Division Rivals To Meet in Playoffs

NEW YORK (AP) â€” The NFL's wild-card playoffs will be spiced by two matchups of division rivals. <br><br>The Miami Dolphins, who beat the New England Patriots 27-24 Sunday and clinched the AFC East

Tuesday, December 26th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) â€” The NFL's wild-card playoffs will be spiced by two matchups of division rivals.

The Miami Dolphins, who beat the New England Patriots 27-24 Sunday and clinched the AFC East title, will play host to the Indianapolis Colts, the division runner-up, at 12:30 p.m. EST on Saturday.

Defending Super Bowl champion St. Louis beat the New Orleans Saints 26-21 on Sunday to finish 10-6. The Saints, who also finished 10-6, won the NFC West because they were 7-1 in the division to 5-3 for the Rams, and will be home for St. Louis at 4 p.m. Saturday.

None of the teams in Saturday's game can claim an advantage, as each split its season series against its division rival by winning on the road.

The Dolphins won their first game against the Colts 17-14 on Nov. 26. Indianapolis won the rematch 20-13 on Dec. 17.

New Orleans beat St. Louis 31-24 in the teams' first meeting on Nov. 26. But the Rams clinched a playoff berth when they beat the Saints on Sunday and the Chicago Bears beat Detroit 23-20, knocking the Lions out of playoff contention.

Next Sunday's wild-card games feature teams that did not meet during the regular season.

Denver, which finished second to Oakland in the AFC West, will travel to either Baltimore or Tennessee for a 12:30 p.m. game. Tampa Bay, second in the NFC Central, travels to Philadelphia to face the Eagles, who finished second in the NFC East behind the New York Giants, for a 4 p.m. game.