Snowball in Seattle Costs Jets' Ellis $10K

Tennessee upsets the Steelers' shot at top playoff berth

(NEWSER) - In NFL games today, New York Jets likely blew their playoff chances in a snowy loss to Seattle, while Tennessee clinched home-field advantage, AP reports:

• Seattle coach Mike Holmgren topped his former star player Brett Favre as the Jets missed several scoring chances and lost their bid to stay atop the AFC East, 13-3.
• The lowly Bills upended Denver, 30-23, as the Broncos failed to clinch a playoff berth.
• Tennessee routed the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-14 to clinch the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage for the playoffs.
• With a 42-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints, the Detroit Lions became the first team ever to go 0-15.

Patriots top Bills, Saints crush Panthers, 49ers thump Rams

(NEWSER) - The New England Patriots overcame a 21-point deficit today with 49 unanswered points to rock the Buffalo Bills 49-21, the AP reports. The win earned the Pats home-field advantage and the AFC's top seed. Tom Brady threw for 338 yards and finished with the second-most passing yards in NFL history, 5,235—behind only Drew Brees, who threw for 5,486 this year with the New Orleans Saints. More»

Troubled receiver hasn't played since 2008

(NEWSER) - Another big NFL deal : Plaxico Burress, who served nearly two years in prison for possessing (and shooting himself with ) an unlicensed gun, has agreed to a one-year deal with the Jets, the team announced today. Burress used to play on New York's other team—the Giants, with whom he won a Super Bowl in 2007—and it looked as if he might be headed back there until the Jets suddenly expressed interest yesterday, the New York Post reports. More»

Pittsburgh dominated, then held on

(NEWSER) - The Pittsburgh Steelers advanced to their third Super Bowl in six years thanks to a big-play defense that returned a fumble for a touchdown and staged a late goal-line stand in a 24-19 victory over the New York Jets. Pittsburgh, which led 24-0 in the first half and held on, faces the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl in Dallas in two weeks. The Packers beat Chicago 21-14 earlier today. More»

Jets to face Steelers, Bears go up against Packers

(AP) - The Chicago Bears and the New York Jets won their respective games today, and will move on in the NFL playoffs:

• Jay Cutler ran for two touchdowns, threw for two more, and the Chicago defense manhandled Seattle early for a 35-24 victory today, lifting the Bears into the NFC championship game against their archrivals, the Green Bay Packers. The Bears (12-5), who edged the Packers for the NFC North title, will host the title game next Sunday, their first meeting in the postseason since 1941.