Tom Brady led the New England Patriots back from a three-touchdown deficit as they scored 49 straight points and clinched home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a 49-21 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. 
 
 New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez celebrates a long gain to near the goal line, which set up a touchdown, against the Buffalo Bills in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Foxborough,... (Associated Press) 
 
 New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez (81) tries to break free of Buffalo Bills linebacker Chris Kelsay (90) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday Jan.... (Associated Press) 
 
 New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, right, hugs Buffalo Bills linebacker Kirk Morrison after an NFL football game in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012. The Patriots won 49-21 to clinch home-field... (Associated Press) 
 
 New England Patriots' Devin McCourty (32) and Kyle Arrington (24) break up a pass to Buffalo Bills wide receiver Ruvell Martin (82) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Foxborough, Mass.,... (Associated Press) 
 
 New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez (81) steps into the end zone for a touchdown during the second quarter of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday Jan.... (Associated Press) 
 
 New England Patriots defensive end Mark Anderson (95) breaks free from Buffalo Bills tackle Chris Hairston (75) and sacks quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) during the second quarter of an NFL football... (Associated Press) 
 
 Brady finished the regular season with the second most yards passing in NFL history, 5,235, after throwing for 338. Drew Brees, who last week broke Dan Marino's record of 5,084 with the Miami Dolphins in 1984, added 389 Sunday for the New Orleans Saints and ended with 5,486. 
 
 The Patriots (13-3) finished the season with eight straight wins. But for the second straight game, they fell behind early. They beat the Miami Dolphins 27-24 after trailing 17-0 at halftime then rallied after the Bills (6-10) scored touchdowns on their first three possessions, drawing boos from the home fans. 
 
 ___ 
 
 SAINTS 45, PANTHERS 17 
 
 At New Orleans, _ Drew Brees threw for 389 yards and five touchdowns as New Orleans set a slew of NFL and club records. 
 
 The NFL single-season records set by the Saints (13-3), who head into the playoffs on an eight-game winning streak, included offensive yards with 7,474, team yards passing with 5,347 and first downs with 416. 
 
 Brees, who was 28 of 35, finished with a record 468 completions this season, breaking Peyton Manning's 2010 mark of 450. He finished the season completing 71.6 percent of his passes, breaking his own 2009 NFL record 70.6 completion percentage. 
 
 Tight end Jimmy Graham had 97 yards receiving, finishing with an NFL record 1,310 for a tight end. 
 
 The Panthers finished 6-10. 
 
 ___ 
 
 JAGUARS 19, COLTS 13 
 
 At Jacksonville, Maurice Jones-Drew ran for a season-high 169 yards, clinching the NFL rushing title and breaking Fred Taylor's single-season franchise record in the Jaguars' victory. 
 
 The Jaguars (5-11) became the first AFC South opponent to sweep Indianapolis (2-14) since 2002 and gave outgoing owner Wayne Weaver a victory in his final game. 
 
 The Colts may have been the big winners, though. Indianapolis locked up the top pick in April's NFL draft, setting the stage to select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. 
 
 Indy would have dropped to the No. 2 spot in the draft with a victory in Jacksonville. Instead, owner Jim Irsay will have the choice to draft Luck and give the team a young quarterback to join four-time MVP Peyton Manning. 
 
 ___ 
 
 TITANS 23, TEXANS 22 
 
 At Houston, Matt Hasselbeck threw two touchdown passes as the Titans kept alive their playoff hopes. 
 
 The Titans (9-7) have their first winning record since 2008 in Mike Munchak's first season, but their postseason fate depended on the outcome of later games in Cincinnati, Oakland and Denver. Tennessee got some early help when the Jets lost in Miami. 
 
 Houston (10-6) will head into its first postseason on a three-game losing streak. The Texans were locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs and coach Gary Kubiak played mostly reserves in the second half. 
 
 Rookie starter T.J. Yates left the game after one series with a shoulder injury and was replaced by Jake Delhomme. Kubiak said Yates could have returned if necessary. 
 
 The Texans pulled within a point late in the game on a 5-yard TD pass by Delhomme, but failed on a 2-point conversion that would have won it. 
 
 ____ 
 
 DOLPHINS 19, JETS 17 
 
 At Miami, Mark Sanchez threw three interceptions and the Jets were eliminated from the AFC wild-card playoff race. 
 
 Each turnover led to a field goal, and the Jets gave up six third-down conversions during the Dolphins' 21-play, 94-yard drive for their only touchdown. 
 
 The Jets (8-8) came into the game needing a win along with losses by three other teams to reach the playoffs. Instead, they finished the season with three consecutive defeats, a big step backward for a team that reached the AFC title game each of the past two years. 
 
 The Dolphins (6-10) completed their third consecutive losing season, their longest such stretch since the 1960s. 
 
 ___ 
 
 PACKERS 45, LIONS 41 
 
 At Green Bay, backup quarterback Matt Flynn threw a touchdown pass to Jermichael Finley with 1:10 left to finish off his record-setting day of 480 yards and six TD passes. 
 
 With Aaron Rodgers resting for the playoffs, Flynn set club single-game records for yards passing and touchdowns. It was an ideal afternoon for the Packers (15-1) who got to rest their starting quarterback and several other big-name players without losing momentum. 
 
 Flynn barely got the Packers past Matthew Stafford, who threw for 520 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. Playoff-bound Detroit (10-6), has lost 21 straight road games to the Packers, including the postseason. 
 
 ___ 
 
 BEARS 17, VIKINGS 13 
 
 At Minneapolis, Charles Tillman's interception return in the second quarter gave Chicago (8-8) the lead, allowing the Bears to stop their five-game losing streak despite 3 1/2 sacks by Jared Allen. 
 
 Allen finished the season with 22 sacks, behind Michael Strahan's NFL mark of 22 1/2 for the Giants in 2001. 
 
 Joe Webb relieved Christian Ponder at quarterback for the Vikings (3-13) for the third time in the last month, but the scrambling Webb wasn't able to keep the Vikings from matching the worst record in franchise history. 
 
 ___ 
 
 EAGLES 34, REDSKINS 10 
 
 At Philadelphia, Michael Vick threw three touchdown passes, including a 62-yarder to DeSean Jackson, as the Eagles closed the season with four straight wins. 
 
 The Eagles (8-8) are hoping to carry the momentum from their strong finish into next season. But they can't be satisfied after entering the year with Super Bowl aspirations. 
 
 It's the first time since 2007 that Philadelphia didn't qualify for the postseason and just the fourth time in coach Andy Reid's 13 seasons. The Eagles set a franchise record for total yards on offense with 6,386. 
 
 The Redskins (5-11) finished in last place in the NFC East for a franchise-worst fourth straight year. It was Mike Shanahan's worst full season in 18 years as a coach. 
 
 ___ 
 
 49ERS 34, RAMS 27 
 
 At St. Louis, Michael Crabtree caught two touchdown passes, one from kicker David Akers on a perfectly executed trick play, as San Francisco wrapped up the No. 2 playoff seed in the NFC and a first-round bye. 
 
 Crabtree and Vernon Davis had big days for a team short of pass catchers and Tarell Brown had a pair of interceptions that led to touchdowns as the 49ers (13-3) beat the Rams (2-14) for the second time the last five games. ||||| New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, left, speaks to receivers Chris Hogan, center, and Danny Amendola after defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC championship NFL football game, Sunday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, left, speaks to receivers Chris Hogan, center, and Danny Amendola after defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC championship NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018, in Foxborough, Mass. The Patriots won 24-20. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson) (Associated Press) 
 
 FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Give 'em a hand: Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are heading back to the Super Bowl. 
 
 Brady shook off a hand injury and threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola with 2:48 remaining , rallying the Patriots to a 24-20 comeback victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC championship Sunday. 
 
 Brady, wearing a black bandage on his right hand after needing stitches to close a cut that happened on a play during practice earlier in the week, showed no signs of being hampered. 
 
 And, with the game — and the season — possibly on the line, the Patriots star came up big again. 
 
 "I've had a lot worse," Brady said. "I didn't know that on Wednesday. It was a crazy injury. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday was a little scary. Then I started getting some confidence and today we did just enough to win." 
 
 Brady finished 26 of 38 for 290 yards and two touchdowns to Amendola for the Patriots (15-3), who'll play the winner of Sunday night's game between Minnesota and Philadelphia in Minneapolis on Feb. 4. 
 
 It's the eighth Super Bowl appearance for Brady and coach Bill Belichick, who have won five times — including last year's 34-28 overtime rally against the Atlanta Falcons. 
 
 "It's pretty amazing. Just to be on a team that wins these kinds of games, it's just a great accomplishment," Brady said. "I'm just so proud of everyone on our team, we made so many great plays. Defense played so great when they needed to." 
 
 Blake Bortles and the Jaguars (12-7) led 20-10 early in the fourth quarter, but couldn't hold against the defending champions. The NFL's second-ranked defense kept Brady and the Patriots at bay for most of the game, but lost linebacker Myles Jack and defensive tackle Marcell Dareus on consecutive plays on New England's winning drive. 
 
 "It's a locker room obviously with a lot of pain," Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said. "I'm sure they're hurting inside. I'm hurting. The players are hurting." 
 
 With New England trailing 20-17, Amendola returned a punt 20 yards to put the ball at the Jaguars 30. Brady hit James White for 15 yards, Amendola for 8 and then the quarterback ran up the middle for 2 yards and a first down. 
 
 On first-and-goal from the 5, White ran for a yard to set up the go-ahead score from Brady to Amendola. 
 
 Jacksonville — looking to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history — had one more shot, but Bortles' throw on fourth-and-15 to Dede Westbrook was knocked away by Stephon Gilmore. 
 
 "Guys are upset," Bortles said. "It's not what anybody expects — contrary to popular belief. Those guys fully expected to win that game." 
 
 The Patriots ran out the clock, with Dion Lewis' 18-yard scamper with 90 seconds remaining sealing the victory. And they played most of the game without tight end Rob Gronkowski, who left late in the first half and didn't return. 
 
 Brady's hand was the most-scrutinized body part in Boston since his ankle before the 2008 Super Bowl, and Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling's right ankle tendon — the bloody sock — in the 2004 playoffs. 
 
 Brady hurt his right hand during practice earlier in the week. 
 
 "Of all the plays, my season wasn't going to end on a handoff in practice," Brady said. 
 
 "Mentally, it probably stressed him out a bit," Amendola said. "It's hard to throw a football with stitches in your thumb. Everybody knows how tough he is." 
 
 Some Patriots fans were worried, but not Belichick. 
 
 "He's a tough guy, we all know that," Belichick said. "But we're not talking about open heart surgery here" 
 
 Brady warmed up without a glove on his hand, and he came out throwing. He completed his first six passes for 57 yards to march the Patriots down the field. The drive stalled when Brady was sacked by Dante Fowler Jr., and New England settled for Stephen Gostkowski's 31-yard field goal. 
 
 A wide-open Marcedes Lewis gave the Jaguars a 7-3 lead 45 seconds into the second quarter with a 4-yard touchdown catch from Bortles . 
 
 Leonard Fournette gave Jacksonville a 14-3 lead midway through the second quarter with a 4-yard TD run, hushing the crowd at Gillette Stadium. 
 
 The Jaguars made some big mistakes just before halftime. Bortles completed a 12-yard pass to Lewis on third-and-7 from the Patriots 44, but Jacksonville was called for delay of game. 
 
 That wiped out a first down, and Bortles was sacked by Adam Butler on the next play to force a punt. Jacksonville was called for six penalties that cost the Jaguars 98 yards, while New England was penalized just once. 
 
 With just over two minutes left before halftime, New England's offense took over and the fans chanted "Braa-dy! Braa-dy!" 
 
 And their quarterback delivered — with some help from two big penalties. 
 
 On first-and-10 from the Patriots 40, Brady threw a long pass for Gronkowski, who was injured when he got popped by Barry Church. Church was called for unnecessary roughness, putting the ball at Jacksonville's 45. 
 
 "It was a tough call," Church said, "but you've got to go with what they call." 
 
 A.J. Bouye was called for pass interference on the next play. The 32-yard penalty gave the Patriots the ball at the Jaguars 13. After a 12-yard catch by Cooks, White ran it in from the 1 to make it 14-10. 
 
 Josh Lambo gave Jacksonville a 17-10 lead 4:37 into the third quarter with a 54-yard field goal. He added a 43-yarder 8 seconds into the fourth quarter to make it a 10-point game. 
 
 But Brady & Co. were just getting started. 
 
 After Jacksonville went three-and-out following Jack's fumble recovery of Lewis, Brady and the Patriots offense came out with a sense of urgency. 
 
 They marched 85 yards on eight plays to cut it to a three-point deficit on Amendola's 9-yard TD catch with 8:44 left. Amendola had a 21-yard catch on third-and-18 from the Patriots 25 early in the drive. 
 
 "Big play in the game," Brady said. "Ended up being a huge drive for us." 
 
 FEW FLAGS: The Patriots' one penalty against the Jaguars is the fewest called on one team in a playoff game since the 2011 AFC championship — when the Patriots were called for just one in a win over Baltimore. 
 
 BRADY'S BOUNCEBACK: Brady's passer rating during the first three quarters: 87.5. In the fourth quarter, it was 136.3. 
 
 SOLID JAGUARS: Bortles finished 23 of 36 for 293 yards and a touchdown in his first AFC title game. Fournette had 76 yards rushing on 24 carries. 
 
 ___ 
 
 More AP NFL: https://pro32.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL ||||| Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson celebrates after scoring a touchdown on a 6-yard pass play during the first half of an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Atlanta Falcons on... (Associated Press) 
 
 Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes, ran for another score and led the Green Bay Packers to their second straight postseason road victory with a stunning 48-21 rout of the top-seeded Atlanta Falcons on Saturday night. 
 
 The Packers (12-6) will have to win one more on the road to complete their improbable run from sixth seed to the Super Bowl, but nothing looks out of the question the way Rodgers is playing. He'll lead Green Bay into the NFC championship game at either Chicago or Seattle next weekend. 
 
 Rodgers completed 31 of 36 passes for 366 yards, more than Brett Favre _ the guy he replaced in Green Bay _ ever threw for in a playoff game. After knocking off Michael Vick and the Eagles in Philadelphia, then dominating Matt Ryan and the Falcons in Atlanta, Rodgers is creating his own legacy in Titletown USA. 
 
 THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. 
 
 ATLANTA (AP) _ Aaron Rodgers capped Green Bay's fourth touchdown drive of at least 80 yards with a 7-yard scoring run and the Green Bay Packers took a 42-14 lead over the Atlanta Falcons after three quarters in the NFC divisional playoff game on Saturday night. 
 
 Rodgers' third-quarter run, followed by his third touchdown pass of the game, a 7-yarder to John Kuhn, completed a run of 35 unanswered points by the Packers. 
 
 Rodgers completed 27 of 31 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns through three quarters. 
 
 Atlanta's Matt Ryan threw two interceptions with no touchdowns through three quarters. 
 
 The Packers established momentum with four second-quarter touchdowns, including Rodgers' passes of 6 yards to Jordy Nelson and 20 yards to James Jones. 
 
 Tramon Williams returned his second interception of the game 70 yards for a score to close the first half. The Packers scored two touchdowns in the final minute of the half. 
 
 Williams' first interception in the end zone earlier in the second quarter ended a Falcons drive. 
 
 The Falcons beat the Packers 20-17 at the Georgia Dome on Nov. 28, but Rodgers and the Packers returned to Atlanta with more momentum after opening the playoffs with a win at Philadelphia. 
 
 The Falcons led 14-7 after Eric Weems' 102-yard kickoff return early in the second quarter. It was the longest kickoff return for a touchdown in NFL postseason history. 
 
 Weems, a Pro Bowl selection for his special teams play, ran straight ahead past kicker Mason Crosby and then beat Pat Lee in the race to the end zone. 
 
 The Packers answered with a 92-yard touchdown drive that included Rodgers' passes of 24 yards to Donald Driver and 34 yards to Jones. 
 
 Falcons cornerback Christopher Owens drew two penalties on the drive, one for holding and one for pass interference, to help set up Kuhn's 1-yard scoring run for a 14-14 tie. 
 
 Williams' first interception came with 2:22 remaining in the half. Ryan's pass was intended for Michael Jenkins, who slipped in the end zone as Williams made the catch. 
 
 The interception set up an 80-yard touchdown drive. Jones, falling backward, caught the touchdown pass over Weems to give the Packers, trying for their second road playoff win in as many weeks, their first lead with 42 seconds remaining in the half. 
 
 Michael Turner scored on a 12-yard touchdown run to give Atlanta a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. The touchdown drive followed a fumble by Green Bay's Greg Jennings. 
 
 Jennings gained 30 yards on a reception before he fumbled when hit by Atlanta linebacker Stephen Nicholas. Grimes recovered the ball for the Falcons. 
 
 Ryan's 22-yard sideline pass to Jenkins was the long play in the 48-yard scoring drive. 
 
 Fullback Ovie Mughelli kept the drive alive by gaining a yard on a fourth-and-1 run from the 13. 
 
 Turner got the call on the next play and ran straight ahead, maintaining his balance after spinning inside the 5 and scoring with the help of a push from right tackle Tyson Clabo. 
 
 Falcons cornerback Brian Williams was held out with a left knee injury, leaving Owens to fill in as the team's primary nickel back. 
 
 The Packers held out safety Atari Bigby with a groin injury and fullback Korey Hall with a knee injury. 
 
 Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez left the game with an apparent right knee injury with 2:03 remaining in the third quarter.
– 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 NFL action, from USA Today: The Miami Dolphins knocked the New York Jets out of playoff contention with a 19-17 win, burying coach Rex Ryan's pledge to win the Super Bowl this year. The Jets reached the AFC championship game each of the past two years. The Atlanta Falcons scored a team-record 42 first-half points against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and cruised to a 45-24 victory, securing the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoffs. The San Diego Chargers ended the Oakland Raiders' playoff hopes with a 38-26 victory. The Raiders' 8-year playoff drought continues. The Baltimore Ravens clinched the No. 2 seed in the AFC and a first-round bye by holding off the Cincinnati Bengals, 24-16. Backup quarterback Matt Flynn set Green Bay Packer records with 480 yards passing and 6 touchdowns, out-dueling Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford in a 45-41 victory. Stafford threw for 520 yards and 5 touchdowns. The Houston Texans botched a 2-point conversion and saw their rally fall short against the Tennessee Titans in a 23-22 loss. The New Orleans Saints set several club and NFL records in a 45-17 rout of the Carolina Panthers. Drew Brees threw for 389 yards and 5 touchdowns. The San Francisco 49ers locked up the NFC's No. 2 seed and a first-round bye with a 34-27 victory over the St. Louis Rams. Michael Vick tossed three TDs as the Philadelphia Eagles thrashed the Washington Redskins, 34-10, in a fourth straight victory. The Indianapolis Colts secured the top 2012 NFL draft pick by losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 19-13. Hello quarterback controversy? Maybe so, if the Colts draft Andrew Luck, USA Today reports. Click here for more NFL updates.