Race to Super Bowl 50 - NFL Week 17 American Football

60 minutes of football taken right from the start. This is ridiculous!

Touchdown! Unbelievable!

The New England Patriots are the NFL champions.

Happy new year. It's NFL Week 17, the end of the regular season. No

next week, unless your team has a play-off place in the race to Super

Bowl 50. Entering the final week's games,

play-off place in the race to Super Bowl 50. Entering the final week's

games, the play-off picture looks like this. In the NFC, we know all

six play-off teams but not their seedings. Carolina and Arizona,

champions of the South and West, will have a bye week in the first

round of the play-offs, but both want the number one seed in the

all-important home field advantage. Washington won the East and are

guaranteed the number four slot. Green Bay and Minnesota go head to

head for the North. The winner will be the number three seed. The loser

will join Seattle as the two wildcards. In the AFC, eight teams

are still chasing six places. New England are champions of the East

and favourites for the number one seeding. Cincinnati have won the

North. Denver and Kansas City are battling to win the West, although

both are guaranteed a play-off place. Houston are favourites to win

the South and with it the number four seeding. But they could be

caught by Indianapolis with a raft of game-winning scenarios. The New

York Jets have their destiny in their own hands for the final wild

card spot, but should they slip up, Pittsburgh are waiting in the wings.

Well, the final games of the regular Pittsburgh are waiting in the wings.

Well, the final games of the regular season are all division match-ups.

Overseeing the end of the nail-biting season is Osi Umenyiora.

And keeping us all up to date with the coaching changes, Jason Bell.

Now, our first action comes from the AFC wild card race, where the New

York Jets had their destiny in their own

AFC wild card race, where the New York Jets had their destiny in their

own hands. When you're battling for the one

remaining AFC wild card berth, there are two things you don't need. First

is a trip to upstate New York, where Buffalo fans have been shovelling

snow all week, and where the opposing head coach is Rex Ryan, the

man the Jets fired a year ago. Secondly, is your nearest rivals,

the Pittsburgh Steelers, cruising to a straightforward victory over the

Cleveland Browns. It left the Jets with one simple

fact - nothing but a win will be good enough.

Third and three. Goes in motion. Seen some interesting sets here.

Taylor. Taylor is still going! Taylor diving

for the pylon! Tyron Taylor, touchdown, Buffalo.

Wow. He's the fastest quarterback in the NFL. Right about there. That

gives him the idea that, "Maybe I can make it to the pylon." And he

does, as he beats Davis. Buffalo lead this one, seven to

nothing. Fourth and one.

Taylor. It's a blast up the middle. Williams. He's in! Touchdown,

Buffalo. The touchdown stands for Carlos Williams.

You know, he was playing to win. Oh. That's a direct hit on the snoz

there. A bad couple of seconds there.

Second and eight for the Jets. They trail 13 to nothing. Ten minutes to

go into the second quarter. Again.

He's there for the touchdown! Jets are on the board.

A great read by Fitzpatrick. It was coming. He knew he had single

coverage. And Mario Butler, a second-year player under veteran

Marshall. Buffalo would go on a 15-play drive on the ensuing

possession, ending in a 20-yard field goal from Dan Carpenter to

close out the half and make it 16-7. Loses the football! The Jets are

there! And they've got it. Huge turnover to open up this second

half. That's his fourth recovery of the

season. Looks like the right arm of Damon Harrison hit him on the right

bicep and the ball comes out. Watch the long reach there.

The New York Jets would go three and out after the turnover, but Randy

Bullock kicked a 39-yard field goal to cut the lead to six points.

Buffalo responded with a 14-play drive, culminating in a Carpenter

field goal to restore the Bills' 9-point lead.

Fitzpatrick, steps up, pulls the trigger. The Jets close the gap! And

the Bills don't get to Fitzpatrick, because he can step up behind the

blocking of Williams and Carpenter. Look at the hold for him. As Decker

fakes out Graham at the 5-yard line. And Fitzpatrick with his eyes down

the line, floats it off for the score. One-10, the play in the

third. Buffalo, 19. Ryan Fitzpatrick's first trip back

to Buffalo with a play-off start on the line. And the fourth quarter

interception. Buffalo takes over a lead.

Following the turnover, Buffalo put together a 13-play drive that would

end with a 42-yard field goal to extend their lead. This meant the

Jets would need a touchdown to advance to the post-season. Third

and nine for the Jets, with two minutes to play. They trail Buffalo

22-17. It's four down territory right now for the Jets.

Shotgun, Fitzpatrick. He throws a wobbler!

Lawson gets under it for the interception!

A potential devastating ending for the Jets.

Marcel Darrius, tremendous effort to get to the quarterback here.

Fitzpatrick wanting to throw the long, high ball to his favourite

receiver, Brandon Marshall. But Watson tracked it down for the

interception. The Buffalo Bills are on the brink of spoiling the party

for the Jets. And putting the Pittsburgh Steelers in the

play-offs. The Jets cannot stop the clock.

Getting lined up quickly here. Under 30 seconds now.

Fitzpatrick. Knocked away!

He had a clear path, if he secured it. Now it's Mario Butler again

coming over and dislodging the ball from Tomkins. Tomkins can hang on to

it or at least catch it on the rebound. He scores! 17 seconds left.

The Jets, in desperation mode. Fitzpatrick.

It's over! AJ! A painful ending to the Jets'

season. It's the hardest, most difficult end to a season I've ever

had, just in terms of how I feel right now and how painful of a loss

that was. So, um, you know, I don't, at this point, it doesn't feel like

a very - a very great season. Any team that's going home right now,

it's a failure, because we play for one reason, and that's to win it

all. So, you know, there's no more victories. No-one is gonna feel

sorry for you. So, we just have to be men and, uh, deal with it. So,

they'll deal with it. What did be men and, uh, deal with it. So,

they'll deal with it. What did you put it down to - pressure? Pressure

and the worst football they could possibly play, when it counted. You

know, this offence was really clicking, and to see them play that

bad at the stretch was disappointing. Yeah, but how good

does Rex Ryan feel? I'm a fan of the Jets. Rex Ryan, they fired him. For

him to knock that team out of the play-offs, unbelievable. Which is

fair enough. But if you're a Buffalo fan, you're thinking, "Hang on a

minute. You shouldn't just be fired up for games against your former

team. We want you to be fired up for every game in the regular season."

That's why they hired him as a head coach. Rex Ryan is known for making

big games out of games he needs to - half win... But you know, like I

know, most teams in that particular situation, who had nothing to play

for, would have packed up their bags and went home. They would have done

that already. But the Buffalo Bills showed a tremendous amount of

character for playing the way they did. The Steelers are in the

play-offs, of course. And, you know, they will - nobody will want to play

them. We know who does play them, with you nobody will want to play

them. Yeah, they have a lights-out offence. When you can score that

fast and you're that explosive, everybody is scared to play against

you, because you can be down and come back real quickly with big

plays. And Ben has been there before. Experience will count a lot.

Huge. Huge in the play-offs. You need players who have that kind of

experience, and he definitely has that. OK. Well, if you want to get

involved, then just use the hashtag. We will provide some answers. We've

clarified one play-off quote, Pittsburgh now in as the sixth seed.

There were still many permtations. For the Houston Texans, the task was

simple - win and they were in as division champions. In the end, they

held the Jacksonville Jaguars to just two field goals, while Jonathan

Grimes had a 12-yard touchdown reception and added a 3-yard score

in the second. For the Houston touchdown! Karim

Jackson rounded out the victory with a 27-yard interception return, high

stepping his way to the end zone, as Houston secured their first division

title since 2012. They enter the play-offs as the AFC's number four

seed. Cincinnati quarterback AJ overcame a rough start against the

Baltimore ravens to throw a pair of touchdown passes, one to Tyler and

the other to AJ. The rally in Cincinnati to a win that kept him in

the running for a play-off bye. Jeremy Hill ran a 38-yard score on a

fourth-and-one play in the third quarter that sealed the victory.

Touchdown, Jeremy. This got Cincinnati to 12 wins, the same as

the previous seasons when they reached the Super Bowl. New England

put their number one season in jeopardy when they were upset by an

aggressive Miami Dolphins outfit, who took control with touchdowns

from Lavante and Jordan. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had a game to

forget as the defending Super Bowl champions ended the regular season

with just two wins in their final six games.

The Kansas City Chiefs raced to an early lead against the spirited

Oakland Raiders side as they looked to keep alive their hopes of an AFC

Western Division title. Harris caught his only pass of the day for

a 15-yard touchdown to round out the victory. What a catch! Touchdown.

It's Harris. Along with Cincinnati and New England, Kansas City WOW to

see what transpired in -- would have to see what transpired in Denver to

see how the final AFC seedings would look. We're going to see the Denver

game in just a moment, to see whether they could get home field

advantage. I want the two of you to talk about the importance of home

field advantage in the play-offs. If you take a look in the regular

season, there isn't that much difference between home and away

wins. In the last 15 years, in the play-offs and the post-season, 64%

home wins, 36% away wins. Why do you think home advantage is so important

at knockout football? At that time of the year, weather. Northern

anything else? I think more than anything else. Because if you're a

team that plays in bad weather and you're used to it, you have the

advantage. Say you're a team that's played in domes, you come out in the

elements, you can't run your offence the way you have been running it all

year. Absolutely. The home teams have the advantage because I think

what happens, most of the teams, when it comes to that time of the

season, their bodies are beat up, they're injured, they don't feel

that good, and then to have to get on the road and travel to an

opposing team and play over there, I think that takes away from these

teams. Would you put weather and travel ahead of home fans and

supporters and the noise they make, for example, when the visiting side

are on third down to try and make sure that nobody can hear? That's a

minor part compared to weather and travel? Yeah, I think weather

determines that. Definitely, man. You really are precious, aren't you?

Oh! We don't want the weather to be too bad. Don't want to travel very

far! LAUGHS

To the final piece of the AFC play-off picture, then, in the west,

pressure on Denver following the Kansas City Chiefs win.

Also, home field advantage. A loss would see Kansas City win the West,

meaning Denver would be a wild card and the number five seed having to

travel toll Houston next week. There has been no regular season charge

from San Diegoow. The Chargers have stayed rooted at California sea

level. Whatever happens in the mountains of Colorado, they will not

be making the play-offs. The Denver Broncos are going to the

play-offs, but how high will they fly into them, and on whose arm will

they be borne? Brock? He starts. Or the masters, Peyton Manning. Both

ready to throw. Second and two. And another

completion. This one to Thomas. And he got away from the defender and is

still going. He hurtles past another Charger and takes it to the end zone

for a touchdown. Jason won the best quarters in

football. Not in this game today, twobl would have been on Demaryius

Thomas in that situation. Such a big key in this offence. To get him

started. Do his legs look fresh. San Diego responded with a ten-play

drive on their first possession, ending with a 50-yard field goal

from Josh Lambo to cut the lead to four points.

This week, a 53-man roster on the practice field. First since

September 2014. Everybody on the practice field.

Third and one. A pass. Intercepted. Should have been caught. That's

Steve Williams who had the fumble recovery earlier in the quarter. Now

has his second pick-up of the season. Two takaways by Williams.

This bounced off the hands of Norwood.

A Bronco win here today, Phil, would give them the AFC West and the

number one seed. The energy is great, by the crowd, by the football

team. Another great situation and they're making big plays.

They're gonna rule it on the field as a fumble and recovery by Square.

Damian Square. Unblocked off the left edge. Williams has made now

three plays in this game. You've gotta expect a blitz.

He wasn't ready for it. I'm sure that's what Peyton Manning was

telling him on the sideline. That's intercepted. The pass was

influenced by the pressure. It's Philips on the run back. And Philips

getting the chance to start. San Diego would go three and out

following the turnover. But more field goal points from Lambo made it

7-6 heading into half-time. Oh, another miscue by the Broncos.

It comes out of the hands of Anderson, recovered by Adye and now

a fifth turnover committed by Denver. Five turnovers. It's

incredible. Third and eight. Rivers. In the

packet with heat. To the end zone. It is caught. What an effort.

Antonio Gates outbattles Keo for the football. And the Chargers have

taken the lead. What a turn of events here in Denver. San Diego has

taken the lead. And Peyton Manning has regained the quarterback

position. Five turnovers by Denver today. I would say right now, Peyton

has played in so many big games over the years. There's gotta be a lot of

nerves and excitement, of course, going on for him right now. Having

not played since November 15, and listen to this reaction as Peyton

takes the field. CHEERING

This crowd is thrilled. I didn't think there was anything, any

scenario, that was gonna bring him out in this game. You face it in a

different way. So much on the line. They've gotta make sure they cover

their bases. That's why they put Peyton back in.

Green, and he has a first down. Anderson back in now after this

play, after fumbling the last time he handled it. Here goes Anderson.

Inside the 30. Down to the 23. Watch Garcia, 73. Gets up the field.

Makes the block against Teo. That's what does it. A touchdown for

Anderson. It's not always about the throwing. Peyton Manning threw two

short passes but he checked to the run that got him inside the one.

After San Diego failed to convert on a fourth down in Denver territory,

Manning led a 6-play drive that ended with a 48-yard McManus field

goal. The Broncos led 17-13. It's Williams! Somehow he got free

on the secondary and he jogs into the end zone to put the Chargers

back in front! 80 yards! Rivers. To Tyrell Williams. A key to lead. Just

lets Williams go right by him. Philip Rivers said time. Nobody

around him. Tyrell Williams with his first NFL

catch. Denver then went on a 7-play 63-yard drive that stalled in the

red zone, after which McManus kicked a 35-yard field goal to tie the game

at 20-20. Showing blitz. Will they do so? Ward

backs off. They rush only three. Is Rivers in trouble. Down the middle.

He's intercepted! It's picked up by Keo. Sidesteps and is tackled down

at the 23. The ball went right through the

hands of Williams. Wolf was getting close to him at the

end there. Look at it. There it is. He's in there, goes through the

hands. It would have been a tough catch. Peyton is saying, "Get down.

We'll handle the rest." With 4.50 to go, and taking over at the San Diego

23. To the end zone! Denver is back in

front! Peyton Manning has led the Broncos

to 20 second-half points, but this one set up by the interception, the

first one off the line of scrimmage. Gates here on the right side. Here's

the fourth and sixth play. Rivers has the time. Now break down on him

and puts it in the middle of the field. Incomplete. Harris almost had

the interception, but they're better off on the turnover on downs. And

now you can pretty much lock it up for the wild card round on the AFC

side. Peyton Manning, healthy, which he looked like he was. The defence,

they can be anybody. I understand how Jim and Brock and

Kurtis and Brock, the past three years has felt. You don't get many

raps, at least when I have been a starter, you haven't. So, I got a

good taste of that this week. Sometimes you just feel as though

the team is looking around for that guy, or that, you know, that

tremendous leadership type of stuff. You know? And that's what I felt.

And I know Peyton, the last couple of weeks, they have been real good

weeks. And I know he was ready to go. And I don't think Brock did

anything wrock. You know, we had some turnovers, but he had nothing

to do with. We could have helped him a lot. But just my gut told me to

turn it over to him and let him lead the football team. Coach always

preaches it takes all 46 guys on game day. And today that was truly

the case. We won the AFC West and couldn't be any happier. As long as

this football team wins games, that's all I care about. And that

really is the truth. You know, football is the ultimate team sport.

It takes an entire team to win. And I think we showed that today. So,

you know, as long as this football team is winning games, shoot, I

don't care who plays quarterback. The Denver Broncos, the number one

seed in the AFC, but they got bigger problems than this. Why? Because

they have a quarterback controversy. Now, why do they have a quarterback

controversy? Because Peyton Manning, the greatest quarterback in the

entire NFL's history, was playing terribly. And we're gonna show you a

couple of those plays. Here he against the Kansas City Chiefs. He

threw four interceptions. Look at this pass. Who is he throwing the

ball to? Three Kansas City Chiefs are around him. What dot Broncos

decide to do? They're gonna sit down their old guy and bring in the

young, sexy, Brock. And he was playing really well for them. But in

the play-offs, with everything on the line, those hands start to shake

a little bit. His feet start to get jittery. Right here, he doesn't see

the blitz. He lets the ball go, recovered by the San Diego Chargers.

He was playing a terrible game right here. And so what did the Denver

Broncos now decide to do? They here. And so what did the Denver

what every single man does in a situation like that. They go back to

their wife. And this is exactly - this is exactly why they went back

to Peyton Manning. And you can see Peyton Manning right

to Peyton Manning. And you can see Peyton Manning right here. The

intelligence of this man. You can see the old Peyton Manning comeback.

A check-down right here, moving the chain, getting them down the field.

You see him over here with the next play. Watch this. Another check

down. He finds his guy in the middle of the football field. Smart

football. Look at that beautiful throw to at the time opposite side

of the field. That is a great throw. The arm is back. It's live. You see

Peyton Manning again, and look at him place the ball where only

Sanders is going to be able to catch that. That is an incredible throw by

Peyton Manning, as the old faithful guy comes back and he shows exactly

why he is the greatest quarterback in the NFL, leading the

why he is the greatest quarterback in the NFL, leading the Denver

Broncos to at the time play-offs. We would like to say hello to Mrs Osi.

Home field advantage for Denver. Given everything we have talked

about, weather and altitude will be important? Yeah, I have played there

many times. You go up there and start warming up, you realise you

can't breathe. It's a hard place to start fast. That's an advantage for

Denver. It's weird, because you look at the seeds now, a couple of weeks

ago we were talking that Denver might not even make the

ago we were talking that Denver might not even make the play-offs

because of how things were lined up. Now they're the number one seeds and

the Patriots are behind them. That's the NFL for you in a nutshell. You

never can tell what's gonna happen from week to week. That's what makes

the game incredible. Let's talk about the coaches, because once the

regular season is over - sorry, the careers of several head coaches. We

can take a look at the ones that are definitely gone so far. Tom Cough

Cyclone Yasi lin, gone. A man you know -- Tom Coughlin, gone. A man

you know well? Yeah, they let him have

know -- Tom Coughlin, gone. A man you know well? Yeah, they let him

have the last word and resigned. He did a lot for that organisation. Two

Super Bowls. Big time. Right time to move on? Definitely. This is a team

that hadn't made the play-offs in the last four seasons. That's

unacceptable for the New York Giants. The other three to go - I'm

interested in Tom Sueller and Kelly, because Kelly has made it known he

would be interested in the 49ers. Would he be the right fit?

Absolutely. No question about that. And the reason I say that is because

of the presence of Colin Kaepernick. He is the type of quarterback Chip

Kelly loves and he can run the offence Chip Kelly loves so much J

no. Not a good fit. He's gonna try to do what he did in Philly and try

to run everything. Run all departments. You don't think he's

gonna learn from his mistakes? Jo I think he needs a year off. They need

to go back, get a TV job, sit down, watch the games and figure out who

they are, and restart the next year. But coaches can change. I mean,

going back to Coughlin, he changed whilst you were at the Giants.

Exactly. You know that better than anybody. But he didn't get fired!

Listen, Kelly going to the San Francisco 49ers would be a great

move for both sides. I would love to see him change literally right in

front of your eyes. That would have been amazing! And I want to -

there's a question mark over Peyton, and the Saints have made it known

that they would accept a second-round draft pick in exchange

for Peyton going. Although this a Giant-dominated chat, as there often

is on this show with you two, you actually think he would be an ideal

fit? I think so. Because the ownership knows him. He has been a

Giant before. He can come in there, he can work with Eli and run the

offence. I think he would be perfect J Shaun is as good as gone. If the

team is letting it be known he can be a second-round pick, that's

disrespectful to him as a coach. Secondly, I think that would be the

right pick for him. The Giants need a coach to work - is that the most

important thing, to work with Manning? That can handle him. He's

going well. They have a good office now, in Ben. But Shawn Peyton is the

right guy for that job. Seattle had a coach, who's definitely not in

trouble, and he was wired for sound as the Sea Hawks took on the

Cleveland Browns. They were looking for the victory that would qualify

them for a play-off place. CHEERING

CHEERS try to have some fun when you can.

Absolutely. We lose you in the second half. Right. Are you on the

other side? It's been nice knowing you, brother. It's 17-10, the Hawks

over the Cleveland Browns. Come on! Russell takes a shotgun

snap. Looks. Touchdown! (BLEEP) all day long! Whoo-hoo!

I loved that one. I loved that one. Great job, buddy. (BLEEP) he's

flipping them like burgers. Like that. Whoo! God, that's so good!

Nice job, yeah. Terrific football game. Your boys played great on

offence. First thing, you ain't done nothing yet. Well, today we did a

little something today. Today, the Sea Hawks will be playing in the

play-offs somewhere down the road here. Something

play-offs somewhere down the road here. Something tells me he enjoyed

that game. News of our the Sea Hawks got on later. But first, the NFC's

Northern division champions had to be crowned. There are prizes along

the way, titles to be taken on the trail to the big one, the Super

Bowl. Here in the old football-mad city of Green Bay, there is the NFC

North to be decided. The home town Packers, or the Minnesota Vikings,

this is resolution, Northern-style. Both are through to the play-offs,

but who might have the home tie there? Who will settle for the wild

card? Looks like they've got McKinnon

split out. Not the man coverage we might expect.

Bridgewater gets chased. Jumping on top of him was Matthews at the

14-yard line. Matthews going against his former

team-mate at USC. He was a freshman, Matt was, when Clay Matthews was a

senior. Clay Matthews had a little smool on his face when I asked him

with him. He said, "I think I'll do all right." Minnesota would have to

settle for a 39-yard field goal from Blair Walsh to give them a 6-3 lead.

Adrian Peterson will have berthed a single touchdown. So, Adrian, it

looked like he was stopped at just about the one-yard line. Extra burst

and the touchdown. The front, very front edged as he crossed the play -

no question. That's a touchdown. We're just seeing Aaron Rodgers make

so many great plays. Who is it? Who's gonna make that play for them

right now? Third and 12.

He gets his arm hit as he throws. Is that a fumble? The Vikings are

contending it is. For the moment, you've got Captain Munnerlyn going

all the way to the end zone. And we're waiting for one official

to say yay or nay here. Rodgers had that arm hit. Is that ball loose? If

he pushes that ball forward after its loose, I think that's a fumble.

I tell you who else did - Aaron Rodgers.

UMPIRE: The ball is loose and pushed forward by an open hand. Touchdown,

Minnesota. The arm is coming forward, you can have control of the

ball, that's one thing. But this is a ball that's loose and then being

pushed forward. And the Minnesota Vikings, with an extra point, will

have a 3-possession lead. Second and 11 from the 16-yard line. And

Rodgers... Boy, that secondary does its job

again. This time he finds Richard Rodgers and he's in for the

touchdown. Perfect protection that time. That's really what made that

play. After forcing Minnesota to punt, Rodgers led an 8-play drive

that ended with a 43-yard Mason Crosby field goal. The Vikings' lead

was now seven. Patterson is very dangerous. Very

dangerous. Into Green Bay territory.

Uh-oh. And he loses the ball! The 30-yard line.

And the Packers have it. And Mason Crosby got him.

Unbelievable! He gets loose with the kicker chasing him from behind.

Watch Crosby swat it out. What a play!

I would say the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers find more ways to

win games, the hail mary this year, the way they beat Chicago a couple

of years, and special teams have been so good all year. I can't

remember seeing a Packer make a play like that. He ran them down too. I

mean, he chased them down. Probably one of the fastest guys in football.

Fourth and goal. Adams out wide.

Four rush. Seven cover. Rodgers!

And it's intercepted in the end zone by Xavier Rhodes.

James Jones the intended receiver, and so Minnesota will get the ball

at the 20-yard line. Aaron Rodgers really had a chance on this ball

that he threw the interception on. You'll see it all out here. He's

gonna scramble around and make a throw all the way across his body.

But there was so much room to work on the outside for James Jones. And

for some reason, Aaron Rodgers threw it back inside. Green Bay will have

one last shot. Boy, oh, boy, oh, boy. Could the Green Bay Packers'

streak of division wins come down to yet another hail mary? So, 15

seconds and third down. To Rodgers!

And that's gonna take us, unless Aaron can spike it here. That's

gonna do it. It's also fourth down, so can Rodgers spike it in time?

He's gonna get one more play. One more miracle attempt. To the end

zone. Can they do this again? No. LAUGHS

Oh! Wow. What a game. It took every second, but they finally knocked the

champs off in this division. Mike Zimmer took them a long time to get

a head coaching job. Gets the Gatorade bath. Division champs.

I think we played with a lot of heart tonight. We fought. It wasn't

pretty by any stretch of the imagination. We've still got a long

way to go. But I think that, uh, this football team has a lot of

character. Um, and I'm proud of them today.

Talk to me about that, Zimmer, because you've worked with him? I

played with him as a rookie in Dallas. And not only was he a great

teacher, but you actually felt like he really cared about you. And if

you did make a mistake, he would get on you but he would correct it to

make you a better player. He just didn't get on you to get on you. I

make you a better player. He just didn't get on you to get on you. I

really enjoyed playing under him. And the fact he cares about his

players goes well as a head coach? Absolutely. That's what you see. He

actually cares about them and you see the result. Absolutely. Now, on

this programme, over several weeks, you've said that this catch and that

catch, anybody can do. But because this catch has been done by a member

of the defence, you think this is brilliant. That's a ridiculous

catch, man. First of all, he's wearing number 33. You know it!

Which is my man's number. You know it! You already know he's special.

That was great. Look at the catch. Come on, man. That's one hand behind

the back. Bringing it back in. Those 33s are special. They are very,

very, very special. Time to round up the rest of the NFC. Only the number

one seeding was the rest of the NFC. Only the number

one seeding was up for grabs. The formerly undefeated Carolina

Panthers spotted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a 3-point lead before

bouncing back for touchdowns. Including two this superstar

quarterback Newman. A 31-yard reception was added to the score.

Carolina got victory, the number one seeding and the player bye for next

week. Arizona were already assured a

play-off bye when they welcomed Seattle to Glendale on Sunday. But

Larry Fitzgerald scored the home team's only points as the Seattle

Sea Hawks romped to a 30-point win on the same field where they lost

the Super Bowl last February. Quarterback Russell Wilson made

three touchdown passes in the second quarter burst to end Arizona's

nine-game winning streak. Seattle in as the NFC's number six seed, with a

trip to Minnesota next weekend their reward.

Well, let's get a view from one of the NFC seeds, the Washington Red

skins. Diangelo Hall, part of their defence, joins us. Thanks for

talking to us. You have been at the Red skins seven years. What feels

different in the locker room compared to previous years? The

camaraderie. You know, I feel like the guys all have each other's back,

no matter what situation might arise, good or bad. You know, I

think we've done a good job of really just rallying around each

other and really just trying to be great team-mates. And any time you

have that evofling on a football team -- evolving on a football team,

you have a chance to win games. Making the play-offs, we feel good

about that but there's more to accomplish. Being a veteran guy in a

locker room that's well respected, like you are, what are you saying to

the younger guys about the play-offs in this experience? Just take full

advantage of it. I can remember being a rookie going up to

Philadelphia and playing an NFC championship game and not really

understanding the magnitude of that game and not realising that it was,

you know, that the game before the Super Bowl. But I look back now, 12

years in the league, and I'm like, "Gosh, I don't know if I would have

played any differently, but just from a mindset of knowing that I was

that close and it's taken, you know, I didn't get back into play-offs

again until 2010 here in Washington, and to finally get that chance again

this year, I just want guys to take full advantage of it." Because you

never know when you're gonna get another run at the play-offs. I

think we'll all be geared up and ready to roll. We're in the UK, so

nobody from Green Bay will see this - so, tell us how are you gonna beat

the You know what, man? We're gonna do

what everybody else has been doing? Trying to get pressure on Aaron

Rodgers. If you let him sit back and throw it around, he can dice you up

pretty good. I think teams that have beat them have really exploited that

offensive line. They've gotten pressure with their front, made the

back end cover up, played a lot of man cover, just to beat up the

receivers. We'll take a bit from every team that's had success

against them and try to implement it into our game plan. We wish you

well. Thank you for talking to us. All right. No problem. We spend a

lot of time talking about how anybody who makes wildcards would

want Washington. That's who they'd want to go to. Do you think,

actually, you're starting to change your view on that? Yeah, we were

definitely just talking! I am aware of how the two of you just talk.

Kurt cousins is looking very good. I'm very surprised that you can get

the defensive game plan out of a player like that. That was pretty

good. Thank you. Well, you know. We're taught not to do that. So...

Wow. Good job. Amazing. Do you fancy Washington over the Packers? I think

I would. And that's simply because whoever's playing the best football

right now is usually who succeeds in the play-offs. And the Washington

Red skins over the last month or so have been playing outstanding

football. Green Bay, not so much. I definitely like Washington in this

game. Let's take a definitely like Washington in this

game. Let's take a look at the NFC seeds. Carolina do have the home

advantage. Arizona, the number two seeds. Will they be affected at all

by that thumping by Seattle? Yes. Yeah, they will. They've realised

the power of Seattle and Seattle is rolling. Russell Wilson is playing

lights-out. And Arizona blitzes and all he did was keep getting out of

the pocket and making big plays down the field. Arizona has played well

all year but you definitely don't want to get beat like that. They

were looked as the best team outside of Carolina. To get thumped like

that by Seattle, it's not gonna bode well for them. Let's look at the

wild car schedule for the up-and-coming weekend.

Cincinnati wobble as soon as they get into the play-offs? Yeah. Those

teams are very similar, but Pittsburgh has their quarterback.

And that's gonna be the big issue this game. Big Ben is gonna throw

the ball all over the place. And psychologically, even though a

roster change, a roster constantly changes, that rift can still affect

you when you get into this stage? No doubt about it, Mark. I think the

minute something goes wrong for Cincinnati, all those memories of

the years past, where they made it to the play-offs and folded in the

play-offs, all that is gonna come flooding back and

play-offs, all that is gonna come flooding back and something bad is

gonna happen to them. LAUGHS

A positive way to end that segment! Let's round up the sights and sounds

you may have missed over the last week. Bad things, man!

This is only the invitation to the big dance. This is the start. And,

coach, I think you deserve this. CHEERING

That's how you finish the season, man! Something they'll never be able

to take away from you, 15 and 1. The number one seed that comes through

us. Now we've gotta get back to work, take care of our business.

That's a great job being a team. Team, on three. One, two, three...

ALL: Team! Hey!

CHEERING Look at my hat.

Hat! It has taken everybody we got, somehow, some way, but dhaz the way

it should be. And that'sd -- but that's the way it should be. And

that's the way it's gonna be the rest of the way. Congratulations,

everybody. All we do is work. Work, on three. One, two, three!

ALL: Work! So, our race to Super Bowl 50 has

reached a decisive point. Let's recap the 12

reached a decisive point. Let's recap the 12 teams that have

qualified for the play-offs. Sfrorks the AFC, the four division -- so,

for the AFC, the four division champions are:

the two wildcards are Kansas City and Pittsburgh. Over in the NFC,

Carolina and Arizona are seeds one and two. Minnesota and Washington

are three and four. The wildcards are Green Bay and Seattle. Now, with

the top two seeds of each conference getting a bye, wild card weekend

shapes up like this. The higher-ranked team hosts the

lower-ranked team. So, in the AFC, Cincinnati will hope bad things

don't happen when they entertain Pittsburgh. Houston will host Kansas

City. If you go into the NFC third-seeded Minnesota hosts

Seattle, whilst Green Bay travel to Washington.

Just time for Washington.

Just time for a little bit of a social media. Robert Rhys has sent

the NFL rookie question in this week:

They have seven referees, but I only care about the ones that can throw

pass interference calls. Those are the only ones I looked at. Seven.

But there's one main guy? I don't know. I saw the ball, I saw the

quarterback. I sacked the quarterback. That's it. Forget

quarterback. I sacked the quarterback. That's it. Forget the

officials. Forget them. We're play-off bound. Next up, wild card

weekend. We will have commentary of the Green

weekend. We will have commentary of the Green Bay Packers and the

Washington team. We will see you next week, when

there will We will see you next week, when

there will be plenty more insight from these two. Goodbye.

The cruel bite of the new year. 12 teams are through to the

post-season. And of that dozen, the top four can sit back and watch. The

Carolina Panthers can stretch out and enjoy the other eight, reducing

themselves by half in the wild card range. And the Panthers, like the

New England Patriots, the Arizona Cardinals and the Denver Broncos

will stir. It is the rule from now on - for those that play in each

round, the numbers halve until we have just the one. But tension

mounts and the numbers fall in the race to Super Bowl 50.

You'd better come in with a brilliant product.