California Dreamin'

[Manning2Harrison]

Chiefs Hold Off Broncos To Advance

Following Tony Romo’s 9 yard TD toss to Bucky Hodges, Romo was sacked on a 2 point try, leaving the Denver Broncos trailing the Kansas City Chiefs 17-15 in a wild card matchup at Arrowhead Stadium. In Denver’s final possession, a holding call against Cam Robinson erased a Romo completion for a first down in field goal range. Romo then suffered one of KC’s 8 sacks, and after a Denver punt, the Chiefs were able to run out the clock. Sam Barrington’s end zone recovery of a blocked punt by Eric Berry proved to be the winning score.

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
Jan 8, 2019	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Denver Broncos (8-7-1)	3	3	3	6	15
Kansas City Chiefs (9-7)	7	3	0	7	17

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		DEN	KAN
11:18	(KAN) Tyreek Hill 41 pass from Alex Smith (C. Santos kick)	0	7
6:18	(DEN) Brandon McManus 54 FG	3	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		DEN	KAN
12:49	(KAN) Cairo Santos 41 FG	3	10
0:12	(DEN) Brandon McManus 20 FG	6	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		DEN	KAN
10:05	(DEN) Brandon McManus 52 FG	9	10
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		DEN	KAN
13:34	(KAN) Sam Barrington recovered blocked punt in end zone (C. Santos kick)	9	17
9:42	(DEN) Bucky Hodges 9 pass from Tony Romo (pass failed)	15	17

Denver Broncos PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Tony Romo (94.1) 23/34 211 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD C.J Anderson 19 68 3.5 0 Saquon Barkley (R) 5 23 4.6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Demaryius Thomas 5 61 12.2 0 Bucky Hodges 3 31 10.3 1 Emmanuel Sanders 3 30 10.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Shaquil Barrett 9 0 0 0 Brandon Marshall 9 0 0 0 Von Miller 6 1 0 0 Derek Wolfe 3 1

Kansas City Chiefs PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Alex Smith (97.1) 9/17 128 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Spencer Ware 21 83 3.9 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Tyreek Hill 4 95 23.7 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Jarrad Davis 15 0 0 0 Sheldon Richardson 11 2 0 0 Steven Nelson 10 0 0 0 Justin Houston 9 2.5 0 0 Chris Jones 8 1 0 0 Derek Barnett 7 2 0 0 Dontari Poe 2 0.5

Was this the final home game in KC for Alex Smith?


Has the end of Tony Romo’s career arrived?


Tyreek Hill’s 41 yard reception got the scoring started.


Von Miller closes in on a sack.



A blocked punt made the difference in what was a defensive struggle.

[Manning2Harrison]

No Hundley Heroics For Pack

Green Bay’s only points came off of Seattle’s two first quarter turnovers, and Brett Hundley, vanquisher of Tom Brady and the Patriots a week ago, was unable to get the Pack untracked in front of The 12th Man. NFL receiving leader Randall Cobb was completely shut down by Richard Sherman and Jordy Nelson had only 1 catch for 3 yards.

Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks
Jan 6, 2019	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Green Bay Packers (11-5)	3	3	0	0	6
Seattle Seahawks (10-6)	0	0	14	0	14

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		GNB	SEA
6:21	(GNB) Mason Crosby 18 FG	3	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		GNB	SEA
14:57	(GNB) Mason Crosby 19 FG	6	0
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		GNB	SEA
10:58	(SEA) Tyler Lockett 49 pass from Russell Wilson (S. Hauschka kick)	6	7
1:11	(SEA) Jamaal Charles 10 run (S. Hauschka kick)	6	14

Green Bay Packers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Brett Hundley (70.5) 20/33 142 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Jeremy Hill 17 69 4.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Richard Rodgers 9 73 8.1 0 Jeremy Hill 4 28 7.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Ha Ha Clinton-Dix 10 0 0 0 Nick Perry 10 2 0 0 Clay Matthews 9 1 0 0 Jake Ryan 8 1 0 0 Elijah Qualls 4 1 0 0 Aqib Talib 4 0 1 0

Seattle Seahawks PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Russell Wilson (85.7) 19/32 282 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Jamaal Charles 18 53 2.9 1 Thomas Rawls 10 24 2.4 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Jimmy Graham 9 132 14.6 0 Tyler Lockett 4 111 27.7 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Deshawn Shead 11 0 0 0 K.J. Wright 9 0 0 0 Earl Thomas 8 0 0 0 Cliff Avril 6 1 0 0 Tanoh Kpassagnon 5 1 0 0 Lowell Lotulelei (R) 2 1 0 0

Aqib Talib robs Jermaine Kearse, leading to a Green Bay field goal.


Cliff Avril gets a helmet punch-out along with his sack of Brett Hundley.

[Manning2Harrison]

Texans Trample Brady’s “Out With A Ring” Dream

On a sad day for New England Patriots fans, in a cold Massachusetts rain, Tom Brady’s career came to an end with a whimper rather than a Lombardi bang. With Mason Rudolph throwing for 297 yards and 3 TD’s and Lamar Miller rushing for 109 and a score, the Houston Texans not only pulled one of the biggest upsets in recent playoff memory, they did it in very convincing fashion. Miller’s 60 yard TD scamper had the Texans up 34-10 after three quarters, and it was only in the 4th that Brady came close to resembling what made him the GOAT. If he couldn’t go out with a Super Bowl win, at least the final pass of his legendary career was a postseason touchdown.

Had the Pats won, they would have been in familiar territory in having to proceed with out Rob Gronkowski, who suffered a partial MCL tear. Also injured was Houston free safety Malik Hooker, who suffered a torn bicep.

Although Brady dodged the “R word” question after the game, a press conference has been scheduled for Monday morning at 1 Patriot Place, and there can be only one reason for that. The only remaining mystery is if it will be a dual retirement announcement.

Houston Texans at New England Patriots
Jan 6, 2019	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Houston Texans (8-8)	10	17	7	3	37
New England Patriots (11-5)	7	3	0	15	25

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		HOU	NWE
9:34	(HOU) C.J. Fiedorowicz 15 pass from Mason Rudolph (N. Novak kick)	7	0
2:53	(HOU) Nick Novak 34 FG	10	0
0:37	(NWE) Julian Edelman 2 pass from Tom Brady (S. Gostkowski kick)	10	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		HOU	NWE
14:15	(HOU) DeAndre Hopkins 61 pass from Mason Rudolph (N. Novak kick)	17	7
7:32	(HOU) Nick Novak 51 FG	20	7
1:45	(NWE) Stephen Gostkowski 38 FG	20	10
0:47	(HOU) Chris Godwin 63 pass from Mason Rudolph (N. Novak kick)	27	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		HOU	NWE
12:50	(HOU) Lamar Miller 60 run (N. Novak kick)	34	10
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		HOU	NWE
9:57	(NWE) Malcolm Mitchell 6 pass from Tom Brady (T. Brady pass to J. Edelman)	34	18
4:06	(HOU) Nick Novak 36 FG	37	18
0:27	(NWE) Antonio Callaway 17 pass from Tom Brady (S. Gostkowski kick)	37	25

Houston Texans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Mason Rudolph (134.9) 21/30 297 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Lamar Miller 19 109 5.7 1 Mason Rudolph 2 12 6.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD David Njoku 5 51 10.2 0 DeAndre Hopkins 4 87 21.7 1 Jaelen Strong 4 42 10.5 0 C.J. Fiedorowicz 2 21 10.5 1 Chris Godwin 1 63 63.0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Bernardrick Mckinney 14 0 0 0 Derrick Morgan 11 0 0 0 Kevin Johnson 8 0 0 0 Quintin Demps 6 0 2 0

New England Patriots PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Tom Brady (84.5) 36/55 328 3 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD LeGarrette Blount 20 57 2.8 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Malcolm Mitchell 9 96 10.6 1 Chris Hogan 4 62 15.5 0 O.J. Howard 5 45 9.0 0 Julian Edelman 5 31 6.2 1 Antonio Callaway (R) 2 26 13.0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Elandon Roberts 11 0 0 0 Dont'a Hightower 9 0 0 0 Carl Lawson 7 0 0 0 Malcolm Brown 4 1 0 0

On this day, rookie Mason Rudolph was more Brady-like than the GOAT.


With 2 picks, Quintin Demps was Houston’s defensive MVP.


Bernardrick McKinney records a sack-fumble combo.



Another Gronk injury was an all-too-familiar sight for Pats fans.
But since New England is one and done, he won’t be missing any games.


The Texans were up 34-10 after Lamar Miller’s 60 yard run.


Demps’ second pick was in the end zone.


The end line spared Brady from a third INT.

[Manning2Harrison]

Sims Carries The Day For Bucs

While it was Ryan Fitzpatrick’s 15 yard touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Leggett that held up as the winning score that gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers their first postseason victory since the '02 team hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, it was Charles Sims III’s 122 yards ans two TD’s that made it possible for the Bucs to advance. Sims’ performance may put the aging Doug Martin’s future with the Bucs in doubt, as Martin had difficulty even getting out of the driveway. Martin will get another chance, however, when Tampa travels to Philly for the divisional round.

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jan 6, 2019	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Carolina Panthers (10-6)	3	7	7	6	23
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-6)	0	10	7	7	24

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		CAR	TAM
2:10	(CAR) Graham Gano 39 FG	3	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CAR	TAM
3:56	(TAM) Charles Sims III 4 run (R. Aguayo kick)	3	7
1:51	(CAR) Devin Funchess 61 pass from Logan Thomas (G. Gano kick)	10	7
0:00	(TAM) Roberto Aguayo 42 FG	10	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		CAR	TAM
8:20	(CAR) Marlon Mack 7 run (G. Gano kick)	17	10
1:30	(TAM) Charles Sims III 3 run (R. Aguayo kick)	17	17
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CAR	TAM
13:27	(CAR) Graham Gano 52 FG	20	17
6:46	(TAM) Jordan Leggett 15 pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (R. Aguayo kick)	20	24
2:29	(CAR) Graham Gano 51 FG	23	24

Carolina Panthers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Logan Thomas (74.2) 17/36 203 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Bo Scarbrough (R) 17 66 3.8 0 Marlon Mack 3 11 3.6 1 Logan Thomas 2 8 4.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Devin Funchess 3 80 26.6 1 Gavin Escobar 2 29 14.5 0 Bo Scarbrough (R) 5 26 5.2 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Luke Kuechly 18 0 0 0 Shaq Thompson 17 0 0 0 Vernon Butler 8 0 0 0 Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie 8 0 0 0 Shamarko Thomas 8 0 0 0 Kony Ealy 6 1 0 0 Morris Claiborne 3 1 0 0

Tampa Bay Buccaneers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Ryan Fitzpatrick (80.1) 21/36 174 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Charles Sims III 23 122 5.3 2 Doug Martin 14 47 3.3 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Jordan Leggett 8 81 10.1 1 Tavon Austin 5 32 6.4 0 Corey Davis 4 23 5.7 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Lavonte David 10 0 0 0 Kwon Alexander 6 0 0 0 William Gholston 5 0 0 0 Dwayne Gratz 5 0 0 0 Vernon Hargreaves III 5 0 0 0 Josh Robinson 5 0 0 0 Nick Washington (R) 5 0 0 0

With Doug martin struggling, Charles Sims III was able to dial up beast mode.


Kelvin Benjamin goes full extension for a one-handed grab.


Fitz was the epitome of a game manager, not hurting his team while letting Sims do work.


Jordan Leggett’s TD catch was the difference in a one point win.

[Manning2Harrison]

DIVISIONAL WEEKEND SCHEDULE

SATURDAY, JAN. 12, 2019, 4:30 p.m.

The Chiefs struggled down the stretch and barely beat a Denver team that was lucky to be in the playoffs. After a mediocre 6-4 start, the Titans ended the regular season with 6 consecutive victories. Expect Tennessee to be defending its 2017 AFC title next Sunday.

SATURDAY, JAN. 12, 2019, 8:00 p.m.

The Bucs have not been this deep in the playoffs since the '02 team won it all, and Ryan Fitzpatrick will be up against one of the toughest pass defenses in the league. If Tampa is to advance, the ground game will have to get it done again. Led by their first round picks of 2016 and 2017, the Eagles are looking to move on to their first NFC title game since 2008.

SUNDAY, JAN. 13, 2019, 1:00 p.m.

After putting the GOAT out to pasture, Rookie of the Year frontrunner Mason Rudolph has his sights set on impending MVP Ben Roethlisberger. Experience should trump potential in this one.

SUNDAY, JAN. 13, 2019, 4:30 p.m.

The last time the Seahawks went to Minnesota for a playoff game, the 2015 team was spared a wild card defeat by Blair Walsh's infamous missed field goal. They'll have to play a better game this time. A stout running game and one of the league's stingiest defenses have gotten the Vikes this far with a caretaker QB. That just might be enough against a team that got swept by San Francisco.

[Manning2Harrison]

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK





THE DYNAMIC DUO BIDS ADIEU

In an emotional press conference at 1 Patriot Place, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick made their long-suspected co-retirement official. The most successful head coach-quarterback tandem in NFL history is not likely to be emulated any time soon, as no current pairing has even a glimmer of that potential. Brady finishes his career 4th on the all-time passing yardage list, 217 yards short of 70,000, but more important are the four Super Bowl rings. A fifth eluded him over the final four seasons of his career, and he said his biggest regret is letting his team down in Sunday's loss to the Houston Texans. Belichick down-played Brady's role in the defeat, however, not that Brady didn't play defense and neither did the rest of the team. Nobody had the temerity to ask The Hoodie if he was chickening out on a team that will no longer have Brady as its signal-caller, but the internet is abuzz with those surmising such. The pair, however, expressed confidence that Jacoby Brissett and Belichick's succesor will be able to continue New England's winning tradition. Although both will be highly sought-after broadcast personalties, they were aloof about their futures. Brady said he wants to take at least a year off and decompress before deciding whether he wants to be anything more than a retired football player, and Belichick said that fishing and golf are going to take priority over the broadcast booth.

Going West: Payton Chooses Snowhawks

After being courted by both the Miami Dolphins and Portland Snowhawks following his resignation as head coach of the New Orleans Saints, Sean Payton has accepted the offer from Portland. At his introduction on Saturday morning, Payton expressed optimism that the club that was a playoff team in 2016 and 2017 can rebound from its 8-8 2018 campaign in its second year in its new home. "Relocation is a big adjustment that can negatively affect a team," Payton said. All of the pieces are in place for a solid run going forward." Payton also said he's looking forward to overseeing the eventual transition from Philip Rivers to Josh Rosen.

G-Men Give McCoy An Immediate Re-Tread

While all eyes were on 1 Patriot Place Monday morning, the man who Sean Payton is replacing in Portland was introduced as the next head coach of the new York Giants. Mike McCoy cannot be considered a splash hire, but he has demonstrated that he can get a team to the playoffs, which is somewhere the G-Men have not been since the 2011 team won the Super Bowl. With New York expected to select Louisville's Lamar Jackson with the first pick in the 2019 draft, McCoy's reputation as an offensive wizard and QB whisperer served him well.

Vikes To Start White vs. Seahawks

Mike White, who saw his first NFL action in Week 17 after Case Keenum was sidelined for the duration of Minnesota's Week 17 victory over New Orleans, has been given the nod over Keenum to start in Minny's divisional round game vs. the Seattle Seahawks. Keenum definitely is not the future under center, and how White fares against the Legion of Doom in a playoff scenario will have a tremendous impact on how the Vikings choose to move forward at the quarterback position in 2019. Mike Zimmer's decision to start White, who was signed off the Texan's practice squad, makes this the first time in NFL history that one team selected two starting playoff QB's in the same draft.

[Manning2Harrison]

BIG BEN BREAKS THUMB IN PRACTICE

Things in the 2018 NFL playoffs just got more interesting. It is now going to be up to A.J. McCarron and/or his supporting cast to get the Pittsburgh Steelers to Super Bowl LIII. A hand-to-helmet collision in Wednesday afternoon's practice has left Ben Roethlisberger with a broken thumb on his throwing hand. McCarron fared well enough filling in for Andy Dalton to garner interest from other teams, which is how he landed in Pittsburgh as a potential Roethlisberger successor, but rookie Mason Rudolph has a hot hand and this injury has at least leveled the playing field and may even have tipped the scales in Houston's favor.

[Manning2Harrison]

Buckyes Win National Title

Upstart UTSA’s bid to win an historic NCAA football championship was put down by the no. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes in Wednesday night’s title game. Mike Weber rushed for 165 yards and quarterback Dwayne Haskins added on 110 more as Ohio St.’s running game overwhelmed the Roadrunner defense in a 33-27 victory. Heisman Trophy winner Keith Jackson accounted for 3 touchdowns but was held to 40 rushing yards and 231 passing.

It was UTSA’s final game representing C-USA, as the Roadrunners and the Houston Cougars will be restoring the Big XII to 12 teams in 2019.

"KJ" rushed for 2 TD's and threw for another in a losing effort.