DOLPHINS 23, JETS 21
Story line: Beleaguered Miami coach Dave Wannstedt finished the season with a win, barely. Down 20-7, the Jets (6-10) rallied for the lead before Olindo Mare kicked the winning 22-yard field goal with three seconds left.
Star: Jay Fiedler threw for a career-high 328 yards and completed three passes to drive the Dolphins 45 yards in the final 2:56 for the winning score.
Extra points: Miami (10-6) earned a dubious distinction, becoming the first team since Philadelphia and San Francisco in 1991 to win 10 games and miss the playoffs. . . . Seven of New York’s 10 losses were by seven points or less.
Quote: “It was real tough to get up for this game, even the Jets. I was slapping myself to get ready.”–Miami defensive end Adewale Ogunleye, on the meaningless game between AFC East rivals already eliminated from playoff contention.
BROWNS 22, BENGALS 14
Story line: A renaissance season ended in gut-wrenching disappointment for the Bengals (8-8), who were in control of the division at 8-6 with two games left–and lost them both. The crowd of 65,362, the largest ever for a Bengals game in Cincinnati, filed out silently after Jon Kitna’s final pass was intercepted by Robert Griffith with 41 seconds left.
Star: Browns (5-11) rookie Lee Suggs ran for 186 yards and two touchdowns.
Extra point: Suggs’ 78-yard TD run was the longest against the Bengals since Bo Jackson had an 88-yard touchdown run for the Raiders in 1990.
Quote: “Teams passed on me 114 times. I’ve got to prove I’m better than a fourth-round pick, the 11th back taken. I’ll carry that with me the rest of my career. On draft day, I was the most disappointed player out there.”–Suggs.
TITANS 33, BUCCANEERS 13
Story line: The Titans (12-4) gave themselves the best confidence boost possible, winning with their best player on the sideline as Steve McNair rested his aching legs for the postseason. But the Colts’ win left Tennessee as the AFC’s No. 5 seed, with a trip to Baltimore in the wild-card round.
Stars: Veteran Titans quarterback Neil O’Donnell threw two touchdown passes to Derrick Mason in his first start since Sept. 23, 2001. Gary Anderson kicked four field goals.
Extra points: Baltimore has won its last five games against the Titans and six of the last seven. . . . The Titans’ Albert Haynesworth was involved in an argument during practice Friday and deactivated. Coach Jeff Fisher said he told the defensive tackle to report for work Monday. . . . Shaun King’s TD pass for the Bucs (7-9) was his first since Dec. 24, 2000.
Quote: “Off to Baltimore. Let’s go, let’s go.”
–Titans guard Zach Piller.
CHARGERS 21, RAIDERS 14
Story line: A spectacular day for running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who at least took some of the sting off an otherwise awful season for the 4-12 Chargers.
Star: Tomlinson rushed 31 times for a career-high 243 yards and two TDs. The third-year pro has four career 200-yard games, tying him for second place with Jim Brown, Earl Campbell and Barry Sanders. The record is O.J. Simpson’s six. He also set an NFL record with his 93rd catch of the season, the most for a running back who’d also gained 1,000 yards. The old mark was 92 by the 49ers’ Roger Craig in 1985.
Extra point: Not much went right for the Raiders (4-12), who gained just 66 yards in the first half. Cornerback Charles Woodson and running back Charlie Garner were among Oakland’s inactives due to violations of team rules.
Quote: “I’m an English major and I run out of superlatives. What are you going to say about the guy? He’s a remarkable, remarkable player, and a remarkable human being.”
–Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer on Tomlinson.
SAINTS 13, COWBOYS 7
Story line: Just 27 seconds after the Cowboys took 7-3 lead in the second quarter, Aaron Brooks hit Donte’ Stallworth with a 76-yard touchdown pass for the Saints (8-8). The loss dropped the Cowboys (10-6) to the sixth seed in the NFC.
Star: Jay Bellamy’s second pick of the day stopped the Cowboys at the New Orleans 27 with 1:33 left in the game.
Extra points: Deuce McAllister’s 49 rushing yards left him 34 short of the 83 he needed to break the Saints’ single-season rushing record of 1,674 yards set in 1981 by George Rogers.
Quote: “Somebody had to step up and make a play. It just so happened to be me. I tried to seal the deal, and that’s what happened.”–Bellamy.
FALCONS 21, JAGUARS 14
Story line: Atlanta got a big lift from the return of Michael Vick, giving their next coach plenty of hope for the future. Atlanta (5-11) improved to 3-1 since Vick returned from injury, including wins over division leader Carolina and Tampa.
Star: Vick threw two TD passes, including a 44-yarder to Peerless Price on Atlanta’s first fleaflicker of the season.
Extra points: The Jaguars (5-11) finished winless on the road for the first time in their history. . . . Jacksonville’s Fred Taylor ran for 121 yards, finishing the season with 1,572 yards on 355 carries, both team records.
Quote: “I’m not into hiring coaches and things like that, but they don’t have to go far to find our next head coach. He’s right here.”–Falcons linebacker Keith Brooking endorsing interim head coach Wade Phillips.
PANTHERS 37, GIANTS 24
Story line: With their third straight win, the Panthers (11-5) wrapped up the third seed in the NFC playoffs by closing out the tenure of fired Giants coach Jim Fassel.
Star: Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora blocked two punts to set up TDs, and his forced fumble on a sack was recovered in the end zone for another score for New York (4-12).
Extra points: This is the first Giants team to finish the season with eight straight losses since 1966. . . . Referee Bernie Kukar was knocked out in the third quarter after being hit in the back during a play by Giants safety Clarence LeBlanc.
Quote: “I feel maybe it is a better place than when I came in. I know a lot of the older players have said that to me, and that has stuck with me a lot.”–Fassel.
