Jaguars Beat Raiders but Lose Out in Playoff Hunt

The Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t know their season had ended until they made their way out of the rain and into the long tunnel that leads to the visiting locker room.

That’s when they learned that the Denver Broncos had beaten Indianapolis to knock them out -- the third and last scenario that determined the Jaguars’ fate on the season’s final day.

Byron Leftwich looked out of sync on the muddy, rain-soaked field, but did enough to send the Jaguars (9-7) into the off-season on a positive note with a 13-6 victory over the Raiders at Oakland on Sunday for their first winning season in five years.

It was a disappointing finish for a club that had hoped to extend its season in the year Jacksonville, Fla., plays host to its first Super Bowl next month.

“That kind of put a downer on the day,” Coach Jack Del Rio said after learning his team was eliminated. “I didn’t see anything on the board during the game.”

Leftwich threw for 149 yards a week after sustaining a mild concussion and Greg Jones scored on a one-yard run for the game’s only touchdown, which broke a third-quarter tie.

The Raiders (5-11) had a chance to send the game into overtime in the final seconds, but Kerry Collins fumbled the snap on fourth-and-goal at the two, picked it up and was tackled for a loss.

“Guys have to make plays. Guys have to really commit themselves as to what it is they really want to do,” Oakland running back Tyrone Wheatley said. “The last two years here, we’ve had some guys who think they can just line up on Sunday and play football. It doesn’t work that way. You have to commit yourself and stop thinking that your job is a sacrifice.”

Baltimore 30, Miami 23 -- Playing against a downtrodden Dolphin team that was forced to start third-string quarterback Sage Rosenfels, the Ravens (9-7) built a 27-7 lead, then allowed Miami to close to 27-21 before holding on at Baltimore.

Jamal Lewis scored a touchdown and ran for 167 yards, giving him 1,006 for the season.

Baltimore’s Jarret Johnson returned an interception for a score and teammate Ed Reed got his ninth interception and returned it 41 yards to get an NFL record for return yardage in a season (358).

But the Raven defense, playing without injured linebacker Ray Lewis, was burned for a touchdown on the game’s first play and later yielded a 90-yard drive against a team that concluded its worst season since 1969.

The Dolphins (4-12) finished 3-4 under interim Coach Jim Bates.

Green Bay 31, Chicago 14 -- Brett Favre and the Packers warmed up for the playoffs with a convincing win at Chicago.

Favre played the first quarter and one series in the second, going nine for 13 for 196 yards and two touchdowns as the Packers (10-6) beat the Bears (5-11) for the 21st time in the last 26 meetings.

Favre also went over 4,000 yards passing in a season for the fourth time and reached 30 touchdown passes for the eighth time before backup Craig Nall took over.

Led by Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Green Bay’s defense sacked Chad Hutchinson nine times.

Cleveland 22, Houston 14 -- Kelly Holcomb’s return to the lineup provided a lift to the punchless Browns’ offense, and Cleveland (4-12) surprised the Texans (7-9) with a thoroughly dominating effort at Houston.

Lee Suggs had his third straight 100-yard rushing day and Phil Dawson kicked five field goals, giving interim Coach Terry Robiskie his only win in five games since replacing Butch Davis on Nov. 30.

Cleveland looked much better with Holcomb than with rookie Luke McCown at the helm of its offense.

After missing more than a month with cracked ribs, Holcomb led the Browns to their best offensive performance since a 58-48 loss to the Bengals.

Against the Texans, Holcomb finished 20 for 29 for 228 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

New England 21, San Francisco 7 -- The Patriots overcame a sloppy first half for the win over the 49ers, who matched their franchise-worst 2-14 record and clinched the top pick in this year’s draft.

Patriot quarterback Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes after losing an interception and a fumble. Corey Dillon ran for 116 yards and one touchdown but also lost a fumble.

And the Patriots’ regular-season record of scoring first in 20 straight games ended on Ken Dorsey’s four-yard pass to third-string tight end Steve Bush late in the first quarter.

The Patriots (14-2) had scored first in 23 consecutive games, including the playoffs.

Cincinnati 38, Philadelphia 10 -- With Donovan McNabb and several other starters sitting out, the Eagles’ backups were thoroughly dominated at Philadelphia.

Rudi Johnson ran for three touchdowns and Jon Kitna threw a scoring pass, helping the Bengals win their second straight game to finish 8-8 for the second year in a row. The Eagles (13-3) lost their last two games.

Tennessee 24, Detroit 19 -- Billy Volek threw for 175 yards and a touchdown before being knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter, and the Titans (5-11) held on at Nashville.

Volek left the game because of a sprained right shoulder. The Lions finished 6-10.

Arizona 12, Tampa Bay 7 -- Neil Rackers kicked four field goals and the Cardinals (6-10) stifled Chris Simms and the rest of the Buccaneer offense at Tempe, Ariz. Coach Jon Gruden’s team lost its fourth in a row to finish 5-11, Tampa Bay’s worst record since going 5-11 under Sam Wyche in 1993.

New York Giants 28, Dallas 24 -- Tiki Barber became the New York Giants’ all-time leading rusher and capped his achievement with a winning flair at East Rutherford, N.J.

Barber scored on a three-yard run with 11 seconds to play to give the Giants (6-10) the win.

Barber set Giant single-season and career rushing records in the game, surpassing marks held by Rodney Hampton and Joe Morris, respectively.

Coach Bill Parcells’ Cowboys finished 6-10.