New England 21, San Diego 12 It was a lot closer than most people predicted, but the New England Patriots still downed the visiting San Diego Chargers on Sunday in Massachusetts. Tom Brady went 22-for-33 with 209 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Despite his three miscues, the Patriots still won rather comfortably as they held the Chargers to just three points in the second half ? and none in the fourth quarter. Philip Rivers, playing on a bum knee, finished the game 19-for-37 with 211 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. LaDainian Tomlinson, last season?s MVP, was held to just two carries in the AFC Championship Game because of a sore knee. Michael Turner got a majority of the carries for San Diego, running seventeen times for 65 yards. Laurence Maroney paced New England, running for 122 yards and a touchdown on twenty-five carries. Randy Moss was limited to just one catch and eighteen yards, but once again other Patriots stepped up when needed. Kevin Faulk caught eight passes for 82 yards, leading the team in receiving against the Chargers. After falling behind 3-0, Maroney punched in a one-yard score to give New England the lead. They never looked back. Playoff Stud: Laurence Maroney, NE: 122 rushing yards and one touchdown. New York 23, Green Bay 20 (OT) For the second straight year one of the ?super? Manning brothers will be competing in the Super Bowl. Eli Manning helped lead the New York Giants to an overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night at Lambeau Field. The game, played in negative temperatures, was an eventful one to say the least. There were interceptions and fumbles aplenty in blustery Wisconsin, but Manning, who was 21-for-40 with 254 passing, kept his cool. He hooked up with Plaxico Burress eleven times for 154 yards, and even rumbled forward for a key first down in the second half. Brett Favre, who was 19-for-35 with 236 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, was unable to make the timely plays Green Bay needed on several occasions. The Packers didn?t get much of anything from their ground game, which didn?t help Favre?s cause, as Ryan Grant carried the ball just thirteen times for 29 yards. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw combined to run 37 times for the Giants, accumulating 130 yards and two touchdowns along the way. After missing a 36-yard field goal that would have won the game at the end of regulation, New York kicker Lawrence Tynes drilled a 47-yarder to send the Giants to Arizona. The Packers won the toss and received the ball first in overtime, but Corey Webster intercepted Favre to set up Tynes game-winning kick. The Giants will be the underdog once again when they face the undefeated Patriots on Feb. 3 in Super Bowl XLII. Playoff Stud: Plaxico Burress, NYG: 154 receiving yards.

About 25,000 fans turned out in chilly conditions Saturday to celebrate LSU's national football championship. "I got chills when I was carrying that flag," star defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey said after the 75-minute event Saturday afternoon in Tiger Stadium. "Today was a day of closure for my four years at LSU. It has been unbelievable."

Green Bay 42, Seattle 20 Matt Hasselbeck and the Seattle Seahawks jumped out to a 14-0 lead at Lambeau Field on Saturday afternoon, but the Green Bay Packers weathered the storm en route to a 42-20 victory. After falling behind early the Packers scored twenty-one straight points, on two touchdown strikes from Brett Favre to Greg Jennings and a one-yard run by Ryan Grant. Flustered by both Green Bay?s swarming defense and the blizzard-like conditions, Seattle managed just six points after their scoring barrage in the first four minutes. Hasselbeck looked annoyed for a majority of the game, and the Seahawks failed to get much of anything on the ground. Green Bay held Seattle to just 28 rushing yards on the day, and Hasselbeck finished the game 19-for-33 with 194 yards and one touchdown. Brett Favre, accustomed to the snowy conditions at Lambeau, went 18-for-23 with 173 yards and three touchdown passes. Ryan Grant, who lost two early fumbles that led to Seahawk scores, redeemed himself by accumulating 201 yards and three touchdowns on twenty-seven carries. The Packers will host the Giants next weekend in the NFC Title game. Playoff Stud: Ryan Grant, GB: 201 rushing yards and three touchdowns. New England 31, Jacksonville 20 The Jacksonville Jaguars scored first in Foxboro on Saturday night, but the New England Patriots and Tom Brady laughed last. Two turnovers by David Garrard were all the Patriots needed to overcome their early deficit. Garrard, who is typically cautious with the ball, threw an interception and fumbled against the aging, but feisty New England defense. The teams were tied at 14 heading at the half, but the Patriots used a strong third quarter run to take control of the game. Brady finished the day nearly perfect, going 26-for-28 with 262 yards and three touchdowns, while Garrard went 22-for-33 with 278 yards, two scores and the one interception. Laurence Maroney, with some help from the Pats? defense, outgained the revered combination of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew. Maroney rushed 22 times for 122 yards and a touchdown, while the Jaguars? tandem combined for just 66 yards. Jacksonville hung with New England for a majority of the game, but Garrard?s fourth quarter interception sealed the Patriots? victory. New England will host San Diego next weekend. Playoff Stud: Laurence Maroney, NE: 122 rushing yards and one touchdown. San Diego 28, Indianapolis 24 Despite losing both LaDainian Tomlinson and Philip Rivers to injury mid-game, the San Diego Chargers were able to upset the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, 28-24. Tomlinson carried the ball just seven times for 28 yards, but Michael Turner played well in his absence. Turner gained 71 yards on seventeen carries for the Chargers. Rivers left the game in the third quarter, and was replaced by Billy Volek. Volek, who threw just three passes all season long, led the San Diego on their game-winning series. He was 3-for-4 with 48 yards and a one-yard touchdown run on the team?s 78-yard drive. Marvin Harrison returned for the Colts, but wasn?t a factor in the passing game. Peyton Manning finished the game 33-for-48 with 402 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Neither of Manning?s interceptions were clean catches, but the miscues were all the Chargers needed to pull off the upset. The Colts didn?t rely heavily on their rushing attack against the Chargers, running just seventeen times for 50 yards. Several question marks surround Indianapolis as they enter the offseason. Tony Dungy is contemplating retirement and Dallas Clark could bolt via free agency. The Chargers will travel to New England next weekend to battle the Patriots with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Playoff Stud: Vincent Jackson, SD: 93 receiving yards and one touchdown. N.Y. Giants 21, Dallas 17 For the second straight season the Dallas Cowboys were sent home unceremoniously on Sunday, when the New York Giants upset Tony Romo and company, 21-17, at Texas Stadium. Eli Manning was efficient, going 12-for-18 with 163 yards and two touchdowns, while Tony Romo finished the day 18-for-36 with 201 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw paced the Giants? offense, rushing for 88 yards and a touchdown. Marion Barber, who started for Dallas, rushed 27 times for 129 yards and a touchdown, but it was New York who benefited from timely production. R.W. McQuarters returned a punt 25 yards and Domenik Hixon returned three kickoffs an average of 31 yards apiece, giving the Giants great field position on multiple occasions. McQuarters? punt return late in the third quarter set up Jacobs? game-winning, one-year touchdown run. Amani Toomer starred for the Giants, catching four passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns. The Giants will travel to Green Bay to play the Packers in the NFC title game next weekend. Fantasy Star: Marion Barber, Dallas: 129 rushing yards and one touchdown.

Seattle 35, Washington 14 Midway through the fourth quarter it seemed as though the Washington Redskins might ride their inspirational run to an upset victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Trailing 13-0 heading into the final period, Washington scored consecutive touchdowns to take a 14-13 lead, and then recovered the ensuing kickoff. Unfortunately for the Redskins, Shaun Suisham missed a short field goal, keeping Washington from maintaining their momentum. Seattle then scored fourteen points in less than a minute, on a 20-yard touchdown catch by D.J. Hackett and a 78-yard interception return by Marcus Trufant. Matt Hasselbeck struggled, going 20-for-32 with 229 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, but the Seahawks? opportunistic defense allowed them to overcome their offensive shortcomings. Todd Collins played well for Washington, going 29-for-50 with 286 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Neither team ran the ball too often, or too well. Washington rushed 29 times for a total of 75 yards, while Seattle ran just 21 times for 77 yards. The Seahawks will face the Packers this weekend. Playoff Stud: D.J. Hackett, SEA: 6 catches for 101 receiving yards and one touchdown. Jacksonville 31, Pittsburgh 29 The Jacksonville Jaguars stormed out of the gates and took a 21-7 halftime lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but needed a last minute scoring drive in order to lock up the victory. Ben Roethlisberger was 29-for-42 with 337 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions, while David Garrard went 9-for-21 with 140 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The Jaguars rode their stellar rushing attack to victory, as Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew and Garrard combined for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Pittsburgh rallied to take a 29-28 lead with less than three minutes remaining on a 1-yard touchdown run by Najeh Davenport, but they failed on a two-point conversion pass that would have given them a three-point edge. That failure proved costly as Garrard led the Jaguars down field in time for Josh Scobee to kick a 25-yard game-winning field goal. The Jaguars will face the undefeated Patriots this Saturday night. Playoff Stud: Hines Ward, PIT: 10 catches for 135 receiving yards. N.Y. Giants 24, Tampa Bay 14 Eli Manning got a sizeable monkey off his back on Sunday as he led the Giants to their first playoff victory in seven years, achieving his first postseason win in the process. Manning went 20-for-27 with 185 yards and two touchdowns, but more important was the fact that he had zero turnovers. Jeff Garcia, who was steady all season long, struggled against the Giants? improved secondary. Garcia finished the day 23-for-39 with 207 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Earnest Graham played well for Tampa Bay, running for 63 yards and a touchdown against New York. The Giants? two-headed running attack of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw totaled 110 rushing yards and a touchdown of their own. After falling behind 7-0, New York scored 24 straight points to take the lead for good. Manning and the Giants will travel to Dallas this weekend to play the rival Cowboys for the chance to reach to NFC title game. Playoff Stud: Amani Toomer, NYG: 7 catches for 74 receiving yards and one touchdown. San Diego 17, Tennessee 6 The San Diego Chargers? offense came to life at just the right moment as they sent the Tennessee Titans home on Sunday, winning 17-6. The Titans led 6-0 at the half, but San Diego rallied to score 17 points over a sixteen minute period that bridged the third and fourth quarters. Philip Rivers finished the day 19-for-30 with 292 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Vince Young struggled in his playoff debut, going 16-for-29 with 138 yards and an interception. He added just twelve yards on the ground for Tennessee. LaDainian Tomlinson wasn?t efficient, he ran 21 times for just 42 yards, but he scored a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that put the game out of reach. LenDale White played well, gaining 69 yards on 19 attempts, but the Titans could only manage two field goals against San Diego?s powerful defense. Chris Chambers helped make up for the loss of Antonio Gates, who left in the first half because of a toe injury, catching six passes for 121 yards. The Chargers will travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts this weekend. Playoff Stud: Vincent Jackson, SD: 5 catches for 114 receiving yards and a touchdown.