Titans Stay Perfect by Beating Jags

Lions have worst record at 0-16

(NEWSER) - The Detroit Lions today achieved the perfect record that last season eluded the New England Patriots—only perfectly losing at 0-16, reports the AP. In other NFL games:

• The Minnesota Vikings secured their place in the playoffs as a walk-off field goal from Ryan Longwell put them 20-19 over the Giants.
• A year after finishing 1-15, Miami clinched the AFC East title with a 24-17 win over Brett Favre and the Jets.
• Philly clinched an improbable playoff berth, plowing over Dallas 44-6.

Atlanta retains position after not 1, not 2, not 3 ... 4 tiebreakers

(NEWSER) - Miami will choose first in the 2008 NFL draft—of that there wasn't any doubt. After the Rams make the second selection, the honors will go to the Falcons, who won a series of tiebreakers meant to loosen the knot of four teams tied for the third-worst record, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The full list of the top (or bottom) eight teams: More»

Both move on to their conference championship games

(AP) - The Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers are moving on in the NFL playoffs:

• The Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens 31-24 despite trailing 21-7 at halftime. As bad as Pittsburgh was in the first half, the Ravens were worse in the second. Pittsburgh scored three times on three Baltimore turnovers, then won the game with 1:33 left when Rashard Mendenhall ran it in from the 2. Pittsburgh plays the winner of tomorrow's Jets-Patriots game for the AFC championship next week. See game story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette .

Dolphins' 'Wildcat' formation not only way offenses trying to fool defenses this season

(NEWSER) - Sunday’s four-touchdown performance from Miami running back Ronnie Brown may signal the year of the trick play in the NFL, USA Today reports. The Dolphins’ “Wildcat” formation, in which the running back takes a direct snap, seems likely to catch on. “This is a copycat league,” says San Diego’s LaDanian Tomlinson. “When teams start having success with something, you're going to see more of it.” More»

Average team worth over $1B

(NEWSER) - The NFL is the richest pro sports league in the world, with the average value of each franchise topping $1 billion, reports Bloomberg. The combined value of the league jumped 7% from last year and has more than tripled since Forbes began ranking the teams 10 years ago. The jump is primarily attributed to new stadiums and increased sponsorship deals. The Dallas Cowboys remain at the top of the list, with a value of $1.61 billion. More»