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Patriots Take the Air Out of Jets’ Season

It was comforting to realize the frauds we had to deal with Sunday were merely of the professional football variety. It required no soul-searching to watch the Jets’ being exposed as 90 percent hot air, the Lions unmasked as unthreatening bullies, or the Chiefs as … gee, I’m not even sure what analogy fits there but for some reason they evoke the image of squashed Bubble Wrap. Sure, you could comb the injury bin and start to feel queasy about the real toll the N.F.L. takes, but for a day, gosh, it sure beat contemplating college football’s full-scale ethical seizure.

The Jets-Patriots game got full entertainment billing Sunday night with its story line of good versus evil, upstart versus faltering powerhouse or loud versus smarmily annoying — depending on your point of view. It ended with Rex Ryan looking like a Macy’s parade float someone had let half the air out of, and while the Patriots hardly looked like their old selves, they were gritty enough to swat away the Jets, . By the end, with fans draining out of MetLife Stadium like green Kool-Aid from a leaky pitcher, the usual order of the American Football Conference East had been restored, , New England fans were relishing the humbling of Ryan, and the Jets maintained their trend of always seeming one game away from glory, .

And there were plenty of other purely football matters decided Sunday, with the other New York metropolitan area team, the Giants, becoming the latest reason for 49ers fans to marvel at the turnaround perpetrated by Coach Jim Harbaugh, . The Lions were clobbered by the Bears — oh my — while having their bully act look more and more pathetic, . The Lions may have started the fight, , but the Bears finished it. The Eagles showed again that they have exactly zero fight in the fourth quarter, , and that’s why this season is spelling the end for Coach Andy Reid, .

The coaching head-scratchers of the weekend came in two different varieties. that Falcons Coach Mike Smith’s decision to go for it on fourth down deep in his own end in overtime was a gaffe of ridiculous proportions. Denver Coach John Fox gets the opposite reaction for his new love affair that creates victory out of a 2-for-8 passing game from Tim Tebow. While at the idea that the Broncos could make the playoffs this way, the Chiefs have to explain how they could be bad enough to let that happen,

Baseball interrupted football season for a few minutes with the Cardinals’ hiring of . He could not be more different from Tony La Russa, . And the rescue of the kidnapped Washington Nationals player Wilson Ramos in Venezuela was followed by his startling this winter anyway.

Still, any good news seemed welcome after a week of absorbing the Penn State scandal, which will reverberate long after Saturday’s game pitting not only the Nittany Lions against Nebraska, but the usual celebratory atmosphere of a college football game against the reality of a sexual abuse scandal few could get their arms around. It highlighted the warped world of sports broadcasting, , and tempted people to think of the ousted Joe Paterno as some sort of victim in all this, urges people to resist. We hope the news media resist the knee-jerk use of the word redemption (of course, already failed at that with ) because unless Penn State suddenly becomes the leader in a massive movement to fight sexual abuse of children, there will be no redemption here.

What we are left with is questions, about why the investigation of Jerry Sandusky took so long — a topic tackled — and about how deeply this rocks the country’s views of college sports. that it should shake people’s faith, and

Sure makes you nostalgic for the days when p or whether Ohio State players paid for their tattoos were our biggest concerns. The questions are so much larger now. And they all make the N.F.L. feel like something of a relief.

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DIVISIONAL MATCHUPS

American Football Conference

6. JETS (Wild Card) at1. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (East)

This is the first time in N.F.L. history that both divisional-round games in a conference feature matchups ofdivision rivals. But Jets versus Patriots is the N.F.L.’snastiest current feud, and its third installment this seasonis a fitting reprise.The Jets say they wanted this game. They shouldprobably be careful what they wish for. They were humiliatedby the Patriots a month ago, 45-3, a demolitionthat Jets Coach Rex Ryan will need all of his motivationalskills to get his players to erase from their memories.The problem for the Jets is that the Patriots’ multifacetedoffense has not slowed since then, and the Jets’ offense is stillstruggling to score. The Patriots have not scored fewer than 31points since Nov. 7, slicing up the vaunted defenses of the Jets,the Packers and the Bears in that stretch. Danny Woodheadand the Patriots’ tight ends present tough matchups for theJets’ defense.Given Mark Sanchez’s shaky passing for much of the Coltsgame, it is reasonable to assume the Jets will try to runthrough the Patriots. They rushed for 169 yards against theColts and they averaged 4.9 yards a carry against the Patriotsin December. But the Patriots held three of their last four regular-season opponents under 4 yards a carry, and if they getout to a quick lead, the game will be forced into Sanchez’shands — exactly where the big-play Patriots defense wants it.Ryan got the hype started last week with a swipe at Bradywhen he unfavorably compared his study habits with PeytonManning’s. The Jets will need their most complete game –balanced offense, a defense that forces turnovers — to staywith the Patriots.PLAYER TO WATCH Don’t overthink this. Watch Brady, whoprobably heard about Ryan’s slight within minutes of its utterance.His passing has been staggeringly accurate (no interceptionssince Oct. 17, four over all). The Patriots go as Bradygoes, and for most of the last two months it has looked as if that would be to the A.F.C. championship game.

5. BALTIMORE RAVENS (Wild Card) at2. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (North)

Can they please stage this game inside a steel cage? Themost bruising rivalry in football is played by two teams builtaround pounding defenses and a preference for the runninggame. The fascinating thing, as in the Jets-Patriotsgame, is how the teams will change their approachesbecause they are so familiar with each other.The Ravens came out throwing against the Chiefson Sunday, before leaning on Ray Rice. They will probablyhave to try to throw against the Steelers, too, becauseif the Steelers’ defense has a weakness, it’s atthe corners. Much about the Steelers will depend onthe health of safety Troy Polamalu. In the final twomonths of the regular season, the Steelers allowed anopponent to score more than 16 points only once — theJets, in a game that Polamalu did not play.The Steelers’ Rashard Mendenhall rushed for morethan 1,200 yards this season, but his yards per attemptwas just 3.9, and he will have little running room againstthe Ravens. So it will fall to Ben Roethlisberger to attackthe Ravens’ secondary — also their weakness, exceptfor safety Ed Reed. The Ravens will have to be vigilantbecause Roethlisberger’s ability to extend plays by scramblingout of the pocket, and by avoiding interceptions (just fivethis season), makes him dangerous.But the Ravens forced five turnovers against the Chiefs, andthe Steelers will have to guard against that, too. These teamssplit their season series, although the Ravens’ victory came inSeptember, when Roethlisberger was suspended. When theyplayed in December, it was exactly what is expected now: alow-scoring, penalty-laden affair. The Ravens have won five ina row since.PLAYER TO WATCH Make it players — Polamalu and JamesHarrison. Joe Flacco was poised and accurate against theChiefs, but these two have a way of unnerving quarterbackswith their relentless pressure and speed.DIVISIONAL MATCHUPSBy JUDY BATTISTAAmerican Football Conference National Football Conference

National Football Conference

6. GREEN BAY PACKERS (Wild Card) at1. ATLANTA FALCONS (South)

N.F.L. ROUNDUP; Moss and the Patriots Win Another Division Title

Randy Moss stared at the scoreboard after his third touchdown catch and saw a fan wearing a Randy Moss mask on the screen.

The real Moss stood on the sideline with a huge grin as he made his parting-of-the-defense motion, sweeping his arms from his chest to his sides.

”That was very entertaining,” Moss said Sunday after the New England Patriots clinched the American Football Conference East title with a 35-7 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Foxborough, Mass. ”I had a lot of my teammates wanting me to mess with the guy. So he put a little humor into it, and I enjoyed it.”

After his previous home game, a 20-10 victory against Carolina, several Panthers questioned his effort. So did Patriots fans during the week that followed. But on Sunday, they chanted, ”Randy, Randy, Randy.”

And Moss, who has sold the mask on his Web site, clearly appreciated it.

”My last performance here wasn’t really too hot,” he said, adding about Sunday’s game that ”everybody had fun.”

Everybody but the Jaguars (7-8), who were still among seven teams with at least a slim chance of earning one of the two A.F.C. wild-card playoff berths.

The Patriots (10-5) won the A.F.C. East for the seventh time in nine years after missing the playoffs last season.

With both teams seeking to stay alive in the A.F.C. playoff race, THE VISITING TEXANS BEAT THE DOLPHINS, 27-20, after scoring on their first five possessions and surviving Miami’s comeback attempt.

The Texans (8-7) built a 27-0 lead and won despite being outscored, 20-0, in the final 31 minutes. They kept alive their slim hopes of making the playoffs for the first time.

The defending A.F.C. East champion Dolphins (7-8) remained barely alive in the playoff race.

”It’s unacceptable for us to play like this when the season is on the line,” said Miami running back Ricky Williams, who left with a right shoulder injury in the third quarter and played only one snap after that.

Cowboys Lock Up Berth

Tony Romo threw for 286 yards and Jason Witten had a career-long 69-yard reception to set up a score as the Cowboys beat the host Redskins, 17-0, to return to the playoffs and set up a Week 17 showdown with the Eagles for the National Football Conference East title.

The victory eliminated the Giants from playoff contention. Dallas (10-5) will host Philadelphia (11-4) on Sunday, with the winner taking the division crown and the loser settling for a wild-card berth.

Dallas and Washington met for the 100th time. The Cowboys hold a commanding 59-39-2 lead in the rivalry.

David Akers kicked a 28-yard field goal with four seconds remaining, lifting THE EAGLES TO A 30-27 VICTORY OVER THE VISITING BRONCOS. Kyle Orton rallied the Broncos from a 27-10 deficit in the third quarter, but Donovan McNabb led the Eagles on a winning drive in the final minutes.

The Broncos (8-7), who started 6-0, need help from other teams to make the playoffs.

Packers Clinch Wild Card

The Green Bay defense forced four interceptions by Matt Hasselbeck as THE PACKERS BEAT THE VISITING, SEAHAWKS, 48-10, and clinched an N.F.C. playoff berth.

The victory, combined with the Giants’ loss to Carolina, put Green Bay (10-5) back in the postseason after they went 6-10 last season.

Carnell Williams rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown, and Connor Barth kicked a 47-yard field goal in overtime, lifting THE VISITING BUCCANEERS TO A 20-17 UPSET OF THE SAINTS that, for the time being, prevented New Orleans from securing home field throughout the N.F.C. playoffs.

Kurt Warner threw for 196 of his 313 yards in the second quarter, and THE HOST CARDINALS WENT ON TO BEAT THE RAMS, 31-10. The Cardinals (10-5) reached 10 regular-season wins for the first time since 1976.

Bengals Win Division

Carson Palmer’s touchdown pass to Chad Ochocinco completed a 98-yard drive in the closing minutes, sending THE BENGALS TO A 17-10 VICTORY OVER THE VISITING CHIEFS that clinched the A.F.C. North title five days after Cincinnati players buried their teammate Chris Henry.

The Bengals wore Henry’s No. 15 on their helmets.

”I’m not jumping for joy or glee, just thinking about 15 once that clock hits zero,” Ochocinco said. ”That was everybody’s mind-set, to go out and win this one for him.”

The Bengals (10-5) reached the playoffs for the second time in the past 19 years. Already Eliminated

Jerome Harrison had 148 yards rushing as THE BROWNS BEAT THE VISITING RAIDERS, 23-9, giving Cleveland (4-11) its first three-game winning streak since 2007 and its third since 1999. On the final play of the first half, Oakland’s Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 61-yard field goal, the fourth longest in league history.

Matt Ryan threw three touchdown passes, and THE HOST FALCONS WERE NEVER CHALLENGED IN THEIR 31-3 WIN OVER THE BILLS. In the second quarter, Buffalo receiver Terrell Owens became the sixth N.F.L. player with 1,000 career receptions.

Frank Gore scored on a 1-yard run and topped the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the fourth straight year, and THE HOST 49ERS BEAT THE LIONS, 20-6, and moved one win from avoiding a seventh straight losing season.

Injury Report

Miami inside linebacker CHANNING CROWDER left after the second play against Houston with a right foot injury and did not return. … St. Louis was without the league’s second-leading rusher, STEVEN JACKSON, because of a sore lower back.

PHOTO: Cowboys receivers Miles Austin (19) and Roy Williams after Williams scored in a 17-0 win over Washington to clinch a playoff spot.(PHOTOGRAPH BY MOLLY RILEY/REUTERS)