Brady, Patriots clinch AFC East in impressive fashion

Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes, three to Randy Moss, and the young defense put together its third straight solid game, clinching the AFC East with a 35-7 win over the Jaguars, whose slim postseason chances grew dimmer.

For the Patriots (10-5), it was another encouraging outing in what had been an inconsistent season. They took the division after missing the playoffs last season for the first time since 2002 despite an 11-5 record. And they did it in a one-sided manner, just like most of their games in the 2007 season when they lost the Super Bowl to the New York Giants 17-14 on a last-minute touchdown.

Jacksonville dropped its third straight game and fourth in its last five after going 6-4. New England won its third straight -- outscoring the opposition 72-27 -- after losing three of four.

Cowboys 17, Redskins 0

The Dallas Cowboys returned to the playoffs Sunday night, dominating their 100th meeting with the Washington Redskins and setting up an NFC East title showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Tony Romo threw for 286 yards, Jason Witten had a career-long 69-yard reception to set up a score, and the defense pitched the rivalry's first shutout in six years.

Bengals 17, Chiefs 10

Carson Palmer's touchdown pass to Chad Ochocinco completed a 98-yard drive in the closing minutes, sending Cincinnati to the AFC North championship at the end of a rough week.

The Bengals (10-5) moved into the playoffs for only the second time in the past 19 years.

Packers 48, Seahawks 10

The Packers are going back to the playoffs, forcing four interceptions by Matt Hasselbeck, then getting a big boost from the Carolina Panthers.

Sunday's victory, combined with the New York Giants' blowout loss to Carolina, put the Packers (10-5) back in the postseason after going 6-10 last season and getting off to a disappointing 4-4 start this year.

Panthers 41, Giants 9

Matt Moore threw three touchdown passes, Jonathan Stewart rushed for a career-best 206 yards and the Panthers (7-8) shredded the Giants' (8-7) defense with scores on six of their first seven possessions before a disgusted final sellout crowd Sunday at Giants Stadium.

Eagles 30, Broncos 27

David Akers kicked a 28-yard field goal with 4 seconds remaining, lifting the Eagles.

Kyle Orton rallied the Broncos from a 27-10 deficit in the third quarter, but Donovan McNabb led the Eagles on a winning drive in the final minutes.

Steelers 23, Ravens 20

Jeff Reed's 38-yard field goal put Pittsburgh ahead with 5:25 remaining and the Steelers finally managed to hold a fourth-quarter lead to remain in playoff contention and further jumble the AFC postseason race.

The Steelers (8-7), their season seemingly ended by a late-season five-game losing streak, won their second in a row. They go into the final weekend with a chance to sneak into the playoffs if they win at Miami and get some help.

Buccaneers 20, Saints 17

Carnell Williams had 129 yards rushing and Connor Barth kicked a 47-yard field goal in overtime, lifting the Buccaneers to a stunning victory that prevented New Orleans from securing home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

New Orleans was heavily favored, but instead dropped a second straight game at home after opening the season 13-0.

Texans 27, Dolphins 20

Houston raced to an early 27-point lead Sunday, then held on to remain in the AFC playoff scramble.

The Texans (8-7) scored on their first five possessions and won despite being outscored 20-0 in the final 31 minutes. Houston kept alive its slim hopes of making the playoffs for the first time, while defending AFC East champion Miami (7-8) was all but eliminated.

49ers 20, Lions 6

Frank Gore scored on a 1-yard run and topped the 1,000-yard mark for the fourth straight year. Alex Smith threw a touchdown pass to Vernon Davis and the Niners (7-8) forced six turnovers to close out the home season with a victory.

San Francisco was eliminated from playoff contention with a loss last week at Philadelphia, but still can end its string of six losing seasons by winning at St. Louis.

Falcons 31, Bills 3

Matt Ryan threw three touchdown passes, including a 42-yarder to Roddy White on Atlanta's first play from scrimmage. The victory left the Falcons (8-7) in position to post back-to-back winning records for the first time in franchise history. The Falcons, in their 44th season and eliminated from the playoff chase last week, close at Tampa Bay.

Buffalo's Terrell Owens became the sixth player in NFL history with 1,000 career receptions. He reached the milestone with an 8-yard pass from Brian Brohm in the second quarter.

Browns 23, Raiders 9

Jerome Harrison had 148 yards rushing and the Browns won their third straight, extending a surprising streak that Eric Mangini can use to strengthen his case to Mike Holmgren that he deserves to remain Cleveland's coach.

The Browns have shown improvement. They've cut down on turnovers, penalties, showed imagination on offense and had backups emerge as playmakers -- none more so than Harrison, who followed a 286-yard game last week by scoring the second time he touched the ball and setting a team record with 39 carries.

-- Associated Press