Page 18 - atoday

A18
SPORTSTuesday 5 January 2016
NFL Roundup:
Vikings beat Packers to NFC North title in wild Week 17
GREEN BAY, Wisconsin (AP)
— The NFL’s regular season
came to its climax on Sun-
day as Minnesota clinched
the NFC North title with a
win at Green Bay and Den-
ver wrapped up the top
seed in the AFC playoffs
while the New York Jets
ruined their own playoff
hopes with a loss against
Buffalo.
Minnesota’s Adrian Peter-
son ran for a touchdown
and cornerback Captain
Munnerlyn returned a fum-
ble 55 yards for a score as
the Vikings won 20-13 at
Green Bay to secure their
first division title since 2009. Ryan — fired by New York
The Vikings will host the Se-
attle Seahawks in a wild-
card playoff game next
weekend while the Packers
will travel to Washington af-
ter watching their four-year
reign atop the NFC North
end.
Minnesota hung on despite
a shaky finish. The defense
knocked away a despera-
tion pass to the end zone
from Aaron Rodgers as
time expired.
Denver’s veteran quarter-
back Peyton Manning re-
placed Brock Osweiler in
the third quarter and led
the Broncos to a 27-20 vic-
tory over San Diego that
clinched the top seed in
the AFC.
The Broncos were facing
the possibility of tumbling
into the wild-card round
because of Kansas City’s
win over Oakland, but
Manning came to the res-
cue.
The Chargers wrapped up
what might have been their
final season in San Diego as
ownership tries to move the
team to Los Angeles.
New York Jets quarterback
Ryan Fitzpatrick threw in-
terceptions on each of his
team’s final three drives,
triggering a 22-17 loss to
Green Bay Packers’ Richard Rodgers gets into the end zone for a touchdown catch past Minne-
sota Vikings’ Harrison Smith (22) and Xavier Rhodes during the second half an NFL football game
Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016, in Green Bay, Wis. The Vikings went on to defeat Green Bay 20-13.
Buffalo, destroying the Jets’ New England missed a
playoff hopes.
The Jets would have made
the postseason for the
first time since 2010 with a
win, but the defeat com-
bined with Pittsburgh’s win
at Cleveland ended those
hopes.
New York had a five-game
winning streak stopped,
and the loss came against
former Jets coach Rex
and hired by the Bills.
Pittsburgh advanced at the
Jets’ expense after winning
28-12 at Cleveland.
Ben Roethlisberger threw
three touchdown passes
and Pittsburgh’s defense
dominated to secure a
place in the wild-card
round at Cincinnati next
weekend.
Shortly after the defeat, the wild-card game.
Browns fired coach Mike
Pettine and general man-
ager Ray Farmer following
a 3-13 season.
chance to clinch the top
seed in the AFC with a 20-
10 loss at Miami.
Tom Brady was sacked
twice and knocked down
at least half a dozen times, wild-card round.
and watched the final
drive from the sidelines as
the Patriots saved him for
the playoffs.
New England ends up as a
No. 2 seed behind Denver.
Houston secured the AFC
South title with a 30-6 vic- Newton tied Steve Young’s
tory over Jacksonville.
J.J. Watt — who had three
sacks — and Whitney Mer-
cilus led the defense and
Jonathan Grimes scored
with a pass reception and
a rush as the Texans got on
top early.
Houston will host Kansas
City next weekend in the a
Cincinnati beat Baltimore
24-16 to notch its 12th win
of the season and match a
franchise record.
chise-best 10 games by de-
feating Oakland 23-17.
Alex Smith threw two
touchdown passes for the
(AP Photo/Matt Ludtke) Chiefs, who head to Hous-
ton for the wild-card game
Quarterback A.J. McCar- next weekend; a fate that
ron overcame a rough seemed highly unlikely
start and threw a pair of when they started the sea-
touchdown passes for the son 1-5.
Bengals, who will host Pitts- Kansas City’s defense
burgh next week in the sacked Raiders quarter-
back Derek Carr six times,
Carolina captured the including with 1:34 left to
NFC’s top seed for the first seal the result.
time as Cam Newton ran Seattle’s Russell Wilson
for two touchdowns and threw three touchdown
threw for two more to lead passes in a second-quar-
the Panthers to a 38-10 win ter burst, leading the Se-
against Tampa Bay. ahawks to a 36-6 win
against Arizona.
NFL record for most career Seattle will play at Minne-
TDs rushing by a quarter- sota in the wild card round
back with 43. Young took next weekend.
15 seasons to reach that It was a sour end to the
plateau; Newton did it in regular season for the NFC
five. West champion Cardinals
Newton completed 21 of (13-3), who had won their
26 passes for 293 yards as previous nine games and
Carolina (15-1) overcame already had clinched the
a slow start to build a 31-3 NFC’s No. 2 seed and a first-
lead in the third quarter to round playoff bye.
set up their 11th straight Washington’s Kirk Cous-
home win. ins threw for three touch-
Kansas City extended its downs before leaving late
winning streak to a fran- in the first half as the Red-
skins tuned up for the play-
offs with a 34-23 win against
Dallas.
The Redskins (9-7) won four
straight to finish the season
and will host Green Bay in
the wild-card round next
weekend.
The New York Giants suf-
fered another tough loss,
35-30 against Philadelphia,
in what may have been
Tom Coughlin’s final game
as coach. The Giants fin-
ished outside the playoffs
for the fourth straight year.
Coughlin, who led the Gi-
ants to two Super Bowl titles
in his 12 seasons, has a year
left on his contract but it
is expected the 69-year-
old will either retire or be
moved on.q