SCOREBOARD
Sunday, Jan. 15
New York Giants (10-7) at Green Bay (15-1), 4:30 p.m. EST. Aaron Rodgers and the defending Super Bowl champion Packers take on Eli Manning and the Giants. The teams played on Dec. 4, when the Packers won 38-35 on a last-second field goal.
STARS
Passing
-Alex Smith, 49ers, threw three touchdown passes, including the winning 14-yarder to Vernon Davis with 9 seconds left, and also ran for a score in San Francisco's 36-32 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
-Drew Brees, Saints, was 40 for 63 for 462 yards and four TDs in a losing cause as New Orleans fell 36-32 to San Francisco.
Rushing
-Frank Gore, 49ers, ran for 89 yards on 13 carries and added seven catches for 38 yards in San Francisco's 36-32 win over New Orleans.
-Willis McGahee, Broncos, had 76 yards rushing and a touchdown in Denver's 45-10 loss at New England.
-Aaron Hernandez, Patriots, led New England - despite being the team's tight end - with 61 yards rushing on five carries in a 45-10 win over Denver.
Receiving
-Rob Gronkowski, Patriots, had 10 catches for 145 yards and his three touchdown grabs tied an NFL single-game playoff mark in New England's 45-10 rout of Denver.
-Darren Sproles, Saints, caught 15 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown in New Orleans' 36-32 loss to San Francisco.
-Vernon Davis, 49ers, had seven receptions, including the winning 14-yard TD catch with 9 seconds left, for 180 yards - the most by a tight end in the playoffs - as San Francisco edged New Orleans 36-32.
-Jimmy Graham, Saints, had two touchdown catches, including a 66-yarder that gave New Orleans a brief lead with 1:37 left before San Francisco rallied for a 36-32 win.
Defense
-Dashon Goldson, 49ers, had 11 solo tackles and returned an interception 44 yards in San Francisco's 36-32 victory over New Orleans.
-Rob Ninkovich, Patriots, had five tackles and 1 1/2 sacks to help New England top Denver 45-10.
-Roman Harper, Saints, had 8 tackles, a forced fumble and 1 1/2 sacks in a losing effort as New Orleans fell to San Francisco 36-32.
Special Teams
-Tom Brady, Patriots, booted the second punt of his career 48 yards late in New England's 45-10 victory against Denver. The punt by the Patriots quarterback set off a shoving match between several players, including Denver rookie Von Miller and New England's Dan Connolly and Matt Light.
-David Akers, 49ers, kicked field goals of 25, 41 and 37 yards in San Francisco's 36-32 win over New Orleans.
SETTING MARKS
New England's Tom Brady threw six touchdown passes in a 45-10 win over Denver on Saturday to match the NFL playoff record set by Daryle Lamonica in 1969 and matched by Steve Young in the 1995 Super Bowl. Tight end Rob Gronkowski's three TD catches in the first half matched the NFL record for an entire playoff game. ... Brady moved into third place in career touchdown passes in the playoffs with 36, trailing Joe Montana (45) and Brett Favre (44).
SAFE AT HOME
With New England's 45-10 rout of Denver and San Francisco's 36-32 win over New Orleans on Saturday, home teams improved to 6-0 in the playoffs.
STORMING BACK
San Francisco became the first team in NFL history to score two lead-changing touchdowns in the final 3 minutes to win a playoff game, according to STATS LLC. The 49ers topped New Orleans 36-32 on Saturday.
STUFFED
Denver's Tim Tebow struggled against New England in a 45-10 loss Saturday night, a week after leading the Broncos to an overtime win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tebow was sacked five times and finished 9 for 26 for 136 yards. He had only three completions in the first half, compared to Tom Brady's five touchdown passes in the opening 30 minutes.
STATS
San Francisco's 36-32 win over New Orleans on Saturday was its first playoff victory in nine years. The 49ers pulled off another last-second win. They came from behind for five victories during the regular season, four on the road. ... The Saints are still searching for the first postseason road victory in franchise history after falling to 0-5. ... Drew Brees finished the regular season and playoffs with 6,404 yards passing, surpassing Dan Marino's 6,085 on the way to the Super Bowl for Miami in the 1984 season.
STREAKS
New England, which has won nine straight games, snapped a three-game postseason skid with a 45-10 win over Denver on Saturday night. ... Drew Brees threw two first-half interceptions in New Orleans' 36-32 loss at San Francisco on Saturday, and had his NFL-record streak of 226 postseason passes without an interception snapped on Dashon Goldson's pick in the opening quarter. Brees' streak dated to the NFC championship game against Chicago five years ago.
SPEAKING
"He's been around the block a few times. He knows how to win games. If you're not ready to punch him in the mouth he's going to eat you up all night." - Denver's Champ Bailey on New England's Tom Brady, who tied a postseason record with six touchdown tosses in the Patriots' 45-10 rout of the Broncos on Saturday night.
"This is huge for us. It's history, legendary, anything you can describe." - San Francisco's Vernon Davis after catching the winning TD pass with 9 seconds left to lead the 49ers past the New Orleans Saints 36-32.
