patriots with the lead that they had. but patriot fans after back-to-back losses. just so atypical how they were losing those games. 14 point leads. to see the mistakes they were making. another one tonight in peshl teams as well. the old special teams coach himself bill belichick will go back to work on that. >> al: 13 times in the last 15 years they clinch a spot on that, but not the division crown yet. but if the giants beat miami tomorrow, not that they have a chance. but a situation vis-a-vis the jets so they'd clinch with a new york win or obviously with a win in any of the last three games where a jets loss. and brady will kneel down here. that will take us all the way to the wire. so brady 22 of 30 for 225 and a

pair of touchdowns. the guys who worked together for five years with a brief hug. and the new england patriots will go to 11-2 and would regain that number one seed at least for the moment in the american football conference. game officially over in four seconds. 27-6 the final. volkswagen post game report coming up next.

welcome to volkswagen passat post game report. >> and welcome back to houston where the final score tonight patriots 27, texans 6. and where, after toughing it out for most of the night, bob landed on the injury list. his voice listed day to day. liam mchugh to take you the rest of the way. the patriots clinch their seventh straight playoff berth with a victory over the texans. this week's game balls go to rob gronkowski. 86 yards and a touchdown. and jabaal sheard, two sacks and to forced fumble. both spoke with michele tafoya. >> you were injured two weeks ago, that knee. so this is your first action back.

a touchdown, a big 45-yard catch early in the game. what were you expecting of yourself tonight? >> i was expecting whatever the coaches called. that type of game plan like that. i knew i wasn't going to go all game. we did a great job executing as offense. the coach is making great plays out there. and the offense is coming together. but i give credit to our defense. our defense held them, what, six points was it? unbelievable job they did. holding those good receivers they got and just containing the quarterback, too. overall a great team win. >> how is the knee feeling after tonight? >> what's that? >> how is the knee feeling after tonight? >> it's feeling good. i rehabbed superhard to get myself out here and be with my teammates. when you're not with them, you miss them out on the field. and great to be back with them. i love these guys. and everyone works hard. >> ending a two-game win streak, what was that team's mind-set? >> just come out here and play football. play some physical football.

come out here mentally and physically prepared. we stauck together as a unit an get to get a win on the w side. >> let's turn to jabaal sheard. this team had six sacks tonight. why were you able to be so successful in your pass rush? >> everybody just did a good job of staying in their lanes, executing, the secondary played great tonight and gave us time to get there. >> again, stopping the losing streak, that was a big thing for this team, wasn't it? >> no question, no question. it feels good to win again and bounce back. and get that nasty taste out of your mouth. >> the one taste that might still be in your mouth, however, is the one that comes with a lot of players injured, which you had a lot of guys go down tonight. how are you able to fight through that? >> you know, just fight through it. guys got to step up and make plays. happy to have rob back, happy to getting guys back this week. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> send it to you, liam. >> let's take a look at the afc

playoff picture. a week ago the sky was falling in new england after a second straight loss. but now the patriots are back on top. cincinnati and denver both lost today and are both now relying on backup quarterbacks. as for the wildcard race, three teams at 8-5. pittsburgh on the outside looking in right now. but if the steelers, chiefs and jets were all to win out, it would actually be kansas city and pittsburgh who would own the tiebreakers for the two wild card positions. let's bring in tony dungy. how do you see this playing out now in the afc? >> well, really liam, a couple of big games next week. and i like where pittsburgh and kansas city are. pittsburgh's playing great offense. kansas city playing great defense. but pittsburgh hosting denver next week is going to be a huge game. and we'll have to see what the denver quarterback situation is all about. they're going to need to score more points going into pittsburgh than they got today. and that other drama is the afc

south. this houston team going to indianapolis. it's probably going to be winner take all. and again, both offenses struggling. the colts really need to get andrew luck back. that's what it looks like in indianapolis. >> all right, coach. let's bring things over to the nfc. carolina shut out the falcons. the packers ran all over dallas and are now a game up on the vikings in the north. but tony, with philly and washington stayed tied atop the nfc east and the giants with a potential win tomorrow, how do you see things shaking out in that division? >> that's where all the drama is in the nfc. i think it will come down to the last game of the year, philadelphia going to the giants. the winner of that game will win the division. and you have to like the giants playing at home with eli manning at quarterback. but the real situation there to me is seattle now in that five spot with their win today. and you have to think, if they

can remain there, whoever wins the nfc, seattle will be favored and could be setting themselves up for a nice little run. seattle's playing great football. >> coach, thanks so much. turning now to mike florio of pro football talk. the whole afc playoff race would be greatly impacted by andy dalton's injury. what's the latest you hear on how long he may be out? >> what we know is there's a fracture in the thumb. we know he won't play next week at san francisco. coach martin lewis said so after today's loss to pittsburgh. we'll know much more on monday, that's the day that dalton will meet with the specialist and there will be clarity as to how much time he'll be expected to miss. until then, until he's able to return, it will be a.j. mccarron at quarterback for the broncos -- no, for the cincinnati bengals. i got ahead of myself. broncos still have osweiler at quarterback. peyton manning could return to practice after today's loss to the raiders, coach gary kubiak said that manning could come back to practice.

he'll know more monday or tuesday. there's been no starter named for next weekend's game at pittsburgh. >> so a big week for both denver and cincinnati. mike, thanks so much. as for the situation here, final score, patriots 27, texans 6. al and cris are back to wrap things up right after this. ? maybe just head back to the dealership? don't you want to meet my family? yep, totally. it's practically yours, but we still need your signature. the volkswagen sign then drive event. zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first months payment on a new jetta and other select models. ♪ for everyone this season ♪ find thousands of rollbacks, like a 55" 4k smart tv for just $798.

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♪ hooked it just a little bit ♪ (window breaks, car alarm sounds) ♪ don't open that cellar door ♪ ♪ epic comeback starts right here ♪ lucky shot. ♪ mmm mmm mmm mm mmm mm mmmmm welcome back to the volkswagen passat post game report. >> oh, he loses the football! dwight freeney knocked it loose. the arizona cardinals come off huge defensively. >> he's looking. he's going deep for aguilar who catches it at the 5. touchdown. first nfl touchdown for aguilar. >> highlights from thursday night and today, sunday's game in philadelphia.

we've got arizona against philadelphia. cardinals red hot, 11 wins. here comes seattle. division not clinched yet. and philadelphia all of a sudden two wins in a row against two teams from the afc east tied right now with washington. the giants tomorrow night. pretty good scramble going down to the finish line. >> pretty good couple of weeks there for chip kelly to knock off these new england patriots. kind of a crazy game last week, then got lesean mccoy with all that going on. with what the arizona cardinals have on their schedule in front of them, they'd very much like to go get a win in philadelphia not to worry about green bay and seattle in the last two weeks. >> they've got a tough schedule and seattle's got a relatively easy one down the stretch. a lot to be determined three weeks to go. >> let's go. >> on to the city of brotherly love. we'll talk to from there, sunday night. cardinals against the eagles. here tonight it's new england.

they still have haven't lost three in a row since all the way back in 2002. a win tonight, go 11-2. final score 27-6. cris collinsworth along with michele tafoya, good night from houston, texas. nbc sports thanks you for watching this special presentation of the national football league. this is the best block of all. it's like candy cane lane. i know. oohhh. oh, holiday ferris wheel. i kind of love it. look at those reindeer. jeffrey, you're awfully quiet back there.

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i'm darcy spencer. a ceo detector on a medic's

first aid bag being credited with saving a family. today in chicago, the redskins did something they hadn't done in 410 days. i don't think he is qualified to be president. look at the way he has dealt with the senate where he goes in there like a -- frankly, like a little bit of a maniac. >> and the truth is over. donald trump goes after one of his top rivals as new polls show gop presidential race tightening. >> "news4 at 11":00 starts now. >> first tonight, the tiny tool that made a big difference in montgomery county. parents frantically called 911 after their child went unconscious. they just had no idea what was going on. news4's darcy spencer is live in rockville tonight. darcy, as we understand it, firefighters knew exactly what they were dealing with as soon as they walked through the house. >> reporter: they certainly did,

erika. we're live at station 21. this is the station that responded yesterday afternoon. the good news is everyone is doing just fine. and medics here in montgomery county began carrying these portable co detectors a year ago. oscar monzano, his wife and their nine children are lucky to be alive. the close calls started when they found their 6-year-old daughter on the floor of their rockville home, unconscious. >> we tried to check it, you know, what happened. we call her and she not wake up. >> reporter: they called 911. and when montgomery county medics arrived, their portable carbon dioxide detector began beeping, letting them know the house was filled with a the dangerous gas. medics have been carrying the devices on their first aid bags for about a year. >> it's extremely important. over the past year, we've had several alarms that have

activated while the passive monitors have been on our ems bags. >> reporter: manzano and two of his daughters were taken to the hospital. they're okay. even the couple's 1-month-old son is fine, thanks to the early warning and quick actions. >> this part is leaking. >> reporter: the co was traced to leaking pipes in the basement. expert says exposure to those levels over time can be deadly. >> now this occurred in the middle of the day. had they been exposed to this carbon monoxide at this level for an extended period of time, say overnight, it could have been tragic. >> reporter: it certainly could have been. again, montgomery county fire officials are telling everyone this is an important reminder to make sure you do have a working carbon monoxide detector in your home. and that's something this family is going to be doing right away. erika, back to you. >> thank you so much, darcy spencer. an inexpensive device that gives a lot of peace of mind. thanks very much. in other news, the redskins win their first road game of the season against the chicago

bears. jason pugh joins us from the newsroom with the fight for first place. >> reporter: erika, it's mid-december, and the redskins are on top of the nfc east division. they own the tiebreaker. if the play-offs started today, they would be in. the skins put their road issues behind them in chicago, earning gruden his second road victory in years. gruden hoping the team can stay atop the nfc east standings. the bears jumped out to a lead first quarter. a third and goal, kirk cousins fines his tight end jordan reed. that is a five-yard score. cousins threw for a touchdown and rushed for a touchdown in this game. later on the skins up a field goal late. robbie gould for chicago tried to tie the game in the fourth quarter. he misses that field goal. the skins would go on to run out the clock. they get their first road victory of the season. your final score, 24-21. now coming up later, we will hear from the winning redskins locker room later in sports.

from the newsroom, i'm jason pugh. and now your storm team 4 forecast. >> and it is balmy right now. temperatures in the 50s and even 60s across the area. currently 59 degrees in washington. so waking up tomorrow morning low to mid-50s. that's comfortable for this time of year. and highs tomorrow once again near record warmth. potentially even breaking some records tomorrow with heights around 70. 69 in washington. 67 for a high in gaithersburg. but we will be tracking not only plenty of clouds, but rain as well. i'm going to have the latest timing of rain hour by hour for tomorrow, erika, coming up in just over ten minutes. >> thanks, amelia. a third man from maryland has now died in that small plane crash in southwestern pennsylvania. the plane went down in the woods near the nemcolin woodlands resort. erik karlsson died.

he along with carlson and williams were employees of a firm. the company released a statement saying it is devastated by the loss. an ntsb investigator has taken a look at the wreckage and plans to talk to two witnesses who have come forward. we are less than two months away from the iowa caucuses. and as we get closer, there has been a big shift in the polls. ted cruz is gaining ground on trump nationally, and he is beating trump big in iowa. as kristen welker explains trump is now starting to take aim on his top rival. >> reporter: with ted cruz threatening to knock donald trump out of the top spot, the billionaire businessman again turned up the heat. >> i don't think he is qualified to be president. look at the way he has dealt with the senate where he goes in there like a -- frankly, like a little bit of a maniac. >> reporter: a new nbc news-wall street journal poll puts cruz within striking distance of the

front-runner. trump gets 27% of gop primary voters nationally while cruz nets 22%. an increase of 12 points for the texas senator while marco rubio comes in third at 15%. and in iowa, cruz now tops trump by 10 points. trump, who has resisted attacking cruz, his one-time supporter, is now letting loose. >> i'm more capable because i have a much better temperament. because i actually get along with people much better than he does. >> reporter: cruz stayed off the sunday circuit, merely tweeting thank you in response to the iowa polls. both provide a snapshot of how likely republican voters are reacting to trump's remarks last week. >> donald j. trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states. >> reporter: controversial comments he defended again today. >> we have a problem. i'm not looking to be politically correct. i'm doing this to do the right thing. >> reporter: the new poll is an indication of just how fluid the race.

potentially giving rivals an opening. >> well, the most important thing a president will be is commander in chief. and that requires having an understanding of the complex issues on foreign policy. i personally believe he continues to struggle to articulate that. >> reporter: and for dr. ben carson who once topped the polls, now dropping a whopping 18 points to fourth place. the characteristically low-key candidate tried to downplay the poll numbers. >> poll numbers go up and down. i wasn't excited when they're up so i'm not excited when they down. >> reporter: with just 50 days until the iowa caulk caucuses, it's still anyone's gain. >> we're seeing three candidates emerge, trump, cruz, and probably rubio. but i would expect a lot of movement between now and february 1. >> that was nbc's kristen welker reporting. it's been a historic weekend in saudi arabia. for the first time ever, women have been allowed to vote in local government elections, and the results reflect the impact of that.

17 women were elected to municipal seats saturday. this is also the first time women were allowed to run for office in this conservative islamic kingdom. it's a landmark step in a country where women are legally dependent on a male relative to approve many of their major life decisions. we're learning more about a deadly motorcycle accident in charles county. sheriff's deputies say john barnett was on his motorcycle when he ran into a car saturday on st. charles parkway near the smallwood shopping center. the car was making a left-hand turn into the shopping center. the driver of the car is going to be okay. annapolis yacht club officials will sit down with city leaders to try to find a temporary space for the club to operate. they're vowing to rebuild after saturday's devastating fire. the club's commodore says the yacht club is more than bricks and mortars, it's a community. maryland governor larry hogan is pledging his support along with the state's. >> it's a tragedy.

but the wonderful news this holiday season is that they were closed to get ready for the event last night. so the public wasn't in there. the members weren't there. and the staff got out. everybody was safe. we had one minor injury with a firefighter with smoke inhalation. but we're very lucky. fire did terrible damage to the facility that we didn't lose any lives. >> we still have no word on a cause. police say a double stabbing in silver spring was not random. two people stabbed a man and a woman early sunday morning on georgia avenue right near the d.c. line. police say the suspects knew the man. the victims were all taken to the hospital and are expected to be okay. some capitol hill residents hope money from a bake sale helps them learn more about recent crimes in their neighborhood. commission a commissioner raised the event sunday. she want tots know how macrimese

area have been prosecuted. the department of justice told her it would be $44 an hour to compile the information. thus the bake sale. so far she has received about $1200 from that bake sale and other donations. fires reported with some of the hottest selling gadgets across the country, including here in our region. up next, the step amazon may be taking to keep consumers safe. unseasonably mild temperatures causing destructive weather. why residents say these storms are so hard to handle. he was crawling on his knees and they kept on. why? >> friends and family of an armed suspect killed by los angeles county deputies say officers didn't have to shoot. but investigators say the video but investigators say the video shows a much different story.

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so wherever your retirement journey takes you, we can help you reach your goals. call us or your advisor t. rowe price. invest with confidence. new tonight, federal safety investigators are looking into a string of hoverboard fires like this one. it happened inside a mall in washington state last week. now hoverboard maker swagway says amazon is questioning the safety of hoverboards. swagway says amazon sent a notice to provide documentation that its boards meet safety standards. we reached out the amazon for comment. a consumer product safety commission told nbc news last week that they received at least ten reports of hoverboard fires. in gaithersburg last month, a hoverboard that was being charged caught fire. nobody was injured. a university of north texas police officer shot and killed a student armed with an ax.

witnesses called police saying a man with an ax was knocking out car windows. the man went on the 805 off campus but officers sometimes patrol that area. the responding officer says the student was still holding the ax and moved towards him. the school's president confirmed the suspect was in fact a student there. anger and calls for justice after a deadly deputy-involved shooting. l.a. county sheriff's departments killed an armed suspect. a bystander captured it on cell phone video, but you don't see the moments leading up to the shooting. a warning now. the video is disturbing. nbc's gadi schwartz has that story. [ bleep ]. >> reporter: tense moments in los angeles. as deputies open fire on a man with a gun. this cell phone video is extremely graphic. we've paused it here. but as the shooting continues, the man identified as 28-year-old nicholas robertson

falls and then tries to crawl away as deputies continue to fire 33 shots in less than 25 seconds. it's unclear how many of those bullets struck robertson. overnight -- >> put your guns down! >> reporter: protests over the shooting as friends and family of the father of three took to the streets in outrage. >> he crawling on his knees. he was crawling on his knees and they kept shooting. why? >> reporter: today los angeles county sheriff's department quick to tell their side of the story. providing pictures and video they say shows robertson with a 45 caliber handgun. >> you see the suspect entering the frame, weapon in hand. he was behaving erratically, oddly, and in a bizarre fashion. >> reporter: investigators say they received calls about shots being fired before they arrived. and when they pulled up, deputy says robertson ignored their commands and was walking toward a gas station. >> there are two women and three children in a car at a gas pump that is within five feet of him at the time. >> reporter: activists are calling for an independent

investigation and for the justice department to get involved. >> no justice, no peace! >> reporter: while law enforcement is hopeful that sharing more information may help calm potential unrest. gadi schwartz, nbc news, los angeles. closing arguments are expected monday in the case of the first baltimore police officer charged in freddie gray's death. officer william porter faces manslaughter charges. porter has testified he didn't see any injuries on gray when gray asked to go to the hospital. prosecutors say porter was negligent for failing to call a medic and for failing to buckle gray in the back of a police van. the forrest glen metro shut down for several hours sunday but it was only a drill. more than 100 emergency responders and volunteers took part. they tested two scenarios. in one case, a bus driver spots a suspicious package and had to evacuate the riders. and in a second scenario, an evacuation inside the station. metro's new general manager was there to watch the whole thing. metro transit police say the

drill was about communication, command, and control. >> so it's very important that we have the fire department here, local police. and we all do this together. so it's a learned exercise for all of us. and that's what we want to keep drilling this, keep drilling this, keep drilling this. >> this is the third emergency metro has held this year. new tonight, the spring-like temperatures are bringing spring-like problems to texas. near houston, tornadoes ripped roofs off of a trailer home. closer to dallas, high winds blew railcars off of a bridge, and officials declared a state of emergency at after storms damaged dozens of homes. people say the storms came with little warning and at the wrong time of the year. >> it's kind of unusual to have these tornadoes. this is just not the time of the year that we ramp up and prepare for this type of thing. >> two dozen states saw record temperatures this weekend. and that same system moving our way.

so we're going to be dealing with showers tomorrow. mainly during the afternoon and evening hours. so take the umbrella to work. the good news is you can still get out at lunchtime and enjoy the nice, mild temperatures. highs tomorrow once again around 70 degrees. all three major airports either set record high temperatures today or tied the record high. you can find out all that information on my facebook and twitter pages. your first weather headlines mild again tomorrow. showers mainly from 2:00 p.m. until midnight. not raining that entire time period. but that's the time period you could be dealing with rain. you can't rule out a rumble of thunder. but for the most part looking at light to moderate showers moving through the area. really no severe weather. temperatures will start to cool a little bit each day. and by the weekend, we're cold, finally feeling like december around here. now tomorrow the weather having a le to moderate impact on your day. because of those showers later in the day, that could slow your monday evening commute. otherwise enjoy the