NEW YORK, 26 December 2005 — Shaun Alexander rushed for 139 yards and three scores to tie the single season NFL touchdown record as the Seattle Seahawks downed the grieving Indianapolis Colts 28-13 on Saturday to clinch NFC home- field advantage through the playoffs.
The Colts played the game without coach Tony Dungy, who left the team on Thursday to go to Tampa where his son died of an apparent suicide. Without Dungy, the Colts lacked their usual focus suffering their second straight defeat after opening the season with 13 consecutive wins.
In Houston, LaBrandon Toefield ran for three touchdowns and David Garrard threw for another as the Jacksonville Jaguars rallied in the second half to claim a 38-20 victory over the Texans and a playoff berth. Trailing 13-10 at the intermission, the Jaguars exploded for 28 points in the second half, including 21 in the final quarter, to dispose of the feisty Texans and clinch the AFC wild card berth.
In Charlotte, Terry Glenn pulled in a two-yard touchdown catch from Drew Bledsoe with just 24 seconds to play as the Dallas Cowboys edged the Panthers 24-20 keeping their wild card playoff hopes alive.
In Tampa, Matt Bryant kicked a 41-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a 27-24 comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons, moving them into a tie with the Carolina Panthers top the NFC South to keep their postseason dreams alive. The Falcons had a chance to put the game away early in overtime but Todd Peterson had his 28-yard field attempt blocked followed by Bryant missing a 27-yard attempt a few minutes later.
In Cleveland, Ben Roethlisberger tossed for touchdown and the Steelers punishing ground game and stingy defense did the rest as Pittsburgh crushed the Cleveland Browns 41-0 keeping their hopes of clinching an AFC wild card berth alive with their third straight win.
In Landover, Santana Moss caught three touchdown passes and Clinton Portis ran for a score and threw for another as the Washington Redskins cut down the New York Giants 35-20.
In Kansas City, Larry Johnson ran for 131 yards and a touchdown and caught another as the Chiefs kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 20-7 win over San Diego Chargers.
In Cincinnati, Rian Lindell booted a 22-yard field goal less than a minute play and Terrence McGee returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown as the Buffalo Bills stunned the playoff bound Bengals 37-27.
In Miami, Ricky Williams rushed for a season best 172 yards and a touchdown as the Dolphins stopped the Titans 24-10.
After returning from a one-year retirement and sitting out the opening four games of the season on a drug suspension, Williams displayed some of his old devastating form as he went over 100 yards rushing in a game for the first time this campaign.
In San Antonio, Jason Hanson booted a 39-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Detroit Lions to a 13-12 win over the New Orleans Saints.
In St. Louis, Frank Gore rushed for a pair of touchdowns as the San Francisco Giants halted a seven-game losing streak with a 24-20 win over the Rams.
In Tempe, Josh McCowan threw a pair of touchdowns and Karlos Dansby ran an interception back for a score as the Cardinals held off a late Philadelphia Eagles rally to collect a 27-21 victory.
