And Atlanta awaits
Atlanta’s victory over Tampa Bay sets up a huge game with the Eagles next week. Philadelphia will be in the driver’s seat for a playoff spot if they win that game on the road.

Giants fans should oddly root for Atlanta because a Falcons win would keep things more wide open for the G-Men. The way New York is playing right now, however, we don’t think having a tiebreaker over Atlanta will make a difference.

Falcons found a way
Atlanta coach Mike Smith probably never envisioned his team’s season riding on quarterback Chris Redman and running back Jason Snelling. But after Matt Ryan and Michael Turner left Sunday with injuries, Smith had no other choice. Redman threw a touchdown on fourth and goal from the five-yard line to Roddy White to pull out a 20-17 victory. (It was a better catch by White than a great throw from Redman.)

The Falcons have too many problems on defense to make a long playoff run. But Redman’s throw keeps them very alive for another week. A nine-win team could sneak into the NFC playoffs — and the Falcons already have six.

Concern for Carson?
The Bengals only won 16-7 against Cleveland, but the game was never in doubt. Marvin Lewis adopted an ultra conservative gameplan, betting that the Browns couldn’t score against his defense. He was right.

The one concern for Cincinnati was Carson Palmer’s protection. After a midseason resurgence, Palmer has fallen off again the last week. It’s mostly because rushers are coming in clean to him. Palmer threw for only 110 yards on 24 attempts.

L.J. ran well, but it won't last
Larry Johnson went over 100 yards for the Bengals, which makes for a nice story. But don’t expect him to have a major impact on the playoff race.

Slideshow   Week 17 action Take a look at shots from the NFL's 17th week of play in 2009. NBCSports.com

After a quick start, Johnson’s carries were nothing special. He got a heavy workload partly because Bernard Scott injured his leg in the second half. Kudos to the Bengals front office for picking L.J. up as insurance, but that’s still all he is. He earned his money this week by saving wear and tear for Cedric Benson and Scott.

Chicago should clean house
A 36-10 loss to the Vikings should wake up Chicago’s ownership. The Bears aren’t close. They aren’t in the playoff chase, and Jay Cutler is only a part of the problem.

Lovie Smith’s defense has collapsed on itself. The offensive line may be the worst run-blocking unit in the league. Cutler’s worst habits are coming out under coordinator Ron Turner. Everyone around the Bears says Smith’s job is safe, but games like this make you wonder if a housecleaning is necessary.

No so Miami nice
After working so hard to get back to 5-5, the Dolphins gave away all their progress with an unseemly fourth quarter in Buffalo. The Bills outscored Miami 24-0 in the final frame, including 17 points in the final four minutes.

Kudos to the cagey Perry Fewell for his decision to start Ryan Fitzpatrick over Trent Edwards. Fitzpatrick has been more willing to just throw the ball up for Lee Evans and Terrell Owens to let his receivers make plays. Fitzpatrick also rushed for a 31-yard touchdown. Really.

The Dolphins play with a small margin for error as a run-based team. So it’s hard to understand why they asked Ricky Williams to throw the ball on first-and-goal from the three-yard line. He threw an interception, which later prevented the Dolphins from building a two score lead in a game they won upfront for most of the game.

NFL game stories Quick look at Week 3 games JETS 31, DOLPHINS 23: Edwards returns to makes key TD catch  |    Highlights COWBOYS 27, TEXANS 13: Dallas avoids rare 0-3 start  |    Romo excited FALCONS 27, SAINTS 24, OT: Champs miss short FG in OT  |    Saints explain loss TITANS 29, GIANTS 10: Johnson scores 2 TDs  |    Coughlin takes blame EAGLES 28, JAGUARS 3: Vick makes Reid's decision look great  |    QB thrilled COLTS 27, BRONCOS 13: Manning throws 3 TD passes VIKINGS 24, LIONS 10: Peterson's career-long 80-yard TD keys win PATRIOTS 38, BILLS 30: 14th straight win in series for New England SEAHAWKS 27, CHARGERS 20: Washington has two kickoff returns for TDs CHIEFS 31, 49ERS 10: K.C. 3-0 for first time since '03  |    Chiefs confident STEELERS 38, BUCCANEERS 13: Batch shines in first start in 3 years RAMS 30, REDSKINS 16: Only second win in last 29 games for St. Louis RAVENS 24, BROWNS 17: Flacco fires 3 TD passes BENGALS 20, PANTHERS 7: Clausen struggles in first NFL start CARDINALS 24, RAIDERS 23: Janikowski misses 32-yard FG on final play