DENVER — The playoffs are slipping right through the Cincinnati Bengals' fingers.
The Bengals lost to Denver 24-23 on a snowy Sunday when Brad St. Louis' long snap on an extra point in the final minute sailed wide of holder Kyle Larson, preventing Shayne Graham from even attempting his 159th straight conversion.
The Bengals were offside on the onside kick, and then Quincy Morgan fielded the short second kickoff, sealing the win for Denver (9-6), which can clinch a playoff spot with a win next week against San Francisco.
Needing only to beat the Broncos to get into the postseason party themselves, the Bengals (8-7) drove 90 yards in 12 plays, with Carson Palmer tossing a 10-yard touchdown strike to T.J. Houshmandzadeh with 46 seconds left.
● Patriots 24, Jaguars 21: In Jacksonville, Fla., Tom Brady directed three long touchdown drives, capped one with a perfect touch pass to David Thomas and helped the Patriots clinch their fourth consecutive AFC East crown.
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Laurence Maroney, who missed the previous two games with torn rib cartilage, had a 27-yard touchdown run with 4:36 remaining to put the Patriots (11-4) ahead 24-14.
● Texans 27, Colts 24: In Houston, Ron Dayne had a career-high 153 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and Kris Brown kicked the winning 48-yard field goal as time expired, giving Houston its first win over Indianapolis.
The loss denied the AFC South champions the chance to clinch a first-round playoff bye.
● Ravens 31, Steelers 7: In Pittsburgh, Steve McNair threw three touchdown passes and Baltimore moved ahead in the race for a first-round playoff bye. The Ravens shut down Pittsburgh for the second time in a month and eliminated the defending Super Bowl champions from playoff contention.
The Ravens (12-3) matched a franchise record for victories in a season set by their Super Bowl championship team in 2000 and swept the season series from the rival Steelers (7-8).
● Titans 30, Bills 29: In Orchard Park, N.Y., Vince Young threw two touchdown passes and rushed for another, keeping Tennessee's playoff hopes alive.
Young also engineered his fourth comeback in the fourth quarter or overtime, rallying Tennessee from a 29-20 deficit. After hitting Brandon Jones for a 29-yard touchdown pass, Young engineered a 14-play, 75-yard drive, which Rob Bironas capped with a 30-yard field goal with 2:10 left.
● Panthers 10, Falcons 3: In Atlanta, the Panthers snapped a four-game losing streak and all but ended Atlanta's playoff hopes by shutting down the NFL's top running attack.
The Falcons, who lead the league with 193 yards rushing per game, were outrushed 183-83 by a balanced Carolina attack that helped fill-in quarterback Chris Weinke snap a 17-game losing streak as a starter.
● Saints 30, Giants 7: In East Rutherford, N.J., Reggie Bush ran for a career-best 126 yards and a touchdown, and New Orleans limited New York to six first downs and 142 yards.
The Saints (10-5) can clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC and a bye if Dallas losses either of its final two games or with a home win next week against Carolina.
The Giants (7-8), who didn't have a snap in Saints' territory, remain in the playoff hunt despite losing for the sixth time in seven games.
● Rams 37, Redskins 31, OT: In St. Louis, Steven Jackson wrapped up a big day with a 21-yard touchdown run in overtime and St. Louis' Marc Bulger tied his career best with four touchdown passes.
The Rams (7-8) rallied on the day the team's 95-game streak of regular-season sellouts ended. The franchise also had five playoff sellouts during the run that began in 1995 when it moved from Los Angeles, and it ended with an attendance of 62,324 — more than 3,000 shy of capacity.
● Bears 26, Lions 21: In Detroit, backup quarterback Brian Griese directed a 72-yard drive that set up Robbie Gould's field goal midway through the fourth quarter, helping Chicago beat Detroit.
Gould's fourth field goal — after Jon Kitna made his NFL-high 30th turnover — gave Chicago a six-point cushion with 2:50 remaining.
With a chance for a winning touchdown, the Lions drove to the Chicago 22. Kitna threw a pass into the end zone on the final play that leaping wide receiver Mike Williams got his hands on, but couldn't control.
● Buccaneers 22, Browns 7: In Cleveland, Derrick Brooks returned one of Tampa Bay's four interceptions 21 yards for a touchdown and Tampa Bay won its first road game in more than a year.
The Buccaneers (4-11) managed just 187 yards of offense.
