The Green Bay Packers had the ball in field goal range, on the cusp of breaking a fourth-quarter tie, when Patriots lineman Lawrence Guy knocked the ball out of Aaron Jones’ grasp.

A talented young sportsman has died during his Leaving Certificate examinations.

A host of former Arsenal favourites have questioned the appetite and ability of the current wearers of the shirt after Monday night’s 3-0 mauling at Crystal Palace.

There will be a familiar feel to the NFL playoffs next weekend: Every divisional-round game will be a rematch from the regular season, the first time that’s happened in six years.

Anyone trying to make an online purchase worth as little as €10 could soon have to give much more security information just to have their transaction processed.

Aaron Rodgers has two NFL MVP awards and one Super Bowl ring, and he’s in his ninth season as the starter for Green Bay. Sam Bradford was never on a winning team over his first six years in the league. He had 15 days to learn Minnesota’s offence, then lost his Hall of Fame calibre running back to injury in the third quarter.

Although it may be relatively new to Ireland’s sporting vernacular, the notion of ‘paralysis by analysis’ has long since been a staple of the American discourse.

Quarterback Cam Newton threw three touchdown passes and his Carolina Panthers pummelled the Atlanta Falcons 38-0 on Sunday to earn an NFL playoff first-round bye.

Tom Brady threw for two fourth-quarter touchdowns and notched a career rushing first, leading New England to a 30-23 win over the New York Jets that kept the Patriots unbeaten this NFL season.

If the Vegas oddsmakers are to be believed, there is no separating New England and Seattle.

The Green Bay Packers will face the Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC title game after a thrilling weekend in the NFL play-offs.

American Football

Unlike her rivals for the Fifa Puskás Award, James Rodriguez and Robin van Persie, Ireland’s Stephanie Roche will be taking the rocky road to Zurich for the prize-giving ceremony on Monday week.

High profile coaching casualties followed quick on the heels of the final day of the NFL’s regular season as the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Jets parted ways with their coaches yesterday.

Tom Brady sparked the New England Patriots to their seventh consecutive victory in a 34-9 rout of Detroit, while Indianapolis receiver T.Y. Hilton scored a touchdown for his newborn daughter.

Hull manager Steve Bruce believes owner Assem Allam will ultimately be successful in his attempt to change the club’s name to Hull Tigers.

A is for Asian angst

Tax officials in Switzerland said France has asked for information relating to a Swiss bank account held, or once held, by retired French soccer star Patrick Vieira.

One of the World Cup’s main sponsors has urged FIFA to properly investigate allegations of corruption being involved in Qatar’s successful bid to host the 2022 tournament.

UEFA president Michel Platini claims attempts are being made to tarnish his image over his support for Qatar 2022’s World Cup bid.

Per Mertesacker has warned Arsenal must “switch off” from the frustration and disappointment of their Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich to avoid losing ground in the domestic title race.

New York takes all the credit, talking a big game and laying on the hottest Super Bowl bashes.

It’s rare that the two best teams in the NFL make it through to the Super Bowl.

The NFL play-off picture was completed on Sunday with a dramatic final series of regular season games delivering big results for the Green Bay Packers, the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Diego Chargers.

The NFL couldn’t have scripted it much better heading into the last week of the regular season.

The Green Bay Packers needed their biggest comeback in history on Sunday to somehow keep their play-off hopes alive ahead of the long-awaited return of Aaron Rodgers from injury.

A win over divisional rivals Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday evening saw the Denver Broncos emerge from the toughest part of their NFL campaign relatively unscathed and in poll position in the AFC and will now retain home advantage throughout January’s play-offs.

In the small hours of Monday morning, just south of a bitterly cold Boston, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots finally overcame the Denver Broncos in an instant NFL classic that provided almost everything.

The Denver Broncos will be sweating this week on the fitness of quarterback Peyton Manning, who led them to their eighth win of the season on Sunday but saw his injury-prone ankle targeted in the process.

Even weary fans of the Dallas Cowboys could not have imagined how they would succumb to their nightmare defeat by the Detroit Lions when apparently in control of their NFC clash in Motown on Sunday.

The highly-anticipated showdown between Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and his former team, the Indianapolis Colts was as tense as it was emotional on Sunday night.

Hull owner Assem Allam has confirmed the club will be formally renamed Hull City Tigers from the start of the new season.

The NFL play-offs continue tomorrow with four teams left vying for a spot in next month’s Super Bowl XLVII.

With the clock winding down, Ray Lewis walked to the centre of the field to soak it all in.

With the NFL play-offs kicking off this weekend, attention will be divided between three star rookies and one retiring veteran in the most wide-open football post-season in recent years.

FIFA has imposed another life ban on former presidential challenger Mohamed Bin Hammam.