A Packed Sports Weekend

Home field is supposed to be an advantage, but it wasn’t any help – any help at all – in the first round of the NFL playoffs. All four visiting teams won in the weekend’s games, two in dramatic fashion.

On Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Minnesota Vikings 10-9 in zero degree weather. The Vikings needed only an extremely makeable field goal of 27 yards from Blair Walsh, who had made three others, but Walsh pulled his attempt way to the left with 22 seconds remaining. His first three kicks staked the Vikings to a 9-0 lead that they could not protect.

In the day’s other NFC contest, the Green Bay Packers watched the Washington Redskins jump out to an 11-0 lead before scoring the next 17 points. They scored the last 15 points of the game as well for a 35-18 win built largely on their oft-questioned running game.

On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 18-16 on a late field goal set up by two foolish penalties committed by the Bengals. The Bengals have been eliminated from the playoffs in the first round five years in a row.

Also on Saturday, in the other AFC game, the Kansas City Chiefs won their 11th in a row, flattening the Houston Texans 30-0.

Next weekend’s matchups: Chiefs-New England Patriots on Saturday at 4:35 p.m. ET, Packers-Arizona Cardinals at 8:15. On Sunday, it’s Seahawks-Carolina Panthers at 1:05 p.m. and Steelers-Denver Broncos at 4:40 p.m.

GOLF

Jordan Spieth, who won two majors and the FedEx Cup in 2015, opened this year’s PGA Tour in similar style, triumphing at the Tournament of Champions in Kapalua, Hawaii. He topped Patrick Reed by eight strokes while finishing the tournament at 30-under 262. Spieth, 21, won his seventh title in his 77th professional start.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Clemson goes after a record 15th victory and its first NCAA championship since 1981 on Monday night in Glendale, Arizona, against Alabama. Bama is looking for its fourth title in seven years. The student-athletes kick off at 8:30 p.m. ET. Alabama is a seven-point favorite.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman