BBC Five Live will broadcast live commentary of Super Bowl XLIX on Feb 1st.
Darren Fletcher will provide the commentary alongside analyst Rocky Boiman, a Super Bowl-winning linebacker. The game in Arizona kicks off at 11:30pm.
BBC Radio will also feature the two Championship games on 5Live Sports Extra. The NFC contest kicks off at 8pm and both Darren and Rocky will call the action from the AFC Championship at 11.30 p.m on Sunday January 18th.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. When the Cowboys needed Romo he stepped up.
With 1’50” left on the clock in the first half his short pass to Terrance Williams set the receiver off on a 76yd touchdown. That play brought Dallas back into the game after trailing 14-0. Matt Prater converted a 39yd field goal just before the interval but the momentum certainly shifted Dallas’s way.
The Lions had gone 99yds for one of two first quarter touchdowns, but Matthew Stafford couldn’t get them in the end zone again. Detroit was driving with a 20-17 lead midway through the fourth quarter when the officials announced a pass interference penalty. The call was reversed without explanation and the Lions saw a 10-yard shanked punt after they tried to draw Dallas offside on fourth and one.
Romo took the Cowboys 59yds in 11 plays, including a 21yd pass to Jason Witten on fourth and six. The winner came in an 8yd pass to Williams.
The Lions haven’t won a play-off game since the 1991 season, when they beat Dallas. Ndamukong Suh was left in tears at the end of this one. It’s likely that he won’t play for Detroit again, but Motown have a lot to look forward to once they get over this one.
Dallas travel to Green Bay on Sunday evening.
Panthers D Bites Cardinals
The Carolina Panthers held the Arizona Cardinals to 78yds in the first wildcard game of the weekend. Their defence forced three turnovers in a 27-16 win. It was the franchise’s first play-off win in nine years and the fewest yards ever allowed in an NFL postseason.
In the second half Ryan Lindley was intercepted twice and sacked four times.
Cam Newton overcame two turnovers and threw for 198yds and two touchdowns. Jonathan Stewart’s fine rushing form continued as he rain for 123yds and a score.
Don’t expect many points when Carolina head to Seattle in the divisional round on Saturday night.
Same Old Story For Dalton
The Cincinnati Bengals became the first team in NFL history to lose four consecutive opening round games. Andy Dalton tied Warren Moon for the most consecutive opening round play-off losses.
Andrew Luck threw for 376yds as the Colts dominated the second half in this 26-10 victory.
Luck is 0&2 on the road in the postseason. Will it be third time lucky when he travels to Denver on Sunday?
Ravens Defeat Rivals In Pittsburgh
The Baltimore Ravens dominated their division rivals Pittsburgh at Heinz Field in a 30-17 victory late on Saturday night.
Ben Roethlisberger was sacked five times. He passed for 334yds, but the game was won on chances taken. The Steelers were reduced to field goal chances while the Ravens were clocking up touchdowns.
Joe Flacco threw two second half touchdowns, including an 11yd score for Torrey Smith in the third quarter. Crockett Gillmore scored off a 21yd pass in the fourth after Big Ben was picked off.
This was the Ravens’ first postseason win in Pittsburgh. They travel to New England on Saturday.
On Saturday night 5thDownUK took part in a live debate of BBC Five Live about the support for American Football in the UK. Channel 4’s expert pundit, Mike Carlson, joined in the discussion as we highlighted the passion of UK fans for America’s game.
There appears to be an opinion that the sport has a cult following on this side of the Atlantic, but stats from recent years prove otherwise. Gone are the days when the only coverage we got was late on a Sunday night on Channel 4, or later Channel 5. Thanks to Sky Sports we now have Thursday night action, two evening games on a Sunday and Redzone. Next season they will give Monday Night Football, having taken the rights from Eurosport. We also get the Sunday night games on C4 and their fantastic highlights show.
Wembley has sold out every game, except one, since the International Series began in 2007. That exception was the Chicago Bears vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers game in 2011, but that was because the game wasn’t announced until August of that year and tickets were late going on sale. It was no fault of NFL UK because the labour dispute in the league dragged on for so long. More than 70,000 fans attended, so it was hardly a disaster.
Outside of the States UK fans are the biggest consumers of the NFL’s podcasts. We’re granted access to the league’s Game Pass and its flagship Total Access show. Last year we were brought the draft live! The British market is constantly being tested and it always proves profitable.
500,000 people have packed Regent Street two years running. That’s no fluke. Tens of thousands of fans filled Trafalgar Square four weeks later. When London hosted the Champions League Final we never saw scenes like the ones NFL fans brought to the capital. It’s because the sport is growing and its fans are passionate.
This weekend The Times had a column dedicated to the wildcard games. The Mail Online has a special section to gridiron and the day after the Lions vs Falcons game in October the photo on the back page of The Metro was not of the Manchester United vs Chelsea game, it was of the Matthew Stafford.
Roger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner, knows a London franchise will be a success and that’s why he wants a team over here. The owners have backed it and the Government have said they’ll do all they can to get us a franchise.
This is no longer a pipedream, it’s going to happen. The NFL’s Play 60 initiative has been introduced to schoolchildren over here when teams have visited. They’re the fans of the future and they’re being educated more than the current so-called cult following ever were. How long until Home Counties schools start forming their own leagues? As interest expands, so too will participants in this great game and then we’ll see the next generation of Menelik Watson and Jack Crawford running out in front of their home fans.
Sky Sports promises to bring us more action next season. It won’t be too long until we see it mainstream across terrestrial networks. Just like a London franchise, it’s going to happen.
You can hear the debate on here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04vkbqm go two hours and twenty minutes in.
Sat – 9:35pm: Arizona Cardinals vs Carolina Panthers (Sky Sports 2)
Sun – 1:15am: Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers (Sky Sports 2)
Sun – 6:05pm: Cincinnati Bengals vs Indianapolis Colts (Sky Sports 2)
Sun – 9:40pm: Detroit Lions vs Dallas Cowboys (Sky Sports 2)
It’s the dawn of a new year and that can only mean one thing – it’s play-off time! Let the fun begin.
An enthralling season came to an end last week and now we’re gearing up for Wildcard Weekend. The action starts in Charlotte as the only team in the postseason with a losing record take on the faltering Cardinals. At the end of November the Panthers had only won three of their first twelve games. They clinched their play-off berth in exciting fashion by winning their final four games, including the 34-3 victory in Atlanta. That game in Week 17 was a shoot-out and came just a few weeks after their star quarterback broke bones in his back as a result of a shocking car accident.
Arizona haven’t had much luck with injuries this year. Despite losing three quarterbacks at certain points throughout the season, they managed to clinch their place in the postseason by mid-December. Concerns will be with their form going into January. After winning nine of their first ten games they only won two of their final six. No team has played a Super Bowl in their home stadium and Arizona are favourites to falter at the first hurdle this weekend.
In the early hours of Sunday morning two divisional rivals go head-to-head as the Baltimore Ravens travel to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers will be without their star running back Le’Veon Bell after he suffered a knee injury last weekend in the clash against the Cincinnati Bengals. Bell was the second-leading rusher this season, so his absence will be a blow.
The Ravens have a strong defence, so this is going to be a huge test for Ben Roethlisberger. Baltimore sneaked into the play-offs and will be feeling confident going into this one.
On Sunday evening it’s the other AFC wildcard game, from Indianapolis. Andrew Luck’s Colts take on Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals. Luck’s stats dipped in December and the Bengals need to stop him from finding his rhythm if they are to pick up their first postseason win since 1990.
Luck threw for 344 yards and two touchdowns against the Bengals in October and they were beaten quite convincingly in last week’s shootout in Pittsburgh.
The stars will be out in the Lone Star State on Sunday night. Matt Stafford, Golden Tate, Reggie Bush and Calvin Johnson travel to Dallas to tackle Tony Romo, Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray.
Murray has been inspirational this season and he comes up against a dominant Lions defence. The Cowboys haven’t made the postseason since 2009 and they were written off by many at the start of the season. Romo has had one of his best seasons, throwing 34 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. His partnership with Bryant is what most franchises dream of, but it’s their defence that’s suspect.
This is an intriguing encounter between two big shooters. The winner could go a long way.
Are you already planning next year’s fantasy football roster? Here we have your top 5 scorers from each week of the 2014 season.
It’s Week 17! Where did the season go? It doesn’t seem that long ago we were getting excited about the first of three Wembley games. Now we’re speculating on who will be getting the boot on Black Monday.
Come the 29th of December there will be 20 teams looking ahead to next year. With a few tweaks here and there franchises will become forces to be reckoned with, or so we hope. Maybe next year.
Though let’s not get ourselves down. Christmas might be over, but there’s still a lot at stake this weekend. Just look at the AFC. Seven of the eight games in this conference involve playoff teams/impact the playoff picture.
If the Broncos beat division rivals Oakland they will be guaranteed the second seed, giving Peyton a week off.
Kansas City, without their starting quarterback Alex Smith, need to beat San Diego and have the Ravens lose and the Texans lose/tie to Jacksonville to stand any chance of making the postseason.
The Chargers just need to beat the Chiefs to secure a berth. Smith’s injury impacts the Ravens, who need a victory or tie at home to Cleveland and hope the Chargers lose or tie to sneak in. The Texans need to win and have Baltimore and San Diego lose to make it into Jan.
The divisional title, and a home game, is up for grabs when Cincinnati travel to Pittsburgh. Both these AFC North teams clinched their places in the play-offs in Week 16. The Steelers are rocking at the minute and have found form at the right time of year.
Another form team will take the top seed in the NFC with a win on Sunday. Seattle, written off by so many at the start of November, are red hot and have swept aside all pretenders to their thrown in recent weeks. They host the St Louis Rams.
The game at Lambeau could see the winner clinch a bye and the loser the 6th seed. The Lions have the defense to stop Rodgers at home and their offense has been clicking. It’ll be a tense night for both sets of fans.
It’s a play-off at the Georgia Dome for Carolina and Atlanta. Whoever wins clinches the number four seed and the losers pack up for another season. Will Matt Ryan and a healthy Julio Jones be too much for the Panthers? Whoever makes it will do so with seven wins for the season. Just how far can either team go in January?
Some might say the NFL is only just heating up now. Thankfully it’s one of those sports where anything can, and will, happen right up to the Super Bowl.
It’s a huge weekend for so many teams this week. The Patriots will clinch the top seed in the AFC with a win at the Jets. It’s a divisional game, but Brady and Gronk can enjoy a bit of down time between Christmas and the second week of Jan if they topple New York. Crucially for New England, the win means the AFC title game will go through Foxborough if they win this and their divisional play-off.
Hoping the Patriots slip up will be the Broncos. They travel to Cincinnati for the Monday night game. The Bengals shut out Johnny Football last week and they’re clinging onto top spot of the AFC North. A win will keep the Bengals there ahead of their showdown in Pittsburgh in Week 17.
The Steelers entertain play-off hopefuls Kansas City in Sunday evening’s Sky game. They’ve got a great offense in Pennsylvania, but their D is suspect, so it’ll be interesting to see how they handle Jamaal Charles.
Elsewhere in the AFC North, the Ravens are in fine form and they’re on the road to Houston. The Browns are all but out of the hunt for play-off places. Johnny Manziel will be looking to right his wrongs down in Charlotte against a Panthers team that can still win the NFC South despite their losing record.
There are three teams in the NFC South with losing records who can still gain home advantage in the post season. The Saints top the division and are the only team who can end the campaign without negative season. They’re at home to Atlanta this week. New Orleans have lost their last four at home, but this has the potential to be an entertaining shoot-out.
A key divisional game that’s far from likely to be a shoot-out is the NFC West match-up between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. These two don’t score many TDs and the winner of this one stands a very good chance of claiming the number one spot in the NFC. There won’t be many teams who’ll want to go through Seattle en route to the Super Bowl.
It’s just as tight in the NFC North. Green Bay’s defeat to Buffalo last week meant Detroit took over the top spot in the division. The Packers are at struggling Tampa Bay this week, whilst the Lions take on the Bears at Soldier Field. It’s a Chicago team that has dropped its franchise QB.
The chase is on for the NFC East. Dallas hold top spot after their win in Philly last week. The Cowboys’ defense has to stop Andrew Luck in the AT&T Stadium this time out. The Eagles make the short trip to DC on Saturday evening.
The other Saturday night game sees the 49ers, who are out of the play-off race, at home to San Diego. The Chargers have faint hopes making it to January. Their quarterback is going to have to play through the pain barrier. Meanwhile, San Francisco look like they’ll have to rush it without their two leading running backs.
Bills fans must be pinching themselves. They’ve got a realistic chance of making it to the post season for the first time in fifteen years. They’re on the road this week in Oakland and they end the season in Boston. Should the Patriots win this week, they might be a little less formidable in Week 17.
Christmas has come early for football fans. We’ve got even more live games to enjoy in Week 16! So we thought we’d point you in the right direction:
Saturday 9:30pm – Philadelphia Eagles vs Washington Redskins (Sky Sports 4)
Sunday 1:25am – San Diego Chargers vs San Francisco 49ers (Sky Sports 4)
Sunday 6pm – Kansas City Chiefs vs Pittsburgh Steelers (Sky Sports 2)
Sunday 9:25pm – Indianapolis Colts vs Dallas Cowboys (Sky Sports 2)
Monday 1:30am – Seattle Seahawks vs Arizona Cardinals (C4)
Tuesday 1:30am – Denver Broncos vs Cincinnati Bengals (Eurosport 2)
Congratulations to the Jags for their primetime win over their division rivals last night. A special mention also goes to Sen’Derrick Marks who earned himself a nice Christmas bonus by reaching 8.5 sacks. He took down Charlie Whitehurst as time expired, pocketing a cool $600,000 in the process. When asked what he’ll do with it, he cooly replied “I’ll probably give it to my momma”.
There were plenty jokes being made about last night’s game. Tennessee Titans vs Jacksonville Jaguars isn’t quite Green Bay Packers vs Denver Broncos, but we in the UK have a lot to thank the Jags for. They are the team that committed four home games to Wembley. If it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t have seen the Cowboys this year, or the 49ers in 2013. Let’s face it, Jacksonville didn’t have to come over.
The Jags have embraced the UK. They’re not the most attractive team to watch, but they’ve got an exciting coach and they are a young team with some promising players. We’ve got an opportunity to see this team grow and, you never know, they just might become our very own franchise.
So let’s hear it for Jacksonville. Thank them for the all they’ve done for football on our shores and here’s hoping we can finally see them win in October 2015.
It’s finally here! Week 15 is the week we get to see Johnny Football start an NFL game. It looks very unlikely that Cleveland will clinch a play-off spot, last week’s last minute defeat to the Colts shattered any realistic hopes for Browns fans. They can, however, put a dent in their AFC North rivals’ play-off chances if they beat the Bengals at the Dog Pound. Manziel is an unknown quantity so it’ll be interesting to see how Cincinnati handle him. He might make a decent point scorer for fantasy teams entering their postseasons.
Waiting for the Bengals to falter are the Steelers and Ravens. Baltimore will be feeling confident after their impressive win in Miami last week. They’re hosting the Jags whilst Pittsburgh travel to Atlanta. The Falcons are a different kettle of fish in the Georgia Dome, but Big Ben, Bell and Brown might be too strong for their offence.
The Colts will clinch the AFC South title and a play-off berth with a home win against division rivals Houston. The Texans and JJ Watt will put up a fight. Watt’s battle with Luck will be fun to watch.
The 49ers’ hopes of a play-off spot will end with defeat in Seattle. Kaepernick hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in the final quarter of a game all season. He needs to improve his game substantially if he’s to win in the Pacific North West for the first time in his career. Don’t expect many touchdowns in this dog fight. Pete Carroll will probably kill the Jim Harbaugh era in San Francisco with victory on Sunday night.
Another intriguing NFC divisional battle is in the east. Like the 49ers and Seahawks, the Cowboys and Eagles last played each other two weeks ago. Philadelphia came out on top in that contest and a win on Sunday night will pretty much clinch them the division. The Cowboys face a battle for one of the wild card spots, so victory is vital for them at Lincoln Field. This might be a shoot-out.
Despite being 4-8-1 the Panthers are still in the hunt for the NFC South. That division is a peculiar one this year because each team has been poor! Carolina host the Bucs today, but they do so without Cam Newton. Everyone wishes him a speedy recovery after his shocking car accident this week. The Panthers will miss him in their run-in, but they don’t want to rush him back.
The Saints are struggling but they’re still very much in the mix for the NFC South. They’re heading north to a frozen Soldier Field for Monday Night Football. This game might be pounded out on the solid turf, so it should play into Forte’s hands. Mark Ingram has been an impressive back this year and both of these defenses have been poor so we could be treated to another high scoring contest.
The Broncos and Patriots could both secure their bye weeks on Sunday night. There have been question marks over Manning’s throwing arm in recent weeks. He’s heading to warmer climes on Sunday for a divisional encounter in San Diego. Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates are solid performers at home so this will be a tough test for Denver.
Over on the Atlantic conditions will be the antithesis to those in Southern California. Miami tackle the Patriots at Gillette and it’ll be a big ask of Tannehill and Co to topple Brady.
The battle for the NFC North is red hot. It doesn’t look like anyone can stop the Packers at the minute, but Rodgers face a stern test against a strong Bills defense in Buffalo. The game at the Ralph Wilson stadium might be tighter than you’d expect.
Detroit are hot on the heels of Green Bay and they host Minnesota on Sunday night. Calvin Johnson has found some form and the Lions are very tough at home. Their solid defense could be too much for Teddy Bridgewater on his first visit to Ford Field.
It’s the battle for the NFC East’s wooden spoon when the Redskins travel to New York. RGIII might start, but Washington are leaving it until the last minute before making a decision whether to play Colt McCoy – oh how the mighty fall!
One of the league’s form teams travels to the midwest to take on AFC West rivals, Kansas. Derek Carr was impressive in last week’s Battle of the Bay victory, throwing three touchdowns. The Chiefs are running everything through Jamaal Charles, but their leading RB took a few knocks last week. Oakland’s first win of the year was in the reverse fixture so we’ll see if KC get revenge.
The highlights reel might not be long in Nashville. The Jets are travelling to the Titans and these are two of the worst teams in the league. Rex Ryan’s team appear to still be fighting for him and New York have a bit more flair than Tennessee. Don’t expect a classic.
5th Down UK 