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. 
 
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 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. 
 
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 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. 
 
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 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. 
 
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 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. 
 
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 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. 
 
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 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. 
 
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 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. ||||| 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. ||||| Posted by Mike Florio on March 8, 2012, 9:55 AM EST 
 
 It seems like everyone is playing “pin the team on the Peyton” in the wake of his release by the Colts. So I’ve applied my blindfold. (Pardon me if the typing reads like a string of Jim Irsay tweets.) And I’m ready to discuss Peyton’s next possible destination, in slightly more detail that I did on Wednesday’s edition of NBC SportsTalk. 
 
 Supposedly, a dozen teams have expressed interest in Peyton Manning. Frankly, a lot more should. 
 
 So here’s a team-by-team ranking, from those that should be most interested to those that should be least interested in putting Peyton on the roster. 
 
 This is simply our (my) opinion, not an attempt to gauge actual level of interest or to predict Peyton’s destination. In the end, that will depend on a variety of factors. 
 
 1. Texans: Instantly, the Texans would become the pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, which will be played in Peyton’s hometown of New Orleans. The offense would require some tweaking and there could be danger of a Favre-style “schism” via the handling of Matt Schaub, but a mostly healthy Peyton would make the Texans a legitimate championship contender. 
 
 2. Chiefs: Last year, despite the torn ACLs and fractured relationship between coach and G.M., the Chiefs nearly won the AFC West. With Peyton, they’d win it going away. And they possibly would pump up their record to the point where the road to New Orleans would wind through Kansas City. 
 
 3. 49ers: The NFC equivalent of the Texans, the Niners nearly made it to the Super Bowl with Alex Smith. Add Peyton Manning, and they could win the next two or three. Unfortunately, coach Jim Harbaugh already has declared his commitment to Smith. Though plenty of coaches have said one thing and done another, Harbaugh has created the impression that he’s not like the rest of them. If he wants to win some Super Bowls, maybe he needs to be. 
 
 4. Seahawks: They’re closer than anyone realizes to becoming a great team, and Peyton would get them to that level. The biggest concern is the quality of the offensive line. And the goal of keeping Peyton from taking a lot of hits will now take on a greater level of importance, given the four neck procedures. 
 
 5. Cardinals: With Larry Fitzgerald, a better-than-advertised defense, and one of the best return men in the game in Patrick Peterson, the Cardinals would get a major boost toward the top of the mountain from Manning. But will ownership spend enough to put the pieces in place around him? More importantly, will ownership spend enough to even get him? 
 
 6. Cowboys: They need a vocal leader, and Peyton would give them just that. More importantly, Peyton could provide someone who likely won’t make a big mistake in a clutch moment of a key game. 
 
 7. Ravens: The ultimate revenge on Indianapolis would come from picking up Peyton in a Mayflower van and then winning a Super Bowl with him. The only problem is that, to pull it off, the Ravens would have to be prepared to forever lose Joe Flacco, who is in the last year of his rookie deal. 
 
 8. Broncos: They’ll make a run at Peyton, and for good reason. First, they have the defense and running game to contend; throw in a high-level passing game and they become very dangerous. But the Tebow factor will make this one awkward, to say the least. If Manning struggles at all, the Tebowmaniacs will revolt. 
 
 9. Jets: Four years after the failed Brett Favre experiment, the Jets have rebuilt the lab — and they’re apparently ready to test out the exact same formula. Though it makes sense for the Jets to upgrade over Mark Sanchez, Peyton Manning and Rex Ryan appear at first blush to be the ultimate oil-water combination. On a regular basis, Rex would say or do something that would prompt Peyton to break out the ol’ “bitter beer face.” 
 
 10. Titans: Yeah, the Titans have Matthew Hasselbeck and Jake Locker. But they could swap out Manning for Hasselbeck, park Locker on the bench for another two years, and swing for the fences with Manning, who played college football in Tennessee. 
 
 11. Dolphins: They have the pieces to compete. But the rest of the roster — and the rest of the organization — doesn’t seem to be at the level necessary for Peyton to push them over the top. 
 
 12. Redskins: See Dolphins. 
 
 13. Jaguars: If new owner Shad Khan wants to shake things up in the AFC South, it would make more sense to trade up to No. 2 in the draft and take RGIII. But the Jaguars have enough pieces to make things interesting if they had Manning. 
 
 14. Raiders: Though on the surface it doesn’t make a lot of sense, the fact that the Raiders are in a weak division puts them in the discussion. Carson Palmer has a large salary that could be swapped out for Manning’s, and it wouldn’t cost a first-round and second-round pick to get him. 
 
 15. Bears: The new G.M. possibly doesn’t think much of Jay Cutler, and with the defense still having enough in the tank, Manning could have a similar impact on the Bears as Brett Favre did in Minnesota three years ago. 
 
 16. Vikings: Speaking of Favre and Minnesota, coach Leslie Frazier worked in Indy with Peyton. To the extent Peyton craves familiarity, this is one of his few options. The only problem is that Frazier played his “bring in a veteran quarterback” card last year with Donovan McNabb. New G.M. Rick Spielman is a Christian Ponder guy. 
 
 17. Falcons: Peyton could take this team farther than Matt Ryan, but the Falcons would be even less likely to pull the plug on Ryan than the Ravens would be to throw in the towel on Flacco. 
 
 18. Browns: They could use Manning, but he wouldn’t make enough of a difference to overcome the likes of the Steelers, Ravens, and Bengals. Besides, Brett Favre could surely share a few “Chilly” stories that would send Peyton’s interest level to absolute zero. 
 
 19. Bills: Chan Gailey seems to be tying his fate to Ryan Fitzpatrick, and if Peyton is going to go to the AFC East, he’ll have a better shot at winning the division with the Jets or the Dolphins. 
 
 20. Buccaneers: In a tough NFC South, the Bucs have a long way to go to get back into contention. Josh Freeman is one of the rare bright spots on the roster, and the young talent on the team would revolt if he’s benched or dumped for Manning. 
 
 21. Chargers: Between the presence of Philip Rivers and, for now, not a lot else, swapping out Rivers for Manning would make little sense. 
 
 22. Rams: If they wanted a new quarterback, they’d sit tight at No. 2 and draft Robert Griffin III. 
 
 23. Bengals: “Old and expensive” doesn’t fit with Mike Browns “young and/or cheap” strategy for building a roster. 
 
 24. Saints: If Drew Brees has a bug up his butt about the exclusive franchise tag, one way to solve the problem would be to trade him and bring Peyton home to Louisiana. To make that happen, Brees would first have to start saying things that turn off the locals, something that’s highly unlikely to happen. 
 
 25. Eagles: Coach Andy Reid knows it’s win-big-or-bust in 2012. Too much money and cap space is tied up in Mike Vick. Acquiring Peyton would make it too hard to put a competitive team in place around him. 
 
 26. Panthers: Cam Newton had the best rookie season of any quarterback in NFL history. Including Peyton. 
 
 27. Steelers: The organization seems to be souring a little on Ben Roethlisberger, in part because he has grown too accustomed to running the show. The answer definitely isn’t a guy who would expect to run the show. 
 
 28. Patriots: Yes, this one should maybe be lower. But Bill Belichick has done some outside-the-box things. Of all the teams that clearly don’t need Manning, the Pats would be the one most likely to at least pause for a half-second and ponder the possibilities. 
 
 29. Lions: With Matthew Stafford throwing for 5,000-plus yards last season, the sky is the limit for the guy who may do for Detroit what Peyton did for Indy. 
 
 30. Packers: Super Bowl XLV MVP Aaron Rodgers. 
 
 31. Giants: Super Bowl XLVI MVP Eli Manning. 
 
 32. Colts: Duh. With or without Peyton, this team is several years away from competing for a Super Bowl berth. Besides, if the Colts wanted him and he wanted the Colts, he’d still be there.
– 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.