The Atlanta Falcons are going to the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history after they thrashed the Green Bay Packers 44-21 in the NFC Championship game.

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.

American Football

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 Pittsburgh Steelers came on strong in the fourth quarter on Sunday night for a 42-21 NFL triumph over Cincinnati that blew open the AFC North division race.

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.

Baltimore Ravens have released running back Ray Rice hours after a shocking video surfaced showing the NFL star punching his then-fiancee.

If you’re knee deep in the Netflix series House of Cards like me and Barack Obama, then you’ll know the office of the Vice President of the United States of America has rarely enjoyed a more glamorous or salacious depiction of its daily agenda.

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.

Jack and Jackie Harbaugh would do well to practice their impassive faces in front of a mirror before the Super Bowl.

As the NFL heads into December, nearly every division race has an outright favourite.

Ben Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes on Sunday to help Pittsburgh beat the New York Giants 24-20 in an NFL game played with Hurricane Sandy’s devastation as a backdrop.

World handball champion Paul Brady is still on course for a final rematch with American Luis Moreno after both men advanced to the US Open semi-finals in Los Angeles yesterday.

All in all, it hasn’t been a bad weekend for boxing Stateside.

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.

Peyton Manning made a sparkling return after a year’s injury absence from the NFL, leading Denver to a 31-19 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in his Broncos debut.

Pete Flynn is firmly ensconced in retirement now so I decided to reconnect with him on Monday.

THE Pittsburgh Steelers will be hoping star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger can survive 60 minutes of football tomorrow as the NFL wild card round gets going this weekend.

HIGH ranking NFL officials will visit Croke Park on Friday to assess the stadium’s suitability to host their games.

THE New Orleans Saints suffered a shock 31-21 defeat to the previously winless St Louis Rams and the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the New England Patriots in NFL action on Sunday.

HE didn’t say much but Charles Woodson’s attempt at a half-time speech inspired his Green Bay Packers teammates to hold on for a gripping Super Bowl victory on Sunday night.

Pittsburgh 25 Green Bay 31

The Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, securing their fourth Vince Lombardi trophy in a dramatic showdown, writes John Riordan.

GREEN BAY PACKERS coach Mike McCarthy has pledged to bring the Vince Lombardi trophy “back where it belongs” tomorrow night.

PITTSBURGH native Mike McCarthy will come face-to-face with the city of his birth in the Super Bowl on Sunday week after the showdown so long desired by the purists became a reality on Sunday night.

OFFICIALS on both sides of the Atlantic remain hopeful of confirming American football’s return to Dublin in two years’ time.

Pittsburgh 27 Arizona 23

SUPER Bowl champions The New York Giants shrugged off the latest publicity surrounding absent receiver Plaxico Burress to defeat Washington 23-7 on Sunday.

DEFENDING champions New York struggled to score on Sunday but they managed a touchdown when it mattered most to defeat Pittsburgh 21-14 in a showdown of division leaders.

THE Arizona Cardinals ended the Buffalo Bills’ unbeaten start to the season with a surprisingly easy 41-17 victory in Week 5 of 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.

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.

THE PHILADELPHIA Eagles gave the rest of the NFL a smidgen of hope on Sunday night: they showed the New England Patriots can be vulnerable.

NEW ENGLAND’S Tom Brady threw a team-record six touchdown passes and Tennessee’s Rob Bironas kicked a NFL-record eight field goals to spark impressive triumphs on Sunday.

AMERICAN football’s National Football League regular season concludes with a mad dash for the playoffs this weekend, with 11 teams still chasing three postseason berths.

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.

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.