AFC wild-card game: Jets rookies Mark Sanchez, Shonn Greene star in 24-14 win over Bengals 
 
 Antonelli/News The Thrill of Victory: Jets QB Mark Sanchez celebrates after a touchdown pass to tight end Dustin Keller in the 2nd quarter of Gang Green's win over the Bengals. 
 
 Jets 24, Bengals 14 
 
 CINCINNATI - They won it for their grieving owner. They won it for their brash coach. They won it because they sensed everybody thought they couldn't. 
 
 The Jets won their first playoff game in five years, advancing to the AFC divisional round with a 24-14 wild-card victory over the Bengals Saturday at Paul Brown Stadium. Led by rookie Mark Sanchez and his cast of Cincinnati Kids, the Jets announced themselves as a serious postseason contender - just like Rex Ryan had predicted. 
 
 "I think this is just the first step in what we all feel is going to be a great journey," Ryan said after beating the Bengals for the second time in six days. 
 
 Ryan, his eyes red, looked as if he had been crying. Indeed, it was an emotional day for the entire organization, and it culminated in a poignant locker-room scene. Ryan gathered the players and made a presentation to Woody Johnson, who attended the game with family members less than a week after the tragic death of his daughter. 
 
 "There's only one game ball, and it goes to Woody," Ryan told the team, according to players. The coach choked up, they said. 
 
 It culminated a roller-coaster week in which the Jets beat the Bengals in the season finale, 37-0, and grew angrier by the day as they heard "excuses" coming from the Bengals' camp. Ryan stoked the emotions Friday night with a fiery speech to the team. 
 
 "(The Bengals) said they treated last week like a preseason game, but when the chips were on the table they couldn't get it done," tackle Damien Woody said. "So what's their excuse now?" 
 
 The Jets' improbable run will continue on the road, as they will meet the top-seeded Colts or the second-seeded Chargers next weekend. Their opponent will be determined by the outcome of today's Patriots-Ravens game. 
 
 "There is no ceiling for us," said Jets linebacker Calvin Pace. 
 
 Ryan laughed when asked how far the Jets could advance into the playoffs. 
 
 "We can't get much higher than what I predicted," he said, alluding to his headline-making boast that the Jets - a 50-to-1 shot to win the Super Bowl - deserved to be the favorite in the field. 
 
 Maybe it's time to believe. 
 
 In the crucible of the playoffs, the Jets played turnover-free football, took control after an early 7-0 deficit and dropped the hammer in the fourth quarter with two late sacks. 
 
 Sanchez, playing like the franchise quarterback the Jets believe he can be, was magnificent. He completed 12 of 15 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown, fooling the Bengals with bootleg passes off play-action. And two incompletions came on drops, including a killer by Braylon Edwards on what should have been a 41-yard touchdown. Sanchez became only the fourth rookie quarterback in NFL history to win a playoff game. ||||| 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.
– Dallas won a laugher over Philadelphia, and the Jets took down Cincinnati on the road to advance in the playoffs. Tony Romo (2 TDs, 244 yards) and the Cowboys put up 27 points in the second quarter and cruised to a 34-14 win. Dallas Morning News coverage here. On the schedule Sunday: Ravens-Patriots and Packers-Cardinals. In the Jets game, QB Mark Sanchez (1 TD, 182 yards) showed no rookie jitters in leading New York to a 24-14 win. He got help from fellow rookie Shonn Greene, who ran for 135 yards, and from Bengals kicker Shayne Graham, who missed two critical second-half field goals. Daily News coverage here.