Tom Brady threw for two touchdowns and ran for another Sunday to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over New Orleans in the NFL playoffs, while defending Super Bowl champions Kansas City withstood Patrick Mahomes suffering a concussion to oust Cleveland.
Six-time Super Bowl champion Brady, and a defensive unit that forced four turnovers, sparked the visiting Bucs over the Drew Brees-led Saints while Mahomes threw for one touchdown and ran for another before exiting in the third quarter of the Chiefs' 22-17 triumph.
"The defense was the key to the game. It was huge," Brady said. "Our defense really balled out, got the turnovers we needed."
Both winners advanced to within one game of next month's Super Bowl in Tampa, the Buccaneers booking a date next Sunday at Green Bay in the NFC Championship game, while the Chiefs will host the Buffalo Bills in next Sunday's AFC Championship game.
In his first Bucs season after 20 years in New England, 43-year-old Brady beat 42-year-old Brees in a duel of the all-time NFL passing yardage leaders.
That earned a showdown with star quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, who lost 38-10 to Tampa Bay in October.
"It's great for our team. We worked hard to get to this point," Brady said. "We're going to be playing a great football team. Aaron Rodgers is playing incredible."
Mahomes, last year's Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, completed 21-of-30 passes for 255 yards but suffered a concussion when slammed to the turf by Browns linebacker Mack Wilson.
"When any of our teammates go down, we all step up for one another," Chiefs receiver Tyrann Mathieu said.
Mahomes must complete NFL concussion protocols before he can return to face the Bills, who lost to the Chiefs 26-17 in October.
"He's actually doing very well. He's feeling pretty good," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "He got hit in the back of the head and kind of knocked the wind out of him and everything else with it.
"He's doing great right now ... we'll see where it goes from here."
At New Orleans, Brady drove the Bucs 61 yards in 11 plays over 5:52 to set up Ryan Succop's 36-yard field goal and put Tampa Bay ahead 23-20 early in the fourth quarter.
Devin White, who already had a fumble recovery, intercepted Brees on the Saints' next series to set up Brady's 1-yard touchdown run with 4:57 remaining to produce the final margin.
Mike Edwards intercepted Brees for a fourth Bucs takeaway with 4:17 left and Tampa Bay ran out the clock.
Brady completed 18-of-33 passes for 199 yards while Brees, who led New Orleans to a 2010 Super Bowl victory, completed 19-of-34 for 134 yards in what could be his NFL farewell.
"He's an incredible player," Brady said.
Wil Lutz kicked field goals of 23 and 42 yards to put the Saints ahead, but the Bucs took a 10-6 lead on Succop's 26-yard field goal and a 3-yard touchdown pass by Brady to Mike Evans.
New Orleans answered with a trick play 56-yard touchdown pass from Jameis Winston to Tre'Quan Smith but Succop's 37-yard field goal ending the second quarter pulled Tampa Bay level at 13-13.
Smith caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Brees 5:17 into the third quarter for a 20-13 Saints lead.
White recovered a fumble by Jared Cook to set up Brady's 6-yard touchdown pass to Leonard Fournette -- his 77th career playoff TD toss -- to equalize at 20-20, setting up the final drama.
'HenneThingIsPossible'
At Kansas City, Baker Mayfield flipped a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jarvis Landry to lift Cleveland within 19-10 early in the third quarter.
On Kansas City's next possession, Mahomes was slammed down by Wilson and knocked out of the game.
"I pray you back next week," Wilson tweeted after the game. "Go be great like you have been." In reply, Mahommes tweeted: "All good brother!"
The Chiefs added a 33-yard Harrison Butker field goal but Cleveland marched 75 yards on 18 plays in 8:17 and pulled within the final margin on Kareem Hunt's 3-yard touchdown run.
After a Karl Joseph interception ended a Chiefs drive, Kansas City forced a Cleveland punt and the Chiefs ran out the clock, thanks to a 13-yard run by reserve quarterback Chad Henne and his 5-yard pass to Tyreek Hill for a fourth-down conversion.
"HenneThingIsPossible," Mahomes tweeted after the victory.
"I'm proud of Chad and the way he handled everything," Reid said.
Mahomes opened the scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run and threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce for a 13-3 Chiefs' lead. Butker field goals of 28 and 50 yards brought a 19-3 halftime lead.
"We hurt ourselves in the first half and they capitalised," Mayfield said. "We gave it our all. It's just unfortunate to come up short. It sucks."
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
RESULT
Brazil 2 Croatia 0
Brazil: Neymar (69'), Firmino (90' 3)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
Zayed Sustainability Prize
ASHES FIXTURES
1st Test: Brisbane, Nov 23-27
2nd Test: Adelaide, Dec 2-6
3rd Test: Perth, Dec 14-18
4th Test: Melbourne, Dec 26-30
5th Test: Sydney, Jan 4-8
Salah in numbers
€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of €39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.
13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.
57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.
7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.
3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.
40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.
30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.
8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Tank warfare
Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.
“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
