Conference Championships Set
A season can come down to one play, as NFL television analysts repeated endlessly through the weekend’s divisional games. And no one who saw the end of the Minnesota Vikings’ 29-24 victory Sunday over the New Orleans Saints will ever forget that (especially Saints fans).
Having blown a 17-0 lead at home, the Vikings were hoping in the waning seconds to get in position for a field goal try. Quarterback Case Keenum threw to Stefon Diggs near the right sideline and Saints defensive back Marcus Williams simply whiffed as he hurled his body at Diggs and hit nothing. Diggs danced his way into the end zone as time expired and the Vikings were on their way to NFC championship game in Philadelphia. The Eagles staved off the Atlanta Falcons 15-10 on Saturday – again, saving the season on a goal-line stand at the 2-yard line.
The big stunner was Jacksonville’s 45-42 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. The Steelers could never seem to stop the Jaguars on third down and the Jags’ punishing ground attack carried them into the AFC title game against the New England Patriots, who mashed the Tennessee Titans 35-14 on Saturday night. The Steelers never sacked Jags QB Blake Bortles and allowed 164 rushing yards.
Quick note to the NFL: Please teach your officials what a catch is, what a touchdown is, what a turnover is. And what a penalty is (or isn’t). This is getting ridiculous. The officials spend as much time watching the game on TV as the home audience.
ELSEWHERE: The longtime voice of college football, Keith Jackson, died Friday night at the age of 89. … Patton Kizzire won the Sony Open golf tournament in Honolulu in a playoff. … In college basketball, No. 3 Virginia beat North Carolina State 68-51 on Sunday. No. 1 Villanova beat St. John’s 78-71 on Saturday and will hold on to that top ranking in the Monday AP poll. Virginia should move up after No. 2 West Virginia lost 72-71 to No. 8 Texas Tech, ending the Mountaineers’ 15-game winning streak.
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman
-
The Bears got Claypool in exchange for a 2023 second-round pick. This week, the Pittsburgh Steelers cut a deal...
-
Belichick has cycled through several players in search of the right one. Recently, the New England Patriots have been...
-
The field needs new posts after overzealous fans dumped the old ones in the river. Over the weekend, the...
-
Hutchinson grew up idolizing the Patriots and Tom Brady. This Sunday, the Detroit Lions are scheduled to take on...
-
Judge has broken Babe Ruth’s record and tied with Roger Maris. Last week, New York Yankees center fielder and...
-
Judge is one homer away from beating the Bambino’s record. Babe Ruth, AKA The Great Bambino, AKA The Sultan...
-
Trout is one homer off from an MLB record. Last night, the Los Angeles Angels played the Cleveland Guardians....
-
Jones spoke about the new offense at their training camp. The New England Patriots are currently in the midst...
-
A fight broke out on the last day of joint practice. Thursday was the last day of joint practice...
-
Donaldson clinched the game for his team in extra innings. Wednesday night saw a major nail-biter game between the...
-
The Yankees have landed two impressive players from the Oakland Athletics. The New York Yankees, superstars of the American...
-
NFL+ offers game coverage for $4.99 a month. Following suit with other companies and brands establishing their own streaming...