NFL ROUNDUP | NEWS AND NOTES

Falcons: One week ago, Jim Mora said a loss to Chicago might eliminate Atlanta from the NFC playoff race. Sunday night's 16-3 defeat actually cost the Falcons a chance to boost their playoff hopes. With two games left, the Falcons are in a pack of four 8-6 teams fighting for the final NFC wild-card spot. Tampa Bay, Minnesota and Dallas also lost over the weekend, providing an opening the Falcons couldn't seize. Tampa Bay (9-5), which hosts Atlanta on Saturday, is the current leader for one of the two wild-card spots. Washington, Dallas, Atlanta and Minnesota are all one game behind the Buccaneers. Atlanta would win a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Vikings, but each of the other wild-card contenders have better conference records than Atlanta's 5-5 mark. There are more numbers working against the fading Falcons, who have lost four of six games. The Falcons' wins are against teams with a combined 35-63 record. They have only one win against a team which now has a winning record: Minnesota. The Falcons' final two games are against teams with winning records -- Tampa Bay and NFC South leader Carolina (10-4). "We are trying to get two wins and hope things break right for us so we get a chance to continue on in the postseason," Mora said Monday.
Dolphins: Just like last year, the Miami Dolphins will play their final regular-season games knowing the postseason is beyond their reach. The similarities between 2004 and 2005 pretty much end right there. Not even a year has passed since the debacle of '04 ended with Miami possessing a 4-12 record, the most disappointing season in team history. But now, even with a mediocre 7-7 mark, the Dolphins are a revitalized and resurgent bunch, with a four-game winning streak that's tied with Cincinnati for the AFC's longest. "I think the difference is believing in the system and we are on a little bit of a roll now, so we have some confidence," said defensive end Jason Taylor. "Guys are trusting one another, and when you get that on a team, and when you expect to win and you finish games in the fourth quarter you are going to be successful." It's the first time in nearly three seasons that Miami has peeled off four straight victories, and it's clear the Dolphins fully believe in the systems Nick Saban's installed in his first year as coach -- even if those new schemes didn't bring an immediate return to the playoff mix. "Everybody's going to talk about the playoffs," Saban said Monday. "Well, we want to build a team that is capable of getting in the playoffs, and plays with consistency, that can play that kind of winning football that'll give us the best opportunity of where we want to go as an organization."
Eagles: Brian Dawkins is one of the few current Eagles who remembers their last losing record back in 1999, when not making the playoffs was more routine than a cause for panic. With their playoff chances this year long gone, Philadelphia still has something to play for: keeping that '99 team as the last one with a losing record. "That's going to be huge, it really is," Dawkins said. "In the midst of everything that happened, that we still finish not with a losing record." The Eagles (6-8) will have to win their next two games to finish 8-8, starting Saturday at Arizona. Then Philadelphia finishes Jan. 1 at home against Washington. "I have to make sure they understand we can still win these games in the midst of any or all turmoil," Dawkins said.
Jaguars: Receiver Reggie Williams was quieter than ever the last seven games. No shimmies. No struts. No screams. It was highly unusual for Williams, a first-round draft pick in 2004 who plays with unbridled emotion -- dancing and yelling after every catch and even after some blocks. But Williams returned to form Sunday, whooping and hollering after each of his four receptions for a career-high 65 yards in Jacksonville's 10-9 victory over San Francisco. "It just feels good being me," Williams said. Williams hasn't felt that way in a while, ever since sustaining a concussion Oct. 30 at St. Louis. He didn't miss any games, but he certainly wasn't the same, either. He caught just three passes for 34 yards in the previous seven games and fell behind Ernest Wilford and Matt Jones on the depth chart. But coach Jack Del Rio said Williams needed the time to fully recover. "I think the last two or three weeks his head has cleared up," said Del Rio, whose Jaguars (10-4) need one win to make the playoffs for the first time since 1999. "He was having issues where he would have light sensitivity and things. That's all cleared up. He's working hard and I continue to believe he's going to be a good player for us."
Vikings: A rash of ankle injuries has depleted the offensive line. Coach Mike Tice said Monday right tackle Marcus Johnson and center Melvin Fowler could miss Sunday's game against Baltimore after being hurt against the Steelers. Johnson was taken for an MRI on Monday on his high ankle sprain, while Fowler walked around the team's training facility with a boot on his left leg. Tight end Jermaine Wiggins also injured his left ankle and wore a boot Monday. Tice said Johnson's injury appears to be the worst of the three and also called Fowler "iffy" for the Baltimore game.
Associated Press
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