Bills end Dallas win streak but Cowboys reach NFL playoffs

Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen made NFL history to ignite the Bills' 31-10 rout of Dallas on Sunday to snap a five-game win streak even as the Cowboys clinched a playoff berth.

James Cook ran 25 times for 179 yards and a touchdown and Bills defenders dominated the Cowboys in improving Buffalo to 8-6, still out of a playoff spot with three games remaining, while Dallas slid to 10-4.

"That James Cook. What a game from him," Allen said. "He ran the ball so hard. Our offensive line gave him holes to run through. Our guys on the perimeter blocked their tails off... and our defense came out and played so well."

Despite wind and heavy rain, Cook was the first Bill with a rushing and reception touchdown and more than 200 total yards in a game since Thurman Thomas in 1991.

"Every opportunity that came my way, just had to make it count," Cook said. "Once you get the ball, you can't hesitate. You have to go."

After marching 75 yards on their first drive to grab the lead on Latavius Murray's 2-yard touchdown run, the Bills got an 18-yard Allen touchdown pass to Cook and a 1-yard Allen touchdown run to seize a 21-3 lead, the largest Dallas halftime deficit in three years.

That gave Allen an NFL-record 10th game this season with touchdowns rushing and passing.

"It wasn't a pretty passing game," Allen said. "We had the rain and wind and when in doubt, give it to our running backs to grind out some yards. We were smart with the ball."

The Cowboys, who haven't won the NFL crown since the 1995 season, secured a third consecutive playoff appearance before the start, thanks to losses by Atlanta and Green Bay, but lost ground in their quest to overtake San Francisco for the NFC top seed and first-round playoff bye.

Playoff-bound San Francisco, powered by Brock Purdy's four touchdown passes, captured the NFC West division crown and improved to 11-3 by beating host Arizona, 45-29.

Ravens reach playoffs 

The 49ers stretched their win streak to six games and that combined with Atlanta and Green Bay losses secured a playoff berth for the Philadelphia Eagles (10-3), who visit Seattle on Monday.

The Baltimore Ravens became the fourth team to qualify for the playoffs with a 23-7 victory at Jacksonville and stayed atop the AFC at 11-3.

The Los Angeles Rams kept Detroit from sealing a playoff spot by defeating Washington, 28-20.

Two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Patrick Mahomes threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns in defending champion Kansas City's 27-17 victory at New England.

"There's some stuff we've got to clean up, like all season long, but we're going to try and get better and keep it rolling," Mahomes said. "When we're executing well, we're hard to beat."

The Miami Dolphins, without top NFL receiver Tyreek Hill due to an ankle injury, blanked the New York Jets, 30-0, with Raheem Mostert rushing for two touchdowns and Tua Tagovailoa throwing for 224 yards and a touchdown.

"It's tough not having one of your star guys out there," Tagovailoa said. "We have a lot of other guys we believe in and that's what happened out there -- it's just the trust we have in each other."

The Dolphins reached 10-4 for the first time in 23 years but remain a game behind Baltimore for the AFC top seed with Kansas City next at 9-5.

Baker Mayfield completed 22-of-28 passes for 381 yards and four touchdowns to lead Tampa Bay's 34-20 victory at Green Bay.

New Orleans stayed level with Tampa Bay atop the NFC South by beating the New York Giants, 24-6, as Derek Carr threw for 218 yards and three touchdowns.

Carolina's Eddy Pineiro kicked his third field goal, a 23-yarder on the last play, to lift the host Panthers over Atlanta, 9-7.

Dustin Hopkins kicked a 34-yard field goal with 32 seconds to play to give Cleveland a 20-17 home win over Chicago.

Houston's Ka'imi Fairbairn kicked his fourth field goal, a 54-yarder on the final play, to give the Texans a 19-16 overtime triumph at Tennessee.

Agence France-Presse

Usher to headline Super Bowl halftime show

NEW YORK -- Hitmaker Usher will headline the Super Bowl halftime show in February, he and the NFL announced Sunday.

The pop and R&B singer behind chart-toppers including "U Got It Bad," "My Boo," "Yeah!" and "OMG" will helm one of the world's most-watched stages in Las Vegas during the sporting event scheduled for February 11, 2024.

"It's an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list. I can't wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they've seen from me before,” Usher said in a statement.

The 44-year-old from Atlanta is one of best-selling artists of the early 2000s, and more recently has been a draw on the Vegas concert residency scene.

His catalogue of hits includes features from Lil Jon, Ludacris, Alicia Keys and will.i.am., so it's not unlikely his set will include some special guests.

Since 2019 the halftime show during American football's title game has been produced by Roc Nation, the entertainment outfit founded by New York rapper-mogul Jay-Z.

The partnership has resulted in halftimes performed by Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, The Weeknd, a hip-hop showcase that included Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, and 2022's career-spanning set by Rihanna.

Since last year Apple Music is the event's main sponsor, having ousted Pepsi after reportedly paying $50 million for the privilege.

The halftime performance slot is one of the industry's most coveted: the Super Bowl is the most-watched US television broadcast.

In 2022 Nielsen estimated the game drew more than 113 million viewers.

That year the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles but it was Rihanna who stole the show: the megastar made her long-awaited return to the stage at halftime, and dominated the conversation after revealing she was pregnant with her second child.

Agence France-Presse

Colts QB Anthony Richardson ruled out for the game with a concussion against Texans

HOUSTON (AP) — Indianapolis quarterback Anthony Richardson sustained a concussion Sunday against the Houston Texans.

Richardson was taken to the locker room early in the second quarter to be evaluated and the team later announced that he was out with a concussion.

Richardson ran for two touchdowns in the first quarter to help the Colts build a 14-7 lead. He went to the medical tent after a drive to start the second quarter and was soon escorted to the locker room.

It was unclear when he was injured, but he left after a series where he didn’t appear to take any big hits.

Richardson, the fourth overall pick in the draft, was 6 of 10 for 56 yards passing. His touchdown runs were for 18 and 15 yards.

He was replaced by Gardner Minshew.

-Associated Press

Golf: Humbled Aussie Day, inspired by NFL's Brady, back at Masters

AUGUSTA -- Former world number one Jason Day, humbled by poor results but inspired by age-defying NFL star Tom Brady, finds charging up the rankings more enjoyable the second time around.

The 35-year-old Australian, nagged by chronic back pain, missed the Masters last year for the first time since 2010, the year before sharing second in his Masters debut.

Now with a rebuilt swing and gritty determination, Day has five top-10 finishes in his past six PGA starts and after sinking to 175th in the world rankings has jumped back to 35th.

"To be back here this year is very special," Day said. "I didn't watch much (last year) out of the sheer disappointment that I wasn't able to compete. It hurt my confidence a lot, so I've been trying to work my way back."

Day, whose only major title came at the 2015 PGA Championship, has won 12 PGA events, most recently in 2018 at Quail Hollow. He recalls his heady days atop the rankings after his major triumph.

"You feel invincible, like it's never going to leave and you're going to be on top of the world for a long time," Day said. "All of a sudden you get injured and that mountain can be very jagged if you fall down it."

Day's mother, Dening, died last year of lung cancer, adding to his struggles.

"It has been an unbelievable learning experience, a very humbling experience," Day said. "To be able to go through this and try and reinvent yourself is unique and I've enjoyed that thoroughly."

Day also took motivation from Brady, who retired earlier this year at age 45 after winning a record seventh Super Bowl title in the 2020 season with Tampa Bay.

"For him to be at that young age of 45 and be competitive in the NFL, it's remarkable, a true testament to his ability," Day said. "And then the mental ability he has.

"For the longest time I said I'll get to 40 and think about retiring. I feel like I can play to 50 now, which is great, and would be nice to get another 15 years out of my career and see what this second half of my career could unfold."

Day hopes another major, and maybe another stint atop the rankings, aren't out of the question.

"I'm more excited by the journey and trying to get back there," Day said.

"When I got to number one, I thought I would feel a little bit different and didn't really change too much. It was sacrifice everything. It came from a very hard place. Forget about how your body feels, just kind of force it in there.

"This time around, I'm learning more about what I need to do to keep myself healthy... I'm enjoying the journey and I'm learning each and every day, and I've actually got a lot of love and passion for it."

Agence France-Presse

The new face of the NFL, Mahomes sets sights on Brady's record

GLENDALE -- The Kansas City Chiefs' thrilling victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Sunday's Super Bowl was not just a fine advertisement for the modern NFL but it also signposted the future of the Patrick Mahomes era.

Mahomes cemented his status as the elite quarterback of the post-Tom Brady era after leading the Chiefs to their second Super Bowl win in four years, showing composure as well as resilience as he shrugged off an ankle injury to deliver a game-winning performance.

Many things will change in the league in the coming years but it is hard to envisage a future that doesn't feature Mahomes as a central protagonist.

Whether Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts can maintain his presence in the elite is a more open question, but on Sunday he more than contributed to the spectacle with his ability to run with the ball, delivering three rushing touchdowns as well as a touchdown pass.

And while the 27-year-old Mahomes and Hurts, three years his junior, are very different quarterbacks in many aspects, they both have one quality that is likely to continue to grow in importance for quarterbacks -- mobility.

Brady, like his contemporary Peyton Manning, was a master of passing from the pocket, a quarterback who could read defenses, spot his opportunity and then deliver a perfectly weighted and directed pass.

Those qualities remain absolutely essential for any quarterback, but what made Sunday's game such compelling viewing, with barely a dull moment, was the willingness of both Mahomes and Hurts to move out of the pocket and make things happen.

The pair did so in significantly different ways.

Hurts rushed like a running back, surging forward with intent, strength and speed and his 70 yards on the ground were a record for a quarterback in the Super Bowl.

But unlike some other dual-threat quarterbacks of the past, Hurts is astute enough to know when to slide and avoid the crunchy tackles that increase risk of injuries.

Mahomes is nimble on his feet and has extraordinary awareness, using those gifts to scramble, finding himself space for a pass on the run or to make the yardage needed for a first down.

- Second guessing -

Those approaches make defenses second guess, provide uncertainty and open up possibilities across the field -- all of which adds to the unpredictability fans love.

There are no signs of NFL teams moving away from the trend towards mobile quarterbacks as this year's playoff contenders -- illustrated with Buffalo's Josh Allen, Cincinnati's Joe Burrow, San Francisco 49ers rookie Brock Purdy and Daniel Jones of the New York Giants -- are all able to scramble effectively.

It remains to be seen whether Hurts, for all his ability and impressive mindset, can build on his break-out season and become a consistent winner.

But Mahomes, now a two-time Most Valuable Player, is firmly at the top and has taken Brady's mantle as the face of the NFL.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid doesn't believe Mahomes will settle with what he has achieved so far.

"He strives to be the greatest. Without (him) saying anything, that is the way he works. He wants to be the greatest player ever," Reid said.

Taking that title from Brady, however, will require many more nights such as the one at State Farm Stadium.

Brady retired earlier this month at the age of 45 after stacking up a record seven Super Bowl wins during his record-shredding career with the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Mahomes isn't shying away from the challenge, though, and before Sunday's game he was open about his goal.

"I'm trying to catch Tom but Tom's a long ways away. You can ask me when I'm like 38 years old," he said.

"It's going to be tough. I mean, seven Super Bowl victories, 10 Super Bowls. There's a reason why he's so far ahead of everybody else. It's hard to do, but I'll do my best to chase it."

Whether he gets close to Brady or not, it promises to be fun to watch the chase.

Agence France-Presse

NFL: Chiefs overcome magnificent Hurts for Super Bowl win over Eagles

GLENDALE -- Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs overcame the inspired Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts to win their second Super Bowl in four years with a 38-35 win in a magnificent contest on Sunday.

Hurts produced four touchdowns, three of them rushing, and threw for 304 yards but ended on the losing side with a late field goal from Harrison Butker settling a ding-dong battle in Arizona.

Mahomes threw for three touchdowns and 182 yards but the Chiefs had game-winning displays across the field as they came back from ten points down at half-time to hand head coach Andy Reid a victory over his former team.

The game got off to an explosive start with the Eagles scoring a touchdown on the opening drive -- Hurts crossing with a quarterback sneak at the end of an impressive an 11-play, 75 yard drive.

But the Chiefs struck back swiftly with Mahomes connecting with Travis Kelce and Isiah Pacheco as he led the team down the field before crowning the drive with a perfectly floated pass to Kelce in the end-zone.

It was only the second time in Super Bowl history that both teams had scored on their first possession and that set the tone for the game.

Butker then missed a chance to put the Chiefs ahead with his 42-yard field goal drifting left and striking the post.

Hurts opened the second quarter in spectacular fashion with a brilliant 45 yard pass deep to A.J. Brown, who collected for the touchdown after his clever route left Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie flailing.

But Hurts gifted away the seven-point advantage on the next possession, dropping the ball without being challenged and Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton scooped up the fumble and ran 36 yards into the end-zone to level the game at 14-14.

- Chiefs fightback -

The mistake didn't deter Hurts from running with the ball however and after his 28-yard rush for a first down took the Eagles into the red zone, he restored the Eagles lead with a four-yard run into the end zone.

There was though a reminder of Mahomes' recent ankle injury when, running out of the pocket, he was tackled by T.J. Edwards and limped off the field.

The Eagles added a field goal before half-time, after more impressive running from Hurts, to go in 24-14 up at the interval.

Chiefs fears over Mahomes' ankle allayed when he came out for the second half and promptly led a 75-yard touchdown drive, including a 14-yard rush from the quarterback and ending with a one-yard run from Pacheco.

The Eagles added a field goal to go into the fourth quarter with a six-point lead but then the Chiefs came roaring back.

Philadelphia left Kadarius Toney wide open to collect a five=yard pass from Mahomes and put Kansas City 28-27 up and then Toney produced a brilliant 65-yard punt return to set up a near identical play on the other side, with Skyy Moore the gleefully wide-open receiver.

But the Eagles responded again with Hurts hurling a 46-yard pass deep left to DeVonta Smith and the quarterback completed the drive with a two-yard run for his third rushing touchdown before adding a two-point conversion for good measure.

It was the first time a quarterback had scored three rushing touchdowns in a Super Bowl.

The two-point conversion levelled the score at 35-35 with 5:15 left in the game but the Chiefs managed the clock masterfully.

A controversial late holding call against the Eagles James Bradberry gave the Chiefs a fresh set of downs near the Philadelphia line, and when after Butker's 27-yard field goal, there were just eight seconds left on the clock.

There was no time for a miracle and Mahomes, the two-times MVP became a two-time Super Bowl winner.

Agence France-Presse

NFL player in 'critical condition' after collapsing on field

WASHINGTON -- Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during his Monday night game against the Bengals and was taken to a Cincinnati hospital where he is in "critical condition," the NFL said, adding that the match had been postponed.

Part-way through the first quarter, Hamlin took a hard hit during a tackle, stood up and then collapsed to the field.

He received medical attention for over 30 minutes, with ESPN reporting that he had received CPR.

Players from both NFL teams gathered around Hamlin during the treatment, with many of them kneeling to pray and some openly weeping.

The crowd in Cincinnati remained silent and television coverage broke away from the scene on the field.

ESPN said the 24-year-old Hamlin was provided with oxygen as he left after being placed on a stretcher and that his family, watching the game, joined him in the ambulance.

Reports said Hamlin had been taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, about four miles (six kilometers) away.

After the ambulance left the field, reports initially suggested the game was going to restart following a five minute warm-up.

But once the two team's coaches conferred with referees, players were told to head to the locker room, while the game was announced "temporarily suspended."

The NFL then issued a statement saying that league commissioner Roger Goodell had announced the game had been postponed and gave details of Hamlin's condition.

"Hamlin received immediate medical attention on the field by team and independent medical staff and local paramedics. He was then transported to a local hospital where he is in critical condition," the league said in a statement.

"Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bills. We will provide more information as it becomes available," the NFL added.

"The NFL has been in constant communication with the NFL Players Association which is in agreement with postponing the game," the statement concluded.

ESPN analyst Booger McFarland, a former NFL player, had called for the league to abandon the game, during the wait for a decision.

"Nobody is concerned about football right now one... they are concerned about one thing, the health and safety of this young man," he said.

Video footage showed that Hamlin had been hit in the upper chest area.

The NFL, one of the most violent team sports, has been dealing with growing concerns in recent years over concussion injuries for players from hits to the head.

Agence France-Presse

NFL: Watson unimpressive as Browns down Texans, Eagles and Bengals win

LOS ANGELES -- Deshaun Watson was less than impressive in his return from an NFL suspension Sunday, but Cleveland's defensive dominance saw him win his Browns debut 27-14 over the Houston Texans.

With playoff races heating up around the league, there was little riding on the contest in Houston.

But the first game in almost two years for quarterback Watson -- who was suspended for 11 games after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions -- put the game in the spotlight.

Watson had already missed all of the 2021 season for the Texans before the Browns controversially acquired him.

On Sunday he was booed by Houston fans on every snap and clearly showed the effects of his time off.

"I'll just say I felt every one of those 700 days," said Watson after the Browns offense generated just six points -- on field goals from Cade York.

Donovan Peoples-Jones took a punt return 76 yards for a Cleveland touchdown, cornerback Denzel Ward had a four-yard fumble return for a touchdown, and linebacker Tony Fields returned an interception 16 yards for a TD to make up for the Browns' lack of offensive production.

Elsewhere, Philadelphia inched closer to a playoff berth with a 35-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans that took their league-best record to 11-1.

The Cincinnati Bengals again got the better of Kansas City, beating the Chiefs 27-24, and the San Francisco 49ers shook off the early injury departure of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to beat the Miami Dolphins 33-17.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, exiting the field to chants of "M-V-P!"

Philadelphia wide receiver AJ Brown torched his former team with a game-high eight catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns.

"This one meant a lot to me," Brown acknowledged. "Early on, I had mixed emotions about the trade and everything, and I'd be lying to you to say I didn't circle this game."

In Cincinnati, the Bengals beat the Chiefs in a rematch of last season's AFC Championship game.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 16 of 27 passes for 233 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions.

Bengals counterpart Joe Burrow completed 25 of 31 passes for 286 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the back and forth battle.

Despite the defeat, the Chiefs remain in position to challenge Buffalo for the top seed in the AFC, both teams now at 9-3.

With Garoppolo sidelined early, the 49ers defense came through and contained the potentially explosive Dolphins offense.

Miami opened the game with a 75-yard touchdown by Trent Sherfield on their first play from scrimmage, but struggled to move the ball from there.

San Francisco didn't allow a third-down conversion in the game, the Dolphins mustering just 14 first downs.

Rookie Brock Purdy came in for Garoppolo and threw two touchdown passes as the Niners snapped Miami's five-game winning streak.

The Minnesota Vikings produced more last-minute magic, sealing a 27-22 victory over the New York Jets on Camryn Bynum's fourth-down goal line interception of Jets quarterback Mike White.

The Vikings' 10th win of the season means they'll have a chance to clinch the NFC North title with a win at Detroit next week.

Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins connected on 21 of 35 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown to Justin Jefferson with 8:33 to play that proved enough to win the game.

- Packers rally past Bears -

AFC North leaders Baltimore saw quarterback Lamar Jackson limp off with a knee injury in the first quarter, but with backup Tyler Huntley at the helm edged the Denver Broncos 10-9.

Huntley capped a 91-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run with 28 seconds remaining to seize the win, and in more good news after the game the Ravens announced that the injury to Jackson, the 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player, was not expected to end his season.

In Chicago, banged-up Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers extended his dominance of the Bears, rallying the Packers to a milestone 28-19 victory.

Rodgers' 25th career win over the Bears was the Packers 787th regular-season triumph -- moving them past the Bears to the top of the NFL's all-time list.

The Bears had held sway as the league's winningest team for more than 100 games.

Agence France-Presse

NFL: Bengals beat Titans as Dolphins, Chiefs make it five in a row

LOS ANGELES -- The suddenly surging Cincinnati Bengals claimed a third straight NFL victory on Sunday as the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs both took their win streaks to five games.

The Bengals, who fell to the Los Angeles Rams in last season's Super Bowl, beat the AFC South-leading Tennessee Titans, 20-16, in Nashville.

Quarterback Joe Burrow connected with Tee Higgins on a 27-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to secure a fifth win in six games for the 7-4 Bengals.

"This is the kind of game that great teams win," Burrow said. "It's not always going to be pretty. This is the NFL. You're playing really, really good teams on the opposing end.

"You've got to find ways to win, and we're starting to do that."

The Titans fell to 7-4 after they struggled to deal with Bengals receiver Higgins, who had seven catches for 114 yards and a TD.

In Kansas City, the Chiefs notched a 26-10 win over the Rams in a game quarterback Patrick Mahomes called "ugly."

Mahomes threw one TD, Isiah Pacheco ran for another and Harrison Butker kicked four field goals as the Chiefs failed to convert five of their six red-zone scoring chances into touchdowns.

"I felt like we didn't execute at a high level in the red zone," Mahomes said. "I threw a dumb, dumb interception there at the end of the game. But it's a team game. The defense stepped up -- they played great."

Miami's fifth straight victory was a comfortable 30-15 decision against the hapless Houston Texans.

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for 299 yards and one touchdown and extended his run without an interception to four games.

Miami coach Mike McDaniel said the win streak "means a lot, because it wasn't just handed to us. It's earned.

"They did things the right way and that shapes the way you do things moving forward."

Miami's defense held the Texans scoreless until late in the third quarter.

"That was awesome to see from our defense," Tagovailoa said. 

"The turnovers, the sacks, the big hits that they were making defensively -- it's always great to watch when we're also able to do some things well offensively."

- Browns down Bucs -

The Las Vegas Raiders won a shootout in Seattle in overtime, beating the Seahawks, 40-34.

In Cleveland, Nick Chubb ran in an overtime touchdown to give the Browns a 23-17 comeback win over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The game-winning play capped a fine individual performance from the Browns running back, who rushed for 116 yards on 26 carries.

Tampa Bay had led 17-10 going into the fourth quarter after Brady had found Ko Kieft with a five-yard pass in the third.

But with 32 seconds left on the clock, Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett found David Njoku in the endzone to take the game into overtime.

The Bucs were forced to punt twice and Brissett led the Browns on a six-play, 71-yard drive that was finished off by Chubb.

Brissett was likely making his final start of the season with star quarterback Deshaun Watson's 11-game suspension coming to an end on Monday.

Mike White, replacing the benched Zach Wilson at quarterback for his first start of the season, threw for three touchdowns and 315 yards as the New York Jets beat the Chicago Bears, 31-10.

The Washington Commanders picked up their sixth win in seven games, beating the Atlanta Falcons, 19-13.

Trevor Lawrence threw for three touchdowns and 321 yards as the Jacksonville Jaguars upset the Baltimore Ravens, 28-27.

Lawrence found Marvin Jones with a 10-yard touchdown pass with 14 seconds left and then found Zay Jones for the game-winning two-point conversion.

Ravens kicker Justin Tucker missed a 67-yard field goal on the last play, an attempt which would have had to beat his own NFL record field goal distance of 66 yards set against Detroit in September 2021.

"The fact that we had a chance and I just didn't deliver, it's heartbreaking to me," Tucker said.

Agence France-Presse

NFL: Rodgers edges Brady as Packers hold off Bucs

LOS ANGELES -- Aaron Rodgers scored only his second career victory over Tom Brady as the Green Bay Packers squeezed past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14-12 on Sunday.

The fifth -- and possibly final -- meeting of the two NFL superstar quarterbacks failed to deliver a high-scoring shoot-out at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium and instead unfolded as a gritty defensive battle.

Brady had looked poised to engineer one of his trademark late rallies after leading the Bucs on a 13-play 89-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown for Russell Gage with just seconds remaining.

That score left the Bucs within a two-point conversion of forcing overtime. 

But a costly delay-of-game penalty took Tampa Bay further away from the goalline and Brady's floated pass to Gage was batted away as Green Bay effectively iced the game.

Rodgers threw for 255 yards with two touchdowns and one interception while Brady finished with 271 yards and one touchdown.

"It's been a lot of fun competing against Tom over the years, and it's always fun to come out on top because it hasn't happened many times," Rodgers said afterwards.

Brady meanwhile bemoaned Tampa Bay's misfiring offense.

"Defense played great, but we gotta play better on offense," he said. 

"We haven't scored many points all season. We gotta get a lot better."

There was a similarly nervy finale in Miami, as the Miami Dolphins' defense shut down Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills to grind out a 21-19 victory in a hard-fought NFL divisional battle.

Bills quarterback Allen finished with 400 passing yards and two touchdowns but was found wanting on Buffalo's final two drives as they chased a game-winning touchdown.

Miami had taken a 21-17 lead after Chase Edmonds crashed over from close range near the end of the fourth quarter.

Allen took Buffalo upfield on the next possession, but missed a wide open Isaiah McKenzie in the end zone on fourth down as a gilt-edged chance went begging.

- 'Butt punt' goes viral -

Buffalo's defense forced Miami to concede a safety after a bizarre play where punter Thomas Morstead kicked the ball directly into the backside of team-mate Trent Sherfield.

The incident -- hastily dubbed the "Butt Punt" on social media -- left Buffalo needing only a field goal to snatch victory.

However their attempts to get the ball into field goal range fell short when McKenzie gathered an Allen pass but was unable to reach out of bounds to stop the clock. 

The Bills failed to spike the ball to halt play and time expired.

"Last week you saw what our offense could do, but this week you can see our defense is capable of stepping up and being able to finish a tough game like that," Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said.

"We're starting to find our identity as a team," added Tagovailoa, who had been forced to leave the field with an apparent head injury before returning in the second half.

US media reports said the NFL Players Association will investigate how Tagovailoa was allowed to come back on the field despite appearing to have suffered a concussion.

Dophins receiver Tyreek Hill meanwhile was simply relieved the team survived Morstead's "Butt Punt".

"I've never seen a butt punt," Hill said. "Next time (Sherfield's) gonna catch it with his butt cheeks."

In other games on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs saw their unbeaten start to the season come to an end in a 20-17 defeat on the road to the Indianapolis Colts.

Colts quarterback Matt Ryan threw two touchdowns and 222 yards -- including a clutch game-winning pass to Jelani Woods with 24 seconds remaining -- to seal victory for the Colts.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes finished with 262 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Elsewhere, Lamar Jackson threw four touchdowns and 218 passing yards in the Baltimore Ravens' 37-26 win over the New England Patriots while the Philadelphia Eagles improved to 3-0 with a 24-8 defeat of the Washington Commanders.

The reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams meanwhile relied on rushing touchdowns from Cam Akers and Cooper Kupp to propel them to a 20-12 divisional victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale.

In Los Angeles, however, the Chargers were given a brutal mauling by Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars, slumping to a 38-10 home defeat at SoFi Stadium.

Lawrence finished with three touchdowns and 262 yards from 28/39 passing in a comprehensive win. 

Agence France-Presse

NFL: Rams beat Bengals in thriller to win Super Bowl on home field

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The hometown Los Angeles Rams came from behind to beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in a thrilling Super Bowl on Sunday, claiming the franchise's first championship since returning to Los Angeles, and its second overall.

With the victory, the Rams, whose last NFL title came 22 years ago when they were based in St. Louis, joined last year's Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the only teams to win a Super Bowl on their home field.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford kept his poise to put together a 15-play drive that ended with a short touchdown pass to Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp with 1:25 left to play, and Aaron Donald wrapped up Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, sealing the win.

"I dreamed this, man," an emotional Donald said after the game. "I feel amazing."

The Rams lost star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to a knee injury in the second quarter and gave up a 13-10 halftime lead, but rallied to deliver Los Angeles its Hollywood ending under the lights of SoFi Stadium.

"I'm so proud of this team, so many guys on our team deserve this, guys that have given their heart and soul to this team," said Stafford, who joined the team from Detroit last offseason.

"That game today is the story of this season, it's up and down, it's tough but we got it done," he said. 

(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Writing by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Tom Hogue)

-reuters-

NFL: White takes charge, powers Jets to upset of Bengals

LOS ANGELES -- Quarterback Mike White outdueled Joe Burrow in his first NFL start, leading the New York Jets to a thrilling 34-31 NFL upset over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

White made the most of his first start, completing 37-of-45 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns and a trick play for the Jets, who ended a two-game losing skid.

White hit Tyler Kroft with a 13-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass with under five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

White then caught the two-point conversion pass from Jamison Crowder on a trick play and the Jets led 34-31 with 3:50 left. 

"Anything is possible," said Jets coach Robert Saleh. "The difference between play A and player Z is an opportunity and reps. That's what professional sports is. That why they come out of nowhere.

"Someone gets an opportunity. Mike has the world in front of him. He has to take advantage of it."

Shaq Lawson gave the Jets their first interception of the season after defecting a screen pass and catching the ball with 4:32 to go. 

Cincinnati punted from its own 40-yard line with 2:19 remaining and never got the ball back.

The Jets improved to 2-5 on the season and beat the Bengals for the first time in their past four meetings. 

White said Sunday's performance was just "affirmation" of what he believed all along, that he could play in the NFL.

"I was confident enough to be able to execute and move the offence," said White. "Today was an affirmation for it."

Burrow completed 21-of-34 for 259 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for the Bengals, who fell to 5-3.

Cincinnati running back Joe Mixon scored twice and gained 91 yards on 18 carries. Tee Higgins led all receivers with 97 yards on four catches.

Agence France-Presse

Former NFL player suspected of killing 5 in US, then himself

A former American professional football player is suspected of killing five people including a doctor and his wife in the state of South Carolina before dying by suicide, US media reported Thursday.

The suspect, identified as former San Francisco 49ers cornerback Phillip Adams, allegedly fatally shot the five victims Wednesday in the city of Rock Hill. 

He then returned to his parents' house, where he killed himself early Thursday after a standoff with police.

The five victims include a 70-year-old doctor, his 69-year-old spouse and two of their grandchildren, aged five and nine, as well as a 38-year-old man killed outside their house.

A sixth person was hospitalized with serious gunshot wounds, York County sheriff's spokesman Trent Faris said.

Neither the York County medical examiner's office nor the sheriff's department responded to AFP's request for confirmation of the suspect's identity.

Speaking to a local television channel, Adams' father Alonzo said he believed playing professional football had "messed him up."

Adams' professional career, from 2010-2015, was marred by injuries, including concussions. 

In addition to the 49ers, he also played for the New England Patriots, the New York Jets, the Oakland Raiders and the Atlanta Falcons.

The quintuple murder comes as the United States is still reeling from two mass shootings in early 2021 in Atlanta and Boulder, Colorado.

US President Joe Biden, who unveiled a plan for gun control on Thursday, branded gun violence in the country an "epidemic" and an "international embarrassment."

During his speech, Biden cited the Rock Hill shooting as an example.

Agence France-Presse

Few pro athletes suffer heart disease after mild COVID, says study

There are few cases of inflammatory heart disease among professional athletes who suffer mild cases of COVID-19, according to a study authored by medical experts from Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA) and other major North American sports leagues.

Medical personnel from MLB and the NBA, along with the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) pooled data from athletes from May through October 2020, as professional sports in North America slowly returned to action after coronavirus-linked lockdowns.

The retrospective study, the first of its kind among the six leagues and published by JAMA Cardiology on Thursday, showed that five of 789 athletes who tested positive for COVID-19 during that time were found to have inflammatory heart disease after mandatory "return-to-play" cardiac testing.

"It does show that in this population of athletes it is safe to return and that inflammatory heart disease is relatively uncommon," said Dr. Gary Green, medical director for MLB, who confirmed that all were able to return to play.

None of the people in the study were hospitalized due to COVID-19 infection and none would have been classified as "seriously ill," Green told Reuters.

More than half a million people in the United States have died from the novel coronavirus, as government officials scramble to roll out vaccines and stem the spread of the highly contagious virus.

"The study was sort of designed to answer the uncertainty that there was surrounding this issue about whether cardiac inflammation was present in people who had mild or asymptomatic forms of COVID-19 illness," said Dr. David Engel, the consulting cardiologist for the NBA and a co-author of the study.

Numerous professional athletes have opted out of playing since the COVID-19 pandemic first took hold in North America, amid concerns over the long-term impact of the virus.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez missed the 2020 season after contracting the novel coronavirus and subsequently being diagnosed with myocarditis. He since said he plans to play in 2021.

"Being athletic doesn't necessarily protect them anymore than if they were sort of an age-matched non-athlete," said Engel. "The cardiac inflammation that you can see with COVID-19 or really with any virus poses a unique risk to athletes because myocarditis, if it's present, it can cause a lethal or a dangerous arrhythmia when the heart is stimulated."

The report offered little insight into the impact of the novel coronavirus on female athletes, with the WNBA the only North American women's league included in the study. Just 12 WNBA players tested positive for COVID-19 during the study's timeframe. 

-reuters-

Super Bowl rakes in half a billion dollars in ads

Advertisers splurged more than half a billion dollars during the Super Bowl, smashing previous records for an event that is routinely one of the most-watched things on US television.

Some of corporate America's biggest names coughed up an eye-watering average of $5.6 million for a 30-second spot in American football's razzmatazz-filled final.

Car companies, fast food chains and delivery apps were among those clamoring to get their brands in front of the 96.4 million people who watched Tom Brady's resurgent Tampa Bay Buccaneers trounce young pretender Patrick Mahomes and his Kansas City Chiefs.

A must-watch for dedicated fans, the NFL final is also a major cultural event in the United States, with millions of Americans traditionally joining Super Bowl parties to drink and eat with friends.

Ahead of Sunday's game, health officials had advised against such gatherings in an effort to tamp down the coronavirus.

The audience was the smallest for the Super Bowl in 14 years, though it is still likely to set the overall event viewership record for this year.

The splashy half-time show, which this year featured The Weeknd and hundreds of dancers with bandaged faces, adds to the allure, and many advertisers compete to provide amusing or particularly memorable spots.

Highlights this year included Will Ferrell picking a fight with Norway on behalf of GM over electric vehicles.

Market research firm Kantar said brands paid a total of $545 million for the 96 in-game spots that aired over the four-and-a-half-hour CBS broadcast.

That figure is a fifth higher than the previous highest total garnered in the 2020 edition, when the Chiefs overcame the San Francisco 49ers in a thriller that went down to the final minutes.

Despite the ongoing fragmentation of audiences and the rise of streaming platforms, live sports -- and American football in particular -- remain a safe bet for viewership numbers in the United States.

 

Several mainstay names opted to stay away from this year's big game, including Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Audi and Hyundai.

Northwestern University marketing professor Tim Calkins said some brands had struggled to find the right message for the pandemic climate, explaining the move to the sidelines.

"This is a challenging year, because it's hard to get the tone right on the Super Bowl," Calkins said. 

"If you run a funny ad, it might seem inappropriate. If you run a very serious ad, it might seem discouraging. Given that, given all the chaos in the country, it's hard for these advertisers to figure out what to say at a big event like the Super Bowl."

The single biggest spender on Sunday's game was ViacomCBS itself, which spent $33 million to promote its new on-demand video service Paramount+, which is set to launch March 4.

Agence France-Presse

NFL: Buccaneers rout Chiefs to win Super Bowl on home field

TAMPA, Fla. -  Tom Brady threw three touchdowns as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers thumped the Kansas City Chief 31-9 to win the Super Bowl on Sunday, giving the evergreen 43-year-old quarterback a record-extending seventh championship ring.

Brady's age-defying performance, which earned him the Most Valuable Player award, brought the curtain down on what was perhaps the most challenging season the NFL has had to navigate because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic kept stadiums mostly empty throughout the season and restrictions limited Super Bowl attendance to 25,000 spectators sprinkled among 30,000 happy-faced cardboard cutouts.

While the pandemic reined in America's biggest sporting party the show went on as scheduled and once again Brady, appearing in his 10th Super Bowl, was the star completing 21 of 29 passes for 201 yards.

The NFL championship game had been hyped as a battle between Brady, recognized as the greatest quarterback of all-time and Chiefs counterpart Patrick Mahomes, 25, widely regarded as the best in the game today.

But in the end it was no contest as the Bucs' rampaging defense harassed Mahomes the entire night as the Chiefs Super Bowl title defense came to a jarring end.

The only team to play a Super Bowl on their home field, the Buccaneers made the most of the opportunity.

In the opening half it was the Brady and Rob Gronkowski show as the former New England Patriots hooked up on eight- and 17-yard touchdowns.

Brady also made the Chiefs pay dearly for some undisciplined play connecting with Antonio Brown for a touchdown strike with six seconds left in the half after pass interference and unsportsmanlike penalties put the ball on Chiefs' one yard line. 

Meanwhile, Mahomes and the Chiefs explosive attack could not get in gear with scoring limited to a pair of Harrison Butker field goals to go into the intermission down 21-6.

The Chiefs struck first in the second half as Butker booted another field goal but the Buccaneers would hit back with a Leonard Fournette 27-yard touchdown run and a Ryan Succop field goal to cruise into the fourth quarter with a 31-9 lead. 

(Reporting by Amy Tennery; Writing by Steve Keating; Editing by Frank Pingue)

-reuters-

NFL: Green Bay quarterback Rodgers wins third MVP award

TAMPA -- Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers was named NFL's Most Valuable Player for a third time on Saturday after a stellar 2020 campaign in which he led the Packers to a league-best 13-3 regular-season record.

Seeded first in the NFC, the Rodgers and the Packers missed out on a Super Bowl berth when they fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC championship game.

Rodgers, 37, had perhaps the best season of his 16-year career, leading the NFL with 48 touchdown passes and a completion rate of 70.7%. He threw just five interceptions all season.

Rodgers joins a short list of three-time winners that features Jim Brown, Johnny Unitas, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and his own former Green Bay teammate, Brett Favre.

"The guys on that list are guys I grew up watching, idolizing," said Rodgers, who also won the award in 2011 and 2014. "To join that list of guys who've won it more than twice is pretty special.

"To have won it in my fourth year as a starter was very special, and now to win it in my 13th year as a starter, in a new offense, is pretty amazing and something I'm really proud of," Rodgers said.

The NFL announced its season-ending awards in a televised ceremony on Saturday night as part of the festivities surrounding Sunday's Super Bowl 55 in Tampa.

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers will be taking on Patrick Mahomes and his reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald scooped his third Defensive Player of the Year award in four seasons.

Donald was the best defensive player on the Rams' top-ranked defense in 2020.

He generated a league-high 76 quarterback pressures, including in playoff games, with 13 1/2 quarterback sacks.

The 29-year-old's 85.5 career sacks rank third-most in a player's first seven seasons since the NFL began tracking individual sacks in 1982.

He's just the third player ever to win three Defensive Player of the Year awards, joining J.J. Watt and Lawrence Taylor.

Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith was named Comeback Player of the Year, making his first appearance in a game in week five since November 18, 2018, when a grisly right leg injury ended his season and threatened his career.

Smith, who endured a severe infection and 17 surgeries, played eight games and went 5-1 as a starter to help Washington make the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

He missed the first-round game against Tampa Bay with a calf injury.

He finished with 1,582 passing yards with six touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Coach of the Year honors went to Cleveland's Kevin Stefanski, who guided the Browns to their first playoff win in 25 years in his first season at the helm.

Stefanski garnered half of the 50 votes, with Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott earning seven.

Stefanski's Browns posted their first 11-win season since 1994 -- the last time Cleveland won a playoff game.

His offensive system allowed third-year quarterback Baker Mayfield to flourish, and helped make the Browns the league's third-best offense in the red zone.

Agence France-Presse

NFL: Tom Brady, Bucs advance to NFC title game by beating Saints

Tom Brady got the best of Drew Brees when it counted most.

Brees and his New Orleans Saints teammates had beaten Brady and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates twice in the regular season.

Over the course of their respective historic careers, Brees' team had beaten Brady's team in five of seven meetings.

But when they squared off in the playoffs for the first time, Brady threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third score, while Brees threw three interceptions as the visiting Buccaneers prevailed 30-20 to advance to the NFC Championship Game at Green Bay next Sunday.

"I think our defense was the key to the game," Brady told Fox Sports after the game. "We were going up against a really good defense, and they challenged us. Their defense played really well, but our defense really balled and got the turnovers that we needed.

"We locked in and played a lot better than we did the first two games. The last times we played them, we had a lot of turnovers, and today they had the turnovers. That's usually the story of football games."

Brees, who turned 42 on Friday, very nearly retired after last season and might have played his last game Sunday.

"I'm going to give myself an opportunity to think about the season," Brees said. "I'm going to think about a lot of things just like I did last year. I have no complaints, and I have no regrets."

Brady, who threw five interceptions over the first two meetings, did not turn the ball over while completing 18 of 33 passes for 199 yards. Brees, who didn't turn the ball over in the first two meetings, contributed three of the Saints four turnovers, which led to three Buccaneers' touchdowns. He completed 19 of 34 passes for 134 yards and one touchdown.

The Saints broke a halftime tie on the first possession of the third quarter when Brees threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Tre'Quan Smith.

On New Orleans' next possession, Brees completed a pass to Jared Cook, who fumbled and Devin White recovered and returned to the Saints 40. That led to Brady's 6-yard touchdown pass to Leonard Fournette, tying the score at 20 with 2:22 left in the third quarter.

On Tampa Bay's next possession, Ryan Succop kicked his third field goal of the game, this one from 36 yards, for a 23-20 lead. White intercepted Brees on the Saints' ensuing possession, setting up Brady's 1-yard touchdown run with 4:57 remaining.

Mike Edwards grabbed a tipped pass from Brees for another interception on the next possession.

Deonte Harris' 54-yard punt return set up Wil Lutz's 23-yard field goal that gave the Saints a 3-0 lead after their first possession of the game. Lutz added a 42-yard field goal that increased the lead to 6-0 with 4:39 left in the first quarter.

Succop kicked a 26-yard field goal on Tampa Bay's next possession, and Sean Murphy-Bunting intercepted Brees on the Saints' next possession and returned it 36 yards to the New Orleans' 3-yard-line. That set up a pass from Brady to Mike Evans on the next play, giving Tampa Bay a 10-6 lead.

Former Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Smith on a trick play to give New Orleans a 13-10 lead with 8:08 left in the first half.

Brady later drove Tampa Bay to Succop's 37-yard field goal as time expired, tying the score at the break.

-reuters-

NFL: Action Jackson rescues Ravens as Browns lose thriller

LOS ANGELES -- Lamar Jackson inspired a dramatic fourth quarter comeback as the Baltimore Ravens kept their playoff hopes alive with a wild 47-42 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Monday.

A thrilling AFC North divisional battle saw Cleveland recover from a 34-20 deficit at the end of the third quarter to take a 35-34 lead with just over six minutes remaining after quarterback Baker Mayfield rushed for a touchdown.

However Baltimore quarterback Jackson, who had been off the field after complaining of cramp, returned to the fray and scrambled to set up a 44-yard touchdown pass to Marquise Brown as the Ravens regained the lead.

Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins blasted over for a two-point conversion to give Baltimore a 42-35 lead with under two minutes remaining.

Cleveland were anything but finished as Mayfield led another drive 75 yards upfield to set up a tying touchdown score for Kareem Hunt to make it 42-42.

Jackson however had the final say, advancing the Ravens 38 yards and into field goal range as the seconds ticked down. Kicker Justin Tucker duly converted a 55-yard field goal to effectively seal victory with two seconds remaining.

From the restart, Browns receiver Jarvis Landry was forced out of his own end zone to concede a safety as the Ravens escaped with a win that sees them remain in contention for a playoff berth.

Jackson said he had demanded to return to the field after seeing back-up quarterback Trace McSorley go down following a heavy hit in the fourth quarter.

"I was cramping. Back in the locker room, when I saw Trace go down, I'm like -- I gotta go out there," the Ravens quarterback said.

Browns quarterback Mayfield praised his opposite number's late rescue act.

"It was like a scene out of a movie," Mayfield said of Jackson's re-entry to the field. "As soon as Trace went down, to look up and see Lamar trotting back out onto the field, I was like 'Jeez'. He's just an unbelievable player."

The Ravens are now third in the AFC North with an 8-5 record, one game behind the Browns who are second on 9-4. The Pittsburgh Steelers lead the division on 11-2.

The thrilling finale at Cleveland's FirstEnergy Stadium came after a roller coaster game dominated by rushing.

The first eight touchdowns of a frenzied encounter came via rushing, with Jackson bagging two touchdowns in the first and second quarters. 

Baltimore running back Gus Edwards also had two touchdowns.

The Browns ground game was led by Nick Chubb, who had 17 carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns.

Agence France-Presse

NFL: Super Bowl champ Chiefs clinch division by beating Dolphins

LOS ANGELES -- The Kansas City Chiefs coughed up an uncharacteristic four turnovers but still beat the Miami Dolphins 33-27 on Sunday to clinch their fifth straight AFC West division title.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes received a rude welcome in his first appearance at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium since he earned MVP honors in a Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers in February.

He was intercepted twice and sacked for an NFL-record 30-yard loss in the first quarter as Miami seized an early 10-0 lead.

But the Chiefs scored 30 straight points to seize control and fended off the Dolphins' fourth-quarter rally bid to improve to 12-1.

Miami's defeat gave the Chiefs' main competition for the AFC's top overall seed, Pittsburgh, a boost, securing the Steelers' first postseason berth since 2017.

The Steelers, chasing the AFC North division title, took on the Buffalo Bills later Sunday.

Mahomes's three interceptions marked his first multi-interception game in more than two years. But he threw for 393 yards and two touchdowns.

Tyreek Hill scored on a 32-yard run and a 44-yard reception and Travis Kelce had eight catches for 136 yards and a TD.

Mecole Hardman returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown and Chiefs defender Chris Jones sacked Dolphins rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for a safety.

Tagovailoa passed for 316 yards and two touchdowns to Mike Gesicki, cutting the deficit to six points with less than five minutes to play before Harrison Butker kicked a 46-yard field goal for the Chiefs with just over a minute remaining.

Mahomes kept that drive going with a fourth-and-one pass to Hill.

In other early games, the Tennessee Titans tightened their hold on first place in the AFC South with a 31-10 victory over the Jaguars in Jacksonville.

Tennessee running back Derrick Henry ran for 215 yards and two touchdowns. His fourth game with at least 200 yards and two TDs broke the NFL record he previously shared with Hall of Famers Jim Brown, Barry Sanders and LaDainian Tomlinson.

His ninth straight road game with more than 100 yards left him one shy of the NFL record established by Sanders over the 1996 and 1997 seasons.

Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 26-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

Superstar quarterback Brady threw touchdown passes to Scotty Miller and Rob Gronkowski and the Bucs benefitted from three missed field goals and a missed extra point by Vikings kicker Dan Bailey to secure the win.

Agence France-Presse