Rookie kicker Younghoe Koo missed a last-gasp field goal for the second successive game as the Los Angeles Chargers lost their home opener 19-17 to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Spot it? Subtle, we know.

Mason Crosby's last-gasp 51-yard field goal steered the in-form Green Bay Packers into the NFC Championship game courtesy of a dramatic 34-31 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

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.

Quarterback Cam Newton threw five touchdown passes to lead the Carolina Panthers to a 10th straight NFL victory on Sunday, a 44-16 pounding of the Washington Redskins.

Aaron Rodgers threw for two touchdowns to lead the Green Bay Packers to a 27-17 victory in an NFL grudge match against the Seattle Seahawks.

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.

The NFL loves it when a good plan comes together. Or so it must seem for the poor Detroit Lions, whose play-off demise on Sunday was sparked by a highly-questionable refereeing decision.

American Football: Tony Romo engineered a stirring second-half comeback to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a nail-biting 24-20 NFC wildcard win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday and a trip back to the divisional round to meet the Green Bay Packers.

There’s no knowing what 2015 will serve up but it will start with a bang tomorrow in the US.

The Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys booked their places in the play-offs after victories on Sunday while the New England Patriots earned a first round bye for the post-season.

The Dallas Cowboys blew a 21-0 lead before rallying to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-27 and move to 10-4, one game ahead of Philadelphia at the top of the NFC East standings.

Tom Brady won the battle of the marquee quarterbacks over Peyton Manning, while the Arizona Cardinals knocked off the Dallas Cowboys to claim the NFC’s best record.

Those first trips down — ‘82 and ‘85 — I travelled without pressure. No big calls to make. That was the oul fella. Or maybe the uncle, if he’d landed first from Dublin. Go by Limerick and the cursing wouldn’t start until Charleville.

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

As mourners filed past the coffin of the slain John F Kennedy in the US capital, 140 miles away the Washington Redskins kicked off against the Philadelphia Eagles.

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.

Just short of 100 points were scored in an incredible Texas shoot-out between the Denver Broncos and the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday which left Peyton Manning’s Broncos in control of one of the three unbeaten records in the NFL thanks to a 51-48 win.

John Riordan runs the rule over those hoping to impress in the new NFL season.

All across the vast and colourful spectrum of American sporting life, there are thought to be around 900 team nicknames which offer varying degrees of offence to certain sections of the population.

It’s December.

When Peyton Manning talks about his football mortality, acknowledging his physical shortcomings and scoffing at the notion that he plays as he did in his prime, it all makes perfect sense.

As the kick-off was dropping into Jacoby Jones’ hands deep in his end zone, every Baltimore Ravens fan in the stadium and Dallas Cowboy on the pitch expected him to take a knee.

THE Green Bay Packers survived a scare from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before sealing a hard-fought 35-26 win to match their best start to an NFL season in nearly half a century.

THERE’S a lot to dislike about the state of Texas but its baseball teams are hard to hate.

A bouncer accused of illegally accessing CCTV footage of England rugby star Mike Tindall in a bar has pleaded not guilty.

THE owner of a second New Zealand bar revealed he had footage of England star Mike Tindall canoodling with a mystery blonde.

MICHAEL VICK had a rough return to Atlanta last night, suffering a concussion along with defeat as the Falcons beat the Philadelphia Eagles 35-31 in the Georgia Dome on Sunday night.

IN SPITE of the lockout cloud which overshadowed the off-season, the NFL machine cranks into gear this weekend, a little creaky but right on schedule.

CONCUSSION ruled Brett Favre out of his own swansong as his 20-year career in the NFL came to an end yesterday.

QUARTERBACK Tom Brady last night broke the NFL record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception as the New England Patriots won the AFC East Division thanks to a resounding 34-3 win over the Buffalo Bills.

MICHAEL VICK got the better of Peyton Manning as the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Indianapolis Colts 26-24 in gridiron’s NFL, but the match was overshadowed by a sickening injury to Austin Collie.

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.

ARIZONA scored a touchdown off a blocked punt to finish off a wild 30-24 overtime victory over Dallas on Sunday as the NFL produced a flurry of frenetic endings.

BRETT FAVRE has returned to his record-setting ways with the New York Jets as Washington rocked old rivals Dallas in the NFL.

Jessica Simpson has hit out at fans of American football team the Dallas Cowboys, for dubbing her a bad luck charm.

PEYTON MANNING has a championship game to be at next weekend after all. He can go watch baby brother Eli guide the New York Giants.

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.

SEASON-ENDING victories by the Washington Redskins and Tennessee Titans advanced both teams into the NFL playoffs, with reserve quarterbacks named Collins leading each triumph.

WHILE New England try to complete the first undefeated NFL regular season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins, Washington and Tennessee will attempt to simply reach the playoffs.