The illness of Dan Reeves, the Atlanta Falcons coach, gave the side an extra incentive and they won in style, coming from behind to beat the Detroit Lions and clinch their first NFC West title in 20 years.
Reeves was readmitted to hospital on Sunday after heart surgery. The 54-year-old, who has transformed the Falcons from perennial losers into strutting winners in just over a year, watched his team rally past the Lions with two fourth-quarter touchdowns to win 24-17.
Reeves had assured his players last weekend that he would be back for the play-offs. The Falcons responded with an emotional performance. After their victory Eugene Robinson, the safety, yelled in front of the television cameras and micro phones: "Coach, that was for you. You just rest and we'll see you for the play-offs."
The Falcons, with 13 wins and two defeats, pushed the San Francisco 49ers into second place. Reeves should return in time to replace his assistant Rich Brooks for their first play-off game. He is expected to help with the game plan for the finale with the Miami Dolphins.
The 49ers fell to their unaccustomed second place in the NFC West by losing 24-21 to the New England Patriots. The 49ers scored 21 points in the first half but buckled in the second as the Patriots knocked off 24 points.
The win put the Patriots into the play-offs for a wild-card spot along with the Buffalo Bills from the AFC East. Although they lost 17-10 to a resurgent New York Jets, the Bills return to the playoffs under Doug Flutie, the veteran quarterback.
The Washington Redskins will not be heading for the play-offs after losing their first seven games. But since their disastrous start the Skins have astonished everybody by chalking up one victory after another, winning six out of their last eight games. A victory at Dallas next Sunday would make them the first NFL team to win seven games after dropping their first seven.
Play-off qualifiers: Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers. Contenders: Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Oilers, Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants.
