EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The NFC road to the Super Bowl will run through the Meadowlands because the New York Giants did what they had to do against frigid, swirling wind — run the ball.

Derrick Ward ran for career-best 215 yards and set up Brandon Jacobs' winning 2-yard touchdown run with 9:57 left in overtime and the Super Bowl champion Giants re-established themselves as the team to beat by earning the NFC's top seed for the postseason with a thrilling 34-28 comeback victory over the Carolina Panthers last night.

"It's great for our fans to be able to play here at Giants Stadium," quarterback Eli Manning said after the Giants (12-3) snapped a two-game losing streak by rushing for a season-high 301 yards. "I think it will be fun playing the games at home."

The fans who braved the numbing wind chill had plenty of fun watching this one. They tossed snowballs onto the field earlier and threw it like confetti when Jacobs won the game.

"The last two weeks we've been disgraceful running the ball," said Ward, whose total was the fourth highest in Giants' history. "We've had our doubters, that we hit our peak in the past. We knew that we could run the ball. That's what the New York Giants are. We run the ball."

New York had clinched a first-round bye earlier in the day when Atlanta beat Minnesota, then added the icing on this frosty night by beating Carolina (11-4) in the winner-take-all game for the NFC's top seed.

New York forced the overtime when Jacobs plowed into the end zone from a yard out, and Manning hit Domenik Hixon on a slant pattern for the tying 2-point conversion with 3:21 to play.

The loss spoiled a four-touchdown performance by Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams.

The Panthers, who have qualified for the playoffs, can clinch the NFC South and the No. 2 seed with a win at New Orleans next weekend.

LIONS 42, SAINTS 7

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions own a dubious piece of NFL history — with perhaps more on the way.

Detroit became the first 0-15 team ever when it was routed by the New Orleans Saints (8-7). The Lions will try to avoid a perfectly awful season in the finale at Green Bay, where they haven't won since 1991.

Drew Brees threw for 351 yards and two touchdowns after four Saints ran for scores in the first half. Brees stayed in the game with a 35-point lead late in the fourth quarter to move closer to Dan Marino's single-season record for yards passing. He needs 402 at home against Carolina to break Marino's record of 5,084 set in 1984.

Only the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976 went through a season winless in the modern era, but it was a 14-game schedule.

FALCONS 24, VIKINGS 17

MINNEAPOLIS — The Falcons' stunning turnaround season will roll on into the playoffs.

Matt Ryan threw for a touchdown and made no big mistakes, Justin Blalock recovered a fumble in the end zone for another score and the Vikings committed four turnovers as Atlanta clinched a postseason berth.

Michael Turner rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown for the Falcons (10-5), who were 4-12 a year ago and ended the season without a head coach or a franchise quarterback.

Tarvaris Jackson played very well in his second straight start for the Vikings (9-6), who could have clinched their first division title since 2000. Jackson threw for 233 yards and two scores and rushed for 76 yards, but also had a fumble at the Atlanta 16.

The league's leading rusher, Minnesota's Adrian Peterson, was held to 76 yards.

The Vikings still have a shot at their first NFC North title, needing a Chicago loss or a win over the New York Giants next week in the season finale. The Bears host Green Bay tonight, then play at Houston.

REDSKINS 10, EAGLES 3

LANDOVER, Md. — Jim Zorn sure didn't look like the worst coach in America. Instead, he's the coach who got his Redskins turned around a week too late — with a stop at the 1-yard line on the game's final play.

As Reggie Brown caught the ball near the goal line, cornerback Fred Smoot lifted him into the air, and safety LaRon Landry supplied the shove that kept the Eagles receiver out of the end zone. With no timeouts remaining, Philadelphia couldn't stop the clock as the last seconds ticked away.

Washington's Clinton Portis scored his first touchdown in eight weeks in a win that offered the Redskins a consolation prize on the day they were eliminated from the postseason.

The Redskins (8-7) had lost three in a row and five of six after a 6-2 start, prompting Zorn last week to say he felt "like the worst coach in America."

Meanwhile, the Eagles (8-6-1) have a must-win game at home against Dallas in next week's season finale, and still could fall short of the playoffs with a win.

49ERS 17, RAMS 16

ST. LOUIS — Isaac Bruce reached a pair of milestones in a late-game flurry in his old stadium. Both helped the San Francisco 49ers in an improbable comeback win.

Bruce became the fifth player to reach 1,000 catches on a 3-yard touchdown grab with 4:12 to go and passed Tim Brown for second on the career yards receiving list on the 49ers' go-ahead drive. Bruce has 1,001 receptions and 14,936 yards.

The Rams (2-13) squandered a 10-point lead for the second straight week, failing to capitalize on four turnovers and four sacks while losing their ninth in a row.

Josh Morgan got the go-ahead score on a 48-yard reception with 1:22 to go from Shaun Hill, who struggled with three interceptions before putting it all together late for the 49ers (6-9).