AP Analysis: A-Rod's biggest call in weekend full of them

By ARNIE STAPLETON
Associated Press

Aaron Rodgers doesn't just make the big throws, he designs them.

The Green Bay Packers quarterback went schoolyard and drew up that amazing pass play in the huddle that set up Mason Crosby's game-winning field goal in Dallas.

Rodgers' 36-yard strike to toe-dragging tight end Jared Cook on third-and-20 from his 32 was the biggest play in an NFL divisional playoff weekend that was filled with big calls.

Thanks to a first-down spike by Cowboys rookie quarterback Zak Prescott just before Dan Bailey's 52-yarder, the Packers got the ball back with 35 seconds left.

Just enough time for Rodgers to work his magic.

But this one looked headed to overtime after Jeff Heath's sack put the Packers back at their 32 with 18 seconds left.

Following an incompletion, Rodgers drew up routes in the huddle before rolling left on third-and-20 and hitting Cook on the left sideline at the Dallas 32.

"It was a heck of a throw," Cook said.

Heck of a catch, too.

And a great call.

"It's just kind of schoolyard at times late in the game," Rodgers told Fox after Green Bay's 34-31 win.

The mixed officiating crews missed several calls for a second straight weekend, but a pair of yellow flags that were thrown proved critical.

One erased Kansas City's game-tying 2-point conversion in the Chiefs' 18-16 loss to Pittsburgh and the other nullified Devin Hester's 80-yard punt return that turned the tide in Seattle's 36-20 loss at Atlanta.

There were also some decisions that loomed large on social media.

EVERYONE'S AN INSIDER

One was Antonio Brown filming the postgame scene in the Steelers' locker room on Facebook Live where coach Mike Tomlin urges his team to "keep a low profile" heading into New England for the AFC title game and another member of the team is heard saying, "Keep cool on social media."

So much for that notion of laying low: Brown filmed for 17 minutes and the video had nearly 1 million views by the time it was removed from his page Monday morning.

BLUNDERING CHARGERS

The Chargers quickly changed their working logo after widespread panning of the look they unveiled after revealing their move from San Diego to L.A. Changing the color scheme from Dodger blue and white to powder blue and yellow wasn't enough to halt the mockery, however.

The switch came after the Chargers became the butt of jokes, memes and derision on social media . The NFL tweeted the initial logo Thursday, but later deleted it as the Chargers even got trolled by other pro and college sports teams over the logo that looked like a cross between baseball's Dodgers and hockey's Lightning.

CLOSE CALLS

After the first half dozen playoff games were decided by an average of 18.3 points and were all won by the home team, Sunday brought road success and nail-biters as the Cowboys and Steelers advanced.

Alex Smith's 2-point conversion pass to tight end Demetrius Harris would have tied the Steelers with 2:38 left, but left tackle Eric Fisher was whistled for holding ageless linebacker James Harrison.

Smith's second pass, from 10 yards back, was batted incomplete and the Steelers ran out the clock to preserve their 18-16 win and keep the Chiefs winless at Arrowhead Stadium in the playoffs since 1994.

Hours after Brown live-streamed the Steelers' locker room, Harrison posted an Instagram video of his workout just after the Steelers landed back in Pittsburgh.

Now, that's the kind of post Tomlin won't mind.

HOLD ON:

In the 90 seconds that he spoke to reporters before the Chiefs' communications staff cut him off, tight end Travis Kelce ripped into referee Carl Cheffers and his crew after K.C.'s loss. Kelce openly questioned the integrity of the officials and said Cheffers "shouldn't be able to wear a zebra jersey ever again."

"He shouldn't be able to wear it at Foot Locker," Kelce said, adding a few expletives.

After watching the film, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Monday he didn't think a flag should have been thrown, either.

"They normally let you play, is what they do, especially in key situations," Reid said of the officials.

But he said he didn't want to harp on the hooking call because the Chiefs made plenty of blunders before that crucial hooking call on Fisher.

Among them was Kelce's drop of a long pass and cold-cocking a cornerback on the next play.

HOLD ON II:

The Seahawks appeared to be in excellent position to extend a 10-7 lead when Hester returned a punt 80 yards to the Atlanta 7. But a holding call on Atlanta's LaRoy Reynolds against Kevin Pierre-Louis pushed the Seahawks all the way back to the Seattle 7.

"I was holding" Pierre-Louis acknowledged. "I grabbed him a little bit so he wouldn't get down to Hester. But the referee was able to see it. It cost us."

Two plays later, Wilson was tripped by backup right guard Rees Odhiambo and fell in the end zone for a safety and the Falcons seized momentum on their way to a 36-20 win.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll called the penalty a "ridiculously large play in the game."

CLASSY MOVES

With 2 minutes to go and the Falcons facing first-and-goal at the Seattle 2, coach Dan Quinn called for Matt Ryan to take a knee instead of piling it on his old team and his old boss.

"It was a very classy way to end the game," Carroll said.

Same with the Patriots showing Texans defensive tackle Vince Wilfork on the video screen in the waning moments of New England's 34-16 win over Houston. Wilfork, who played 11 seasons in New England before spending his past two in Houston, has talked about retiring.

Asked if it was a special moment to get a going-away cheer from the Patriots fans, Wilfork said, "It's never special to lose."

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, Eagles S Malcolm Jenkins and Falcons K Matt Bryant named NFC Players of Week 16

Quarterback AARON RODGERS of the Green Bay Packers, safety MALCOLM JENKINS of the Philadelphia Eagles and kicker MATT BRYANT of the Atlanta Falcons are the NFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for games played the 16th week of the 2016 season (December 22, 24-26).

OFFENSE: QB AARON RODGERS, GREEN BAY PACKERS 

DEFENSE: S MALCOLM JENKINS, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 

SPECIAL TEAMS: K MATT BRYANT, ATLANTA FALCONS

2016 NFC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK 

​	Offense	Defense	Special Teams
Wk 1	QB Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay	LB Eric Kendricks, Minnesota	P Sam Martin, Detroit
Wk 2	WR Stefon Diggs, Minnesota	CB Marcus Cooper, Arizona	CB Janoris Jenkins, New York Giants
Wk 3	QB Carson Wentz, Philadelphia	DE Everson Griffen, Minnesota	K Dustin Hopkins, Washington
Wk 4	WR Julio Jones, Atlanta	DT Aaron Donald, Los Angeles	P Jon Ryan, Seattle
Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8	RB David Johnson, Arizona WR Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants WR Davante Adams, Green Bay RB Jordan Howard, Chicago	CB Darius Slay, Detroit DE David Irving, Dallas S Landon Collins, New York Giants DT Star Lotulelei, Carolina	PR-WR Jamison Crowder, Washington K Wil Lutz, New Orleans KR Josh Huff, Philadelphia K Wil Lutz, New Orleans
Wk 9	QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta	S Landon Collins, New York Giants	K Matt Prater, Detroit
Wk 10	RB Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas	S Kam Chancellor, Seattle	P Johnny Hekker, Los Angeles
Wk 11	QB Kirk Cousins, Washington	CB Xavier Rhodes, Minnesota	K Roberto Aguayo, Tampa Bay
Wk 12	RB Mark Ingram, New Orleans	DE Jason Pierre-Paul, New York Giants	K Matt Prater, Detroit
Wk 13	RB David Johnson, Arizona	DE Akiem Hicks, Chicago	K Matt Prater, Detroit
Wk 14	QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay	LB Vic Beasley Jr., Atlanta	P Brad Wing, New York Giants
Wk 15	RB Devonta Freeman, Atlanta	S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Green Bay	P Brad Wing, New York Giants
Wk 16	QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay	S Malcolm Jenkins, Philadelphia	K Matt Bryant, Atlanta

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, Falcons LB Vic Beasley Jr. and Giants P Brad Wing named NFC Players of Week 14

Quarterback AARON RODGERS of the Green Bay Packers, linebacker VIC BEASLEY JR. of the Atlanta Falcons and punter BRAD WING of the New York Giants are the NFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for games played the 14th week of the 2016 season (December 8, 11-12).

OFFENSE: QB AARON RODGERS, GREEN BAY PACKERS 

DEFENSE: LB VIC BEASLEY JR., ATLANTA FALCONS 

SPECIAL TEAMS: P BRAD WING, NEW YORK GIANTS

​2016 NFC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

	Offense	Defense	Special Teams
Wk 1	QB Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay	LB Eric Kendricks, Minnesota	P Sam Martin, Detroit
Wk 2	WR Stefon Diggs, Minnesota	CB Marcus Cooper, Arizona	CB Janoris Jenkins, New York Giants
Wk 3	QB Carson Wentz, Philadelphia	DE Everson Griffen, Minnesota	K Dustin Hopkins, Washington
Wk 4	WR Julio Jones, Atlanta	DT Aaron Donald, Los Angeles	P Jon Ryan, Seattle
Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8	RB David Johnson, Arizona WR Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants WR Davante Adams, Green Bay RB Jordan Howard, Chicago	CB Darius Slay, Detroit DE David Irving, Dallas S Landon Collins, New York Giants DT Star Lotulelei, Carolina	PR-WR Jamison Crowder, Washington K Wil Lutz, New Orleans KR Josh Huff, Philadelphia K Wil Lutz, New Orleans
Wk 9	QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta	S Landon Collins, New York Giants	K Matt Prater, Detroit
Wk 10	RB Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas	S Kam Chancellor, Seattle	P Johnny Hekker, Los Angeles
Wk 11	QB Kirk Cousins, Washington	CB Xavier Rhodes, Minnesota	K Roberto Aguayo, Tampa Bay
Wk 12	RB Mark Ingram, New Orleans	DE Jason Pierre-Paul, New York Giants	K Matt Prater, Detroit
Wk 13	RB David Johnson, Arizona	DE Akiem Hicks, Chicago	K Matt Prater, Detroit
Wk 14	QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay	LB Vic Beasley Jr., Atlanta	P Brad Wing, New York Giants

Rodgers throws 3 TD passes, Packers beat Bears 26-10

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers set a record. The Chicago Bears lost another quarterback.

After a slow start in the red zone, the Green Bay Packers picked up the pace in the second half to overpower their offensively-challenged NFC North rivals.

Rodgers threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns, Davante Adams and Ty Montgomery emerged as playmakers in the second half and Packers beat the Bears 26-10 on Thursday night.

Rodgers was 39 of 56, setting a franchise mark for completions in a game. It was the Packers' first contest without injured running back Eddie Lacy.

"A lot of moving parts, a very satisfying victory at home," coach Mike McCarthy said.

The Packers (4-2) moved effectively on short gains most of the night, but couldn't break into the end zone until Adams caught the first of his two touchdown receptions with 9:11 left in the third quarter for a 13-10 lead.

Rodgers and Adams combined again for a 4-yard score on the first play of fourth quarter for a 10-point lead.

The Bears (1-6) lost quarterback Brian Hoyer to a broken left arm in the second quarter. With Jay Cutler already out with a right thumb injury, Chicago turned to third-stringer Matt Barkley.

An offense that was already 31st in the league in scoring got worse. Barkley was 6 of 15 for 81 yards and two interceptions.

"Well, when you lose your starting quarterback it can be disruptive," Bears coach John Fox said. "It's not an excuse, it's just a reality,"

He tried to lean on the rush against the NFL's third-best run defense. It didn't work either.

Kadeem Carey had 48 yards on 10 carries, including a 24-yarder. Receiver Alshon Jeffery was held to three catches for 33 yards against a Packers secondary without its top three cornerbacks because of injuries.

It got so bad for the Bears that Rodgers had more completions (37) than the Bears had offensive plays (36) by 5:31 of the fourth quarter.

That 37th completion for Rodgers was a 2-yard touchdown pass to Randall Cobb for a 16-point lead.

Adams, Montgomery and Cobb each finished with at least 10 receptions.

HOYER HURT

Hoyer left early in the second quarter after getting hit by Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews on an incompletion on third-and-6 from midfield. The right-handed Hoyer looked as if he landed on his left arm . He was attended to by trainers on the field for a couple minutes before going to the locker room. Hoyer was 4 of 11 for 49 yards.

TRIPLE THREAT

Adams had 13 catches for a career-high 132 yards, making Jordy Nelson-like moves to spin out of tackles for extra yards. Adams had just been cleared earlier Thursday from the NFL's concussion protocol after leaving the loss Sunday to Dallas.

Cobb finished with 11 catches for 95 yards.

Montgomery, who got the start in the backfield with running backs Lacy (ankle) and James Starks (knee) out, finished with 10 catches for 66 yards, and nine carries for 60 yards.

"You do what you have to do, you play the way you have to play," McCarthy said.

BIG FLOYD

The Bears' only touchdown came from rookie pass-rushing linebacker Leonard Floyd, who forced Rodgers to fumble on third-and-10 from the 15 on a sack. Floyd recovered the ball in the end zone for a 10-6 lead, 30 seconds into the third quarter.

Floyd had been limited in practice this week with a calf injury.

"He's got those kind of abilities. It's been problematic a little bit having him out there, but it was good to have him back out there tonight," Fox said.

The Packers scored touchdowns on their next three drives.

SLOW START

The Packers moved effectively with short passes in the first half but stalled on three drives inside the 22. Mason Crosby salvaged two series with field goals, but the Packers went scoreless on another drive when Montgomery was stopped on a fourth-and-goal run from the 1.

Green Bay, which led 6-3 at the half, exploited the Bears' underneath coverage. They also threw short passes as a substitute for the running game.

QUOTABLE:

"It means we threw it a lot. But a lot of times records like these are achieved in losses when you're way behind," Rodgers about his completions record.

INJURY REPORT

Bears: Besides Hoyer, RG Kyle Long left in the second quarter with an arm injury.

Packers: RB Don Jackson, who was just activated from the practice squad Thursday to replace Lacy, left in the first quarter with a hand injury.

Fantasy Analysis: Rodgers and Wilson wise QB choices for Divisional Round

"The 100 Yards" Fantasy Football Analysis Report

NOTE: Time has been limited for all of our writers this week so we will have a very small Fantasy Report this week. Not as many positions will be covered in this specific report, so it is limited.

Aaron Rodgers

QB:

Aaron Rodgers: Rodgers had 210 pass yards, including two touchdowns in 36 attempys and 21 completions in the 2015 season Wild-Card Round.

Russell Wilson: Wilson had 142 pass yards and a touchdown in 26 attempts and 13 completions in the Wild-Card Round.

K:

Chris Boswell: Boswell made all four field goal attempts in the Wild-Card Round.

Cairo Santos: Santos made all three field goal attempts in the Wild-Card Round. He also made all three of his Extra-Point attempts.

WR:

Antonio Brown: Brown had seven receptions for 119 rushing yard in the Wild-Card Round.

James Jones: Jones had 7 receptions for 81 rushing yards in the Wild-Card Round.

TE:
Rob Gronkowski: Gronk was not at the Patriots' team practice on Tuesday, but is most likely being rested. Gronk has proved all season that he is one of the best tight ends in the league today, and he has proven that in some of his previous seasons.

Travis Kelce: Kelce caught eight of 10 targets for 128 yards in Sunday's win over the Texans.

D/ST:

Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks defense only gave up one touchdown against the Vikings in the Wild-Card Round, as the Seahawks won the game 10-9 to eliminate the Vikings from the 2015 season playoff.

Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs defense is a fantastic line that can have a chance to beat any opponent it faces. It kept the Texans from scoring anything in a 30-0 Chiefs victory in the Wild-Card Round.