NFL

(Newser) - In NFL games today, New York Jets likely blew their playoff chances in a snowy loss to Seattle, while Tennessee clinched home-field advantage, AP reports: Seattle coach Mike Holmgren topped his former star player Brett Favre as the Jets missed several scoring chances and lost their bid to stay atop the AFC East, 13-3. The lowly Bills upended Denver, 30-23, as the Broncos failed to clinch a playoff berth. Tennessee routed the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-14 to clinch the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage for the playoffs. With a 42-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints, the Detroit Lions became the first team ever to go 0-15. More »

(Newser) - Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts won their eighth straight game tonight to clinch a playoff spot, the Indianapolis Star reports. The 31-24 win against Jacksonville epitomized their season: a slow start and a strong—if nail-biting—finish. Jacksonville led 17-7 at the half and were inside the 10 in the final seconds. Manning, whose team made the playoffs for the seventh straight year, passed for 364 yards and 3 TDs. More »

(Newser) - The Pro Bowl picks have been announced and they include a pair of record-busting firsts, AP reports. Eli Manning of the New York Giants and Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts will become the first quarterback-playing brothers to compete in the all-star game. Peyton's Giants teammate, 44-year-old kicker John Carney, will be the oldest Pro Bowl player ever. More »

(Newser) - The Pittsburgh Steelers clinched another AFC North title with a controversial touchdown in the final minute today, USA Today reports: Santonio Holmes snagged the 4-yard pass with 43 seconds left, securing Pittsburgh's 13-9 win over the Baltimore Ravens. A review showed that Holmes had possession of the ball with both feet down. Houston upset the Tennessee Titans 13-12 thanks to receiver Andre Johnson, who collected a career-high 207 yards and a TD in the Texans’ fourth consecutive win. More »

(Newser) - Even the mighty NFL is not safe from the economy's tailspin. The league will eliminate around 14% of its workforce—office workers, not the fellows who wear helmets—and is freezing salaries and hiring until 2009, Bloomberg reports. “I would like to be able to report that we are immune to the troubles around us, but we are not,” the commissioner said. More »

(Newser) - Underperforming public schools can take a lesson from the NFL, but it's not an easy one, writes Malcolm Gladwell in the New Yorker . In much the same way that accurately evaluating a college quarterback is impossible, predicting a teacher's classroom success depends on countless intangibles. "No one knows what a person with the potential