Crunch time in the NFL is also clinch time – as in playoff berths. Four teams locked up postseason appearances on Sunday and one of them didn’t even play.

The New England Patriots, on the strength of a club-record 24 points in the third quarter, mashed the Miami Dolphins 41-13 to nail down their sixth consecutive AFC East Division title. The Denver Broncos won their fourth straight AFC West title by topping the San Diego Chargers 22-10. The Indianapolis Colts won the AFC South again by virtue of a 17-10 triumph at home over the Houston Texans. The Texans have never won in Indy (0-13).

The Arizona Cardinals were in the odd position of clinching at least a wild card as long as the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles did not play to a tie. The Cowboys blew a 21-0 lead but came back and beat the Eagles 38-27, guaranteeing the Cardinals their first postseason appearance since 2009.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota won the Heisman Trophy in a runaway vote. He is the first native Hawaiian to win the award. … Navy defeated Army 17-10 in their annual battle, winning for a record 13^th straight time. … Former Florida coach Will Muschamp joined Auburn as defensive coordinator.

NBA

The Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant moved into third place on the league’s all-time scoring list, passing Michael Jordan. Bryant trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. … The Oklahoma City Thunder won their eighth straight game, beating the Phoenix Suns 112-88. They started the season 3-12 with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant out with injuries, but both are back and Westbrook  has scored at least 20 points in each of those eight victories.

ELSEWHERE

Kevin Harvick was named NASCAR’s Driver of the Year. Harvick won the final two races of the season to earn his first career Sprint Cup title. He won five races in his first season with Stewart-Haas Racing, and that included three victories in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. … Virginia won the men’s College Cup soccer championship, defeating UCLA 4-2 on penalty kicks after a scoreless match.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .