Barber runs through Chiefs defense in Giants win

Tiki Barber had enough in his veteran legs to pull the New York Giants to the brink of a division title.

Barber ran for a team-record 220 yards and scored two touchdowns, helping the Giants beat up-and-coming runner Larry Johnson and the visiting Kansas City Chiefs 27-17 Saturday.

If the Giants (10-4) beat Washington next week, they will clinch the NFC East.

Despite a banged up offensive line, Barber slithered through the Chiefs defense, breaking one tackle after another to eclipse the old single-game rushing mark of 218, set by Gene Roberts against the Chicago Cardinals in 1950.

Kansas City (8-6), meanwhile, saw its wild-card chances diminish with the loss.

Johnson tried to keep the Chiefs in the game, finishing with 167 yards and two touchdowns. He and Barber extended their 100-yard-game streaks -- Johnson to a club-record seven and Barber to five. Barber now has 1,577 yards on the season, surpassing his own single-season rushing mark of 1,518 set last year.

While both backs rightly shared the spotlight, it was shoddy tackling that doomed the Chiefs. Barber broke at least five tackles on his 41-yard touchdown run down the left sideline in the second quarter, and safety Sammy Knight failed to take down Amani Toomer on the receiver's 31-yard TD reception from Eli Manning in the fourth quarter.

Knight appeared to have Toomer wrapped up for a minimal gain, but Toomer bulled past Knight and sprinted into the end zone for a 20-10 lead. The Chiefs unsuccessfully challenged the play, saying Toomer's knee touched the ground when he was hit by Knight. Replays showed that Toomer's knee appeared to be about an inch or two off the ground.

The Giants, meanwhile, stopped Johnson three times from inside the 3-yard line late in the first half, forcing Kansas City to settle for a 19-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes. The series loomed large late in the game when Johnson on a 1-yard run with 8:29 left to pull the Chiefs to 20-17.

Barber then carried seven times for 46 yards on the Giants' next drive and ran off-tackle for 20 yards and a touchdown to give New York a 27-17 lead with 2:48 left.

Patriots 28, Buccaneers 0

Two-time defending NFL champion New England knocked aside one of its biggest challenges of the season, clinching the AFC East title at 9-5.

Quarterback Tom Brady threw three scoring passes in his 85th consecutive start despite being listed as questionable for the game with a left shin injury. New England's defense sacked Chris Simms seven times and held the Bucs to 138 yards, its third straight opponent with less than 200.

-- The Associated Press