AFC GAMES

NO MENTION AT ALL ABOUT 14 INTERCEPTIONS

It’s official! It’s official! The Dolphins are AFC East champions! The Dolphins are AFC East champions!

Having taken care of the New England Patriots twice--a final play, half an hour to determine there are still three seconds on the clock, another final play--the Dolphins clinched the division title and the home field for this first-round playoff game, if no other advantage against the resurgent Colts.

After three months spent hitting the snooze button, the Colts finally are playing up to preseason expectations, having won three consecutive games, one a victory two weeks ago at Miami. Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the league at the moment. During the streak, he has completed 59 of 88 passes for 621 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.

The Dolphins counter with Jay Fiedler, who, unlike Manning, isn’t headed for the Pro Bowl, wasn’t drafted and was out of football as recently as 1997, working as an assistant coach at Hofstra.

“That’s one of the great things about the NFL,” Manning says. “It doesn’t matter how you got here. Jay is one of 12 starting quarterbacks in the playoffs.”

That’s one of the great things about Manning. Archie raised him well. If you don’t have anything nice to say, you can at least be polite while you’re not saying it.

The line: Indianapolis by 2.

BUT CHARGER ‘D’ COULD GIVE THEM TROUBLE

What’s the difference between the Dust Bowl Ravens of dead October, when Baltimore’s offense went five games without a touchdown, and the 12-4 defensive demons who have fans in Baltimore daring to mention Trent Dilfer and the Super Bowl in the same breath?

Not much, to be honest.

Camouflaged by a seven-game winning streak has been the dreaded return of the Ravens’ Neverscore offense. In their last 28 drives, the Ravens have produced only two touchdowns, 15 first downs and 288 yards. Last week, Baltimore defeated the New York Jets, 34-20, but the Raven defense and special teams accounted for three touchdowns, a safety and set up a field goal.

“Teams will beat you bad if we play like we did [against the Jets],” Raven tight end Shannon Sharpe said. “We will get blown out. We will get beat real bad. Whatever we need to do, we need to get it fixed in a hurry. In the playoffs, if you have a weakness, teams will exploit it.”

Denver will, the Broncos being a team with a Pro Bowl quarterback--when healthy--in Brian Griese, a 1,000-yard rusher in Mike Anderson and two 100-catch receivers in Ed McCaffrey and Rod Smith.

“The way we played [against the Jets], I don’t want to play against anybody,” said Sharpe, a former Bronco. “What about Cincinnati and Cleveland? Can we see them in the playoffs? That’s who I want to see.”

The line: Baltimore by 3.