Packers can clinch playoff spot

NEW YORK, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- The Green Bay Packers can book their first playoff appearance in three years while the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers battle for the inside track to a wild card berth Sunday in Week 15 of the NFL.

A franchise rich in tradition, the Packers (9-4) have missed the playoffs each of the last two seasons. But a return to the postseason is a virtual certainty for quarterback Brett Favre this time, and the Packers can clinch a spot with a win Sunday against the Cleveland Browns (6-7).

The Packers are one game behind the Chicago Bears (10-3) in the NFC Central, but own the tiebreaker against their division rival based on a pair of victories.

After this contest, the Packers close the season with a home contest against the Minnesota Vikings before a road encounter against the New York Giants.

The Browns have never played a regular season game at Lambeau Field. With the exception of the 1965 NFL title game, every Packers home game against Cleveland, since the Browns entered the NFL in 1950, has been played in Milwaukee.

The Bears, who are in the playoffs for the first time since 1994, will visit the Washington Redskins (6-7).

After this game, Chicago closes the season with a road game against Detroit and a home contest against Jacksonville.

Since becoming the first team in NFL history to win their next five games following an 0-5 start, the Redskins have lost two of their last three games, putting their playoff hopes in doubt.

The Redskins have won the last six meetings from Chicago, outscoring the Bears, 157-63.

The Saints (7-6) and the Buccaneers (7-6) will battle Sunday in a game that could eventually determine the third and final wild card team in the NFC.

Tampa Bay has the advantage of playing its final three games at home, but must contend with the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles in the final two weeks.

This will be the final road game for the Saints, who close the season with home games against Washington and San Francisco.

The Saints and Bucs are tied for the third wild card spot, one game ahead of the New York Giants, Washington and Atlanta.

"Obviously, the team that wins this game will have the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage and put the other team in a situation where you're just hoping for somebody else to help you," Bucs coach Tony Dungy said. "That's the way we've got to look at it. We've got to win this game and put ourselves in position where we don't need any help."

Two teams fighting for wild card spots face off Sunday when the Seattle Seahawks (7-6) visit the Giants (6-7) in an interconference matchup.

The Seahawks trail the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets by one game in the battle for the final two AFC wild card spots.

The defending NFC champion Giants kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 17-13 victory over Arizona last week. After Sunday, the Giants visit Philadelphia and then finish with a home game against Green Bay.

New York should get a healthy dose of running back Shaun Alexander, who was passed over by the Giants in the 2000 draft when they selected Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne 11th overall. Alexander has rushed for 1,036 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 4.4 yards per carry, and has 33 receptions for 258 yards and one score.

The Seahawks play their final two games against AFC West rivals, visiting San Diego and hosting Kansas City.

The Ravens (8-5) host the Cincinnati Bengals (4-9), who have dropped six straight, and the Jets (8-5) visit the Indianapolis Colts (5-8) in the Sunday night game.

After hosting the Bengals, Baltimore visits Tampa Bay and hosts Minnesota. New York hosts Buffalo before closing the season at Oakland.

Two mismatches pit the teams with the NFL's best records--the St. Louis Rams (11-2) and Pittsburgh Steelers (11-2) -- against the clubs with the league's worst marks--the Carolina Panthers (1-12) and the Detroit Lions (1-12).

On November 11, Marshall Faulk ran for 183 yards in the first half alone as the Rams rolled to a 48-14 victory over Carolina. Trung Canidate picked up where Faulk left off in the second half, rushing for 145 yards on just 16 carries.

After losing their first 12 games, the Lions finally gave rookie coach Marty Mornhinweg his first victory last Sunday, a 27-24 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

But the Steelers are the league's hottest team with six consecutive wins and clinched the AFC Central title with a convincing win over the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens.

The Atlanta Falcons (6-7), barely holding playoff hopes after dropping three straight, host the Buffalo Bills (2-11) in another interconference matchup.

In other games, the Jacksonville Jaguars (5-8) visit the Minnesota Vikings (5-8), the Arizona Cardinals (5-8) host the Dallas Cowboys (4-9) and the San Diego Chargers (5-9), losers of seven straight, meet the Kansas City Chiefs (4-9).

The Denver Broncos (7-7) are idle.