Falcons Look to Take That Next Step

The Times’ rating scale for this week’s games:

**** -- Don’t miss a down.

*** -- Could be good.

** -- Who let the dogs out?

* -- Stupor Bowl.

The Eagles have landed. Now, the Atlanta Falcons can too.

A week after Philadelphia clinched the NFC East, the Falcons can claim the NFC South by beating or tying Tampa Bay, or with a New Orleans loss.

The Falcons (9-2) are looking to win 10 games for only the fourth time in franchise history, most recently when they advanced to the Super Bowl in 1998. They play at Tampa Bay, where the Buccaneers (4-7) have won three in a row and scored a total of 69 points in their last two home games.

Should the Falcons clinch, their focus will be on keeping their foot on the accelerator.

“You don’t take a deep breath,” General Manager Rich McKay said. “You don’t relax.... Don’t change your approach or you’ll run into problems.”

In other games:

** Minnesota (7-4) at Chicago (4-7), 10 a.m. -- The Vikings are a far better team now that they have Randy Moss back, yet they’ve lost three in a row in Chicago and have won only one of their last 19 games played outdoors. The Bear offense isn’t clicking. In its last three games, the Chicago offense has scored only one touchdown.

** Cincinnati (5-6) at Baltimore (7-4), 10 a.m. -- Fresh off their shootout with Cleveland, the Bengals will face one of the league’s toughest defenses. In its last two meetings with Cincinnati, the Raven defense has forced nine turnovers. In its last seven games against the Bengals, Baltimore has given up an average of 10.6 points and posted three shutouts.

*** New England (10-1) at Cleveland (3-8), 10 a.m. -- The Patriots have a smooth ride to the finish line. Of their final five opponents, only the New York Jets have a winning record, and Cleveland, Miami and San Francisco are in last place in their divisions. Because Butch Davis resigned as coach and general manager this week, Terry Robiskie will assume the role of interim coach for the rest of the season for the Browns.

** Arizona (4-7) at Detroit (4-7), 10 a.m. -- The Lions, once the league’s worst road team, have passed that torch to Arizona. The Cardinals have lost 18 of their last 19 games away from home. This game includes the top wide receivers in last spring’s draft: Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald, the No. 3 pick, and Detroit’s Roy Williams, the No. 7 pick.

*** Tennessee (4-7) at Indianapolis (8-3), 10 a.m. -- Peyton Manning, on pace to shatter Dan Marino’s single-season record of 48 touchdown passes, has thrown four or more in each of the last five games. He needs eight to break the record. In six of its seven losses this season, Tennessee has blown a lead.

* Buffalo (5-6) at Miami (2-9), 10 a.m. -- By beating San Francisco last Sunday, the Dolphins probably ruined their chances for the top pick in the draft. They have a chance to win their first division game -- Buffalo has lost its last seven division games played on the road.

* Carolina (4-7) at New Orleans (4-7), 10 a.m. -- They might not salvage their season, but the Panthers have won three consecutive games and are facing the Saints at the right time. New Orleans has lost six of its last eight, essentially sealing the fate of doomed Coach Jim Haslett.

*** Houston (5-6) at New York Jets (8-3), 10 a.m. -- It has been nearly two years since Houston won a game in December, and the Texans will be hard pressed to win this one, especially if Jet quarterback Chad Pennington returns from the shoulder injury that kept him out the last month.

* San Francisco (1-10) at St. Louis (5-6), 10 a.m. -- Not since 1964 have the 49ers had the No. 1 overall draft pick, but they are headed that way this season. The Rams did a good job of moving the ball between the 20s at Green Bay on Monday, but they struggled to score.

** Kansas City (3-8) at Oakland (4-7), 1 p.m. -- The Chiefs have lost four in a row, and 10 of 13 road divisional games. The Raiders have to watch for a letdown after an emotional victory at Denver.

**** Denver (7-4) at San Diego (8-3), 1 p.m. -- Last spring, when the NFL devised the schedule, who could have guessed this game would have meant so much? The Chargers can tighten their grip on the division lead with a victory. Quarterback Drew Brees has 21 touchdown passes and only three interceptions, and, according to STATS Inc., is on pace for the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in league history. The Broncos have picked off five passes in the last two games.

**** Green Bay (7-4) at Philadelphia (10-1), 1:15 p.m. -- Even though the Packers have won six in a row, five came against teams with losing records. Philadelphia is 5-0 at home, and its defense has not given up a touchdown in nine quarters.

* New York Giants (5-6) at Washington (3-8), 1:15 p.m. -- New York has lost its last four games, and Washington has lost seven of eight at home. No wonder the Eagles were able to clinch the division so early. Eli Manning should pick up his inaugural victory as a pro here.

*** Pittsburgh (10-1) at Jacksonville (6-5), 5:30 p.m. -- Although he’s still undefeated, rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has cooled, with only one touchdown pass in the last three games. There’s a good chance the Steelers will have Duce Staley back for this one. Jacksonville is 4-0 against Pittsburgh in prime time.

** Dallas (4-7) at Seattle (6-5), Monday, 6 p.m. -- Seattle hasn’t been the same since losing in overtime at home to St. Louis. This is the third “Monday Night Football” appearance for the Cowboys this season, a real indictment of the league’s scheduling system for prime-time games.