Patriots Almost Rally For A Once-In-A-Lifetime Win, Fall Short Against 49ers 41-34

It's hard to know where to start when recapping what had to be the most exciting game of the 2012 NFL regular season. San Francisco built up a 31-3 lead in the third quarter, only to see New England rattle off 28 straight points and tie it at 31 in the fourth quarter.

The 49ers (10-3-1, 5-2 away) clinched a playoff berth with a completely absurd 41-38 victory at Gillette Stadium over the Patriots (10-4, 5-2 home) in the wind and freezing rain. New England went from looking completely overmatched to unstoppable in the span of a quarter. It turned out that the awful start by them came back to bite them, like a basketball team that makes a huge comeback but then falls short.

This win validates San Francisco as the team to beat in the NFC and the NFL too as far as I'm concerned. It could prove to be a particularly costly loss for New England since they lost their firm grip of the No. 2 seed in the AFC and now it looks like they are destined to be No. 3 at best barring an unlikely loss by the Broncos in the final two weeks.

49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (14 of 25 for 216 yards, 4 TDs, INT; 28 yards rushing) made his head coach Jim Harbaugh look smart in choosing him over Alex Smith. Tom Brady (36 of 65 for 443 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) carried the Patriots on his back when it appeared hopeless. Still, New England fell to 0-2 against the Harbaughs this season and 1-3 vs. the NFC West as they saw their seven-game win streak overall and 21-game home win streak in December both snapped.

Michael Crabtree (7 catches, 107 yards, 2 TDs) and Frank Gore (21 carries, 83 yards; 2 catches, 34 yards) were the main weapons for Kaepernick although he also spread it around with touchdowns to Delanie Walker and old friend Randy Moss. San Francisco's top-ranked defense held New England's top-ranked offense to a season-low three points in the first half.

The Patriots finally found some success in the second half when Brady sped up the tempo and went no-huddle. Brandon Lloyd (10 catches, 190 yards) had his best game for New England while Danny Woodhead (61 yards rushing, 23 yards receiving, 2 TDs) surprisingly enough was their best running back. Aaron Hernandez (10 catches, 92 yards, TD) and Wes Welker (5 catches, 56 yards) started off slow but in the second half, they also began to find bigger holes in San Francisco's tired defense. The Pats ran 92 plays and racked up 520 total yards.

The main reason that New England came up short (besides the huge deficit) is they lost the turnover battle (4-2) and committed more penalties (8-6). It is rare to see them come out on the wrong side of either of those statistics so when they get beat in both, doubly so. San Francisco actually fumbled six times, including four by Kaepernick but they only lost one whereas New England lost both of theirs (by Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen). Ridley's confidence has to be shaken since he nearly fumbled earlier in the game but he was ruled down.

Moss's 24-yard touchdown catch was the only score of the first quarter. Stephen Gostkowski cut it to 7-3 with a 32-yard field goal in the second quarter. Walker caught a 34-yard touchdown and David Akers's 20-yard field goal was the last play of the first half as the 49ers took a stunning 17-3 lead into the locker rooms.

Devin McCourty picked off Kaepernick to start the second half but New England couldn't take advantage as Ridley fumbled it back to them. Luck was on Kaepernick's side as he fumbled another snap early in the third quarter but Gore picked it up then ran seven yards for a touchdown. Aldon Smith picked off Brady on the next play after he rushed a throw to Hernandez and the supposed rout was on as Kaepernick threw a 27-yard touchdown to Crabtree on the following play.

The Pats chipped away as Woodhead's 6-yard touchdown run gave them their first touchdown with 5:59 left in the third quarter, trailing 31-10. Brady jumped over the pile from a yard out to cut it to 31-17 on the first play of the fourth quarter. After a San Francisco 3-and-out, New England made it a one-score game on Hernandez's 5-yard touchdown catch. Woodhead tied it at 31 with a 1-yard run of his own.

LaMichael James returned the ensuing kickoff 62 yards-the play of the game-and the 49ers regained all the momentum they had lost with a 38-yard touchdown catch by Crabtree on the first play after that. The Patriots had to go for it on 4th-and-1 from their own 12 but Brady couldn't connect with Woodhead. From there, it was a matter of field goals (28 yards by Akers; 41 yards by Gostkowski) for the final margin. New England got a chance to take an onside kick but it didn't get that good bounce so Walker grabbed it easily.

After the thrills of back-to-back primetime games (Monday night and Sunday night), the Patriots can take a siesta the next few weeks as they travel to Jacksonville next Sunday afternoon (1 p.m., CBS) to face the hideous Jaguars (2-12, 4th AFC South). That's followed by the regular season finale, at Gillette vs. Miami (6-8, 3rd AFC East) on Sunday, December 30. So yeah, time to get your Christmas shopping done and if you miss the next two games due to the holidays, it honestly isn't the end of the world.

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Rajon Rondo Is No Tony Parker, Celtics Are No Match For The Spurs

For delusional Celtics honks that think Rajon Rondo is the best point guard in the NBA, tonight was a friendly reminder that he isn't even close to that imaginary throne. As much as I love him, I will admit that Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Tony Parker and Russell Westbrook are all better than him. Ditto for Derrick Rose when he's healthy.

Parker torched Rondo for 22 points, eight rebounds and four steals as San Antonio (19-6, 8-2 home) had no problem with Boston (12-11, 4-7 away) 103-88 at the AT&T Center. Rondo was held to six points, nine assists, five rebounds and seven turnovers. That makes it 14 turnovers in his last two games which is precisely why the Celtics lost on back-to-back nights in Texas (Houston, San Antonio).

Bigger picture, the Spurs are just a better team than the Celtics as they squeeze all the talent possible out of nobodies like Gary Neal (20 points), Tiago Splitter (16 points, 8 rebounds) and Danny Green (12 points). Tim Duncan (5 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks) didn't do anything offensively and Manu Ginobili left in the first quarter with a quad injury but San Antonio played like none of that happened.

Paul Pierce (5 rebounds, 3 steals) and Jason Terry led Boston with 18 points, Kevin Garnett had 13 points, six rebounds and two steals, Courtney Lee had 11 points and five rebounds and Jeff Green added 10 off the bench. For the second consecutive game, Brandon Bass had two points so I wouldn't mind seeing Doc Rivers not let him start on Tuesday. Clearly, he is struggling while Green and Jared Sullinger (7 rebounds) look more dependable at the moment.

San Antonio made six more 3-pointers (12-6), nine more free throws (15-6), handed out six more assists (28-22) and had three more steals (9-6). The only thing Boston did better in was fast break points (14-4) but that is of little solace given the final result.

The Spurs led from start to finish as the Celtics looked like an old team (which they are) that was playing its second game in two nights. San Antonio was up 26-21 after one quarter and 52-49 at halftime. The Spurs left no doubt who the tougher team is at this moment with a strong third quarter (25-20) and fourth quarter (26-19).

Boston has one more chance to grab a win on this difficult three-game road trip when they meet Chicago (13-9) on Tuesday (8 p.m., CSN) at the United Center. The Celtics beat the Bulls 101-95 on November 12 at TD Garden and Chicago still doesn't have Rose back in the lineup but they are slowly improving.

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Now Is Hardly The Time To Worry About A Silly NBA Game

Normally, after a loss like tonight I would have plenty to complain about regarding the Celtics. However given what happened earlier today in Newtown, CT coupled with the personal tragedy in Rockets head coach Kevin McHale's life recently (his daughter died), everything else seems secondary at the moment and not important in the least bit.

Boston (12-10, 4-6 away) opened its tough three-game road trip (Houston, San Antonio and Chicago) with a 101-89 loss to Houston (11-11, 9-5 home) at the Toyota Center. The Celtics actually led 45-43 at halftime but the Rockets bombarded them in the third quarter (32-25) and fourth quarter (26-19) for the win in front of far from a sellout crowd.

James Harden had a game-high 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals while something named Greg Smith put up 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks off the bench for Houston. Chandler Parsons (15 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists) almost notched a triple-double and former Knick Toney Douglas scored 11 off the bench. Omer Asik (10 rebounds) and Carlos Delfino each scored nine points in the victory.

Nothing came easy for Boston which is what happens when you shoot a cool 40.0% as a team. Paul Pierce led the Celts with 18 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Rajon Rondo had 15 points, 13 assists, four steals and a season-high seven turnovers, Kevin Garnett added 14 points and five assists while Jason Terry scored 12 off the bench. Jeff Green (9 points, 7 rebounds) and Jared Sullinger (7 points, 6 rebounds) also had their moments as substitutes.

The C's had eight more steals (15-7) but the Rockets shot much better (48.7%) from the floor, with two more 3-pointers (10-8), four more free throws made (17-13), four more rebounds (45-41) and three more blocks (8-5).

Both teams had played on Wednesday but Boston went two overtimes with Dallas then had to travel to the Lonestar State while Houston chilled at home after beating Washington. That doesn't excuse the big discrepancy for fast break points (25-11) and points in the paint (40-32) that favored the Rockets. Their young legs looked fresh while Boston's old bodies didn't seem to have any energy once Houston took control in the second half.

Things only get harder from here as the Celtics go to face the Spurs (18-6, 1st Southwest Division) at the AT&T Center tomorrow night (8:30 p.m., CSN). San Antonio has lost two in a row-which is big news for them-so they'll be fired up or turned up as the kids say these days. This is the second of two meetings between the teams this season, the Spurs won 112-100 at TD Garden the night before Thanksgiving.

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Week 15: 49ers At Patriots Injury Report

The Patriots (10-3) host the 49ers (9-3-1) on Sunday night (8:20 p.m., NBC) at Gillette Stadium in what could be the regular season game of the year for 2012. Granted, we said the same thing about last Monday-New England vs. Houston-and we all know how that one turned out.

Rob Gronkowski returned to practice for the first time today since breaking his forearm on November 18 but don't get your hopes up: CSN's Tom E. Curran thinks that he'll sit out the rest of the regular season and who could argue with that? No need to rush him back when the Patriots' offense is still putting up crazy numbers without him.

Other than Gronk, there are 17 other Patriots that are listed as questionable. San Francisco only had wide receiver Mario Manningham declared doubtful. The three New England players to pay the most attention to are cornerbacks Aqib Talib (hip) and Alfonzo Dennard (hamstring) plus tackle Nate Solder (abdomen). Talib and Dennard left the Texans game with injuries while Solder was limited in practice today and popped up on the list.

Let's all pretend that Kyle Arrington (knee), Ron Brace (elbow), Patrick Chung (shoulder/hamstring), Dan Connolly (back), Aaron Hernandez (ankle), Dont'a Hightower (hamstring), Chandler Jones (ankle), Brandon Lloyd (knee), Kyle Love (not injury related), Logan Mankins (ankle/calf), Nick McDonald (shoulder), Brandon Spikes (knee/ankle), Sebastian Vollmer (back/knee), Wes Welker (ankle) and Tracy White (elbow) might not play. Yeah that's it.

This will be updated before kickoff on Sunday night as we find out who is missing out on this possible Super Bowl preview.

UPDATE 12/15: Manningham is out. The Patriots currently have 52 players on the active roster, meaning that they have one open spot and they will only need to make six guys inactive tomorrow night instead of seven. We'll have to see who they add in the next few weeks, it's hard to believe they would stay at 52 past this game.

In honor of the victims of the Newtown, CT tragedy, New England will wear black-ribbon logos on their helmets and light 26 white flares during a moment of silence before Sunday night's game. A nice touch that they might as well carry on for the rest of the season if you ask me.

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Red Sox Finally Add To Their Pitching Rotation: Sign Ryan Dempster To 2-Year Deal

At long last, the Red Sox have finally at least started to address their biggest need: their pitching rotation. After he supposedly turned down a two-year, $25 million deal last week with Boston, Ryan Dempster has reportedly agreed to a two-year, $26.5 million deal this afternoon with them.

He was apparently looking for a three-year deal so after turning down the Red Sox and Royals, the Canadian righthander circled back to Boston. You have to think that maybe winning had something to do with his final decision since the Royals offered him a two-year deal for $26 million and while they have improved thanks to the James Shields trade, Boston has more potential moving forward.

So what are the Red Sox getting in him? Basically, he is the perfect guy to slot into the number three spot in the rotation behind Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz. In his 15 years of MLB service, he has thrown over 200 innings seven times (including four years in a row). More than anything, that's what Boston needs: a pitcher that they know will take the ball every fifth day and not spend half the season on the disabled list (like Buchholz or Josh Beckett).

Dempster is getting up there in age, he'll turn 36 on May 3 so that is why they were probably hesitant to offer a third year. Plus he had two different trips to the DL last season with a strained quad and strained lat that cost him another 200-inning campaign. He got off to a real good start (5-5 with 2.25 ERA and 1.038 WHIP) last season for an awful Cubs team before getting traded to Texas at the trade deadline.

Predictably for a player that had spent his whole career in the inferior National League (no DH, facing pitchers), he struggled with the Rangers. He got shelled in his first two starts but then won five games in a row before regressing at the end when the games mattered the most and Texas ended up missing the playoffs. For 2012 between the Cubs and Rangers, he was 12-8 with a 3.38 ERA and 1.179 WHIP in 173 innings. He struck out 153 and only walked 52.

A two-time NL All-Star (2000 with Florida and 2008 with Chicago) that is 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, his numbers certainly won't blow you away and he's more control pitcher (he loves the slider and sinker) than a power pitcher. In his career, he's 124-124 with 4.33 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 11 complete games, three shutouts, 87 saves (he was Chicago's closer for three years), 1918 strikeouts and 998 walks.

The Red Sox will be his fifth and possibly final MLB home after time in Florida, Cincinnati, Chicago and Texas. He's known as a clubhouse leader and a mature guy that is along the same lines as Shane Victorino, Jonny Gomes, David Ross and Mike Napoli in that regard. You can see where Boston is going this offseason: they are trying to distance themselves from the overpaid, underachieving, injury-prone jackasses of the last few seasons. In their place, they want dependable guys that have been around a while and had success in MLB. Dempster hasn't been on many winning teams but that's not his fault. As he showed last season, it might take some time here but I wouldn't hesitate to count on him for a very respectable 2013 season.

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Celtics Beat Mavericks In The Worst Double Overtime Game In NBA History

Maybe it's because they blew a 14-point lead (68-54) from the third quarter or perhaps it doesn't feel so great since the Celtics squandered not one but two shots to win at the end of regulation and the first overtime. Still, I guess we should be thankful that Boston (12-9, 8-4 home) found a way to hold off Dallas (11-11, 4-8 away) 117-115 tonight at TD Garden in double overtime.

All you can say is that this was an exceedingly ugly game. How else do you describe 28 turnovers by the Mavericks or suffering through two overtimes officiated by Joey Crawford? Boston outscored Dallas 34-17 on points off turnovers.

Paul Pierce rescued the Celts with a game-high 34 points (1st Celtic with 30+ points this season), six rebounds and four steals. Rajon Rondo just missed another triple-double with 16 points, 15 assists, nine rebounds and three steals. Kevin Garnett had 16 points and five rebounds, Jason Terry scored 10 against his former team while Jeff Green (16 points, 5 rebounds) and Chris Wilcox (10 points, 6 rebounds) were great off the bench and honestly should have played more.

The Mavericks are still without the talents of superstar Dirk Nowitzki but O.J. Mayo (24 points, 6 rebounds) is turning into the All-Star nobody thought he would be. Remember when the Celtics could have flipped Ray Allen for him? Yeah, that could have worked. Shawn Marion (16 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists) wasn't that far off of a triple-double of his own, Dahntay Jones and Chris Kaman (5 rebounds) scored 12 while Derek Fisher added 10 points.

I think the average age of Dallas is 53 when you factor in Vince Carter (10 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists). Darren Collison (20 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) was spectacular off the bench so I have no clue why he doesn't start over that fossil Fisher, who still hits daggers left and right.

Boston could never shake Dallas, despite leading 27-25 after the first quarter, 48-43 at halftime and 76-70 heading into the fourth. The Celtics hit 12 more free throws (25-13) and made eight more steals (16-8). They needed all of that since the Mavericks shot way better (51.1%-43.0%), hit two more 3-pointers (8-6), grabbed eight more rebounds (50-42) and handed out three more assists (27-24) with two more blocks (7-5). Oh and Dallas had 20 more points in the paint (60-40).

At the end of regulation, Rondo isolated on Fisher but he got blocked, thinking he'd get fouled but he wasn't. Even worse, Pierce basically did the same thing at the end of the first overtime as Jones stuffed his feeble attempt.

The C's passed their first Texas test of the week but it will get harder this weekend as they travel to Houston (8 p.m., CSN) on Friday and San Antonio (8:30 p.m., CSN) on Saturday. The Rockets are 10-11 and fourth in the Southwest Division while the Spurs are 18-5 and first in the Southwest Division. Nobody expected much from Kevin McHale's Rockets but mostly thanks to James Harden and some emerging young guys, they are pretty competitive. As for San Antonio, they continue to defy age and play excellent team basketball while battling Oklahoma City for the top spot in the Western Conference.

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Happy Tom Brady Day From The NFL

It is only right that on Tom Brady Day (12/12/12), our lord and savior was honored by the NFL with yet another AFC Offensive Player of the Week award. It is the 23rd of his career which pushes him ahead of Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning.

In Monday night's beatdown of the Houston Texans, Brady was 21-of-35 for 296 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions plus that nifty six-yard run for a first down that featured him getting the crowd pumped up afterwards. His total quarterback rating was 95.6 with a passer rating of 125.4. Just like that performance showed that New England (10-3) is the team to beat in the AFC and maybe the NFL, Brady's MVP candidacy received a significant bump thanks to the Monday Night Football spotlight.

Brady and his team have another great chance to build their impressive resume on Sunday night (8:20 p.m., NBC) as they host the San Francisco 49ers (9-3-1), who are one of the top teams in the NFC and the NFL.

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