Cleveland fans in the Dawg Pound hang a banner asking for help from the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts, however, rested several starters and lost to the Tennessee Titans, eliminating the 10-6 Browns from the playoffs.

Washington Quarterback Todd Collins passes against Dallas. The Redskins won, 27-6, Sunday in Landover, Md., and clinched a spot in the NFC playoffs.

Cleveland ? As their turnaround season ended inside a dome hundreds of miles away, the Cleveland Browns could only watch – and wonder.

Despite 10 wins, the Browns, who won just four games last season, were left out of the AFC playoffs after the Tennessee Titans topped Indianapolis on Sunday night to clinch the final wild-card spot and set up a first-round game in San Diego.

The Browns were left California dreaming.

Sure, they’ll spend the winter reflecting on a season few thought possible. But the Browns, who beat the San Francisco 49ers, 20-7, in their home finale, also will consider what might have been if they hadn’t thrown away a game in Cincinnati last week, a loss that cost them a postseason berth.

“We are disappointed that we didn’t reach the playoffs, however, we had a good year,” coach Romeo Crennel said. “We’ve learned a lot, grown a lot and look forward to continuing to build on what we’ve accomplished this season.”

That may be true, but it’s little consolation right now as the Browns will be the only NFL team with double-digit victories not in the playoffs.

Titans 16, Colts 10

Indianapolis – Kerry Collins spent most of the season waiting for a chance to prove he could still play.

On Sunday night, with a playoff spot at stake, Tennessee’s backup quarterback delivered the biggest victory of the season.

He led the Titans to three second-half field goals, including a go-ahead 54-yarder from Rob Bironas.

Redskins 27, Cowboys 6

Landover, Md. – The Redskins reached the postseason with avictory over the archrival Dallas Cowboys, capping an emotional renaissance to a season that appeared lost less than a month ago. Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, seemingly on the ropes after a four-game losing streak, received warm embraces from players and assistants as the final seconds ticked away.

The Redskins are 4-0 since Taylor’s funeral, and all the victories were engineered by backup quarterback Todd Collins, a former Kansas City Chiefs backup.

Falcons 44, Seahawks 41

Atlanta – Chris Redman gave the Falcons a feel-good finish to an ugly season. Redman set a career high with four touchdown passes, including two to Alge Crumpler, and the Falcons rode three fourth-quarter touchdowns to victory.

The Falcons ended a six-game losing streak, giving interim coach Emmitt Thomas his first victory in three tries.

Texans 42, Jaguars 28

Houston – Meaningless game? Not to Andre’ Davis, who returned two kickoffs for touchdowns against the Jaguars, who rested many starters with their playoff spot secure. The victory gives the Texans a .500 finish for the first time in their six-year history, and their 42 points are a team record.

Davis’ returns came on consecutive kickoffs, good for 97 and 104 yards.

Panthers 31, Bucs 23

Tampa, Fla. – Carolina gave Vinny Testaverde a nice send-off.

DeAngelo Williams rushed for 121 yards and two second-half touchdowns, lifting the Panthers with the retiring 44-year-old Testaverde taking the last snap in the same city where he began his NFL career in 1987.

Testaverde, the first pick in the ’87 draft by the Bucs, entered the game after the Panthers stopped Tampa Bay’s final drive on downs with 35 seconds remaining. He received polite applause from what was left of the crowd, then took a knee on the last play.

Bengals 38, Dolphins 25

Miami – Miami allowed 316 yards passing by Carson Palmer, gave up a touchdown on a fumble return and staggered to the end of the worst season in franchise history. The Dolphins became the eighth team to finish 1-15 and flopped in their audition for new boss Bill Parcells. He started work Thursday as executive vice president of football operations and watched the game from a press-box suite with retired Green Bay Packers general manager Ron Wolf.

Eagles 17, Bills 9

Philadelphia – With the Eagles eliminated from a playoff spot, Brian Westbrook still gave their fans a reason to celebrate with a pair of team records.

The finale was meaningless for both teams, though the Eagles did finish at .500 on the strength of a three-game winning streak. Had Donovan McNabb performed at the start of the season as he did at the end, perhaps his future wouldn’t be the topic of endless speculation.

McNabb was 29-for-41 for 345 yards, one TD and one interception.

The Bills failed in their bid for a .500 record and missed the playoffs for an eighth straight year, establishing the longest drought in franchise history.

Broncos 22, Vikings 19, OT

Denver – Jason Elam kicked a 30-yard field goal less than a minute into overtime.

The Vikings needed a victory and a Washington loss to top-seeded Dallas to sneak into the playoffs, but neither the Redskins nor the Broncos obliged.

Minnesota, which scored 16 points in the final 5:18 to erase a 19-3 deficit, won the overtime coin flip, but on the Vikings’ second snap, Tavaris Jackson was sacked and fumbled.

With the playoffs out of his reach, Vikings rookie running back Adrian Peterson settled for the NFC rushing title. He gained 36 yards on 11 carries. Despite his fourth straight subpar performance, his 1,341 yards edged Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook by eight yards.

Ravens 27, Steelers 21

Baltimore – The Steelers were not interested in gaining the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs. Their primary objective against the Ravens was merely to keep several key starters healthy.

So Musa Smith ran for 83 yards and a touchdown in his first NFL start, helping the Ravens earn their first victory since Oct. 14 and end a nine-game losing streak.

Pittsburgh will open the playoffs Saturday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Cardinals 48, Rams 19

Glendale, Ariz. – Larry Fitzgerald caught 11 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns, and Arizona finished an 8-8 season with the Cardinals’ highest-scoring game in 30 years.

The .500 record under first-year coach Ken Whisenhunt is Arizona’s best since going 9-7 and making the playoffs in 1998. The Cardinals’ only other non-losing season in 23 years was 8-8 in 1994, Buddy Ryan’s first year as Arizona coach.

Kurt Warner threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns, but was intercepted twice.

Chargers 30, Raiders 17

Oakland, Calif. – LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 56 yards to win his second straight rushing title, Philip Rivers threw two touchdown passes, and the Chargers spoiled JaMarcus Russell’s first career start.

By ending the season with six straight victories, the Chargers beat out Pittsburgh for the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs.

Russell, the No. 1 overall draft pick for Oakland, got off to a slow start by throwing an interception on his first play.

Bears 33, Saints 25

Chicago – Devin Hester sprinted 64 yards for a TD with a punt return – his NFL-record sixth kick runback for a score this season to break his own mark set a year ago – and also caught a 55-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Orton.

When the teams met 11 months ago for the NFC championship on the same field, the Bears earned a trip to the Super Bowl with a 39-14 victory. Now they and the Saints both are going home before the playoffs even start.

Packers 34, Lions 13

Green Bay, Wis. – The Packers finished their turnaround regular season with a victory while resting several key players for the playoffs.

Brett Favre extended his quarterback-record consecutive starts streak to 253 games, but didn’t keep his helmet strapped on for very long. Favre led the Packers to touchdowns on their first three possessions before handing the ball to backup Craig Nall in the second quarter.