Beyond the Arc: Some league leaders didn’t fare so well Saturday. Three suffered their first losses of the season, while three more fell in crucial road games.

With just days to go until championship weekend, news reporters, analysts, bloggers and more are dissecting the upcoming clashes between the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens, as well as the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. As we are privileged in nearly every NFL season, there are plenty of story lines to go around this weekend.  Can the Ravens take the next step forward before ...

Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas is skipping his senior season to enter the NFL draft. Thomas made the announcement, which caught many by surprise, on Saturday night. He follows Oregon running back LaMichael James, who announced last week that he would skip his final year of eligibility. "I came to this decision on behalf of myself and my family," Thomas said in a statement released by...

INDIANAPOLIS - You have officially become a phenomenon when Madonna mimics your end-zone celebration salsa. Victor Cruz's undrafted-to-all-pro story is one that has been oft-told in the NFL: Small-school prospect gets overlooked by teams, scrapes his way onto a roster, gets a break when a player is injured, and goes on to capitalize on his opportunity.

Thanks to Clemson’s Orange Bowl no-show and a 2-6 record this bowl season, ACC football’s image problem – details in this post from last week -- shows no sign of easing. But as the weekend’s four NFL playoff games reminded, the conference continues to produce scores of top-flight pros.

The 2012 NFL Playoffs are halfway home and the field of 12 has been whittled to four. The Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers are set to do battle next week in the conference championship games with two trips to Indianapolis and Super Bowl XLVI on the line. Here's a look ahead at how those games could shake out, including predicted stats for each team ...

New York Giants vs. New England Patriots in on 2012-02-05. Find NFL box scores, game recap, play by play, photos and more at SI.com.

Feb. 6 1943 -- Montreal's Ray Getliffe scores five goals to lead the Canadiens to an 8-3 triumph over the Boston Bruins . 1958 -- Ted Williams signs a contract with the Boston Red Sox for $135,000, making him the highest paid player in major league history. 1967 -- Muhammad Ali successfully defends his world heavyweight title with a 15-round decision over Ernest Terrell in the Houston Astrodome ...

Over 31 million people tuned in to watch Sunday's NFL Playoff Game between the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints on NBC, making it the most-watched prime time program for the week of January 2 to January 8.

NEW YORK -- Over 31 million people tuned in to watch Sunday's NFL Playoff Game between the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints on NBC, making it the most-watched prime time program for the week of January 2 to January 8.