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2B – Daily News – Monday, January 17, 2011 Scoreboard NFL By The Associated Press Wild-card Playoffs Saturday, Jan. 8 Seattle 41, New Orleans 36 N.Y. Jets 17, Indianapolis 16 Sunday, Jan. 9 Baltimore 30, Kansas City 7 Green Bay 21, Philadelphia 16 Divisional Playoffs Saturday, Jan. 15 Pittsburgh 31, Baltimore 24 Green Bay 48, Atlanta 21 Sunday, Jan. 16 Chicago 35, Seattle 24 N.Y. Jets 28, New England 21 Conference Championships Sunday, Jan. 23 Green Bay at Chicago, noon (FOX) N.Y. Jets at Pittsburgh, 3:30 p.m. (CBS) Pro Bowl Sunday, Jan. 30 At Honolulu AFC vs. NFC, 4 p.m. (FOX) Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 6 At Arlington,Texas AFC champion vs. NFC champion, 3:30 p.m. (FOX) NBA At A Glance By The Associated Press EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL Pct GB Boston 30 9 .769 — New York 22 17 .564 8 Philadelphia16 23 .410 14 Toronto 13 27 .32517 1/2 New Jersey 10 30 .25020 1/2 Southeast Division NFC Continued from page 1B think (given) the stage that we were on, the impor- tance of this game,’’ Rodgers said. ‘‘So yeah, it was a good night.’’ Rodgers had only five incomplete passes, throw- ing for 366 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. ‘‘He was on fire,’’ McCarthy said. ‘‘He likes playing in domes, and you can see why.’’ Rodgers already had his teammates’ confi- dence, but what they saw Saturday was on another level. ‘‘He played absolutely phenomenal,’’ Jennings said. ‘‘The performance he put on tonight, it was a AFC Continued from page 1B ance in the AFC title game over the last seven years. ‘‘That’s great. To be down like that and come out at halftime, I know a lot of people probably were counting us out,’’ linebacker LaMarr Woodley said. ‘‘We came back and we fought. That shows what kind of team we are. When the offense is down, the defense is going to pick them up. And when the defense is down, the offense is going to pick up. That’s the thing about being teammates.’’ For the first 30 min- utes, both units could share the blame for the 14-point deficit. The defense gave up a 68- yard drive and permitted two third-down conver- sions during another touchdown march, and the offense committed two turnovers, including a fumble by Roethlis- berger that Ravens defensive end Cory Red- ding turned into a score. ‘‘It wasn’t our best day today,’’ said wide receiver Hines Ward, who scored a touch- down. ‘‘But anytime we have Ben on the field, he is a winner. He may not be (Tom) Brady or all the other guys, but you can’t knock the guy for what he has done. Histo- ry shows he is a proven winner against Balti- more. He is a proven winner in the playoffs.’’ Roethlisberger has won his last seven starts against the Ravens since 2006. He began the sea- son serving a four-game suspension and expects to finish it hoisting high the Vince Lombardi Tro- phy at the Super Bowl. To get there, he will have to beat a team that defeated Pittsburgh ear- lier. The New York Jets edged the Steelers 22-17 in December. On Saturday night, Roethlisberger didn’t Miami WL Pct GB 30 12 .714 — Orlando 26 14 .650 3 Atlanta 26 15 .6343 1/2 Charlotte 15 23 .395 13 Washington 11 27 .289 17 Central Division WL Pct GB Chicago 27 13 .675 — Indiana 16 21 .4329 1/2 Milwaukee 14 23 .37811 1/2 Detroit 14 26 .350 13 Cleveland 8 32 .200 19 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio35 6 .854 — Dallas 26 13 .667 8 New Orleans25 16 .610 10 Memphis 19 21 .47515 1/2 Houston 18 23 .439 17 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Oklahoma City 27 13 .675 — Utah 27 13 .675 — Denver 23 17 .575 4 Portland 21 20 .5126 1/2 Minnesota 10 31 .24417 1/2 Pacific Division WL Pct GB L.A. Lakers 30 12 .714 — Phoenix 17 21 .447 11 Warriors 16 23 .41012 1/2 L.A. Clippers14 25 .35914 1/2 Kings 9 29 .237 19 ——— Saturday’s Games Houston 112, Atlanta 106 New Orleans 88, Charlotte 81 Washington 98, Toronto 95 Detroit 110, Sacramento 106 Chicago 99, Miami 96 Memphis 89, Dallas 70 Orlando 108, Minnesota 99 Denver 127, Cleveland 99 Portland 96, New Jersey 89 Sunday’s Games treat to watch him. It was a treat to play with him.’’ The same was true of the defense, which held Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan to 186 yards with a touchdown and two inter- ceptions, and running back Michael Turner to 39 yards and a touchdown. Cornerback Tramon Williams made the play of the game, returning an interception 70 yards for a touchdown and giving the Packers a 28-14 lead at halftime. ‘‘We’re playing our best football,’’ defensive lineman Ryan Pickett said. ‘‘Guys are hungry out there. We’re a good team with a chance of being great. We’re playing good ball right now at the right time.’’ care to think about a rematch. ‘‘You like to play teams that you lose to. Right now that is not on my mind,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m going to enjoy this win and see what happens.’’ Roethlisberger knows all about playing in the AFC championship game and Super Bowl, but there are others on this team preparing for their first such foray this deep into the postsea- son. Safety Ryan Clark said: ‘‘What’s funny is coach Tomlin, at the beginning of the play- offs, put names on the board of all the guys who were playing big roles for us right now who weren’t here for the last Super Bowl run: Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, Rashard Mendenhall, Ziggy Hood. ‘‘He said what guys like James Farrior and Troy Polamalu would do. But the difference was going to be what those young guys do,’’ Clark said. ‘‘You look at the contributions made by Ziggy (four tackles and a sack), the big catch made by Antonio. Those guys really came through for us, and, at this time, that’s what you need. We know that Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are going to do their thing for Baltimore. But what are their young guys going to do? I believe we won that bat- tle.’’ And now the Steelers are poised for another trip to the AFC champi- onship. ‘‘It starts with the top. It starts with the Rooneys — awesome people, awesome family, awesome owners,’’ Roethlisberger said. ‘‘I think all the players really respect the coach- es, from the head guy all the way down to our position guy. We are a family, we have since I’ve been here and we’ll fight and do anything for each other.’’ L.A. Clippers 99, L.A. Lakers 92 San Antonio 110, Denver 97 Monday’s Games Chicago at Memphis, 10 a.m. Phoenix at New York, 10 a.m. Utah at Washington, 10 a.m. Charlotte at Philadelphia, 11 a.m. Milwaukee at Houston, noon Toronto at New Orleans, noon Indiana at L.A. Clippers, 12:30 p.m. Dallas at Detroit, 12:30 p.m. New Jersey at Golden State, 1 p.m. Sacramento at Atlanta, 1p.m. Orlando at Boston, 5 p.m. Minnesota at Portland, 7 p.m. Oklahoma City at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday’s Games Atlanta at Miami, 4:30 p.m. Charlotte at Chicago, 5 p.m. NHL By The Associated Press All Times EST EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OT Pts GFGA Philadelphia45 29 11 5 63 155120 Pittsburgh 46 28 14 4 60 146109 N.Y. Rangers47 26 18 3 55 132115 N.Y. Islanders 43 14 22 7 35106143 New Jersey 44 12 29 3 27 85138 Northeast Division GP W L OT Pts GFGA Boston 44 24 13 7 55 132101 Montreal 45 25 17 3 53 112107 Buffalo 44 19 20 5 43 121131 Toronto 44 18 21 5 41 114132 Ottawa 46 17 23 6 40 102142 Southeast Division GP W L OT Pts GFGA Tampa Bay 46 26 15 5 57 137148 Washington 46 25 14 7 57 131121 Atlanta 47 22 18 7 51 143151 Carolina 44 22 16 6 50 135135 Florida 43 21 20 2 44 119113 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division JETS Continued from page 1B New York led its fierce rival 14-3 at halftime before Brady’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Alge Crumpler and Sammy Morris’ run for a 2-point conversion made it 14-11 late in the third quarter. But Sanchez came right back with a 7-yard scoring pass to Santonio Holmes and New York finished the upset with Greene’s touch- down. The Jets (13-5) kept Ryan’s prediction of a Super Bowl appearance alive. The Patriots (14-3) lost their third straight postseason game. New York has a chance for its first Super Bowl berth since 1969 when another loudmouth, ‘‘Broadway Joe’’ Namath, backed up his guarantee with a 16-7 win over the Baltimore Colts. Ryan has said many BEARS Continued from page 1B Cutler made it possible as much as anybody. And he did it with nimble feet as well as precise throws, running for 6- and 9-yard TDs. ‘‘It was fun,’’ he said with a smile. ‘‘That first one was called. Second one was kind of improv.’’ There was nothing improvisational about the way the Bears’ defense shut down an offense that scored 41 points against New Orleans last week, but that gained only 111 through three periods at Soldier Field, where Seat- tle managed a 23-20 victo- ry in October. The Sea- hawks’ points all came with the outcome decided. ‘‘Now we’re back, play- ing together, hopefully GP W L OT Pts GFGA Detroit 45 28 11 6 62 157131 Nashville 45 24 15 6 54 119109 Chicago 47 25 18 4 54 150130 St. Louis 44 21 17 6 48 119128 Columbus 45 21 20 4 46 118142 Northwest Division GP W L OT Pts GFGA Vancouver 45 29 10 6 64 149109 Colorado 45 23 16 6 52 148143 Minnesota 45 22 18 5 49 113127 Calgary 45 20 20 5 45 122132 Edmonton 44 14 23 7 35 112151 Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts GFGA Dallas 45 27 13 5 59 133119 Phoenix 45 23 13 9 55 132126 Anaheim 48 25 19 4 54 129135 Los Angeles44 24 19 1 49 132113 San Jose 46 22 19 5 49 127129 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Saturday’s Games Calgary 2, Toronto 1, SO Nashville 3, Chicago 2, SO Pittsburgh 3, Boston 2 Montreal 3, N.Y. Rangers 2 N.Y. Islanders 5, Buffalo 3 Carolina 6, Tampa Bay 4 Florida 3, New Jersey 2, OT Detroit 6, Columbus 5, OT Dallas 6, Atlanta 1 Phoenix 6, Anaheim 2 Los Angeles 5, Edmonton 2 San Jose 4, St. Louis 2 Sunday’s Games Washington 3, Ottawa 1 Minnesota 4, Vancouver 0 Philadelphia 3, N.Y. Rangers 2 Chicago 6, Nashville 3 Anaheim 3, Edmonton 2 Monday’s Games Carolina at Boston, 1 p.m. New Jersey at N.Y. Islanders, 1 p.m. San Jose at Phoenix, 4 p.m. Calgary at Montreal, 7:30 p.m. Atlanta at Florida, 7:30 p.m. times that the Jets are a Super Bowl-caliber team, and has irritated fans, opposing players and media with his bold remarks. Last week he said the game was a con- test between him and Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Then, after Antonio Cromartie called Brady an expletive on Tuesday, Ryan said he wouldn’t punish his cor- nerback. The ultra-serious Belichick wasn’t as kind to Wes Welker. The wide receiver was benched for the Patriots first series for subtle remarks apparently direct- ed at Ryan. Welker made several references to feet in his news conference Thursday, interpreted by some as a dig at recent foot-fetish reports involv- ing Ryan. ‘‘I didn’t think anything about it. I’m just waiting for the opportunity to go out and play,’’ Welker peaking at the right time,’’ Urlacher said. Cutler, in his first post- season game, showed none of the wild swings that often have marked his five- year career. His shifty moves on a 6-yard run made it 21-0, essentially turning everyone’s atten- tion to next weekend. ‘‘We’re both familiar with each other, so noth- ing’s going to be new,’’ Cutler said. ‘‘We have our hands full.’’ Not much was expected of the Bears when the sea- son began, but they’ve improved mightily since falling to 4-3 heading into their bye week. They clinched a playoff berth with two games remaining, grabbing their first NFC North championship since 2006 — when they lost to Indianapolis in the Super Bowl. Los Angeles at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Tuesday’s Games Washington at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. Detroit at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. Boston at Carolina, 7 p.m. Montreal at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. Anaheim at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Columbus at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Vancouver at Colorado, 9 p.m. Nashville at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Minnesota at Edmonton, 9:30 p.m. MOVES By The Associated Press BASEBALL American League MINNESOTA TWINS—Agreed to terms with INF Alexi Casilla on a one-year contract. TORONTO BLUE JAYS—Agreed to terms with RHP Carlos Villanueva on a one-year contract. HOCKEY National Hockey League ATLANTA THRASHERS—Reassigned G Edward Pasquale from Gwinnett (ECHL) to Chicago (AHL). NASHVILLE PREDATORS—Recalled F Matt Halischuk from Milwaukee (AHL). Assigned F Andreas Thuresson to Milwaukee. OTTAWA SENATORS—Recalled G Mike Brodeur from Binghamton (AHL) on an emergency basis. PHOENIX COYOTES—Recalled RW Brett MacLean from San Antonio (AHL). ST. LOUIS BLUES—Assigned D Ian Cole to Peoria (AHL). TRIATHLON USE TRIATHLON—Elected Bob Wendling presi- dent, Eric Averill vice president, Steve Sexton trea- surer, and Candy Cheatham secretary. COLLEGE WASHINGTON STATE—Suspended G Reggie Moore indefinitely from the men’s basketball team for incidents involving marijuana and drug para- phernalia. said. ‘‘I respect the New York Jets. I respect Rex Ryan.’’ Belichick refused to comment on why Welker missed the first series. When the game ended, Belichick walked slowly to midfield where he met Ryan, patted his con- queror on the back with his left hand and shared some words. ‘‘We just didn’t do enough things well today,’’ Belichick said. ‘‘It’s obvious.’’ Even after the game, the verbal shots kept com- ing. ‘‘I’m not embarrassed. I’m just frustrated,’’ said Deion Branch, who scored the game’s last touchdown on a 13-yard pass with 24 seconds remaining. ‘‘The embarrassing part came from a few classless (Jets) guys after the game. There were a lot of classless things that went on after the game ended.’’ Such as? Unlike Atlanta and Pittsburgh on Saturday, they showed no rust from having a bye in dominating Seattle. Then again, the Seahawks showed none of the surging emotions or big-play abilities they sprung on the Saints at home. It was merely a one- week reprieve, and they went even flatter after tight end John Carlson was cart- ed off with a head injury in the first quarter following a nasty spill; Carlson landed on the side of his helmet and his shoulder, but had movement in his extremi- ties. Seattle lost cornerback Marcus Trufant to a head injury in the third quarter when he collided with Kellen Davis’ knee while trying to make a tackle. Trufant also was carted off, but he also had feeling in his extremities. ‘‘Didn’t you see it?’’ he said. ‘‘You’ve got to go back and watch it. Pretty classless stuff.’’ Sanchez completed 16 of 25 passes for 194 yards and touchdowns to LaDain- ian Tomlinson, Edwards and Holmes. Brady, who played poorly for his sec- ond straight postseason game, was 29-for-45 for 299 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. ‘‘Our expectations this season were very high,’’ Brady said. ‘‘Playoff foot- ball comes and really it comes down to who makes the plays, and we made too many mistakes.’’ Notes: The Patriots lost for the first time in nine games and were held to their third lowest point total in a game. The Jets and Cleveland held them to 14 points this season. ... The Jets set a franchise record for road victories in a season with their eighth, one more than last sea- son’s team. Coach Pete Carroll said both players were hospital- ized and were expected to stay overnight for observa- tion. He said ‘‘all indica- tions are that they are OK.’’ Chicago put away the game with touchdowns on three of its first four pos- sessions, by which time Urlacher, Julius Peppers and the rest of the defense had taken charge. Notes: Cutler is the sec- ond QB in league history to have two TDs rushing and two passing in a postseason game. Otto Graham did it for Cleveland in 1954 and ’55. ... Cutler was 15 for 28 for 274 yards and was sacked three times. Hassel- beck finished 26 for 46 for 258 and was sacked twice. ... Record-setting punt returner Devin Hester had one 26-yard runback, but otherwise had little impact for Chicago. Along day for Wilson ends in victory HONOLULU (AP) — Mark Wil- son made it through a 36-hole marathon Sunday without a bogey and held on for a two-shot victory in the Sony Open that will take him to the Masters for the first time. Wilson shot a 5-under 65 in the morning to take a one-shot lead into the afternoon round. He stretched his lead to four shots at the turn, then had to hang on when Tim Clark and Steve Marino made late runs on different sides of Waialae. Clark, who started the final round five shots behind, birdied three of his last four holes. He narrowly missed an eagle putt on the ninth hole and settled for a 64. Then came Marino with two late birdies and one incredible shot that at least gave him hope. Two shots behind on the par-5 18th, with his feet in the bunker and his ball about chest-high on the side of a hill, Marino blasted a fairway metal from 234 yards away that landed on the front of the green and rolled 40 feet away. His eagle putt narrowly missed, giving him a 68. Wilson made one last birdie he did- n’t need, giving him a 67 for his third career victory. ‘‘It was nice to go right to the tee and not have to think about it,’’ Wilson said of having only a few minutes before the third and fourth rounds. ‘‘I’m thankful it’s over now.’’ Wilson, who finished at 16-under 264, played his final 40 holes without a bogey. That proved significant at a couple of points in the final round. He got into trouble on the eighth hole and was 150 yards out in the fairway play- ing his third shot, sure to lose some of his two-shot lead. But he stuffed it to 7 feet for par, then birdied the ninth to expand his lead to four. Even bigger was his par on the 17th, even though Wilson didn’t real- ize it. Clark had already finished at 14- under 266. Marino was starting to charge with back-to-back birdies to get to 14 under, while playing in the same group with Wilson. Wilson hit into a bunker and blast- ed out some 12 feet past the hole. But his par putt caught enough of the lip to fall, and he clutched his fist. Only later did Wilson reveal that he didn’t look at a leaderboard, not wanting to think about anything but making birdies. He asked his caddie as they walked toward the 18th green where they stood, and the caddied told him, ‘‘Just get it up-and-down.’’ Wilson obeyed, pitching to 4 feet. The putt became easier when Marino missed his eagle. The victory, worth $990,000, was important to Wilson for a couple of reasons. He is in the last year of his exemption from winning in Mexico in 2009, and he is coming off a poor sea- son in which he had only two top 10s. And then there’s the Masters. Augusta National did not invite winners of most PGA Tour events until 2007, a month after Wilson won the Honda Classic. His win in Mexico didn’t count because it was an oppo- site-field tournament, the same week as the Match Play Championship. Jimmy Walker closed with a 68 to finish alone in fourth, while Matt Kuchar and Matt Bettencourt were another shot back. Stuart Appleby and Shigeki Maruyama, who started Sunday tied for the 36-hole lead, never got going. Maruyama had rounds of 70-69 to tie for seventh, his first top 10 on the PGA Tour in two years. Appleby didn’t make a birdie until the final hole of the last round and shot 72. From top to bottom, 56 players were separated by only seven shots going into the final 36 holes, a recipe for anyone winning from anywhere. But on a quiet day near the shores of Waikiki, there was little movement.