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Rams on the road home

Except for coach Mike Martz pulling out a broom in the locker room mocking St. Louis' sweep of San Francisco, the Rams acted as if Sunday's win were no big deal. It was, after all, their sixth in a row over the Niners.

But the win may prove crucial for the Rams (10-2). They not only have sole possession of first place in the NFC West ahead of the Niners (9-3), they have the conference's best record after the Bears (9-3) lost to Green Bay (9-3). That means the Rams are in position to have homefield advantage throughout the playoffs with four weeks left in the regular season.

The Rams have played only two home playoff games in St. Louis, but they won both.

"Ten wins sounds good, but we're trying to get to, what, 14, for that homefield advantage," cornerback Dexter McCleon said. "We're up in the homefield advantage race, and we want to stay there."

DO WE GET OUR MONEY BACK IF THEY DON'T?: Don't look now, but we have another playoff guarantee coming from New York. This time it involves the Jets, not the Giants.

Although the Jets' loss to the Steelers darkened their playoff outlook, safety Victor Green said the postseason definitely is in the Jets' immediate future.

"We're going to make the playoffs," he said. "We're a good team, and we're going to get the three games we need. I think 10-6 will get us in. ... We're going to make the playoffs."

Please, somebody write this down so we can check back with the Jets after the regular season.

PLAYS OF THE DAY: There were two. The first was Kurt Warner faking anger and walking toward the sideline as if he wanted a timeout while the Rams snapped to running back Marshall Faulk, who slipped through the middle to pick up a key first down.

Martz twice ran the play by the refs before the game to make sure it would be legal. Kordell Stewart and the Steelers pulled the same trick the week before.

The other was Chargers receiver Jeff Graham's catch literally over Eagles cornerback Troy Vincent, and his great concentration while juggling the ball before streaking into the end zone.

SOMEBODY SAY AMEN: The Steelers look to be the class of the AFC, but kicker Kris Brown could be their undoing. He has made some clutch kicks but has had bouts of inconsistency, missing four field goals against the Ravens several weeks ago and two field goals and an extra point Sunday.

If the Steelers need a field goal to earn a trip to the Super Bowl, they better say their prayers.

SPEAKING OF NERVE-RACKING: The only thing more unreliable than Brown these days is the Raiders run defense. It has been getting gouged the past four weeks.

After giving up 204 yards to the Chiefs, 168 by running back Priest Holmes, the Raiders are third-worst in the league against the run (134.8 yards a game) and still have to face LaDainian Tomlinson (Chargers), Eddie George (Titans), Terrell Davis (Broncos) and Curtis Martin (Jets).

MUST-SEE TV: More weighty games are on tap this weekend.

The biggest is Sunday night,when the Steelers play at the Ravens in a game Baltimore needs to pull within a game of first-place Pittsburgh. Other crucial division games are the Eagles at the Redskins and the Rams at the Saints. Also, the Dolphins are at the 49ers.

CAN THEY PLEASE GET SOME LOVE?: Receivers Troy Brown and Joe Horn continue to have huge seasons amid little fanfare. After big games Sunday, Horn is second in the league in receiving yards (1,122) to go with 71 catches, and Brown is fourth in receptions (85) for 1,033 yards.

GIANT KILLERS: What has gotten into the Giants (5-7)? Granted, the Cowboys are improving, but Sunday's loss at Dallas was another atypical defeat in a season filled with more than Giants fans would have dreamed coming off a Super Bowl season.

"All of the things we've been good at for years have left us: winning in the fourth quarter and winning in December," coach Jim Fassel said. "This is a different team."

STAT OF THE WEEK: The Panthers, who blew a 24-6 second-half lead to the Bills, have lost 10 games in which they led or were tied after halftime.

-- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.

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