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Brian Billick is in a strange position as his Baltimore Ravens finish the regular season.
By the time the Ravens play Sunday night against Pittsburgh they might have clinched the AFC North title. But he still won't be able to rest Jamal Lewis to keep him healthy and fresh for the playoffs.
That's because
Lewis, who ran for 205 yards against Cleveland last week, is within 48 yards
of 2,000 for the season and 154 from breaking Eric Dickerson's record of 2,105.
``We're going to need every bit of whatever number he needs to get the record
and to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers,'' says Billick, who last week rested Lewis
for most of the fourth quarter in Cleveland. ``Now the gloves come off and it's
whatever it takes. If he's got to run 50 times on Sunday to win, he'll run 50
times.''
The Ravens (9-6) can clinch the division with a win or a loss by Cincinnati, which will host Cleveland in a game that will end more than four hours before the game in Baltimore begins.
Cincinnati (8-7) has the tiebreaker. So if it wins, Billick will have to go all out, meaning Lewis gets the ball 30-35 times -- 50 seems a little much.
For the Steelers (6-9), upsetting Baltimore would be consolation in a very disappointing season.
They also have a running back seeking to reach a landmark.
Jerome Bettis, who began the season on the bench, needs just 14 yards to pass Jim Brown and move into sixth place on the career rushing list. Bettis has run for 444 yards in the last five games and in the last three weeks has passed Thurman Thomas, Franco Harris and Marcus Allen, a pretty good trio.
On Saturday, New England beat Buffalo 31-0 to secure home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs; Seattle edged San Francisco 24-17 to keep the Seahawks' postseason hopes live; and Philadelphia routed Washington 31-7 to win its third consecutive NFC East title.
In other Sunday games, St. Louis is at Detroit; the New York Jets at Miami; Chicago at Kansas City; Jacksonville at Atlanta; Indianapolis at Houston; Tampa Bay at Tennessee; Dallas at New Orleans; Carolina at the New York Giants; Minnesota at Arizona; Denver at Green Bay; and Oakland at San Diego.
There is no Monday night game.
The AFC playoff teams were just about set entering the weekend: the Patriots, Chiefs, Colts, Titans and Broncos, plus the winner of the North, either Baltimore or Cincinnati. The seeding order could change and so could the winner of the South, where Indianapolis currently leads Tennessee.
The NFC teams in the playoffs are St. Louis, Philadelphia, Carolina and Dallas. Minnesota holds the tiebreaker over Green Bay for the North title, and the Packers and Vikings hold a wild-card tiebreaker over Seattle, the only other team alive.
Indianapolis (11-4) at Houston (5-10)
Tampa Bay (7-8) at Tennessee (11-4)
The Colts hold the tiebreaker over the Titans in the AFC South because they
won both meetings. But their loss to Denver last weekend kept them from clinching
the division title.
That means Tennessee could take it with a victory over the Bucs and a loss by the Colts to the Texans -- unlikely but possible. If Tampa Bay loses, it would become the first Super Bowl winner to finish under .500 the next seasonsince 1999, when Denver went 6-10 the year after John Elway retired.
Denver (10-5) at Green Bay (9-6)
Minnesota (9-6) at Arizona (3-12)
If both the Vikings and Packers win, Minnesota wins the NFC North. One reason
is Green Bay lost early in the season in Tempe, where the Cardinals have been
competitive in every game but one. That could be a factor, because the Vikings
have lost 14 of the last 15 times they've played outdoors.
Denver has nothing to play for after clinching a wild-card spot in Indianapolis last week, and Mike Shanahan won't play three starters, including star running back Clinton Portis. Portis also sat out last week's win in Indianapolis, with Quentin Griffin and Mike Anderson filling in admirably.
This could be Dave McGinnis' last game as Arizona's head coach, a thankless job. The last non-interim Cardinals coach with a winning record was Don Coryellfrom 1973-77.
Cleveland (4-9) at Cincinnati (8-7)
Even if they don't make the playoffs, the Bengals, 2-14 a year ago, have to
be happy with the season. If they win this game, they would have their first
winning season since 1990, re-emphasizing how much Marvin Lewis has improved
what was the NFL's worst franchise.
The Browns are likely to retain Butch Davis, although his team has collapsed under him, especially the defense, which allowed Jamal Lewis 500 yards rushingin two games.
St. Louis (12-3) at Detroit (4-11)
The Rams gained the edge for home-field advantage in the NFC when the Eagles
lost last week and will be trying to clinch it against a team that last week
set an NFL record with its 24th consecutive road loss.
The Lions are 4-3 at home. But they are 9-38 since Matt Millen took over aspresident and St. Louis normally doesn't lose games with this much at stake.
Dallas (10-5) at New Orleans (7-8)
Dallas lost a chance to win NFC East when the Eagles beat Washington on Saturday
night.
The Saints will be without Joe Horn (separated shoulder). They will have John Carney, who missed the extra point after the wacky touchdown on the finalplay in Jacksonville last week as New Orleans lost 20-19.
Chicago (7-8) at Kansas City (12-3)
The Chiefs are just 3-3 after their 9-0 start as the defense has allowed 45
points in two of the last three games. But despite being routed last week in
Minnesota, they clinched a first-round bye when Indianapolis lost.
The Bears have won four of five, the last two with rookie Rex Grossman atquarterback. Would a .500 season save Dick Jauron's job?
New York Jets (6-9) at Miami (9-6)
A win by the Dolphins would give them a curious distinction as the first 10-win
team since the Eagles and 49ers in 1991 to miss the playoffs. Would that save
Dave Wannstedt's job?
The Jets can wonder what might have been had Chad Pennington not broken his wrist in preseason. Still, they are just 4-4 in his starts and Pennington had his worst game ever last week, throwing five interceptions against NewEngland.
Jacksonville (5-10) at Atlanta (4-11)
Carolina (10-5) at New York Giants (4-11)
Oakland (4-11) at San Diego (3-12)
Carolina rested five starters last week after clinching the NFC South and might
do the same against the Giants, about half of whose starters are out. Coach
John Fox returns to the Meadowlands, where his success as the Giants' defensive
coordinator got him the Carolina job.
The Jacksonville-Atlanta game is a showcase of two of the game's best young QBs, Byron Leftwich and Michael Vick. Vick is 2-1 as a starter; the Jaguars have won three of four as Leftwich has begun to mature.
Despite his team's record,
Marty Schottenheimer will return next season to coach the Chargers. Bill Callahan's
fate with the Raiders is uncertain.