Patriots, Seahawks Land Division Titles
Monday, December 25, 2006; 9:32 AM
-- As expected, the Patriots and Seahawks will be playing in January. While New England is headed to the playoffs in decent shape, Seattle is reeling.
The Seahawks, a Super Bowl loser last February, won the NFC West despite falling 20-17 to AFC West winner San Diego on Sunday.
  New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, left, runs for fourth-quarter yardage as teammate Stephen Neal, right, blocks Jacksonville Jaguars defender Rob Meir, center, during a National Football League game, Sunday, Dec. 24, 2006, in Jacksonville, Fla. New England won, 24-21.(AP Photo/Phil Coale) (Phil Coale - AP)   The Indianapolis Colts overcome the rain and a sloppy start to beat the Chicago Bears, 29-17. The Colts' victory ignites a wild celebration among the white-and-blue attired fans in the sea of colorful vinyl rainwear that populated the soggy stands. Peyton Manning fills the final hole in his legend as the greatest quarterback never to win the biggest game. Leonard Shapiro: Tony Dungy and Manning seal their place in history by winning the Super Bowl. Manning adds a Super Bowl MVP award to his long list of achievements. Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes plow forward for the Colts go-ahead touchdown and never look back. There was a collective failure by the Bears' offense, but Rex Grossman provides the most vivid images. Notebook: Two assistant coaches who participated in the Super Bowl likely will interview for Dallas' head coaching job. On Our Site Wilbon and Kornheiser share their thoughts live during Sunday's big game. Photos: Relive all of the action from the NFL playoffs. Audio: Manning on the Win. Audio: Grossman on the Loss. Audio: Dungy Praises Smith. Quarterly Report (PDF) A Slew of Errors (PDF) Graphic: Play of the Game. MARK MASKE'S NFL INSIDER • Jaguars Tackle in Critical Condition • Lions Bolster Backfield With R. Johnson |
Seattle (8-7) lost its third straight game when the Chargers' Philip Rivers found Vincent Jackson alone in the end zone for a 37-yard touchdown pass with 29 seconds left. San Diego's ninth straight victory clinched a first-round bye for the Chargers (13-2).
"This doesn't have to be a morgue," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. "To be honest with you, I am more on the upbeat side than the downbeat side. That's a good football team, the Chargers. ... There were a lot of good things that happened today. I'll take it."
Seattle earned the division title when Arizona beat San Francisco later in the day.
New England (11-4) took its fourth straight AFC East crown with a 24-21 win at Jacksonville, and will pursue a fourth Super Bowl title in six seasons.
"We've accomplished something now," said linebacker Tedy Bruschi while he donned a division championship hat and T-shirt. "It's our first goal. We can look at it as a positive for the next couple of days. The first thing you have to do is to win the division and then go from there."
The Patriots and Seahawks joined Dallas, Baltimore, Chicago, New Orleans, San Diego and Indianapolis with playoff berths. The Ravens (12-3) own the AFC North crown and eliminated defending Super Bowl champ Pittsburgh with a 31-7 victory.
The Bears (13-2), who defeated Detroit 26-21, have the NFC North crown _ and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The Saints (10-5) defeated the Giants 30-7 and own the NFC South. The Colts (11-4) won the AFC South despite their 27-24 loss at Houston.
The Cowboys can clinch the NFC East by beating the Eagles on Monday night, but Philadelphia grabs a playoff spot by beating Dallas.
Aside from Pittsburgh, also eliminated Sunday were San Francisco, with a 26-20 defeat to Arizona, and Buffalo, edged 30-29 by Tennessee.
Both wild-card spots in each conference remained uncertain, although Philadelphia (8-6) has the inside track for an NFC berth and Denver (9-6) is in the best shape in the AFC.
