All Day Sports News Blog

All four match-ups for next weekend's NFL playoffs are been-there, done-that this season, but the outcomes aren't necessarily givens, USA Today reports: Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco's interceptions helped the Titans as much as Kerry Collin's 80-yard touchdown drive in defeating the Ravens, but Flacco's seen a lot of play since then.

All but forgotten as a postseason contender just a month earlier, Andy Reid, Donovan McNabb, and the Philadelphia Eagles have a playoff win. Next up: the Super Bowl champion Giants. Brian Westbrook caught a short pass and zigzagged through the Minnesota defense for a devastating 71-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, and the Eagles spoiled the Vikings' first home playoff game in eight years with a 26-14 victory today.

The Baltimore Ravens stifled QB Chad Pennington and the Miami Dolphins to win 27-9 today, AP reports. Pennington, who threw only seven interceptions during the regular season, tossed four away and went 23-for-36 for 234 yards. Baltimore?s Ed Reed had two interceptions, and Jim Leonhard and Fabian Washington each grabbed one. Rookie coach John Harbaugh now takes his Ravens to Tennessee to play the NFC South champion Titans on Saturday.

The San Diego Chargers ended the Indianapolis Colts' nine-game win streak in nail-biting fashion tonight with a 23-17 overtime win in their wildcard playoff game. Darren Sproles ran for a 22-yard touchdown after the Chargers won the coin toss and marched down field in OT. They got there by tying the game with 33 seconds left on a 26-yard field goal by Nick Kaeding. Peyton Manning passed for 310 yards for the Colts, and Philip Rivers had 244 for San Diego.

The Arizona Cardinals shrugged off a sluggish end to their regular season and took down the upstart Atlanta Falcons in their NFL wildcard matchup today, the Arizona Republic reports. Veteran Kurt Warner passed for 271 yards in the franchise's first home playoff game in Arizona. The Cardinals kept Falcons rookie QB Matt Ryan in check: He passed for 190 yards, threw two picks, fumbled once, and got tackled for a safety.

Utah is the best of the BCS busters, the AP reports. Brian Johnson threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns, and the No. 7 Utes upset fourth-ranked Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl on tonight to finish 13-0. With the victory, Utah became the first team from a non-BCS conference to win two BCS bowls.

Ole Miss isn't just the team that handed Florida its only loss. These Rebels are seriously on the rise. Behind Jevan Snead's passing, Dexter McCluster's squirming runs, and some big returns by Marshay Green, No. 20 Mississippi overcame an early deficit and beat No. 7 Texas Tech 47-34 today in the final Cotton Bowl played in the stadium of the same name.

Peyton Manning was named the NFL?s Most Valuable Player today in a landslide, becoming just the second player to win the honor three times, the Indianapolis Star reports. ?I really feel like it?s a team award with what our team went through this year,? said the Colts quarterback, whose two knee surgeries sidelined him during the preseason.

As investment portfolios dwindle and businesses suffer, more professional sports teams' owners are falling on hard times. League bosses worry that potential buyers, already an endangered breed, won't go for newly available teams because their primary businesses are foundering. Even the Cubs, one of MLB's few profitable franchises, can't find an owner, reports the Wall Street Journal .

Snowboarders have a vested interest in stopping global warming, and the industry's gear is getting greener by the year, the New York Times reports. ?To snowboard, we need snow,? said Bob Carlson, co-founder of Arbor, which has been using renewable materials for their snowboards since 1995. More and more well-known manufacturers are following their lead, ushering in a new era of sustainable boards.