Tempers flared Sunday at the Metrodome after Minnesota’s final touchdown of a 34-3 playoff victory over Dallas, as Cowboys linebacker Keith Brooking sprinted toward the Vikings’ sideline, taunting coach Brad Childress and later calling the late score “classless.” Vikings nose tackle Pat Williams, meanwhile, said Brooking was lucky to escape the Minnesota sideline in one [...]

Rex Ryan is on a roll. The rookie coach who declared his team Super Bowl favorites after he figured out they were still in the playoffs, is just a game away from being hailed for his psychic powers. His Jets are still playing. Rookies Mark Sanchez and Shonn Greene led New York to a stunning [...]

Peyton Manning beat the Ravens and buried a myth.Say goodbye to the bye-week blues.In his first game since winning an unprecedented fourth NFL MVP award, Manning threw for two touchdowns Saturday night in the Indianapolis Colts‘ 20-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. The decisive win came after a playoff bye, something that had been a [...]

Reggie Bush danced around defenders who fell over each other trying to tackle him. Drew Brees was back to passing with pinpoint accuracy, picking apart a beleaguered and depleted Arizona secondary.A little rest was all the Saints needed to shift their league-leading offense back into overdrive. That, and a visit from Arizona’s porous defense.Brees threw [...]

In his own view, Charles Woodson put together his best pro season in 2009. How appropriate, then, that he is The Associated Press 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The versatile Woodson tied for the league lead with nine interceptions, returning three for touchdowns, and was a key to the Packers’ turnaround on defense. [...]

We’ve got the top two seeds in the mix now as the No. 1 New Orleans Saints are home to the Cardinals and the No. 2 Minnesota Vikings play host to the Cowboys. While the hosts hope rust has not set in during their byes, the visitors seem to be heating up at the right [...]

Here are the 10 biggest questions on Round 2 of the AFC playoffs. Don McPeak/US PresswirePhilip Rivers, coming off a huge regular season, leads a rested and potent Chargers offense. 1. What’s happened to home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs? Since 2004, AFC home teams are only 12-11 in the playoffs. In the divisional round, [...]

AFC Wild-card Weekend SATURDAY, JAN. 9 5. New York Jets (9-7) at 4. Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) Paul Brown Stadium, 4:30 p.m. ET, NBC Click for playoff preview page SUNDAY, JAN. 10 6. Baltimore Ravens (9-7) at 3. New England Patriots (10-6) Gillette Stadium, 1 p.m. ET, CBS Click for playoff preview page Divisional Round JAN. [...]

INDIANAPOLIS– All those people who want to criticize Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell need to find some perspective. He did the right thing by pulling in his starters in the second half of his team’s 29-15 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday. The decision clearly cost the Colts a chance at going [...]

The Cowboys ended the Saints’ hopes of a perfect season and in doing so pumped life back into their playoff hopes with a stunning 24-17 win in the Superdome. Dallas silenced the raucous crowd by scoring the first 14 points of the game. On the Cowboys’ first possession, Miles Austin scored on a 49-yard pass [...]

The Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints wouldn’t stick it to us, would they? They wouldn’t go full fetal position because it’s the safe, sensible, PBS-fundraising-dull way of treating the final three games of their seasons, right? They wouldn’t dare commit the mortal sin of sports and mess with a streak — and not [...]