Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo did not miss a beat as he stepped in for the suspended Tom Brady in his first NFL start and led the New England Patriots to a 23-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ play-off ambitions suffered a near-fatal blow with a surprise 27-24 loss to the Washington Redskins on Saturday.

Andrew Luck enjoyed a landmark day as the Indianapolis Colts beat the Washington Redskins 49-27 on Sunday.

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.

A stunning comeback sent the Indianapolis Colts through to the next round of the NFL play-offs at the expense of the Kansas City Chiefs as the post-season got off to a thrilling start.

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.

It’s December.

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw a career-best 510 yards to lead the reigning Super Bowl champions to their first win of the NFL season on Sunday.

Former NFL linebacker Junior Seau has been found dead at his California home at the age of 43.

IN A win that evoked their Superbowl triumph from the 2007 season, the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in dramatic fashion on Sunday with a touchdown pass from Eli Manning in the final seconds.

THE Tennessee Titans remained unbeaten in the NFL as Rob Bironas booted a 41-yards field goal to seal a 19-16 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.

THE WATERY eyes were evident in Norv Turner’s face, a swelling of emotions stemming from the season-long burden he has carried as Marty Schottenheimer’s successor in San Diego.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS secured a record 15th successive victory in the NFL with a 28-7 success against Miami Dolphins.

NEW ENGLAND preserved their perfect NFL season on Sunday, while Dallas, Green Bay and Seattle locked up divisional titles and Indianapolis booked their playoff berth.

PEYTON MANNING threw for four touchdowns and the Indianapolis Colts edged Jacksonville 28-25 to deny the Jaguars a share of the NFL AFC South division lead.

LADAINIAN TOMLINSON seized the NFL single-season record for touchdowns on Sunday as the San Diego Chargers captured the AFC West division crown.

TOM BRADY threw for 269 yards and a touchdown, while Asante Samuel picked off three passes as the New England Patriots beat Chicago 17-13 in a showdown of American football division leaders on Sunday.

THE Indianapolis Colts, the only team in NFL history to start 9-0 in consecutive seasons, fell to the upstart Dallas Cowboys 21-14 on Sunday.

ATLANTA, Kansas City and Tampa Bay all won their NFL games in dramatic fashion Sunday with late field goals, including Matt Bryant’s 62-yarder as time expired to lift the Bucs over Philadelphia.

INDIANAPOLIS Colts quarterback Peyton Manning provided the fourth-quarter heroics, Santana Moss’s overtime catch won it for the Washington Redskins and the Baltimore Ravens rallied to win the clash of unbeaten teams.

BRETT FAVRE and Green Bay are headed to the National Football League play-offs again, but the three-time Most Valuable Player lost his mantle of invincibility in the cold at Lambeau Field on Sunday night.

THE National Football League’s elite sewed up division titles on Sunday.

THE Green Bay Packers are heading to the National Football League playoffs, with a little help from the Arizona Cardinals and, as quarterback Brett Favre said, maybe a little help from a guardian angel.

WILDFIRES driven by hot Santa Ana winds flared into gigantic waves of flame that devoured entire neighbourhoods, choking the sky over Southern California with smoke and ash, and killing at least 13 people, in the state's deadliest outbreak of fires in more than a decade.

BRETT FAVRE sparked NFL pace-setters Green Bay to a seventh consecutive win on Sunday while Issac Bruce celebrated his 30th birthday by rallying St. Louis to victory.

TWO full decades after the emergence of linebacker Lawrence Taylor, there's a new LT making headlines in American Football's NFL.

REIGNING Superbowl champions, the New England Patriots, overcame an early 10-0 disadvantage, then blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead before finally eking out a 41-38 overtime win over Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.