackson, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (1 targets) - Jackson came in as the fourth wide receiver on the depth chart and saw very few plays.

TE Tony Scheffler, Rec: 5 - 75 - 1 (7 targets) - Scheffler had a very good game against the Chargers. He racked up 75 yards and a touchdown reception that he fought for through tight single coverage.

TE Daniel Graham, Rec: 2 - 19 - 0 (2 targets) - Graham served as the backup tied end behind Tony Scheffler. He caught both passes thrown his way.

PK Matt Prater 0 - 0 FG, 1 - 2 XP, 1 points - Prater missed an extra point early in the first quarter.

DEN Rush Defense - The Broncos could not do anything against the Chargers' rushing attack. They allowed many big runs and really showed a lack of discipline.

DEN Pass Defense - Denver did not look good against the pass. They got burned on a couple of big plays and really did nothing to get Philip Rivers off of his game.

QB Philip Rivers, Pass: 15 - 20 - 207 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 11 - 0 - Rivers had a very good game. He tore apart the Denver defense and kept them off balance. He was extremely confident in the pocket and every throw he made looked crisp. Rivers ended up with only 205 yards passing, but considering it was on 20 passing attempts it proved to be a very solid performance.

RB Darren Sproles, Rush: 14 - 115 - 1, Rec: 2 - 17 - 1 (2 targets) - Sproles got a big chunk of playing time when the Chargers were up and Tomlinson went down with a minor injury. He looked quick against a poor defense and had a huge game. He was able to move the chains in the fourth quarter to prevent any huge comeback from the Broncos.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Rush: 14 - 96 - 3 - Tomlinson had a slight abdominal strain after the Chargers already had a big lead. Before the injury, he looked excellent against a weak rushing defense. He was cutting and weaving through the defense for the extra yards we are used to seeing from Tomlinson. He scored three touchdowns during the game.

RB Jacob Hester, Rush: 8 - 37 - 1, Rec: 2 - 19 - 0 (3 targets) - Hester served as the fullback and saw a few carries and targets out of the backfield. He got a garbage time touchdown with less than two minutes left in the game, but also showed that he could run the ball pretty well.

WR Vincent Jackson, Rush: 2 - 30 - 0, Rec: 2 - 47 - 0 (3 targets) - Jackson came out of the gates strong, having the first series basically designed around him. He ran a reverse for 17 yards on the first play for the Chargers, and then drew a pass interference call later that series on a deep pass. He caught his other two targets.

WR Chris Chambers, Rec: 3 - 50 - 0 (5 targets) - Chambers led the Chargers in receiving yards, but really took a back seat to Vincent Jackson in the game plan. Jackson only got three targets, but two of them were on deep passes and Jackson also warranted two running plays. Chambers was used more frequently underneath, however.

WR Legedu Naanee, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (2 targets) - Naanee served as the third receiver and caught one of the two passes thrown his way.

TE Antonio Gates, Rec: 3 - 49 - 0 (3 targets) - Gates left the game with an apparent minor injury, but looked solid while he was out there. He caught all three passes thrown his way and still gives opposing teams fits with his skill set.

TE Brandon Manumaleuna, Rec: 2 - 17 - 1 (2 targets) - Manumaleuna caught a touchdown pass in the second quarter from Rivers, but really was not utilized too often. Manumaleuna came in for Antonio Gates.

PK Nate Kaeding 1 - 1 FG, 7 - 7 XP, 10 points - Kaeding made seven extra points and a 28 yard field goal.

SD Rush Defense - San Diego looked porous against the run, allowing Tatum Bell to tear them up for two long touchdowns.

SD Pass Defense - The Chargers really did not stop Denver from being effective through the air. The Chargers made a couple of big plays against Jay Cutler, but still allowed 316 yards through the air. They did get a good amount of pressure against Cutler, but could not record a sack against him.

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New England Patriots 13, Buffalo Bills 0

What you need to know

New England Patriots - In what was one of the windiest games in NFL history, K Stephen Gostkowski's two field goals ended up proving to be unnecessary thanks to the Patriots ground and pound TD drive late in the third quarter.

The Patriots only threw the ball eight times while rushing 44 times with the RB combo of Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordan.

Matt Cassel also converted two crucial first downs with his legs en route to the shutout which kept the door open for the Patriots to make the playoffs. However the door was closed later in the day when both the Dolphins and Ravens won their four o'clock games to clinch the AFC East and Wild Card berth respectively.

Buffalo Bills - Despite having nothing to play for, the Bills looked to want no part in rolling over for their division rivals. Despite not scoring for the entire game, the Bills played a hard fought and respectable game which was led in large part by Fred Jackson and his 136 rushing yards.

Unlike the Patriots, the Bills weren't scared of throwing in the wind and Trent Edwards let it fly 25 times which converted into only 14 completions for 128 yards.

What you ought to know

QB Matt Cassel, Pass: 6 - 8 - 78 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - 19 - 0 - Cassel wasn't given too much opportunity to let it all air out but he did manage to complete six of eight of his passes for 78 yards as well as a crucial 19 yards on the ground with three attempts. It was the very definition of game management in such windy conditions.

RB Sammy Morris, Rush: 24 - 85 - 0 - Morris didn't find the end zone on Sunday on any of his 24 carries; however he did see frequent positive yardage runs en route to 85 yards.

RB LaMont Jordan, Rush: 20 - 64 - 1 - Jordan pounded the ball all day along with Sammy Morris, rushing for 64 yards and a TD on an even 20 attempts.

RB Heath Evans, Rec: 2 - 31 - 0 (2 targets) - Evans converted both of his targets into receptions for 31 yards -- both of which were also for first downs.

WR Wes Welker, Rec: 2 - 26 - 0 (3 targets) - Welker managed to catch two of his three targets for 26 yards and just missed holding onto the third catch which was knocked out by a defender midway through the first quarter.

WR Randy Moss, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) - Moss wasn't much of a factor during the game with only one reception for 13 yards. He did however, as Randy Moss always does, draw extra defenders to open up the rest of the field for the other Patriots receivers.

PK Stephen Gostkowski 2 - 3 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points - Gostkowski managed to drill through two of his three field goals and one extra point try in the face of what were up to 60 MPH wind gusts pre-kickoff.

NE Rush Defense - On one hand you can say that the unit did a poor job by letting up 141 rushing yards to the Fred Jackson/Xavier Omon duo, but then on the other you can say that they didn't manage to score so it wasn't necessarily as bad as it sounds. Still though, letting up 136 yards to one RB is never good.

NE Pass Defense - The passing unit managed to keep Trent Edwards and his questionably high 25 passing attempts (in regards to the weather) in check, allowing just 128 yards.

QB Trent Edwards, Pass: 14 - 25 - 128 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 20 - 0 - Trent Edwards received many opportunities to win the game through the air but was never really able to gun it very long nor was he able to complete his passes very often. He finished the game with 128 passing yards on 14/25 completions.

RB Fred Jackson, Rush: 27 - 136 - 0, Rec: 1 - 0 - 0 (2 targets) - Jackson made a strong case for the team to spell Marshawn Lynch with him more often next year with 136 yards on 27 attempts on the ground and one reception for no yards.

RB Xavier Omon, Rush: 4 - 5 - 0 - Omon didn't do much to outshine Fred Jackson with just five rushing yards on four attempts.

WR Lee Evans, Rec: 5 - 63 - 0 (7 targets) - Despite a bad day overall for the passing game, Evans still managed to put up respectable numbers with 63 receiving yards on five receptions.

WR Josh Reed, Rec: 2 - 21 - 0 (2 targets) - Reed was only able to convert two of his six targets into receptions for a total of 21 yards.

TE Robert Royal, Rec: 2 - 30 - 0 (5 targets) - Royal was a frequent target of QB Trent Edwards, but only could manage two receptions for 30 yards. Again, it wasn't the best day for the Bills passing offense due in large part to the elements.

PK Rian Lindell 0 - 1 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 0 points - Lindell's only kick came in the second quarter and literally was pulled by the wind to be wide right despite the kick being aimed wide left of the left goal post.

BUF Rush Defense - The Bills rushing defense unit couldn't seem to really do much to slow down the freight train that was the Sammy Morris/LaMont Jordan on Sunday, letting up 149 yards and one TD on 44 attempts.

BUF Pass Defense - The passing defense unit managed to hold Cassel to just 78 yards through the air, but then again, he only threw it a total of eight times. Take that as you will.

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Washington Redskins 24, San Francisco 49ers 27

What you need to know

Washington Redskins - QB Jason Campbell was inconsistent through much of the game and only strung together a single extended scoring drive on the day. He made up for a below average passing day, however, with some key rushes late in the game, including a two yard score.

RB Clinton Portis was used early and often in the game, rushing almost 30 times. While he ran well early, he seemed to wear down as the game progressed. With 80 yards and a TD, however, it was still a solid performance.

WR Santana Moss struggled as much as Campbell with his consistency and as a result caught only just over half of the balls thrown his way for just under 70 yards.

San Francisco 49ers - QB Shaun Hill, while he did struggle at times and was on somewhat of a leash early on, finished with a very strong passing performance as he led his team to a last second victory.

RB Frank Gore returned from an ankle injury to make some nice runs early on, but eventually gave way to fellow RB DeShaun Foster as the gimpy ankle was obviously still bothering him.

WR Josh Morgan was a real bright spot in the passing game as he regularly gained separation and made plays all over the field. He certainly looks to have a very bright future.

What you ought to know

QB Jason Campbell, Pass: 18 - 30 - 156 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 39 - 1 - A combination of his being off target early and a successful running attack kept Campbell from doing much in the first quarter. Come the second quarter, however, the Redskins passing game started to click even though the ground game was still the primary focus. Campbell efficiently managed the offense, mixing short to intermediate completions in amongst the rushes as he orchestrated a 17 play, nine-plus minute drive that culminated in a play-action toss to WR Antwaan Randle El for an eight yard score. That drive would be the high point of the day as far as passing performance for Campbell, as, while he didn't make any huge mistakes in the second half, he also didn't light the world on fire. It was actually with his feet that Campbell contributed the most impressive plays in the second half as he rushed for some key first downs and then tied the game at 1:09 to go with a two yard scoring scramble.

RB Clinton Portis, Rush: 29 - 80 - 1 - When Portis got the ball less than 20 times per game this season, the Redskins were winless, so Washington Head Coach Jim Zorn seemed determined to get Portis his 20 touches early. Washington's second drive was heavily weighted towards the run, and while Portis didn't break off any huge gains, he did chew up yards in chunks of four and five at a time. The drive ended fittingly as Portis took the ball over the left side for a four yard score. This heavy focus on the run would be story for most of the day, though Portis' production would decline as the game progressed and result in 80 yards on 29 carries. The lone dark spot in Portis' performance was an early third quarter lost fumble.

WR Santana Moss, Rec: 6 - 68 - 0 (11 targets) - With a run heavy offense and QB Jason Campbell struggling at times with his accuracy, Moss' opportunities to make plays were not that plentiful. While some of the blame for Moss only hauling in six of his 11 targets for 68 yards must fall on Campbell, Moss didn't do anything to help himself either as he also dropped or otherwise missed at least three catchable balls.

WR Antwaan Randle El, Rec: 3 - 16 - 1 (7 targets) - With the Redskins focusing heavily on the rushing game, Randle El didn't receive many opportunities to excel. When he did, however, he made at least one of them count. Late in the second quarter he scooped in a short pass from QB Jason Campbell and stretched out to get the ball across the goal-line for Washington's only TD through the air on the day.

TE Chris Cooley, Rec: 6 - 57 - 0 (7 targets) - With the Washington passing game somewhat limited in its usage, Cooley didn't get the ball thrown to him as much as usual. Even so, he converted on six of his seven targets and finished second on the team with 57 receiving yards. In this game Cooley tended to be utilized on short routes or screen passes as opposed to strikes downfield, and while Cooley did come close to a score late in the game, he was stopped at the two yard line.

PK Shaun Suisham 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - Suisham was asked to attempt a single FG and made it from 41 yards out.

WAS Rush Defense - Whether it was RB Frank Gore or DeShaun Foster running the ball for the 49ers hardly mattered as Washington allowed both to gain plenty of yards on almost every carry. San Francisco averaged gains of 4.7 yards per carry on the day and scored two rushing TDs to add insult to injury. Only the 49ers' need to pass the ball late took the pressure of this underperforming defensive unit.

WAS Pass Defense - While they succeeded in keeping 49ers QB Shaun Hill under control in the first half -- even picking him off on one occasion -- in the second half the Washington pass defense collapsed. On two fourth quarter drives Hill and, in particular, WR Josh Morgan were able to pick the Redskin pass defense apart en route to taking the lead and then winning the game. In the end the Washington defense gave up almost 250 passing yards and recorded only a single sack.

QB Shaun Hill, Pass: 21 - 30 - 245 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 4 - 8 - 1 - On the 49ers' first drive Hill ran the offense efficiently, completing all of his passes and then making the smart decision to abort a planned shovel pass and rush the ball in himself for a short touchdown. Even so, it was clear that San Francisco wanted to focus on the ground game and Hill's chances to succeed (or fail) were limited in the early going. Where Hill was successful in the first half was in the short to medium game as he seemed to hit his targets in those zones with regularity. Downfield was a different story, however. Early in the second quarter he made an ill-advised pass 20 yards downfield toward WR Josh Morgan who was surrounded by Washington DBs. One of them, Carlos Rogers, picked off the pass and returned it 33 yards. As the game moved to its second half -- and in particular the fourth quarter, Hill dropped back much more often and generated some solid plays, including downfield. In the 49ers' first drive of the final quarter Hill was six of seven in passing attempts, and capped it off with a nine yard TD toss to WR Jason Hill. On the 49ers' final drive of the game Hill was just as impressive as he took his team down the field with roughly a minute remaining and set up the game-winning FG. Aside from the interception, Hill had a very good game.

RB Frank Gore, Rush: 11 - 58 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - Back in the action after missing time with a bad ankle, Gore got the start for San Francisco but ended up with only 11 carries as he split time with fellow RB DeShaun Foster. When he was in the action in the first half, Gore looked like the powerful, dynamic back that he is and regularly gashed the Washington defense for solid gains. As the game progressed, however, Gore would immediately head for the sidelines after most runs and ultimately sat out much of the second half.

RB DeShaun Foster, Rush: 9 - 44 - 1, Rec: 3 - 20 - 0 (3 targets) - While fellow RB Frank Gore was back in the mix as the 49ers' starter at RB, Foster still saw plenty of action as Gore wasn't playing at 100%. Not only did this result in a solid performance, yardage-wise, but it also saw him score a third quarter TD from the one yard line while Gore nursed his injured ankle on the sideline. Foster was also involved in the passing game, as he received a handful of targets on screen tosses and short routes in the second half.

WR Jason Hill, Rush: 1 - 9 - 0, Rec: 4 - 28 - 1 (4 targets) - Involved in the offense as much as any other San Francisco WR, Hill eclipsed his fellow wide-outs with the team's only TD catch of the day. On that fourth quarter play he took a short dump-off from QB Shaun Hill at the seven yard line and made for the right pylon. While he looked likely to be tackled short, Hill stretched out to get the ball across the goal-line and give his team a late 21-17 lead. Hill also saw a rushing attempt on an end around play early in the game that saw him gain nine yards.

WR Josh Morgan, Rec: 3 - 50 - 0 (5 targets) - No receiver was more impressive for the 49ers on the day than Morgan as he was regularly able to find the soft spots in the Washington defense and get open. This was the case whether Morgan ran short, intermediate or long routes. The only thing holding Morgan back from a huge day seemed to be the intermittent struggles of QB Shaun Hill. When Hill was on target, Morgan produced. When Hill wasn't, Morgan didn't.

WR Isaac Bruce, Rec: 2 - 8 - 0 (3 targets) - Though he started at WR, Bruce received only three targets and pulled in only two for eight total yards. He was as close to being a non-factor in this game as it is possible to be without putting up a series of zeros in the stat lines.

WR Bryant Johnson, Rec: 2 - 43 - 0 (5 targets) - Though he started and was tied for the team lead in targets, Johnson only managed to haul in two receptions. Though he made the most of them, averaging 21.5 yards per, it was still a mediocre performance.

TE Vernon Davis, Rec: 3 - 18 - 0 (3 targets) - While Davis successfully converted three of his targets into receptions, he simply wasn't a large enough part of the offensive game plan to make a significant impact and finished with only 18 yards on the day.

PK Joe Nedney 2 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points - In the first quarter Nedney missed a 48 yard FG attempt. While the snap was bad, the hold was fine, but Nedney hooked it very wide left. In the fourth quarter Nedney easily hit on a 34 yard attempt early and then booted a 40-yarder with no time left on the clock to cinch the win.

SF Rush Defense - Early on it looked as if the 49ers rush defense was in for a long day as Washington RB Clinton Portis ran all over them. As the game progressed, however, they seemed to grow stronger and managed to stuff Portis on more plays than not. In the end, San Francisco ended up allowing Portis less than three yards per rush.

SF Pass Defense - While they rarely generated much pressure on Washington QB Jason Campbell and only generated a single sack, San Francisco's pass defense was effective in keeping him inconsistent all day and did not allow any passes over 17 yards. This was largely a result of effective coverage, though some of the credit (or blame) must also fall on Campbell's shoulders since he was just plain off target at times.

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St. Louis Rams 27, Atlanta Falcons 31

What you need to know

St. Louis Rams - With the team riding a nine game losing streak and seemingly nothing to play for, the Rams still showed up and played with a lot of heart. Through most of the game they appeared to be the more inspired team and Steven Jackson ran like a man possessed. Listed as questionable before the game with leg injuries, Jackson rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 54 additional yards as St. Louis registered 408 yards of offense.

Marc Bulger hit 19 of 32 passes for 230 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. Torry Holt, who may have played his last game in a Ram uniform, caught six passes for 90 yards, while rookie Donnie Avery caught five passes for 40 yards and one TD. The young St. Louis defense forced two fourth quarter turnovers, but ultimately lacked the firepower to ground the playoff bound Falcons.

Atlanta Falcons - Atlanta, having already clinched a playoff berth, had to overcome two fourth quarter turnovers and took the lead for good with less than four minutes in the game. The win gave the Falcons a record of 11--5 after finishing 4--12 last year.

Matt Ryan might win the rookie of the year award based on his starring role in Atlanta's Cinderella story, but this was not a good performance. He threw two bad interceptions, and only completed 10 of 21 passes. Michael Turner broke the Falcons' single season rushing record, scored one touchdown, and finished the game with an astounding 208 yards. On just three carries, Jerious Norwood rushed for two touchdowns and 56 yards. Roddy White broke the franchise record for receiving yards in a season and also caught an 18 yard touchdown pass.

The defense lacked intensity and did not tackle well but Steven Jackson can do that to a team. DE John Abraham sat out the second half with a sore groin after an Orlando Pace pancake block.

What you ought to know

QB Marc Bulger, Pass: 19 - 32 - 230 - 1 TD / 0 INT - Bulger earned a QB rating of 91.9 based on his 19 completions on 32 attempts. He hit rookie Donny Avery for a touchdown with 32 seconds left in the first half for a short lived St. Louis lead. With Steven Jackson healthy and causing havoc Bulger was able to pick his spots.

With less than two minutes in the game, down two starters on the offensive line, Torry Holt a step slower, rookie wide receivers on the other side, he was still able to drive his team to the Atlanta 29 with a chance to win. In the end St. Louis lost on the road by four points to a playoff bound team.

RB Steven Jackson, Rush: 30 - 161 - 2, Rec: 4 - 54 - 0 (5 targets) - Jackson nearly won this game on his own as he broke tackles and stiff armed defenders all afternoon. He averaged 5.4 yards on his 30 carries, scored two rushing touchdowns and caught four passes for 54 yards. In the fourth quarter and the score tied, Jackson caught a screen pass with one hand, turned up field, jumped completely over S Eric Coleman, and ran out of bounds for the first down. That play is even better in slow motion.

Despite missing games and battling injuries much of this year, Jackson was still able to surpass the 1,000 yard mark for the fourth consecutive season.

RB Ken Darby, Rush: 3 - 20 - 0, Rec: 2 - 9 - 0 (2 targets) - In very limited duty, Darby rushed for 20 yards on three carries and caught two passes for nine.

RB Antonio Pittman, Rush: 2 - 12 - 0 (1 targets) - Antonio Pittman was fined $25,000 and benched for last Sunday's game against the 49ers because he skipped the Saturday walk through. While he managed to get out of the dog house he was kept on a short leash. In limited duty Pittman only carried twice for 12 yards and also dropped a third down pass that would have give St. Louis a first down.

RB Travis Minor, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0 - Minor's only carry came in the third quarter when the Rams ran a fake punt on fourth down. He took a direct snap, found a small hole on the left side and gained just enough for the first down.

WR Torry Holt, Rec: 6 - 90 - 0 (10 targets) - The veteran led all St. Louis receivers with six grabs for 90 yards and has now caught at least one pass in 153 consecutive games. While it is widely speculated that Holt will not return next season, he and Bulger still work well together. There were plays when the ball was being thrown two or three steps before Holt made his cut. One of those passes resulted in a 39 yard gain to Falcons three yard line which set up the tying touchdown.

WR Donnie Avery, Rec: 5 - 40 - 1 (9 targets) - Avery caught five passes for 40 yards including a TD pass on a deep post. The speedster also got behind a defender in the second quarter but the ball was slightly under thrown.

Avery finished the season with 52 receptions, two short of the Rams' rookie record of 54 set by Eddie Kennison in 1996. The first receiver taken in the 2008 draft, Avery was third among rookie receivers with 634 receiving yards coming into this game.

WR Keenan Burton, Rush: 1 - 5 - 0, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) - While the Rams are reportedly still high on Burton, he only caught one pass in the third quarter.

WR Dane Looker (1 targets) - Looker was thrown to with the second last pass of the game but it fell incomplete.

TE Joe Klopfenstein, Rec: 1 - 29 - 0 (1 targets) - His only target came on the last drive in the fourth quarter. Klopfenstein caught the safety cheating up to stop the run and made the catch down the middle of the field.

PK Josh Brown 2 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points - Brown made both field goals, one from 31 and one from 27 yards, and was perfect on all three PATs.

STL Rush Defense - The Falcons rushed for 263 yards, but 70 came on one play which ended when Ron Bartell forced a fumble and a turnover. Michael Turner ran for 208 and an 8.3 yard per carry average while Jerious Norwood carried just three times, scored two touchdowns, and gained 56 yards.

Before this game, the Rams rush defense was ranked 28th and gave up an average of 147 yards per game.

STL Pass Defense - Jason Craft and Jonathan Wade each intercepted Matt Ryan while DE James Hall beat Sam Baker to register the Rams' only sack of the game.

The Rams ranked 23rd coming into this game, surrendering an average of 221 passing yards per contest.

QB Matt Ryan, Pass: 10 - 21 - 160 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 4 - -1 - 0 - While Ryan will get many votes for rookie of the year his QB rating of 49.8 in this game was disappointing. Two uncharacteristically bad throws resulted in interceptions and he only completed 10 of 21 passes for 160 yards. While Turner and Norwood rushed for 263 yards, and three touchdowns, all Ryan really had to do was hand the ball off all afternoon.

RB Michael Turner, Rush: 25 - 208 - 1 - Turner scored his 17th touchdown of the season, a new Falcon record. He also gained an astounding 208 yards on 25 carries, an 8.3 yard per carry average, but he was still in the running for goat of the game until the last minute of play. With the score tied at 24 in the fourth quarter Turner broke lose on a 70 yard run. Ron Bartell caught him at the four yard line, however, and forced a fumble which bounced into the end zone for a touchback. It St. Louis had managed to win the game, Turner's fumble could have been the turning point.

RB Jerious Norwood, Rush: 3 - 56 - 2, Rec: 1 - 22 - 0 (2 targets) - Norwood did not touch the ball often but he seemed to bring the crowd to its feet every time he did. After the Rams took the lead with 32 seconds in the first half, Norwood returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards to the St. Louis eight yard line. Two plays later Norwood took the direct center snap -- some call it the new wild cat formation but it's really the old single wing -- and dashed around left end for a touchdown. With 3:42 left in the game Norwood sprinted 45 yards for the go ahead touchdown and game winner.

WR Michael Jenkins, Rec: 4 - 72 - 0 (7 targets) - Jenkins led all Atlanta receivers with four balls for 72 yards. He did not score but his longest completion went for 41 yards.

WR Roddy White, Rec: 3 - 48 - 1 (8 targets) - Safe to say that White's days of flying under the fantasy radar are over. He caught three passes for 48 yards which broke the franchise record of 1,358 yards set by Alfred Jenkins in the 1981 season. White also caught a nice 18 yard touchdown pass in the third quarter when Ryan caught the St. Louis defense in single coverage.

WR Brian Finneran, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (1 targets) - The popular veteran was not a factor as he caught just one pass for 12 yards and made one fair catch on a punt.

WR Harry Douglas, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (2 targets) - The rookie who made Joe Horn expendable caught one pass for six yards. His other target was a poorly thrown pass which sailed high and behind him. He reached back, tipped the ball up in the air, and the Rams' Jason Craft intercepted the ball.

TE Justin Peelle (1 targets) - Peele was not a factor in this game.

PK Jason Elam 1 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 7 points - The veteran was good on his only field goal try from 39 yards and hit all four extra points.

ATL Rush Defense - Steven Jackson averaged 5.4 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns. He ran around over and through the Falcons defensive front, but they were able do just enough to win the game. Michael Boley led Atlanta with 12 tackles

ATL Pass Defense - Kroy Biermann, filling in for John Abraham, recorded one sack, as did and Chauncey Davis and South Florida grad Steven Nicholas. Domonique Foxworth, Chris Houston, and Curtis Lofton each defended two passes, but Bulger still threw for 230 yards and a touchdown.

Coming into this final game, Abraham had already set the franchise record for sacks in a season with 16.5, but sat out the second half with a groin injury.

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