ATTEMPTING TO EXPEDITE THEIR ARRIVAL; FLT CREW OF B737-300 CALLS RWY IN SIGHT FOR VISUAL APCH WITHOUT ACTUALLY SEEING IT. STRONG TAILWINDS; LACK OF RAW DATA AND DEPENDENCE ON AUTOMATION RESULT IN DISORIENTATION AND THE NEED TO GAR AND LAND ON ACTIVE RWY.

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MADE DECISION TO LAND ON RWY 4L IN ZZZ; OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO EXPEDITE ARR TO ARPT. WINDS WERE WITHIN LIMITS AT TOUCHDOWN; BUT 230 DEGS AT 45 KTS AT 2000 FT AGL. APPROX 20 NM FROM THE FIELD; I THOUGHT I HAD THE RWY IN SIGHT; BUT PLANNED TO VERIFY WITH A COMBINATION OF LNAV AND THE LOC. AT APPROX 10 NM FROM RWY 4L I STARTED TO CONFIGURE THE ACFT AT 2000 FT. THE ACFT STARTED A L TURN IN LNAV BEFORE I EXPECTED IT TO AND THE FMC THEN DISPLAYED UNABLE RNP (I BELIEVE THIS WAS DUE TO THE STRONG WINDS). I THEN WENT TO VOR/LOC EXPECTING TO GET THE LOC; BUT TWR HAD NOT TURNED THE LOC AROUND AS THE ACTIVE RWY WAS RWY 22R. TWR THEN ASKED IF WE HAD THE RWY IN SIGHT. WHEN WE DIDN'T RESPOND; HE DIRECTED THAT WE CLB TO 2000 FT AND FLY HDG 040 DEGS. TWR THEN POINTED OUT THE RWY AT 3 O'CLOCK LOW AND WE RECONFIGURED THE ACFT ON DOWNWIND AFTER THE GAR AND LANDED ON RWY 22R. I DIDN'T COMMUNICATE VERY WELL WITH THE FO DUE TO WORKLOAD AND HE ASSUMED THAT I SAW THE RWY. ALSO; I SHOULDN'T HAVE CALLED THE FIELD IN SIGHT UNTIL I WAS ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT I SAW THE RWY AND SHOULD HAVE 'FESSED UP' EARLIER THAT I DIDN'T HAVE IT; BUT WAS DISTR DUE TO WORKLOAD. DUE TO OUR ARR ANGLE; IT WAS DIFFICULT TO IDENT THE RWY ENVIRONMENT AS THERE WERE NO APCH LIGHTS ON FOR RWY 4L. ALTHOUGH WE COMMUNICATED OUR INTENTIONS EARLY TO ATC; WE SHOULD HAVE COORDINATED FOR THE LOC AND/OR RWY LIGHTING FOR THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION RWY. FINALLY; GIVEN THE WINDS AT 2000 FT AGL; AN EARLIER DECISION TO GO TO RWY 22R WOULD HAVE BEEN PRUDENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 784860: LESSON LEARNED: DON'T CALL THE FIELD IN SIGHT UNLESS BOTH PLTS ACTUALLY HAVE IT IN SIGHT. ALSO; DON'T RELY ON AUTOMATION ALL OF THE TIME LIKE WE TEND TO DO. WE THOUGHT THE LOC WAS OPERATING FOR RWY 4L; BUT WE CAME TO FIND OUT FROM TWR THAT IT WAS NOT RUNNING BECAUSE WE WERE ON A VISUAL APCH.