Lakers Lose in Bryant's Return to Court Doug Pensinger/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- Kobe Bryant's return to action was dampened by Los Angeles' 106-94 home loss to Toronto on Sunday night. The 35-year-old made his season debut at the Staples Center after sitting out following a torn Achilles tendon in April.Bryant had nine points and eight rebounds in his first game since the injury occured on April 12, but he also had eight turnovers. "The biggest thing for me was just trying to take care of the basketball," said Bryant after th
Saints Storm Panthers, Take Charge of NFC South Chris Graythen/Getty Images(NEW ORLEANS) -- The New Orleans Saints took a big step towards securing a division title by beating the Carolina Panthers 31-13 on Sunday night. Both teams entered the game tied atop the NFC South standings.After falling behind 6-0 in the first quarter, Drew Brees led an offensive onslaught on one of the NFL's best defenses. The Saints (10-3) quarterback threw for three touchdowns in the first half, finding Marques Colston in the endzone twice before connecting with t
Florida State, Auburn to Play for BCS Title Chris Graythen/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- In the final year of the BCS, Florida State and Auburn will play for the National Championship on Jan. 6 in Pasadena, Calif., at Rose Bowl Stadium. The top-ranked Seminoles capped off a 13-0 season with a 45-7 win over #20 Duke in the ACC Championship game on Saturday night. Meanwhile, the second-ranked Tigers won the SEC title over #5 Missouri, 59-42, Saturday night and earned their spot when #2 Ohio State lost the Big Ten championship game.For Flor
Colts Clinch Division Despite Blowout Loss Joe Robbins/Getty Images(CINCINNATI) -- The Indianapolis Colts suffered a 42-28 defeat at Cincinnati on Sunday but were still able to clinch a playoff spot. Despite the loss, Denver's win over AFC South rival Tennessee later in the day gave the Colts the division title.The Bengals (9-4) put the game out of reach early, scoring the first 21 points of the game, including a 14-0 halftime lead. Quarterback Andy Dalton threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns while running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis
Broncos Clinch Playoff Berth With 51-28 Rout Of Titans Dustin Bradford/Getty Images(DENVER) -- Denver Broncos kicker Matt Prater set an NFL record Sunday, hitting a 64-yard field goal right before halftime, as the Broncos routed the Titans 51-28.Prater broke the previous record of 63 yards, set by Tom Dempsey in 1970. It was tied by former Broncos kicker Jason Elam in 1998, Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski in 2011, and David Akers last season.The Broncos (11-2) trailed 21-20 at the break, but they outscored Tennessee 31-7 in the secon
Ravens Edge Vikings On Late Touchdown Rob Carr/Getty Images(BALTIMORE) -- A little bit of snow was not going to stop these two teams.Marlon Brown hauled in a touchdown pass from Joe Flacco with four seconds remaining as the Baltimore Ravens rallied to defeat the Minnesota Vikings 29-26 on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.Baltimore took a 15-12 lead with 2:05 remaining. It was the first of five combined touchdowns by both teams in the final two minutes. Matt Cassel hit Vikings rookie receiver Cordarrelle Patterson for a 79-
Packers Keep Playoff Hopes Alive, Defeat Falcons 22-21 Elsa/Getty Images(GREEN BAY, Wisc.) -- Don't tell the Packers they're out of the playoff hunt. After trailing in the first half, Green Bay rallied to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 22-21 on Sunday.With the win, the Packers still remain in the mix for the NFC North as they improved to 6-6 despite not having quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the field again.In his place, Matt Flynn played arguably his best game of the season as he completed 24 of 32 passes for 258 yards with one touchdown and one intercept
Chiefs Roll Past the Redskins, 45-10 Jason O. Watson/Getty Images(LANDOVER, Md.) -- The Kansas City Chiefs and the Washington Redskins are heading in different directions. After the Chiefs 45-10 win over Washington, the Chiefs are now 10-3 while the Redskins are 3-10.The Chiefs had lost three-games in a row after winning their first nine games of the season, but you'd never know watching the game.Alex Smith was steady as usual for the Chiefs, as he threw for 137 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Running back Jamaal Ch
Patriots Shock the Browns, Defeat Cleveland 27-26 Jim Rogash/Getty Images(FOXBOROUGH, Mass.) -- Tom Brady did it again. The New England Patriots scored two touchdowns in the game's final 61 seconds to rally back and beat the Cleveland Browns 27-26.With about a minute left in the second quarter, the Patriots trailed the Browns 19-3, and with under three minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Browns were ahead 26-14.With 61 seconds left, Brady threw a two yard strike to wide receiver Julian Edelman to cut the deficit to six. After recovering an
Eagles Rally Past the Lions, 34-20 In the Snow Rob Carr Getty Images(PHILADELPHIA) -- Even with the snow pouring down in south Philadelphia, nothing could stop the Eagles as they defeated the Detroit Lions 34-20 for their fifth straight win.The Eagles trailed 14-0 at halftime with near-blizzard conditions at Lincoln Financial Field. But the Eagles rallied back to score 28 fourth quarter points to take down the Lions.Eagles running back LeSean McCoy was the story for the Eagles on Sunday. He finished the game with 217 rushing yards and two to
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- Kobe Bryant's return to action was dampened by Los Angeles' 106-94 home loss to Toronto on Sunday night. The 35-year-old made his season debut at the Staples Center after sitting out following a torn Achilles tendon in April.Bryant had nine points and eight rebounds in his first game since the injury occured on April 12, but he also had eight turnovers. "The biggest thing for me was just trying to take care of the basketball," said Bryant after th
Chris Graythen/Getty Images(NEW ORLEANS) -- The New Orleans Saints took a big step towards securing a division title by beating the Carolina Panthers 31-13 on Sunday night. Both teams entered the game tied atop the NFC South standings.After falling behind 6-0 in the first quarter, Drew Brees led an offensive onslaught on one of the NFL's best defenses. The Saints (10-3) quarterback threw for three touchdowns in the first half, finding Marques Colston in the endzone twice before connecting with t
Chris Graythen/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- In the final year of the BCS, Florida State and Auburn will play for the National Championship on Jan. 6 in Pasadena, Calif., at Rose Bowl Stadium. The top-ranked Seminoles capped off a 13-0 season with a 45-7 win over #20 Duke in the ACC Championship game on Saturday night. Meanwhile, the second-ranked Tigers won the SEC title over #5 Missouri, 59-42, Saturday night and earned their spot when #2 Ohio State lost the Big Ten championship game.For Flor
Joe Robbins/Getty Images(CINCINNATI) -- The Indianapolis Colts suffered a 42-28 defeat at Cincinnati on Sunday but were still able to clinch a playoff spot. Despite the loss, Denver's win over AFC South rival Tennessee later in the day gave the Colts the division title.The Bengals (9-4) put the game out of reach early, scoring the first 21 points of the game, including a 14-0 halftime lead. Quarterback Andy Dalton threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns while running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis
Dustin Bradford/Getty Images(DENVER) -- Denver Broncos kicker Matt Prater set an NFL record Sunday, hitting a 64-yard field goal right before halftime, as the Broncos routed the Titans 51-28.Prater broke the previous record of 63 yards, set by Tom Dempsey in 1970. It was tied by former Broncos kicker Jason Elam in 1998, Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski in 2011, and David Akers last season.The Broncos (11-2) trailed 21-20 at the break, but they outscored Tennessee 31-7 in the secon
Rob Carr/Getty Images(BALTIMORE) -- A little bit of snow was not going to stop these two teams.Marlon Brown hauled in a touchdown pass from Joe Flacco with four seconds remaining as the Baltimore Ravens rallied to defeat the Minnesota Vikings 29-26 on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.Baltimore took a 15-12 lead with 2:05 remaining. It was the first of five combined touchdowns by both teams in the final two minutes. Matt Cassel hit Vikings rookie receiver Cordarrelle Patterson for a 79-
Elsa/Getty Images(GREEN BAY, Wisc.) -- Don't tell the Packers they're out of the playoff hunt. After trailing in the first half, Green Bay rallied to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 22-21 on Sunday.With the win, the Packers still remain in the mix for the NFC North as they improved to 6-6 despite not having quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the field again.In his place, Matt Flynn played arguably his best game of the season as he completed 24 of 32 passes for 258 yards with one touchdown and one intercept
Jason O. Watson/Getty Images(LANDOVER, Md.) -- The Kansas City Chiefs and the Washington Redskins are heading in different directions. After the Chiefs 45-10 win over Washington, the Chiefs are now 10-3 while the Redskins are 3-10.The Chiefs had lost three-games in a row after winning their first nine games of the season, but you'd never know watching the game.Alex Smith was steady as usual for the Chiefs, as he threw for 137 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Running back Jamaal Ch
Jim Rogash/Getty Images(FOXBOROUGH, Mass.) -- Tom Brady did it again. The New England Patriots scored two touchdowns in the game's final 61 seconds to rally back and beat the Cleveland Browns 27-26.With about a minute left in the second quarter, the Patriots trailed the Browns 19-3, and with under three minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Browns were ahead 26-14.With 61 seconds left, Brady threw a two yard strike to wide receiver Julian Edelman to cut the deficit to six. After recovering an
Rob Carr Getty Images(PHILADELPHIA) -- Even with the snow pouring down in south Philadelphia, nothing could stop the Eagles as they defeated the Detroit Lions 34-20 for their fifth straight win.The Eagles trailed 14-0 at halftime with near-blizzard conditions at Lincoln Financial Field. But the Eagles rallied back to score 28 fourth quarter points to take down the Lions.Eagles running back LeSean McCoy was the story for the Eagles on Sunday. He finished the game with 217 rushing yards and two to
