Packers Beat Eagles, Next Meet Falcons In Playoffs

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – The withstood a ferocious late finish from the to win their NFL playoff 21-16 on Sunday and advance to the next round against Atlanta.

The Packers, one of the pre-season favorites to win this year’s , were never headed during the game but almost came unstuck in the final quarter as the Eagles threatened to steal victory.

Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes in the win, but the NFL’s fifth-ranked defense also benefited from some missed opportunities by the Eagles.

The NFC East division champions missed two field goals and a last-gasp pass from quarterback that might have led to a winning touchdown but was intercepted in the end zone.

While the Eagles were left ruing their missed opportunities and early exit from the post-season, the Packers moved ahead to next weekend’s divisional playoffs against NFC top seed the Atlanta Falcons.

“We’re just getting started,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy told reporters. “We just won a big football game here against a championship-caliber program and we have an opportunity to go to Atlanta to play the number one seed down there.”

The Packers led 14-3 at the half and 21-10 late in the fourth quarter before Vick drove in from the one yard line to cut the lead 21-16 with four minutes to play.

The Eagles’ two point conversion try that would have put them within a field goal failed.

Philadelphia held the Packers and got the ball back on their own 34 yard line with 1:45 left for one last push although they were out of timeouts.

Vick took the Eagles down to the Green Bay 27 but cornerback Tramon Williams intercepted a pass intended for receiver Riley Cooper to seal the win.

“The last play, I just took a shot at the end zone,” Vick said after limping into the interview room, favoring an ankle he strained on a sack late in the fourth quarter.

“I could have checked it down to the back and I got greedy and took a shot at the end zone. I didn’t throw the right ball I wanted to throw and it got picked off.

“It was a bad way to go out, but I went out swinging.”

Two botched field goal tries in windy conditions by the usually reliable David Akers, a 41 -yard attempt in the first quarter and a 34 yard shot in the fourth quarter, also punctured the hosts’ chances.

Eagles coach Andy Reid was brief in his remarks, still stinging from the defeat and miffed about the missed field goals.

“We can all count,” said Reid. “Those points would have helped.”

Rodgers completed 18-of-27 passes for 180 yards and no interceptions, while Vick was 20-of-36 for 292 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Vick made a couple of dashes for first downs but was largely held in check by the Packers, who limited him to 33 yards on eight rushes.

Rodgers hit tight end Tom Crabtree for a seven yard touchdown in the first quarter, fired a low, nine yard touchdown bullet to James Jones in the second quarter and floated a perfect screen pass to back Brandon Jackson who scored from 16 yards in the third quarter.

A sterling performance from unheralded rookie running back James Starks provided balance to the Green Bay attack. Starks, the 193rd player chosen as a sixth round pick in the draft out of Buffalo, gained 123 yards on 23 carries.

With Starks gaining tough yards with his inside running, Green Bay was able to control the ball and keep drives alive with third down conversions.

“To win week in, week out, you have to have a combination of run and pass,” McCarthy said.

The Packers entered the game ranked a lowly 24th in rushing while Philadelphia ranked fifth but outgained them on the ground 138 yards to 82.

“He was a hot hand,” McCarthy said about Starks. “James was a difference maker.”

(Editing by Julian Linden)

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Seahawks, Colts, Falcons and Steelers Win Titles

Yep, those were championship hats the were wearing.

Nope, they aren’t ashamed one bit.

The Seahawks became the first NFL division winner with a losing record — that dates to 1933, folks — when they beat St. Louis 16-6 on Sunday night. At 7-9, they are NFC West champions, while two 10-6 clubs (Tampa Bay and the ) are out of the postseason.

Apologize for their fortune? Forget it.

“It just shows that no matter what happens through an awkward year, if a team sticks together they can have a shot at the end to accomplish what they talked about in the beginning,” safety Lawyer Milloy said. “We know it wasn’t pretty getting here, but what we talked about was right there at the end and we took advantage of it. Nobody can take that away from us.”

Indianapolis tied an NFL record with its ninth straight playoff berth by beating Tennessee 23-20 on ‘s 43-yard field goal as time expired. The (10-6), host the wild-card (11-4), who routed Buffalo 38-7, next Saturday night.

Atlanta secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, winning the NFC South by defeating Carolina 31-10. The Falcons (13-3) get a bye next week, as do the NFC North champion Bears (11-5), who fell at 10-3, giving the Packers (10-6) a wild-card spot.

Green Bay visits Philadelphia (10-6), the NFC East champ, next Sunday after AFC West winner Kansas City (10-6) hosts Baltimore (12-4).

Along with Atlanta, teams with byes are New England, which finished a league-best 14-2; Pittsburgh (12-4); and Chicago.

Failing to make the playoffs in the NFC were the Giants and Buccaneers, the first time since 1991 that a 10-6 team didn’t get in from the NFC.

Seahawks 16, 6

At Seattle, both teams finished 7-9 in the mild, mild West, with Seattle getting the nod thanks to a 4-2 division record. St. Louis was 3-3.

Making his second career start, backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst threw a 4-yard TD pass on Seattle’s first possession, and Olindo Mare kicked three second-half field goals. A defense that yielded at least 34 points in three straight losses was stingy against Rams rookie quarterback Sam Bradford and 1,000-yard rusher Steven Jackson.

Colts 23, 20

At Indianapolis, threw two touchdown passes before Vinatieri’s clutch kick. The Colts tied Dallas’ NFL record for consecutive playoff appearances as Manning set the single-season record for completions with 450.

Tennessee (6-10) lost eight of its last nine. Chris Johnson, a 2,000-yard rusher a year ago, ran 20 times for 39 yards and finished with 1,364.

Falcons 31, 10

At Atlanta, the Falcons earned their first division title since 2004. Matt Ryan passed for 236 yards with TDs to Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White, and Eric Weems scored on a 55-yard punt return.

Carolina (2-14) had a weak finish to an awful season under coach John Fox as the league’s worst offense was held without a touchdown until the final minute. The Panthers announced Friday that this was Fox’s last game as coach.

41, Browns 9

At Cleveland, threw two touchdown passes, including a 56-yarder to on his first pass. Wallace had three catches for 105 yards.

Browns coach ‘s record has been 5-11 in each of his two seasons. On Monday, he’s scheduled to meet with team president .

Packers 10, Bears 3

At Green Bay, Wis., Aaron Rodgers’ 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Donald Lee gave the Packers the lead, and their defense held on to clinch a wild card.

The Packers trailed 3-0 at halftime and were tied going into the fourth quarter with the Bears, who didn’t have anything to play for in terms of playoff seeding, but still played to win with their starters.

38, 7

At Foxborough, Mass., threw two touchdown passes to cap a record-setting season as New England won its eighth straight.

The game meant nothing in the standings. Still, Brady played into the third quarter and finished with 36 touchdowns passing and four interceptions. He extended his NFL records to 335 straight passes without an interception and 28 consecutive regular-season wins as a starter at home.

The Dolphins (7-9) lost for the fourth time in five games, jeopardizing the job of coach Tony Sparano.

13, 7

At Baltimore, Ed Reed had two interceptions and recovered two fumbles, part of an opportunistic defense that carried Baltimore.

Ray Rice scored on a 7-yard run and Billy Cundiff kicked two field goals for the Ravens, who forced five turnovers to offset the 395 yards in offense amassed by the Bengals (4-12).

Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis’ contract ran out with the loss.

Jets 38, 7

At East Rutherford, N.J., threw two touchdown passes in relief of , Joe McKnight ran for a career-high 158 yards and the Jets’ defense dominated.

Having already clinched a postseason spot, New York sat a handful of starters, including LaDainian Tomlinson and Darrelle Revis, but still earned the fourth 11-win season in franchise history — and first since the 1998 team went to the AFC championship game.

Buffalo finished 4-12, out of the playoffs for the 11th successive season.

Buccaneers 23, 13

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