nfl playoffs Lions are in; Eagles aren’t

By BARRY WILNER

AP Pro Football Writer

The Lions are in; the Eagles are out. Atlanta is closing in on a playoff berth, as is Cincinnati, while the Bears, Jets and Raiders need some help.

All part of a wild closing act to the NFL season.

With one game remaining before teams hunker down for their finales (Atlanta at New Orleans tonight), the most notable news was made by Detroit.

The last time the Lions were a force, Barry Sanders was in their backfield. Sanders retired after the 1998 season, and Detroit made the postseason the next year then plummeted to the bottom of the league.

In 2008, the Lions posted the only 0-16 record in NFL history.

Now, they’re in the chase for the championship. Their 38-10 rout of San Diego secured an NFC wild card.

“Once you get to the playoffs, it’s anybody’s ballgame,” defensive end Cliff Avril said.

“The city of Detroit needs it. They’ve been waiting on us to win for a while. It’s such a football town and we haven’t been winning, so it’s huge.”

At 10-5, the Lions join North champion Green Bay, West winner San Francisco and South leader New Orleans in the postseason parade.

Either Dallas or the New York Giants also will get there — they meet Sunday night at the Meadowlands in a winner-take-all matchup.

So if the Cowboys and Giants, both 8-7, are battling for the NFC East crown, where does that leave the Eagles, the most disappointing team in the league?

Dreaming of the playoffs.

The team that “won” free agency after the NFL lockout by signing such prizes as cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, defensive end Jason Babin and receiver Steve Smith needs to beat Washington on Sunday to finish at .500. Not much return on the dollar for Philly.

Finishing strong but going to the playoffs: New England, which won its seventh in a row by rallying from a 17-0 hole to beat Miami 27-24. It was the 10th time this season a team has come back from at least 17 points to win, the most in a single NFL season.

The AFC East champion Patriots (12-3) would get home-field advantage for the playoffs by beating Buffalo.

Green Bay (14-1) defeated Chicago on Sunday for the home-field edge in the NFC.

As for the AFC’s final spot, the Bengals (9-6) are in control. But if they lose to Baltimore (11-4), which needs a victory to clinch the AFC North over Pittsburgh (also 11-4), it brings three other teams into play for the final AFC berth: Tennessee, Oakland and the New York Jets.