The Texans (10-3) wrapped up the AFC South division title with a 20-19 comeback victory at the Cincinnati Bengals to clinch their first playoff berth since joining the league in 2002.
The Saints (10-3) advanced with a 22-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans while the Packers crushed the Oakland Raiders 46-16 to earn the luxury of skipping the first round of playoffs but lost top wide receiver Greg Jennings to injury.
The reigning Super Bowl champions were untroubled against the Raiders and were able to rest quarterback Aaron Rodgers after he threw for two touchdowns and 281 yards.
Green Bay led 31-0 at the break and pulled Rodgers in the third quarter with the outcome already beyond doubt and coach Mike McCartney perhaps worried about another injury to go with the loss of the influential Jennings.
Rookie quarterback T.J. Yates set up the win for the Texans with a six yard touchdown pass to Kevin Walter with just two seconds left on the clock. The conversion sealed Houston’s seventh straight victory.
Houston trailed 16-3 at halftime and were 19-13 down with just 2:21 left when Yates led a 13-play drive from his team’s 20 yard line to complete the comeback.
The Bengals (7-6) have now lost three of their last four games to damage their hopes of grabbing one of the AFC wild card hopes.
New Orleans, Super Bowl champions two seasons back, clinched their fifth straight win after quarterback Drew Brees threw two fourth quarter touchdowns to Marques Colston.
Brees threw for 337 yards and his two touchdowns meant he had thrown for at least one touchdown in 40 consecutive games, a record bettered only by Johnny Unitas’ 47.
The NFC South leading Saints were assured of their playoff spot later when the Chicago Bears lost to Denver, 13-10, in another Tim Tebow inspired overtime comeback.
The Denver quarterback, written off by many critics even before he got a chance as a starter, now has a 7-1 record since taking over from Kyle Orton for the Broncos (8-5).
Denver’s sixth straight win came after they trailed 10-0 with just 2:08 left on the clock as the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback marched his team downfield for Matt Prater to kick a long-range field goal to force the game into overtime then another to seal the win.
The Atlanta Falcons (8-5) kept up the chase in the NFC South after a 31-23 victory over the Carolina Panthers with quarterback Matt Ryan throwing for 320 yards and four touchdowns.
The New England Patriots (10-3) were also hitting form at the right time, picking up a fifth successive win with a 34-27 triumph over the Washington Redskins.
The win was masterminded by quarterback Tom Brady, who threw for 357 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Rob Gronkowski, who set an NFL record (15) for the most TD’s in a season by a tight end.
The Patriots led the AFC East standings, ahead of the New York Jets (8-5) who enjoyed a 37-10 romp over Kansas City.
The Baltimore Ravens (10-3) took advantage of the woeful and winless Indianapolis Colts to record a 24-10 win and grab the joint leadership with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North.
The Detroit Lions have struggled of late, losing five of their last seven games, but their hopes of playoff football remained alive after they scraped together a 34-28 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
In the final seconds, Minnesota had a great chance to win but their back-up quarterback Joe Webb fumbled on first and goal and the ball was recovered by Lions defensive end Cliff Avril.
