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NFL Betting for Vikings @ Saints

Sunday, January 24, 6:40 p.m. ET
Sportsbook favorite: Saints -3.5

We’ll take a look at the NFL betting selections on this weekend’s conference championship games today starting with the NFC Championship. Look for the AFC Championship game analysis and selection later this evening. This game features Drew Brees and the high powered New Orleans Saints’ offense against “The Ol’ Gunslinger” himself, Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings for the right to go to Super Bowl 44 in Miami, Florida.

Historically, the conference championship games have shown a bias toward favorites. Favorites are 50-27 SU in these games with a 43-22-3 ATS mark. Favorites of 3′ to 6 points are only 12-12-2 ATS. The last two NFC Championship games have been won outright by the underdog. The Minnesota Vikings will be looking to make it three straight wins by the underdog in this game:

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There’s no shortage of divergent opinions on Brett Favre. Some people buy in to his ‘aw shucks’ routine, others see him as a self serving diva. Regardless of where you stand on Favre personally you’ve got to hand it to the guy–he’s done a hell of a job with Minnesota this year. Farve is not only playing well, he’s playing smart and minimizing a lot of the mistakes and interceptions that plagued him last year in New York. He’s got the best QB rating in the NFL, and as far as the overall package may have turned in his best season as a pro this year. You know he’s not going to be intimidated going into the Saints yard and that he won’t be overwhelmed by the pressure of the big game.

Drew Brees is certainly no slouch either, but the problem here isn’t on the offensive side of the ball. The Vikings are the #19 ranked passing defense, while New Orleans is #26. The Vikings have the #2 rushing defense in the league, while the Saints are 21st. Total defense is where the disparity is most evident–the Vikings rank 6th in the NFL while the Saints are 25th. In scoring defense the Saints are 25th while the Vikings are 10th.

Minnesota Vikings @ New Orleans Saints free NFL Betting Picks

Offensively, these teams are evenly matched but statistically there’s a clear edge to the Vikings. The Saints are most successful when teams make the mistake of trying to ‘trade points’ with them but are much less so when they face a team with an aggressive defense who can make plays on offense. It’s the basic blueprint the Dallas Cowboys used to end New Orleans’ undefeated run to start the season. Look for similar effort from the Vikings this week as Favre and company win outright and set up at least one half of the NFL’s dream Super Bowl as ‘The Gunslinger’ makes his last stand.

Check out NFL Betting Picks for Vikings and Saints

The 2010 AFC Wildcard on Saturday January 9th features the New York Jets vs. the Cincinnati Bengals in a repeat matchup of week 17. Currently the football betting odds makers have the Bengals favored by 2.5 with a posted total of 34. They will need their quarterback Carson Palmer to throw better then the 1 for 11 passes completed in last Sunday’s matchup. You can bet the 2010 NFL AFC Wild Card game between the New York Jets vs. the Cincinnati Bengals at Sportsbetting.com and receive 110% Signup Bonus.

The Jets finished the season with a 9-7 record and winning four of their last five games. They averaged 172.2 rushing yards per game which ranks first in the league, however only averaged 148.8 passing yards per for 31st in the league. Look for the Jets coach Rex Ryan to keep the running game going. Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez will need step up and make some key passes if the Jets want to pull of the win this Saturday. If you are looking for Jets vs. Bengals 2010 NFL AFC Wild Card football betting Playoff Picks I would take this game to go under the posted total of 34 points.

The Bengals finished the season with a 10-6 record and winning only two of their last five games. They averaged 128.5 rushing yards per game which ranks them ninth in the league and 180.6 passing yards per game ranking them 26th. Look for running back Cedric Benson to return this Saturday after having last Sunday off. You can expect this to be a very exciting NFL Wild Card game between two solid teams.

Check out 2010 AFC Wild Card Playoff Football Betting Picks for New York Jets vs. Cincinnati Bengals to gain insight of who will win Saturday.

The college football betting season is at an end as the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide take on the No. 2 Texas Longhorns for BCS supremacy on Thursday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

Sportsbook Online have Alabama favored by 3.5-points and the Total is set at 46.

The Crimson Tide captured the SEC title when they defeated the Florida Gators 32-13 in the conference championship game while the Texas Longhorns barely held on to defeat the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Big 12 championship, winning 13-12.

Texas and ‘Bama both own 13-0 records straight up but ‘the Tide are 8-5 against the spread while the Longhorns are 5-7-1 ATS.

Dating back to 1997, Texas has not been a profitable play for bettors in January bowl games, going 3-4 against the spread (5-2 straight up).

In the Longhorns last 20 games, they are only 8-11-1 ATS enroute to a 19-1 straight up record.

How about ‘Bama? The Crimson Tide are 6-1 SU in their last seven games when favored by 4-points or less, going 4-2-1 ATS at the same time.

In Texas’ last 10 games when an underdog of 4-points or less, they are 7-3 SU and a very impressive 7-2-1 ATS.

Sportsbook Online SPORTSBETTING.com  is reporting reasonably balanced action, with 58% of all the volume on this game on Alabama.

The national championship will also see two Heisman Trophy candidates showcased with 2009 winner and Alabama RB Mark Ingram and Texas Longhorns QB and 2009 candidate Colt McCoy.

Both are prominently displayed in BCS championship game-related proposition betting.

The Over/Under on McCoy’s “Total Pass Attempts” is 36.5, the O/U for his “Total TD Passes” is 2.5 and the Total for his rushing yards is 30.5.

If McCoy scores a rushing TD, it will pay out at +160 and if he doesn’t it will pay at -200.

Will Ingram score a TD in the first half? -155 for Yes and +125 for No.

Like McCoy, the 2009 Heisman winner is also is featured in a number of Over/Under bets as well.

The Over/Under for the number of Ingram’s rushing yards is 99.5 and the O/U for his rushing attempts is 19.5.

Alabama star LB Rolando McClain was suffering from a stomach virus but according to Tide head coach Nick Saban, the Butkus Award winner should be ready to go for the title game.

“He did not do much in practice [Tuesday], and I think he's better today, and he's practiced all year, and I don't think he's missed a practice in the three years that he's been here,” Saban told the USA Today.

“But I think he's capable of recovering and being able to play in the game if he's medically cleared to play in the game.”

If he does take the field, the Over/Under on McClain’s total and assisted tackles is 8.5.

All good things must come to an end and that includes the college football season.

It’s been a good season and it should end NCAA Football betting with Texas and Alabama.

Enjoy the game.

Texas vs. Alabama BCS National Championship Game Odds and Picks at Football Betting Section.

And let the complaining by TCU and Cincinnati – even Boise State – begin.

The Crimson Tide romped past Florida 32-13 and into the BCS title game on championship Saturday. The Longhorns locked up their spot with a last-second, tougher-than-expected 13-12 victory against Nebraska that left plenty of opportunity for debate about which is the second-best team in the country.

The regular season ends with five unbeatens in major college football, but only two can play for the national championship.

No one will argue about Alabama (13-0) playing in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 7. Some might take issue with Texas getting the nod over the Horned Frogs, Bearcats and Broncos.

The Crimson Tide booked its spot in the BCS national title game and all but eliminated any possibility of a rematch with Florida at the Rose Bowl in January.

Now all the Crimson Tide need is an opponent.

For that, all eyes turn to Texas.

Mark Ingram, Greg McElroy and the second-ranked Tide earned their first trip to the BCS final with a 32-13 victory against No. 1 Florida in SEC championship Saturday.Texas vs. Alabama Odds and Predictions at football betting section.

Alabama will play No. 3 Texas in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 7 if the Longhorns beat No. 21 Nebraska in the Big 12 title game late Saturday. If Texas loses, either TCU or Cincinnati is likely to face the Tide at the Rose Bowl.

Tim Tebow's last game for the Gators figures to be the Sugar Bowl, the traditional destination for the SEC champion.

But Alabama will take its 22nd SEC title to the West Coast. As the Tide players cleared out of their locker room at the Georgia Dome, a few like Julio Jones and Trent Richardson posed for pictures with the long-stemmed red roses that were handed out during the postgame party.

"We're happy about this championship right now but we still want to accomplish bigger things," Ingram said.

Earlier in the day, No. 5 Cincinnati kept its national championship hopes alive – at least for a few more hours.

The Bearcats (12-0) pulled off a stunning rally to beat Pittsburgh 45-44 and lock up the Big East title and a spot in the Bowl Championship Series.

At worst, Cincinnati and coach Brian Kelly can expect an invite to the Orange or Sugar Bowl. And if Colt McCoy and Texas were to stumble against the Cornhuskers, the Bearcats could vault into the national championship game.

Not long after the Bearcats wrapped up a thriller in the snow at Pittsburgh, the Gators and Crimson Tide kicked off the marquee game of the day in the Georgia Dome.

The Southeastern Conference championship, for the second year in a row, was a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown between Alabama and Florida.

Last year, Florida beat the Tide on the way to a national title. This year the Tide rolled, pulling away in the second half and dominating the Gators on both sides of the ball.

"Ever since last year, everything we did was to beat Florida," Ingram said. "Everything we did was to be better than Florida."

When it was over Tide fans chanted, the players bounced and Ingram and his teammates flaunted some conference pride, raising high the round SEC signs that had been scattered around the sidelines.

For the fourth straight season, the SEC will have a team in the national title game. The league has won the last three championships. The Tide will try to make it four straight, maybe in a second consecutive SEC-Big 12 championship matchup.

The real intrigue was at the Big 12 title game in Arlington, Texas. A Nebraska upset – Texas was a two-touchdown favorite – would make for a rare suspenseful selection Sunday for the BCS.

Would idle and No. 4 TCU (12-0), already a lock to be this season's BCS buster, become the first team from a non-automatic qualifying conference to reach the national title game?

The Bearcats' victory was bad news for the Horned Frogs, who could be in danger of being leapfrogged by Cincinnati when the final BCS standings come out Sunday.

TCU held a slim margin over Cincinnati in last week's BCS standings at football betting section..

"I think we got enough on our resume to play for the national title," Cincinnati receiver Mardy Gilyard said. "We just have one little wrinkle to iron out, and that's Nebraska taking care of Texas, we can argue the fact about strength of schedule with TCU, but it's up to the voters and the computers now."

Cincinnati made a spectacular – though far from flawless – case to play for a national title by coming from three touchdowns down to beat the Panthers, who were looking for their second BCS bid but will now have to settle for a spot in the Meineke Bowl.

Beating a ranked team on the road will do wonders for Cincinnati's computer rating, which was already higher than TCU. But will it sway enough voters in the Harris and coaches' polls?

There was a chance a Texas loss could have set up a rematch of the SEC title game for the national championship, if the Gators and Tide had played a close game.

Instead, Florida didn't score in the second half and Ingram put up three touchdowns to bolster his Heisman campaign.

While the Bearcats and Horned Frogs were rooting against Texas, Boise State needed to root for the Longhorns.

The Broncos, who beat New Mexico State 42-7 to complete an undefeated season, could get shut out of the BCS altogether if Nebraska plays its way in and Texas gets nudged into the at-large pool for the Orange, Fiesta and Sugar bowls.

The Rose Bowl game is already set, with Ohio State to play Oregon.

The winner of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game Saturday night between Georgia Tech and Clemson earns a spot in the Orange Bowl.

NCAA Football Championship Game 2010 Odds and Predictions at Football Betting Section.

Run the ball and play good defense. That is what wins in the violent game known as football. And the team that is most capable of accomplishing those seemingly basic goals will be the team that walks out of Pasadena with the BCS National Championship.

No. 1 Alabama (13-0) will face No. 2 Texas (13-0) at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 7 in the BCS National Championship Game. The Crimson Tide are a small -4.0 favorite and the total in this game is set at 44.5. The contest will be played in the Rose Bowl and will pit two of the most venerable programs in the country against one another.

This game will also feature two of the most powerful running games in the country against two of the best rushing defenses in all the land. And in my opinion the team that is able to control the line of scrimmage and muster more yards on the ground will be the club showering in confetti when the night is finished.

That was certainly the case last year when the rivals of these two clubs – Florida from the SEC and Oklahoma from the Big 12 – waged war in the title game. Florida was able to knock the Sooners around and completely contain the high-powered, but soft, passing attack of Oklahoma. Texas is cut from a similar cloth

Both of these teams were just a single game away from playing for the title last year. Texas was omitted from the Big 12 title game due to a controversial tiebreaker rule. Alabama lost a tight game against Florida in the SEC title game.

Here are the 2010 BCS Championship Game Odds and Predictions at Football Betting Section

But a year later the foundations of each team are intact and the players will get their chance at long-lasting glory. Here is a more in-depth look at the final college football game of the season:

Motivation

It’s the national championship game. I’d say that both teams are motivated. As if two rabid fan bases, sidelines full of all-time greats, and the media spotlight of the sporting world don’t add any pressure.

Matchups

There are several key matchups in this game that should make for great viewing. Obviously the Texas defense – ranked No. 1 in the nation against the rush – will be licking its chops for a crack at the newly minted Heisman Trophy winner, Mark Ingram. On the flip side,  Alabama’s No. 2 ranked total defense has to be hyped up for a crack at two-time Heisman finalist Colt McCoy and the Longhorns passing game.

Terrence “Mount” Cody anchors Alabama’s defense. The massive defensive tackle is the fulcrum for the best defense in the nation over the past two years and he is just one of several All-American hitters that the Crimson Tide rely on. Alabama finished No. 8 against the pass, No. 2 against the run, and No. 1 in points allowed this year so they are a defense that has no weakness. Only three teams – Virginia Tech, Kentucky and Auburn – managed more than 15 points against the Crimson Tide this season.

But Texas will hit just as hard as the Tide. At least on the defensive side of the ball. The Longhorns are No. 3 in total defense and No. 1 in rushing defense, which proves that they can knock heads with the best of them. They have yielded just 15 points per game this year in the high-scoring Big 12 and since Texas Tech hit them for 24 back in mid-September only two teams topped two touchdowns against this crew.

As I suggested in the open, the team that is able to run the ball most effectively is going to win this game. And if you believe that neither team is going to have much luck the Longhorns have a clear, indomitable advantage at the quarterback position with McCoy, who has nearly four times the starting experience as his counterpart, Greg McElroy.

Line Value and 2010 BCS National Championship Odds at Football Betting section.

This line has seen little variance from its open of -4.5. Alabama is the favorite more out of respect for the SEC and the fact that the Crimson Tide were more impressive while beating last year’s national champ, Florida, in their conference championship game than Texas was in beating Nebraska to advance to this point.

However, the No. 2 team has actually won four straight championship games and has taken the title in six of the last seven BCS National Championships. The underdog was vicious at the start of the decade, taking the cash at a 5-2 clip until 2007. Since then the favorite has won and covered in each of the past two years.

Texas is 20-8-1 ATS as an underdog but just 3-7 ATS in bowl games. But the last time that the Longhorns entered a championship game as an underdog Vince Young led UT to a legendary upset of mighty USC on this exact same field.

Alabama has been more impressive at the window this season, posting a profitable 8-5 record against the number. The ‘under’ is also 6-2 in the Crimson Tide’s last eight games overall.

2010 BCS National Championship Predictions at Football Betting Section.

Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles Free NFL Picks at Football Betting Section.

When the Cowboys and Eagles meet in Dallas for the NFC East, there will be a lot more on the line for the home team than the all-important division title.NFL Odds and Picks at Football betting Section.

Home field in the wild-card round, or a potentially first-round bye if Minnesota loses out, would be great, but Tony Romo and the Cowboys have revenge on their mind after what happened in last season's playoff showdown. They were embarrassed a year ago and have been waiting for their shot at redemption since the 44-6 beating in Philadelphia, where the Eagles leaped over Dallas for the sixth and final spot.

It was December 28, 2008, Lincoln Financial Field, and yet again the Eagles and Cowboys were squaring off in a playoff tussle with the final NFC wild-card berth at stake.

However, outside the draw of watching a historic rivalry, the matchup turned out to be less than stellar with the NFC East rivals heading in opposite directions.

The Eagles, following a troublesome tie in Cinncinati and 36-7 thrashing in Baltimore, turned their season around quick with three straight wins, starting on Thanksgiving Day, to set up the quasi-playoff game with Dallas.

Here are the free NFL Picks at Football Betting Section

The Cowboys walked into the must-win meeting having lost two of three in December—including a pair of heartbreaking losses to the Steelers and Ravens to fall from tops of the division to the sixth seed, which they lost before they could even regroup in the locker room.

Down 27-3 at halftime, the visitors turned the ball over five times in all, including three Romo fumbles, which quickly turned into Philadelphia points in a game when nothing went right for the Cowboys.

A year later, things couldn't be more different on the Dallas sideline. The not-so-dysfunctional Cowboys have put together an impressive string of wins in December after losses to the Giants and Chargers. The triumphant 24-17 victory, which gave New Orleans its first blemish of the year, has clearly given Dallas a huge confidence boost going into the postseason.

Romo is playing his best football as a pro, sparking an offense that ranks third in the NFL, averaging 394 yards a game. After the season finale, he will have posted his best statistical season, currently sitting at 4,172 yards—only needing 39 yards on Sunday to pass his 2007 totals.

The emergence of Miles Austin, who's become the Cowboys' top pass-catcher in 2009 with 1,230 yards and 11 touchdowns, has helped Romo and the offense, not only in the passing attack but also the running game. Austin's output has him fifth in NFL receiving—13 yards behind Reggie Wayne and Santonio Holmes.

For their part, the Eagles, who always seem to catch fire late in the season, have went on another hot streak to give them a chance to host a playoff game. Philly's won six in a row and has scored no less than 27 points in the last five weeks, largely because of the offense, which is clicking on all cylinders heading into the most important part of the season.

Donavan McNabb finally has deep weapons, with which he's been able to exploit teams' secondary with the speed and athleticism of sophomore DeSean Jackson and rookie Jeremy Maclin.

On the ground, Maclin's fellow first-year starter, running back LeSean McCoy, has rushed for an Eagles' rookie single-season rushing record. Philly's second-round pick from 2009 has picked up 633 yards on the ground for a 4.1 average after replacing Brian Westbrook, who returned to the lineup against Denver after concussion problems forced him to sit out eight games.

But it's their receiving core that's made the different in 2009. Jackson has 1,120 yards and nine touchdown for the Eagles, who have benefited from the deep threat he presents opposing defenses. Amazingly, he's already accumulated 10 50-plus yards touchdown plays in only two seasons and single-handedly won a couple games for Philadelphia—most notably the Sunday night affair against the Giants with his 72-yard punt return and 60-yard TD catch.

For his part, Maclin has 715 yards receiving and four TD in only his inaugural season, also having made key catches for Philly, including the 27-yard, toe-drag catch to set up David Akers' game-winning kick over the Broncos.

So clearly, the Eagles and Cowboys both enter Sunday's meeting with a ton momentum. And while there can only be one winner, expect a terrific football game.

Unlike last season's sleeper in Philly, the game to determine the NFC East champion will likely go down as one of the classics in this all-time series, possibly a similar outcome to the last time the division rivals faced off in Dallas—a 41-37 Monday night doozy won by the Cowboys.

Better yet, depending on the Vikings' finish to the regular season, it's more than likely Philadelphia and Dallas will meet up again in the first round—with Sunday's clash determining the site of that wild-card game and home-field advantage.

But regardless of where the game's played, the Cowboys are playing some of their best football under Romo. They've also proven to beat the Eagles on the road in prime time two of the last three seasons on Sunday Night Football. FOX will be broadcasting Sunday's NFC East showdown, but it can't get much worse for Dallas, who are seeking serious revenge for last year's humiliating defeat.

Check out Free NFL Picks at Football Betting Section

Week 17 NFL Picks: This Sunday the game of the week will come out of the NFC East in what could be a preview of the NFC Championship game when the Dallas Cowboys host the Philadelphia Eagles at 4:15 PM ET. Dallas showed off their strength with a 17-0 shutout win over Washington on Sunday Night Football as -7 away favorites. Philadelphia had a tough battle with Denver in their last outing in a 30-27 win as -7 home favorites.

The Week 17 NFL Picks Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys NFL Betting spread is Dallas -3 at Sportsbetting.com.

Both of these teams have explosive offenses that can score in bunches but Dallas QB Tony Romo is playing lights out right now. Tony Romo (97.0 passer rating) has thrown nine touchdown passes and one interception in his last five games and the Cowboys offense is healthy. The Eagles have also shown big-play capability under QB Donovan McNabb (94.5 passer rating) but they still rely on the pass too much. The Eagles took a big hit on their offensive line this week with All-Pro starting center Jamaal Jackson being lost for the season with a knee injury. The Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys NFL Betting Total is at 47.0 points.

The Eagles defense has had to rely heavily on their blitz happy scheme to be effective and is very ordinary personnel wise. Dallas can make the Eagles one-dimensional with their 8th ranked run defense and pin their ears back with a pass-rush that has recorded 38.0 sacks. The Cowboys have a +4-point home-field advantage on their home turf and a big edge on special teams. Make a strong play on a surging Cowboys team to cover the spread for 2 NFL football betting units.

Begin NFL Football Betting with our Week 17 NFL Picks at Sportsbetting.com Sportsbook and get a 110% FREE CASH SIGNUP BONUS!!

On the strength of a three game winning streak, including a 23-9 victory over Oakland this Sunday, the Cleveland Browns improve to 27th in ESPN’s week 17 NFL Power Rankings.

NFL Week 14 saw the Browns lose for the 10th consecutive time at home, solidifying the team’s last place standing in the Power Rankings.

But the Browns have slowly but surely crawled their way from the rankings basement over the past three weeks thanks to great individual performances and improved team play.

Pictures from Sunday's Browns-Raiders contest

Last Sunday Jerome Harrison had another impressive effort carrying the ball 39 times for a game high 148 yards rushing and scoring one touchdown. 

The Browns passing attack wasn’t spectacular but rookie wide receiver Mohammed Massaquoi caught three passes, one of which was good for a 19 yard touchdown. Massaquoi is emerging as the class of this year’s draft for the Browns, the rookie out of the University of Georgia currently has 33 receptions for 610 yards and three touchdowns on the season.

The Browns close out the season next week at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Even though the Colts lost last Sunday, in part to a controversial move to bench starting players, they still hold the number one spot in the Power Rankings.

The Rams round out the list at No. 32, to see the ESPN NFL Power Rankings in its entirety click here. 

Best Games of Week 16

New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts: 29-15 Jets

Before week 16 it seemed as though we had a team destined to go the entire regular season with a flawless record, but as the playoffs draw near and the team really doesn’t have anything to play for, starters get pulled and perfect record fade away.

That is exactly what happen this week as Peyton Manning and company finally lost their first game of the season with 29-15 loss to the New York Jets who are still fighting for a playoff spot in the AFC Wildcard race.

Despite the loss to the Jets, I fully expect the Colts to be a headed for a run at the Super Bowl once the playoffs begin after week 17.

Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers: 23-20 Steelers

Everyone has written on the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers this season as their playoff hopes has just slipped away as of late, but this week they were looking to prove a point that they can still play with anyone despite their current injury problems.

Even though the Steelers were able to beat the Green Bay Packers last week with a last second touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to rookie wide receiver Mike Wallace, not many people thought they would be able to beat their division rival Baltimore Ravens this week, but that is exactly what they did as they were able to keep their playoff hopes alive for one more week!

Denver Broncos @ Philadelphia Eagles: 30-27 Eagles

The Denver Broncos were red hot to start the season with six straight wins under new head coach Josh McDaniels, but they have really struggled in the second half of the season with seven losses in the last nine games.

With that being said, and the San Diego Chargers recently clinching the AFC West division title, the Broncos were in desperate need to get back on track this week against the Philadelphia Eagles, but unfortunately, they fell just short as the Eagles were barely able to get their sixth straight win in the final minutes of regulation.

Other notable games of Week 16 are....

The New York Jets might have some thank-you notes to write -- especially if Cincinnati lies down Sunday the way Indianapolis did -- but don't expect their players to apologize if qualifying for the NFL postseason required only that they beat two squads of second-stringers.

"I am not apologizing for jack," Jets linebacker Bart Scott said. "I didn't apologize for losing three last-second games this year. I didn't make excuses for losing some of the tough games that we lost."

Down deep, the Jets have to be surprised their playoff hopes still have a pulse. Less than two weeks ago, after a loss to Atlanta, even Coach Rex Ryan thought his team had been eliminated -- only to later learn there was still a mathematical possibility to keep the season alive.

New York's victory over the undefeated Colts on Sunday simplified the math, a game in which first-year Indianapolis Coach Jim Caldwell made the controversial decision to pull Peyton Manning in the third quarter when his team was nursing a five-point lead.

The Jets will secure a wild-card berth if they can win at home against the Bengals, who, like the Colts, cannot change their seeding and therefore are likely to rest their top players. Because of the heightened stakes for the Jets, the game has been switched to Sunday night.

Scott, for one, is taking nothing for granted. That's why he said he didn't completely relax even when the Colts replaced Manning with rookie Curtis Painter, who had never taken an NFL snap.

"You're asking a man that [Buffalo's] Ryan Fitzpatrick came out and got it done against us," he said. "So I don't let down against anybody. Have we earned the right to look down on anybody?

"I don't care if they would have brought my nephew out there. You've got to get it done."

Where Eagles dare

The NFC East will be decided in Dallas, where Philadelphia finishes the regular season with a classic divisional match up against the Cowboys.

The Cowboys, who have not won a playoff game in 13 years, have enjoyed an uncharacteristically strong December this year, winning three of four and getting outstanding play from quarterback Tony Romo.

Can they keep that momentum against a Philadelphia team that has scored more points than any in club history?

Deep Sixburgh

The defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, who play at Miami, are in serious peril of missing the playoffs. They need a lot of help to keep their hopes alive.

The most clear-cut way for them to lock down a wild-card spot is if they beat the Dolphins, Houston loses at home to New England, and either the Jets or the Baltimore Ravens (at Oakland) lose.

Playing for pride

If the Ravens win, they're in. That's no simple task, though, as they have to travel across the country to face Oakland, and the Raiders can be very dangerous. Four of the Raiders' five victories this season have come against Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Denver.

And remember, with nothing but pride on the line, the Raiders won their finale at Tampa Bay last season, knocking the Buccaneers out of the playoff picture.