NEW YORK -- Chris Boniol saved Dallas, Thurman Thomas took care of Buffalo and Carolina did the job for San Francisco in the National Football League.


The Cowboys ended a two-game slide as Boniol's fifth field goal of the game, a 35-yarder with no time on the clock, beat the New York Giants 21-20.


Troy Aikman converted three critical third-down passes in Dallas' winning drive, setting up Boniol's 22nd straight successful field goal. Brad Daluiso kicked a go-ahead 27-yard field goal for New York with 5:17 remaining before Aikman and Boniol brought the Cowboys back.


Boniol had field goals of 27, 32, 23, and 45 yards before his game-winner.


Rodney Hampton rushed for a career-high 187 yards for the Giants (5-10).


Thomas ran for 148 yards as Buffalo battled its way to the AFC East title with a 23-20 win over Miami, nailing down the Bills' sixth division in eight years.


San Francisco took a more leisurely path to the NFC West crown. The 49ers, waiting for a Monday night date with Minnesota, backed into the NFL West when Carolina upset Atlanta 21-17.


Seattle routed Oakland 44-10 in a night game, keeping the Seahawks' playoff chances alive and hurting the Raiders' chances.


In Saturday's games, Pittsburgh gained a first-round playoff bye and ended New England's postseason chances with a 41-27 victory over the Patriots, and Green Bay clinched a berth by beating New Orleans 34-23.


Panthers 21, Falcons 17. Atlanta blew a two-touchdown lead at Carolina, losing to the expansionist Panthers when Kerry Collins hooked up with Willie Green on an 89-yard touchdown pass.


Carolina, already the winningest expansion team in NFL history, clinched its seventh win of the season by stopping Atlanta on a fourth-and-goal play with 67 seconds left, severely damaging the Falcons' postseason hopes.


Seahawks 44, Raiders 10. In Seattle, Chris Warren ran for three touchdowns as the Seahawks (8-7) won their third game in a row and sixth in seven in handing the fading Raiders (8-7) their fifth loss in a row. Warren had his eighth 100-yard rushing game of the season, with scores of 35, 15 and 14 yards.


Eagles 21, Cardinals 20. Philadelphia overcame a 17-point deficit and clinched a wild-card playoff berth using a huge defensive effort to beat Arizona. The Eagles forced five second-half turnovers and Rodney Peete's 37-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Williams in the fourth quarter provided the winning margin.


Lions 44, Jaguars 0. Barry Sanders ran for two touchdowns and Scott Mitchell passed for two more as Detroit routed Jacksonville for its sixth straight victory. The Lions have scored 190 points in their last six games.


Chiefs 20, Broncos 17. Steve Bono threw for one touchdown and ran for another and Vaughn Booker ran 14 yards with John Elway's fumble for another touchdown as Kansas City locked up a first-round playoff bye. The AFC West champion Chiefs can secure home field throughout the playoffs if they beat Seattle or Pittsburgh loses at Green Bay next week.


Chargers 27, Colts 24. John Carney kicked a 43-yard field goal with three seconds to go as defending AFC champion San Diego won its fourth straight game and kept its playoffs hopes alive.


Bears 31, Bucs 10. Rashaan Salaam rushed for a career-high 134 yards and three touchdowns as Chicago kept its playoff hopes alive. The Bears remained a postseason possibility thanks to Carolina's victory over Atlanta.


Browns 26, Bengals 10. The Browns played what may have been their final game after 50 years at Cleveland Stadium, and ended a six-game losing streak by beating Cincinnati. Cleveland had not won since the announcement the franchise would move to Baltimore next season.


Redskins 35, Cardinals 23. Tom Carter and Tony Woods scored defensive touchdowns for Washington as St. Louis lost for the eighth time in the last 11 games. Mark Rypien passed for 340 yards, his second straight 300-yard game for St. Louis.


Oilers 23, Jets 6. Rookie Steve McNair threw a 35-yard touchdown pass in his first NFL start and Al Del Greco kicked three field goals in what may have been Houston's last game in Texas. Oilers owner Bud Adams is expected to buy out the remainder of the team's lease and move to Nashville next season.