This sounds like a broken record

While New England is going for perfection, Tennessee and Washington are just looking to do what they need to do to keep playing.

A look at 10 things to watch heading into the NFL’s final regular-season weekend:

They’re history

1 Not only are the New England Patriots one victory away from the first undefeated season in 35 years, but there are some individual single-season records on the line when they play a Saturday finale at the New York Giants. Quarterback Tom Brady is two touchdown passes away from breaking Peyton Manning’s mark of 49, and Randy Moss needs two touchdown catches to surpass Jerry Rice’s 22. If New England players care so little about those records, as they claim, why were they so determined to force the deep ball against the Dolphins?

Sleeping Giants

2 The Giants tied a team record by making the playoffs for a third consecutive year. But their lousy play in December is more like a broken record, one that keeps playing the same tune over and over. Even in their 17-point victory at Buffalo on Sunday, there were troubling signs, most notably five fumbles. Even on their best day, they’d be hard pressed to beat New England, yet they’re looking for a respectable outing so they can gather some momentum heading into the postseason.

Nothing but Net

3 Less than half the country will be able to watch Patriots-Giants on the tube. That’s because the New England-New York Giants game will be broadcast on NFL Network, which is in only about 43 million of the nation’s 113 million TV households. The network is hyping the game as if it’s the Super Bowl, airing 62 hours of pregame coverage, including the re-airing of six Patriots games in their entirety.

Speaking of 62

4 If Oakland rookie JaMarcus Russell makes his starting debut in the finale against San Diego, he will become the league’s 62nd quarterback to start a game this season. According to USA Today, the current count of 61 -- reached when Baltimore’s Troy Smith started Sunday -- is the most since the league expanded to 32 teams in 2002 with the addition of the Houston Texans.

Tennessee waltz

5 There’s good news, bad news and more good news for the Titans, who are in position to claim the AFC’s final wild-card spot. The first piece of good news for them is they control their destiny; if they win Sunday, they’re in and Cleveland is out. The Titans’ bad news? They play second-seeded Indianapolis. Most important is Tennessee’s last bit of good news: Peyton Manning probably won’t play much more than a series or two.

Not packing it in

6 Green Bay’s hopes for a chance at home-field advantage fluttered away in the Chicago wind, so their finale against Detroit is meaningless. Not so for the Lions, who will be playing for pride Sunday at Lambeau Field. They’ve fallen short of Jon Kitna’s 10-win prediction, but they have an opportunity to win eight, thereby avoiding a losing season for the first time since 2000. That said, the Lions haven’t won in Wisconsin since 1991.

Capitol gains

7 No matter what happens, it has been a heartbreaking year for the Washington Redskins, still reeling from the fatal shooting of Sean Taylor. A team goal is within reach, however, as the Redskins will make the playoffs if they beat Dallas. Funny that it would come down to knocking off the Cowboys, their most-hated rival. The Redskins might not have to worry about Terrell Owens, who is recovering from a high ankle sprain. On the heels of four close losses, Washington has won three in a row.

Living on a prayer

8 Cleveland, Minnesota and New Orleans all need some help to sneak into the playoffs. The Browns can win or lose against San Francisco and get in if under-motivated Indianapolis beats Tennessee, or they can get in if they beat the 49ers and the Colts and Titans tie. The Vikings need to win at Denver, plus get a loss by Washington. The Saints need a victory at Chicago in a rematch of last season’s NFC championship game coupled with losses by Washington and Minnesota. Don’t count on that, New Orleans.

Down-and-out pattern

9 Shouldn’t we have guessed that Chicago would miss the playoffs? After all, the Bears were the Super Bowl runners-up. Six of the last seven Super Bowl losers failed to make the playoffs the following season -- that’s the Giants, Rams, Raiders, Panthers, Eagles and now Bears -- with the only exception being the 2006 Seahawks. So, coming off a surprising rout of Green Bay, the Bears will try to finish off the Saints.

Wanna bet?

10 The betting lines are always bizarre in Week 17 because nobody can quite figure out who’s going to play and who isn’t. When a victory means essentially nothing, are the 14 1/2 -point-underdog Giants going to roll over against New England? Would the Titans be favored by 6 1/2 over Indianapolis in any other situation? And a lot of other matchups sound like a description of the Oakland Raiders: No line.

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sam.farmer@latimes.com