Lincoln -- As the National Football League heads into the final three weeks of the regular season, several former Huskers played key roles in clinching playoff spots for their teams over the weekend.

In Philadelphia, the Eagles continued to soar with a 36-10 victory over Dallas. Correll Buckhalter picked up his third career 100-yard rushing day, finishing with 115 yards rushing on just 13 carries, highlighted by a 64-yard touchdown run, and also caught two passes for 29 yards. With the win, the Eagles, who have won eight straight games, improved to an NFC leading 10-3 mark.

Another team on a roll is the St. Louis Rams, who also clinched a playoff berth over the weekend with a with a 26-20 win over the Cleveland Browns. Defensive end Grant Wistrom had two solo tackles to help hold off Cleveland's late comeback bid, while rookie cornerback DeJuan Groce also had a tackle as the Rams have won nine of their last 10 since a 1-2 start.

In Atlanta, the Panthers nearly clinched the NFC South Division, but fell to the Atlanta Falcons, 20-14 in overtime Sunday evening. The Panthers, who fell to 8-5 with the loss, were led by Mike Rucker, who came back from a knee sprain to record six tackles, including five solos tackles, and Mike Minter who had seven stops in a losing effort. Rucker also received another honor last week, as he was chosen as the 2003 Walter Payton Carolina Panthers Man of the Year, as the award recognizes a player’s off-the-field community service as well as his playing excellence. Rucker is third in the NFC with 12 sacks and his 36.5 career sacks is second on the Panthers all-time list.

The list of Huskers currently in the NFL grew by three last week, as Erwin Swiney was resigned by the Green Bay Packers, while Jeremy Slechta and Scott Frost signed with the Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, respectively. Currently, Nebraska leads all Big 12 schools with 35 former players on NFL rosters, a total that ranks among the leaders for all schools.

() missed field goal DNP - Did Not Play; INJ - Injured, did not play; IR - Injured Reserve