Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has warned that any of his players who disrespect the US flag will not play.

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.

Colorado Rapids will face the Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference final.

Inspirational skipper Scott Brown's second-half strike gave Celtic a narrow but deserved 1-0 Ladbrokes Premiership win over Dundee at Dens Park.

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.

A man planted pipe bombs outside Dallas Police headquarters and sprayed the building with bullets during a wild street battle before being shot and killed in his van by a police sniper.

On Monday, the Boston Celtics were the surprising beneficiaries of one of the most generous systems in professional sport.

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.

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.

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

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 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.

Peyton Manning broke Brett Favre’s all-time record for touchdown passes, leading Denver to a 42-17 rout of San Francisco to cap a scintillating Sunday in the NFL.

The technical term in the newspaper industry for the Roddy Doyle-writing-Roy-Keane’s-new-biography alliance is a “gusher”: as in one of those derrick-blasting oil fields which we used to see when Dallas ruled the airwaves, an apparently untappable source of columns, features and quirky pieces.

Jeff Teague’s 34-point-haul, including a first career buzzer-beater, lifted the Atlanta Hawks to a 127-125 double overtime victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA.

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.

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.

As a reporter, you’d watch those Sunday evening draws anticipating where the wonderful magical backdoor journey could take you.

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.

Hours after his younger brother’s death in a motorcycle accident, Torrey Smith caught six passes for 127 yards and scored two touchdowns to spark Baltimore to a last-play 31-30 NFL win over New England.

Thierry Henry scored twice as the New York Red Bulls beat the Colorado Rapids 4-1 to earn their first win of the season.

WITH Robbie Keane on the verge of lending his body to Aston Villa for medical research and Thierry Henry having made that memorable return to Arsenal, you would be forgiven for thinking that European clubs are stockpiling for the winter with US-based players.

CHRISTMAS DAY is the jewel in the crown of the NBA season but this year it will bring with it a bigger gift than ever: basketball’s return from the brink.

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.

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.

THE president of the United States of America told the group of footballers behind him that he had dressed in their honour: a grey suit to go along with the matching grey suits worn by the Colorado Rapids.

Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington has left out record goalscorer David Healy for next week’s Carling Nations Cup double-header in Dublin.

Los Angeles Galaxy and David Beckham will have to make a decision sooner rather than later as to where the former England captain will prepare for the 2011 Major League Soccer campaign, with a host of Barclays Premier League clubs ready to take him on loan.

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.

MIAMI snapped New England’s record regular season win streak as Ronnie Brown romped for four touchdowns and passed for another in the Dolphins’ 35-13 shocking win over the Patriots on Sunday.

THERE is no more powerfully tragic combination than loss of innocence and unfulfilled potential.

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.

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.