The loss of Rashard Mendenhall for the season hurt, but didn't cripple, the Pittsburgh Steelers' chances of going to the Super Bowl.2011 NFL PostseasonThe postseason is here. Check out our playoff pages and stay tuned to the NFL Nation blog for all your postseason coverage. Blog •  Playoff page: Cincinnati-Houston•  Playoff page: Pittsburgh-Denver•  Playoff page: Atlanta-N.Y. Giants•  Playoff page: Detroit-New Orleans•  Postseason schedule: Wild-card roundBut Roethlisberger isn't healthy. He's trying to gut out an injury that won't really heal until the offseason. As Sam Bradford learned while trying to come back from his high-ankle sprain twice, playing makes the injury worse, not better. [Read the full article]

New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz warms up before an NFL wild card football game against the Atlanta...Matt Ryan can't seem to figure out playoff football. Ryan again struggled in a postseason game, going 9 for 21 on throws of more than five yards downfield against the Giants.  [+]Ryan Passing 6-plus Yards DownfieldNFL CareerReg. SeasonPostseasonComp. pct.53.048.2*Yds/att8.75.8TD-INT diff.Plus-14Minus-3* - 9 of 21 for 116 yards SundayClose [X]Brandon Jacobs finished with 47 rush yards after contact and Ahmad Bradshaw finished with 43. The 90 combined yards after contact were most for the duo in a game all season. [Read the full article]

A fan who threw a banana at a black player during an NHL exhibition game has been fined $200.Christopher Moorhouse lobbed a banana at Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds as he was approaching Detroit Red Wings goalie Jordan Pearce during a shootout in the Sept. 22 game in London, Ontario.The 26-year-old Moorhouse pleaded guilty Monday but did not appear in court. Moorhouse was charged with a provincial trespassing and given 90 days to pay the fine. Police said there wasn't enough evidence to charge Moorhouse with a hate crime.Moorhouse's lawyer, Faisal Joseph, has said his client didn't know hurling bananas at black athletes could be seen as hateful. [Read the full article]

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama saluted Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks on Monday as NBA champions who staged a season-ending charge to beat LeBron James and the vaunted Miami Heat and claim their first title with a "heart that's the size of Texas.""This was a remarkable run, a great victory," Obama declared, as owner Mark Cuban and Mavericks stars, including series MVP Nowitzki, looked on. "It's too bad that next year, it'll be the Chicago Bulls here."The first basketball fan -- a passionate supporter of his hometown Bulls -- was nonetheless lavish in praising the Mavericks, who beat the Heat in six games last June.More on the MavericksNews, notes and analysis of the Mavericks from ESPNDallas.com's Jeff Caplan, Tim MacMahon and our team. Blog"They know how good teams win," Obama said. [Read the full article]