December 2004 in Sports - December 26, 2004

December 26, 2004

• NFL:
  • Reggie White, who was regarded as the dominant defensive lineman in the NFL in the 1990s as a player for the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers, dies of a heart attack at age 43. (Yahoo!)
  • Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts breaks Dan Marino's 20-year record for most touchdown passes in one season with 49. Brandon Stokley catches the record-breaking and game-tying touchdown with 56 seconds left in regulation, and Mike Vanderjagt kicks a 30-yard field goal in overtime. The Colts overcome a 15-point deficit to beat the San Diego Chargers 34–31 in Indianapolis. The Colts clinch the 3rd seed in the AFC, while the Chargers will be the 4th seed. (Yahoo!)
  • The Pittsburgh Steelers clinch home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a 20–7 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Pittsburgh. (Yahoo!)
  • The New England Patriots clinch the second seed in the AFC playoffs with a 23–7 win over the New York Jets in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Yahoo!)
  • The Seattle Seahawks guarantee themselves a playoff spot by beating the Arizona Cardinals 24–21 in Tempe, Arizona. (Yahoo!)
  • Houston Texans running back Domanick Davis runs for 150 yards and Antwan Peek returns a fumble for a touchdown in a 21–0 upset over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville. The loss severely limits the Jaguars' playoff hopes. (Yahoo!)
  • The Buffalo Bills crush the San Francisco 49ers 41–7 behind Willis McGahee's two touchdown runs in San Francisco. The Bills, who started the season 0–4, can clinch a playoff spot next week with a win and a loss by either the Jets or Broncos. (Yahoo!)
  • The presumed game-winning touchdown pass by the Chicago Bears' Chad Hutchinson to Bernard Berrian is ruled incomplete with 1:26 left in the 4th quarter, causing the Detroit Lions to win 19–13 in Detroit. (Yahoo!)
  • With the Atlanta Falcons, already locked into the second seed in the NFC playoffs, resting injured quarterback Michael Vick, the New Orleans Saints win 26–13 in New Orleans to push themselves into playoff contention. (Yahoo!)
  • Chad Johnson catches the game-winning touchdown with 44 seconds left as the Cincinnati Bengals defeat the New York Giants 23–22 in Cincinnati. (Yahoo!)
  • Jake Delhomme throws for four touchdowns as the Carolina Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 37–20 in Tampa. (Yahoo!)
  • Vinny Testaverde throws a 39-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Crayton with 30 seconds left, to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a 13–10 win over the Washington Redskins in Irving, Texas. (Yahoo!)
• Cricket:
  • New Zealand (144 for 3) beat Sri Lanka (141 all out) by 7 wickets in the first One Day International at Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand to lead the 5-match series 1–0. (Cricinfo)
  • Bangladesh (229 for 9) beat India (214 all out) by 15 runs in the second One Day International at Dhaka, Bangladesh to level the three match series 1–1. This is the first time Bangladesh have won a top-level international cricket game at home. (India Times)