Published: 12:25PM Sunday December 25, 2011 Source: Reuters
Tom Brady led the New England Patriots back from a 17-point deficit to beat the Miami Dolphins 27-24 today (NZT) and clinch a first-round bye in the National Football League (NFL) playoffs.
Brady rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another as the Patriots clawed their way back after trailing 17-0 at halftime to improve to 12-3 with just one week of the regular season to go.
The win ensured New England would get a rest in the first week of next month's playoffs and a home game in the second week, though the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens could overtake them for the top seeding in the AFC if the Patriots lose their last game at home next week to the Buffalo Bills.
The Steelers and the Ravens, who are already assured of their spots in the playoffs, both won on Christmas Eve to improve to 11-4.
Pittsburgh, last season's Super Bowl runners-up, thrashed the struggling St. Louis Rams 27-0 despite resting their injured quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Baltimore, who hold the tie-breaker on the Steelers in the AFC North division, raced away to a 20-0 lead then survived a late comeback from the Cleveland Browns to win 20-14.
Tim Tebow's Denver Broncos (8-7) missed their chance to secure a spot in the postseason when they were beaten 40-14 by the Bills and were then joined at the top of the AFC West standings by the Oakland Raiders after Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 36-yard field goal in overtime to seal a 16-13 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Giants (8-7) won their New York showdown against the Jets 29-14 to set up a sudden-death clash with the Dallas Cowboys next week for the top spot in the NFC East division after Eli Manning's 99-yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz.
The loss all but ended the Jets' prospects of making the playoffs when they fell one game behind Cincinnati (9-6) in the race for the AFC wildcard after the Bengals beat the Arizona Cardinals 23-16.
Tennessee quarterback Matt Hasselbeck passed for 350 yards in the Titan's 23-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars that kept alive their playoff hopes, while Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton broke Peyton Manning's NFL record for the most passing yards in a rookie season.
The 22-year-old Newton surpassed Manning's mark of 3,379 yards, set in 1998, in his team's 48-16 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, adding yet another record to his impressive start in the NFL
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Source: http://tvnz.co.nz/othersports-news/patriots-secure-first-round-bye-in-playoffs-4668690?ref=rss
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