NFL:Tom Brady and the New England Patriots shut down Tim Tebow's late-game heroics and clinched a play-off berth with a 41-23 victory over the Denver Broncos last night. The Patriots won another AFC East title by bouncing back from an awful first quarter in which they were outgained on the ground 167 yards to four.
This time, there was no last-minute magic from Tebow, who had guided the Broncos (8-6) to four straight fourth-quarter comebacks and six straight wins. Instead of another slow start followed by a fantastic finish, the Broncos started out fast and then fizzled. They scored on their first three possessions and then were done in by a trio of second-quarter turnovers.
Champ Bailey had said the Broncos needed a big game against a big QB to prove to themselves and others that they were not just a curiosity but a contender. They didn't get it on this day.
Denver have faced four quarterbacks currently ranked in the top-10 in yards passing - Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Philip Rivers (twice) and Brady. They're 1-4 in those games.
Brady, who was 23 of 34 for 320 yards with two TD passes and a touchdown run, made up for another bad day by the Patriots' defence to beat the Broncos for the second time in eight career starts - the only team with a winning record against the three-time Super Bowl champions.
With their first loss since October, the AFC West-leading Broncos face a tougher path to the play-offs, with a trip to Buffalo next week followed by a season finale against Kansas City, who ended Green Bay's 19-game winning streak on Sunday.
The Green Bay Packers' dreams of going through the NFL regular season unbeaten came to an end as the Chiefs ran out surprise 19-14 winners. The Packers' first loss since week 15 of the 2010 season was brought about thanks to a solid Chiefs defensive display, which restricted Green Bay's star quarterback Aaron Rodgers to 235 yards and a touchdown.
The Chiefs (6-8) sacked coach Todd Haley last Monday after a run of five losses in six games, but interim boss Romeo Crennel guided his new charges to a famous victory that halts the Packers' 19-game winning streak.
The Indianapolis Colts posted their first win of the season at the 14th attempt as they saw off the Tennessee Titans 27-13. Dan Orlovsky threw one touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne in the third quarter, while the Colts defence picked off Matt Hasselbeck twice and restricted Chris Johnson to 55 rushing yards
Reggie Bush enjoyed a career-best 203 yards rushing as the Miami Dolphins defeated the Buffalo Bills 30-23, while Red Bryant's go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter helped the Seattle Seahawks to a 38-14 win over the Chicago Bears. Marshawn Lynch also had two touchdown runs for Seattle.
The New York Giants lost first place in the NFC East with a 23-10 defeat to the Washington Redskins, while A.J. Green had six catches to help the Cincinnati Bengals to a 20-13 victory over the St Louis Rams.
Elsewhere, the Arizona Cardinals beat the Cleveland Browns 20-17 in overtime, LeSean McCoy ran for three touchdowns as the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New York Jets 45-19 and the San Diego Chargers were 34-14 winners against the Baltimore Ravens.