Alexander equals TD mark as Seahawks crush Colts

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 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.

Alexander, the NFL's rushing leader, becomes just the 16th player to run for more than 1,800 yards in a season and will now have a chance to break Priest Holmes record of 27 touchdowns in a season next week when they close out their regular schedule against the Green Bay Packers.

"We set goals as a group but it was fun, everyone was excited," said Alexander. "We just keep plugging along but we still have some work to do.

"We hope it will end in four more 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 and return to the postseason for the first time since 1999.

Texans fans at Reliant Stadium might have also felt they had come away a winner, Houston's 2-13 record leaving them in a strong position to claim the number one overall pick in next year's draft and the chance to land USC running back Reggie Bush.

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.

The Cowboys were led on the ground by Julius Jones who rushed for 194 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 34 carries.

Bledsoe was 15-of-23 for 209 yards, including the game winning toss to Glenn.

The Dallas victory also denied the Panthers a chance to lockup a playoff spot.

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 which was 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.

The victory was the fourth straight for the surging Redskins who can clinch a playoff spot next weekend with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles in their regular season finale.

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.

The victory was the Chiefs 18th straight at home in the month of December and eliminated the Chargers from postseason contention.

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.

McGee added to his big day returning a kickoff 99 yards for another touchdown.

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.