? New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons both eliminated
? Bears will face Packers, Steelers will play Jets
One of the most unpredictable NFL seasons in years is no closer to providing a clear favourite after another extraordinary round of play-offs saw the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons both eliminated.
One week after last season's two Super Bowl finalists bowed out of contention, the No1 seeded teams from each of the conferences were knocked out by the two lowest-ranked wild cards in the play-offs. The Patriots, the popular pick to win the Super Bowl after finishing as the top team in the AFC, were beaten 28-21 at home by the New York Jets, while the Falcons, the top seed in the NFC, were thrashed 48-21 at home by the Green Bay Packers.
The Chicago Bears and the Pittsburgh Steelers, both seeded second, will now host next weekend's conference championships with the two winners advancing to meet in the Super Bowl at Dallas on 6 February. Chicago will face the Packers after beating the Seattle Seahawks 35-24 while the Steelers tackle the high-flying Jets after overcoming the Baltimore Ravens 31-24.
The Bears and Steelers were both impressive in their wins but have their work cut out after a play-off series where the home-field advantage has counted for little.
The Patriots had not lost a home game all season and were overwhelming favourites to extend their winning streak against the Jets after beating them 45-3 last month. But they were outplayed by a team that only snuck into the divisional play-offs after a last-gasp 17-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts last weekend.
The Jets, inspired by their trash-talking coach Rex Ryan, won the major battles on both offence and defence. They succeeded in shutting down the New England quarterback Tom Brady, sacking him five times, while scoring four touchdowns of their own. "I knew if we applied ourselves and played the way we were capable of playing, we would win," Ryan said.
It was a weekend to savour for quarterbacks with Aaron Rodgers delivering a masterful performance for the Packers, who have hit their peak at the perfect time. Rodgers threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for a score. He completed 31 of 36 passes to give the coach, Mike McCarthy, real cause for optimism. "We are a championship calibre football team," he said.
Jay Cutler made a spectacular play-off debut by throwing for two touchdowns and running for two others as the Bears ended Seattle's unlikely charge. The Seahawks won their division despite a 7-9 record during the regular season. After upsetting the defending champions New Orleans Saints in the opening round, they collapsed against the Bears, who led 28-0 early in the second half before easing off the throttle.
Their game against the Packers promises to be a classic encounter between two neighbours with a long and bitter rivalry. "We don't like them and they don't like us," offered the Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher.
The Steelers took advantage of a second-half meltdown by the Ravens to reach the AFC title game for the second time in three years. The Ravens led 21-7 at half-time but three costly turnovers in the third quarter allowed the Steelers to gain control of the game. "We got behind but the guys didn't blink," the Pittsburgh coach, Mike Tomlin, said. "It was signature Steeler football."
Schedule of championship games in the NFL play-offs
Sunday 23 January (NFC championship) - Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears (2000 GMT)
Sunday 23 January (AFC championship) - New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers (2330)
Sunday 6 February (Super Bowl) - at Dallas, Texas (2330)
Marika Dominczyk Dita Von Teese Rachel Nichols Dido Joss Stone
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