Football / Last-second FG sends Vikings into playoffs

MINNEAPOLIS - Two NFC division titles were sealed yesterday with last-second field goals as the final spots of the playoffs began to be filled. With the New York Giants already comfortably in, the Minnesota Vikings pushed their way into the playoffs. Ryan Longwell's 50-yard field goal with 5 seconds left lifted the Vikings to a 20-19 victory over the resting Giants yesterday afternoon, making Minnesota NFC North champions for its first postseason appearance in four years.

The Vikings last won a division title in 2000.

David Carr took over at quarterback for Eli Manning after halftime and threw a touchdown pass to Domenik Hixon midway through the third quarter to take a 16-10 lead, but New York (12-4) was on cruise control from there with a bunch of backups on the field.

The Vikings (10-6), who pulled within two points on a 54-yard touchdown pass by Tarvaris Jackson to a wide-open Bernard Berrian after third-string cornerback Terrell Thomas fell down, weren't complaining.

In New Orleans, John Kasay's 42-yard field goal with a second left lifted Carolina to a 33-31 victory over the New Orleans Saints, locking up the NFC South title and the second seed in the conference for the Panthers.

Carolina's DeAngelo Williams rushed for 178 yards to set the franchise single-season record. His 1,515 yards eclipse Stephen Davis' 1,444 in 2003.

Drew Brees, meanwhile, came up just short in his bid to eclipse Dan Marino's 1984 single-season NFL record of 5,084 yards passing. Brees needed 402 yards to set a new mark. He finished with 386, which made him only the second player to pass for more than 5,000 yards.

In Buffalo, a nasty wind strong enough to tilt the goal posts was no match for Matt Cassel and the New England Patriots, who did their part to remain in playoff contention. LaMont Jordan scored on a 2-yard run set up by Cassel's 12-yard completion into the wind on fourth down, and Stephen Gostkowski hit a pair of field goals to secure a 13-0 win over the bumbling Buffalo Bills.

Then came the hard part for the Patriots (11-5), who had to wait to find out whether they'd get the help required to clinch a sixth straight playoff berth. The defending AFC champions needed Miami (10-5) to lose or tie to clinch the AFC East, or Baltimore (10-5) to lose or tie to clinch a wild-card berth. Those games were scheduled later last night.

The Bills managed 276 yards offense but squandered several scoring chances, and wrap up a season at 7-9 for the third straight year under Dick Jauron. His status as coach won't be determined until end-of-season meetings with team owner Ralph Wilson.

The Patriots want to avoid becoming the first 11-5 team to miss the playoffs since Denver fell short in 1985. It won't be for lack of trying for a Patriots team that closed its season with four straight wins, and continued to show resilience despite 14 players on injured reserve, including Tom Brady. Rather, New England continued its December dominance, winning its 12th straight game in the month, and extending its win streak over the Bills to 11.

Among the less fortunate teams this year, Kansas City's season ended with a wimper in Cincinnati. Pacing the sideline in a bright red jacket and cap, coach Herm Edwards watched the Chiefs' season - and, perhaps, his days in charge of them - end with another dismal showing.

Cedric Benson ran for 111 yards and a touchdown, putting a little bite into the Bengals' depleted offense, and Cincinnati completed its late-season surge with a 16-6 victory over the Chiefs that sent both teams into an offseason of big decisions.

In Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger gave the playoff-bound Steelers a major scare by sustaining a concussion during an essentially meaningless game, a 31-0 victory over the embarrassed Browns that likely was Romeo Crennel's last as Cleveland's coach.

Roethlisberger, expected to play a half to stay sharp before a two-week break, lay on the turf for nearly 15 minutes after being leveled by Willie McGinest and D'Qwell Jackson while delivering a pass late in the second quarter.

Despite the long delay, Roethlisberger's teammates did not react as if he had been seriously hurt and the quarterback flashed a thumbs-up while being driven off the field. Unless follow-up tests unexpectedly reveal additional problems, the injury probably won't sideline Roethlisberg.