NFL ROUNDUP Panthers waltz into NFC wild-card spot

Doug Flutie had the NFL's first successful drop kick in 64 years.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA -- With a trip to the playoffs on the line, the Carolina Panthers didn't make the same mistake again.
DeShaun Foster rushed for 165 yards and Jake Delhomme threw for two touchdowns to lead the Panthers to a 44-11 rout of the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Carolina (11-5) clinched one of the two NFC playoff spots still available, settling for a wild card when Tampa Bay clinched the South title with a win over New Orleans. Carolina will play at the New York Giants next week.
The Panthers didn't have to work very hard against Atlanta, which completed its second-half collapse and extended one of the most inglorious streaks in pro sports.
With only two victories in their final eight games, the Falcons (8-8) not only missed the playoffs after going to the NFC championship game last season -- they also kept alive the franchise's failure to post back-to-back winning seasons throughout its 40-year history.
Atlanta trailed 27-3 at halftime and most home fans were gone by the start of the final quarter.
Carolina, which reached the Super Bowl two seasons ago, got off a 1-7 start last year, came back, but was eliminated with a 21-18 home loss to the Saints.
No such worries against the banged-up, listless Falcons, who were knocked out of the playoffs the previous week with an overtime loss at Tampa Bay.
Bucs 27, Saints 13
TAMPA, Fla. -- Joey Galloway caught two touchdown passes from Chris Simms as the Bucs clinched their first NFC South title in three years and guaranteed themselves a home playoff game.
Tampa Bay (11-5) was assured a playoff berth when the New York Giants beat the Oakland Raiders on Saturday night, but needed to beat the Saints (3-13) to finish a worst-to-first turnaround few people envisioned when the season began.
The Bucs lost 20 of 32 games and missed the playoffs the past two seasons, becoming the first team in NFL history to win the Super Bowl and then post losing records the following two years. Tampa Bay will host either Washington or Dallas next week.
Galloway has been a big part of the transformation, rebounding from injuries that sidelined him part of 2004 with 83 receptions for 1,287 yards.
Colts 17, Cardinals 13
INDIANAPOLIS -- Tony Dungy grabbed the game ball in his right hand, raised it and pumped it toward the crowd in relief. It was a rare emotional outburst for the usually stoic Colts coach.
The Colts' defense had a late goal line stand after Jim Sorgi threw two touchdown passes to give Dungy a victory three days after he returned to the team following his oldest son's funeral in Tampa.
Indianapolis (14-2) set a single-season franchise record for victories by avoiding its first three-game losing streak since midway through the 2002 season. Dungy earned his 107th career victory -- and perhaps his most emotional and the Cardinals finished 5-11.
Before the game, the Colts had a moment of silence in honor of 18-year-old James Dungy, who was found unresponsive Dec. 22 in his Tampa-area apartment. The Colts coach spent pregame warmups shaking hands and walking around the field with his other teenage son, Eric.
When Dungy walked onto the field before introductions, he received a standing ovation and waved to the crowd.
Dolphins 28, Patriots 26
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Miami (9-7) won its sixth straight game, its longest winning streak in 13 seasons over a Patriots team which will host Jacksonville in a wild-card game next weekend.
The Patriots staged a late comeback in which Doug Flutie converted the NFL's first successful drop kick in 64 years, according to the Web site for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Then backup quarterback Matt Cassel cut the lead to 28-26 with a 4-yard pass to Benjamin Watson with no time left. But Cassel's pass for a 2-point conversion fell incomplete.
The 43-year-old Flutie made the NFL's first successful drop kick since Ray McLean for the Chicago Bears on Dec. 21, 1941.
Jets 30, Bills 26
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Justin Miller returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown with 5:58 remaining, and Ty Law had three interceptions.
After Buffalo went ahead on Rian Lindell's 36-yard field goal, Miller took the ensuing kickoff and tiptoed down the sideline, finally providing the special teams score the Jets (4-12) lacked all season. Buffalo (5-11) had one final shot with 47 seconds left, but Law intercepted Kelly Holcomb's deep heave.
Redskins 31, Eagles 20
PHILADELPHIA -- Joe Gibbs and the Washington Redskins are back in the playoffs. Clinton Portis ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns as Washington (10-6) clinched the NFL's final playoff spot and its first postseason berth since 1999 with its fifth straight win.
The victory also eliminated Dallas from contention. The Redskins play Tampa Bay (11-5) in an NFC wild-card game next Saturday in their first playoff game since losing 14-13 to the Buccaneers in a second-round matchup six years ago. Mike McMahon threw two touchdown passes to Reggie Brown as Philadelphia (6-10) completed its first losing season since '99 after reaching the Super Bowl last February.
Vikings 34, Bears 10
MINNEAPOLIS -- Mike Tice left the Metrodome a winner, then lost his job when he was fired as Vikings coach.
Brad Johnson passed for 247 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Vikings past the NFC North champion Bears, who sat many regulars. Minnesota (9-7) finished with a winning record, but it was not enough to save Tice after another up-and-down season marred by a scandalous boat party during the team's bye week.
Thomas Jones ran 12 times for 62 yards in the first half to finish with 1,335 yards for Chicago (11-5), which used a dominant defense and an eight-game winning streak to take control of the division. Jones' rushing total was the highest for a Bears player other than Walter Payton and the most since Payton's 1,551 yards in 1985.
Jaguars 40, Titans 13
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville avoided another slow start and gained some much-needed momentum for the postseason. The Jaguars did it in surprising fashion, too, not needing a comeback thanks to the early work of David Garrard.
The Jaguars scored 27 points in the first half for their eighth win in the last nine games. Although all eight victories came against teams with losing records, this one felt much different than others in recent weeks.
After trailing in the second half in each of the last four games, Jacksonville (12-4) scored touchdowns on its first two possessions, took advantage of two turnovers and essentially sealed the victory on Derrick Wimbush's 6-yard TD run with 4:11 remaining in the second quarter.
The Jaguars already had clinched the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs and learned early in the game they will play at two-time defending champion New England (10-6) on Saturday night.