EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Eli Manning threw three touchdown passes and the New York Giants won an all-or-nothing game to claim the final spot in the NFL playoffs, beating the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 on Sunday night.

The regular season went down to the last game, and it was coach Tom Coughlin’s Giants (9-7) who won the NFC East and returned to the postseason for the first time since 2008.

The loss left Jerry Jones’ Cowboys (8-8) out of the playoffs for the second straight year.

New York won three of its final four games and earned a wild-card home game next Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons (10-6).

The Cowboys lost four of their final five games in their first full season under coach Jason Garrett.

Chiefs 7, Broncos 3

DENVER — Tim Tebow fell short in his latest comeback bid, yet his Denver Broncos are still going to the playoffs.

Former Bronco Kyle Orton got his revenge in leading the Kansas City Chiefs to a 7-3 win over Denver on Sunday, but it’s the Broncos who clinched the AFC West and are headed to the postseason, where they will host Pittsburgh next Sunday.

Ravens 24, Bengals 16

CINCINNATI — Ray Rice had a pair of long touchdown runs that gave the Ravens their third AFC North title and the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.

Baltimore (12-4) will get a first-round bye followed by a playoff game at home, where the Ravens are 8-0 this season.

Chargers 38, Raiders 26

OAKLAND, Calif. — Philip Rivers threw three touchdown passes and Richard Goodman returned a kickoff 105 yards for another score as Oakland’s playoff hopes ended.

Patriots 49, Bills 21

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom Brady led the Patriots back from a three-touchdown deficit as they scored 49 straight points and clinched home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

Jaguars 19, Colts 13

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Indianapolis locked up the top pick in April’s NFL draft, setting the stage to select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

Maurice Jones-Drew ran for a season-high 169 yards, clinching the NFL rushing title and breaking Fred Taylor’s single-season franchise record in the Jaguars’ victory.

Titans 23, Texans 22

HOUSTON — Matt Hasselbeck threw two touchdown passes, but the Titans’ slim playoff chances ended when they did not get the helped they needed from several other teams.

The Titans (9-7) have their first winning record since 2008 in Mike Munchak’s first season.

Dolphins 19, Jets 17

MIAMI — Mark Sanchez threw three interceptions and the Jets were eliminated from the AFC wild-card playoff race.

Each turnover led to a field goal, and the Jets gave up six third-down conversions during the Dolphins’ 21-play, 94-yard drive for their only touchdown.

Saints 45, Panthers 17

NEW ORLEANS — Drew Brees threw for 389 yards and five touchdowns, and New Orleans set a slew of NFL and club records.

The NFL single-season records set by the Saints (13-3), who head into the playoffs on an eight-game winning streak, included offensive yards with 7,474, team yards passing with 5,347 and first downs with 416. The Saints are home to Detroit on Saturday night.

Packers 45, Lions 41

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Backup quarterback Matt Flynn threw a touchdown pass to Jermichael Finley with 1:10 left to finish off his record-setting day of 480 yards and six TD passes.

With Aaron Rodgers resting for the playoffs, Flynn set club single-game records for yards passing and touchdowns. It was an ideal afternoon for the Packers (15-1) who got to rest their starting quarterback and several other big-name players without losing momentum.

Falcons 42, Buccaneers 24

Julio Jones caught two touchdown passes in a span of 26 seconds, Michael Turner ran for two scores and Atlanta put up a team-record 42 first-half points to cruise to a 45-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday to clinch the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoffs.

Cardinals 23, Seahawks 20, OT

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Larry Fitzgerald’s spectacular one-handed grab set help up a 28-yard field goal by Jay Feely to give Arizona its fourth overtime victory at home in the last nine weeks of the season.

Bears 17, Vikings 13

MINNEAPOLIS — Charles Tillman’s interception return in the second quarter gave Chicago (8-8) the lead for good, and the Bears stopped their five-game losing streak despite 3Z\x sacks by Jared Allen.

Allen finished the season with 22 sacks, behind Michael Strahan’s NFL mark of 22½ for the Giants in 2001.

Eagles 34, Redskins 10

PHILADELPHIA — Michael Vick threw three touchdown passes, including a 62-yarder to DeSean Jackson, as the Eagles closed the season with four straight wins.

49ers 34, Rams 27

ST. LOUIS — Michael Crabtree caught two touchdown passes, one from kicker David Akers on a perfectly executed trick play, and San Francisco wrapped up the No. 2 playoff seed in the NFC and a first-round bye.