PHILADELPHIA -- Not many people get to read their obituary in the newspaper.

Ryan Longwell booted his 20th career game-winning field goal to lift the Vikings to a 20-19 victory over the Giants, and the Eagles needed three more things: a win over Dallas, a Bears loss in Houston, and a chartered plane to the frozen tundra of Minneso

The Minnesota Vikings were not foremost on the Eagles' minds yesterday evening.

The NFC South title and a first-round bye are at stake for Carolina.

This is the third year that Peggy Cacciabeve's fifth-grade class at Cheney Elementary in East Orlando has competed in the Beat Jerry contest as a math and Americana project.

It won't be enough for the Bears to win in Houston today.

* Cleveland Browns (4-11) atPittsburghSteelers (11-4)

Sometimes you know.

The Panthers face a tough challenge in that no NFC South team has won a divisional road game this year.

The only scoreboard that'll matter to the Dallas Cowboys this weekend is the one they control.

--Just when it looked like Andy Reid finally was coming around to understanding the importance of running the ball, he threw it 46 times and ran it 16 in Sunday's 10-3 loss to the Washington Redskins.

E-mail: bjkmiklasz@post-dispatch.

Playoff races come down to wire, and Bucs are in the thick of it.

NFL

Physically, the two rookies who have had a significant impact on the Eagles this season are in different places.