he Seattle Seahawks earned their fourth straight trip to the postseason last week, but they haven't looked much like a playoff-caliber team lately. The Seahawks try to end a three-game losing streak and gain some momentum heading into the playoffs as they visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Although Seattle (8-7) lost to San Diego 20-17 last Sunday, it managed to back its way into the playoffs after Arizona beat San Francisco 26-20, ending the 49ers' slim playoff hopes. That gave the Seahawks their third consecutive NFC West title despite their third straight loss. The Seahawks allowed the Chargers to score the winning touchdown on a 37-yard pass with 29 seconds left last week, and have also lost to the 49ers and Cardinals - who have a combined 11-19 record - during their losing skid.

The defending NFC champs have not lost four straight games since losing five in a row Oct. 2-29, 2000, when they were a member of the AFC West. Seattle has beaten only one team with a winning record this season - a 23-20 win over Denver on Dec. 3 - and has allowed at least 20 points in each of its last seven games.

The Seahawks have lost four of their last six road games, allowing an average of 27.8 points in those games. They have won all three of their games at Tampa Bay (4-11), though, and are 5-1 all-time against the Bucs. While the players seem troubled by the losing skid, coach Mike Holmgren has tried to focus on the positives.

Shaun Alexander, last season's MVP, ran for 140 yards and scored both Seattle touchdowns against the Chargers, and has four TDs in his last four games. However, Alexander has gained only 254 yards on 84 attempts and a touchdown in four road games, and rushed for just 45 yards on 17 carries in his only career game against the Buccaneers, a 10-6 win on Sept. 19, 2004.

Matt Hasselbeck threw for 189 yards and two interceptions on Sunday, and has thrown for 652 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions during the losing skid. Hasselbeck has a 69.4 quarterback rating in four December games this season after having a 122.9 rating in seven December games over the last two seasons. The Seattle quarterback was 12-of-26 for 147 yards, one TD and one interception against Tampa Bay two years ago.

The Buccaneers ended a four-game losing streak with a 22-7 win over Cleveland on Sunday for its first road win since Dec. 11, 2005. They held the Browns to a season-low 187 yards, and matched a season high with four turnovers. Quarterback Tim Rattay made his first start of the season and finished 16-of-26 for 212 yards.

Rattay came off the bench the previous week to throw three touchdowns and rally the Bucs to 28 points in the final 16 minutes of regulation in their 34-31 overtime loss to Chicago. Tampa Bay is averaging the second-fewest points (13.6) in the NFL, but has scored 53 points in its last two games. The Bucs need to finish the regular season with a victory to avoid their first season with fewer than five wins since going 3-13 in 1991.  

TAKE THE OVER 36.5 POINTS

Although they need plenty of help, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs can still make the playoffs. To have any chance of reaching the postseason, though, both the Jaguars and Chiefs need a victory when they meet at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.

The Chiefs and Jaguars are both 8-7, along with Cincinnati and Tennessee. All four teams trail Denver and the New York Jets by a game, and if the Broncos and Jets win on Sunday, they'll claim the AFC's two wild-card spots. For the Jaguars to make the playoffs for the second year in a row, they need to win Sunday, then hope the Jets lose while the Bengals and Titans either lose or tie. The Chiefs need to win, then have the Broncos lose while the Bengals and Titans lose or tie to make the postseason for the first time since 2003.

Simply put, it's a longshot for either team, which both blew chances down the stretch to secure a spot. Jacksonville was in great shape to earn a berth after blowing out Indianapolis 44-17 on Dec. 10. However, the Jaguars followed that with a 24-10 defeat to Tennessee before last Sunday's 24-21 home loss to New England, the same team that beat them in the wild-card round last year.

Kansas City beat Oakland 20-9 last Saturday, snapping a three-game losing streak that all but knocked the Chiefs out of contention. Kansas City was 7-4 after beating Denver 19-10 on Thanksgiving, but crumbled in a 31-28 defeat to Cleveland on Dec. 3 and totaled only 19 points in losses to Baltimore and San Diego - the AFC's top two teams. Even with the win over the Raiders, the Chiefs' 4-7 conference record is the worst of the remaining contenders.

Edwards has never missed the playoffs two years in a row in his time as a coach - head or assistant. But after going 4-12 last season with the New York Jets, it appears Edwards will miss again in his first year with the Chiefs, unless everything falls into place. The Jaguars are 4-1 all-time against the Chiefs, including a 23-16 victory in 2002 in the only meeting at Kansas City. Fred Taylor had 114 yards rushing and a touchdown in that contest, and he needs 80 yards Sunday to reach 1,200 for the sixth time in his career.

Taylor and rookie Maurice Jones-Drew have combined to help the Jaguars rush for 161.9 yards per game, second in the league. With Taylor hobbled by a hamstring injury, Jones-Drew started in his place and ran for 131 yards last week against the Patriots, including a 74-yard touchdown run. Jones-Drew has 15 total touchdowns this season and a team-record 2,046 all-purpose yards. He's scored a rushing touchdown in seven straight games, tied for the longest streak by a rookie in NFL history. Curtis Dickey also did it seven consecutive games for the 1980 Baltimore Colts.

Kansas City counters with Larry Johnson, who is second in the NFL with 1,651 rushing yards and 16 total touchdowns. He's already set a club record with 383 rushing attempts and needs 100 yards to break his single-season franchise-record of 1,750, set last season. The Chiefs are an NFL-best 20-2 in December home games since 1995, having won 18 straight before losing 20-10 to the Ravens on Dec. 10. Jacksonville is 2-5 on the road after going 11-5 over the last two seasons.

TAKE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS PLUS +2.5 POINTS

TAKE THE OVER 36.5 POINTS

The New York Jets simply have to beat the lowly Oakland Raiders on Sunday to earn a playoff berth and complete an impressive turnaround from a year ago. The Jets (9-6), who finished 4-12 last season under Herm Edwards, fell to 2-3 after a 41-0 loss to Jacksonville on Oct. 8.

But first-year coach Eric Mangini has gotten his team on track, and after its 13-10 win over Miami on Christmas Day, New York is one win away from its fourth postseason berth in the last six years. The Jets are 5-2 since their bye week, allowing an average of 14.1 points in those games, the third-fewest points in the league in that span.

While New York is just one win away from the playoffs, Mangini does not want his team overlooking the hapless Raiders (2-13), who have lost eight straight games and are averaging a league-low 11.0 points. Although Mangini would rather see his team advance to the playoffs with a win, the Jets can still make the postseason if they lose to the Raiders, but would need some help. They would get in if Cincinnati and Jacksonville both lose or tie; if Cincinnati loses or ties and Tennessee wins; or if Denver and Jacksonville both lose.

With Monday's win over the Dolphins, New York won its second straight game, but has not won three in a row since Nov. 21-Dec. 5, 2004. New York limited the Dolphins to a season-low 253 yards on Monday, while holding its fourth opponent in its last six games to a single touchdown. The Jets offense struggled to get in sync during a heavy rain during the game, and won on a 30-yard field goal by Mike Nugent with 10 seconds left. Nugent had four field goals in last season's 26-10 win over Oakland, and has connected on his last 15 attempts.

Chad Pennington was 14-of-29 for 237 yards and a touchdown against Miami, and has thrown for 601 yards, five TDs and one interception in three career games against the Raiders. New York has won four of its last five games, and Pennington has thrown for 1,307 yards while completing 67.5 percent of his passes in those games. Oakland has the No. 1 passing defense in the league, though, allowing an average of only 150.9 yards.

The Raiders are tied for the seventh-most interceptions with 18, and Pennington is tied for the sixth-most picks with 16. The Jets have won their last two over Oakland, but the Raiders lead the all-time series 19-13-2.

Oakland lost to Kansas City 20-9 on Saturday night to match the franchise record for losses in a season, set when it went 1-13 in 1962 - the season before Al Davis arrived to coach and eventually own the team. The Raiders were held without an offensive touchdown for the seventh time, and are on pace to finish with the fifth-lowest point total in NFL history since the league extended the schedule to 16 games in 1978.

The Raiders turned the ball over five times against the Chiefs, and have committed at least five turnovers in three of their last four games. The Raiders gained a season-low 179 yards and had a season-high four turnovers in their loss to the Jets last year. Quarterback Andrew Walter had two fumbles and threw two interceptions on Saturday, and has 19 turnovers in 12 games this season. Oakland is winless on the road, and needs to win Sunday to avoid going 0-8 on the road for the first time since 2003.

TAKE NEW YORK JETS MINUS -12.5 POINTS