SPORTS HEADLINES

Jayden Daniels leads Commanders to first playoff win in nearly 7,000 days, 23-20 over the Buccaneers

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jayden Daniels ran for a critical first down to set up Zane Gonzalez’s 37-yard field goal that clanged off the right upright and went through as time expired, and the Washington Commanders beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 in an NFC wild-card game Sunday night for the franchise’s first playoff win in 6,945 days.

Daniels, playing with a bandage beneath his right eye after his face was bloodied, became the third rookie quarterback in three years to win a playoff game.

The Commanders (13-5) will face the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions (15-2) in the divisional round.

Hurts tosses 2 TD passes and Goedert throws 3 stiff-arms to lead Eagles past Packers 22-10

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts threw two touchdown passes in his first game since a late-season concussion, Dallas Goedert threw three stiff-arms on a rugged touchdown catch and the Philadelphia Eagles rode their NFL-best defense to a 22-10 wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers. Hurts threw for a modest 131 yards but played with no hesitation as he came back from a three-week layoff after a concussion in December. The NFC East champions who will host a division game next week at the Linc.

Josh Allen leads balanced offense as Bills dominate Broncos for 31-7 wild-card win

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes, James Cook scored on a 5-yard run and finished with 120 yards rushing, and the Buffalo Bills leaned on a balanced offensive attack in a 31-7 win over the Denver Broncos in a wild-card playoff game. The Bills methodically wore down the Broncos by scoring on six of their first seven drives in building a 31-7 lead in an outing where they finished with a 23-minute edge in time of possession. The five-time AFC East defending champion Bills advanced to the divisional round for a fifth straight postseason, and will face the third-seeded Baltimore Ravens next weekend. The seventh-seeded Broncos were outclassed in their first playoff appearance since their Super Bowl-winning season in 2015.

Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen will face off for a berth in the AFC championship game

Lamar Jackson vs. Josh Allen won’t decide the NFL MVP next week. The stakes are higher with a spot in the AFC championship game on the line. Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens (13-5) will visit Allen and the Buffalo Bills (14-4) in the divisional round while Patrick Mahomes and the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs (15-2) will host C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans (11-7). The winners face off on Jan. 26 for a berth in the Super Bowl. The Bills advanced with a 31-7 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday after the Ravens moved on with a 28-14 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night.

New England hires former Patriots Super Bowl champ Mike Vrabel as coach

The New England Patriots have hired Mike Vrabel as their head coach. The move comes after Patriots owner Robert Kraft fired Jerod Mayo after the team’s season finale victory over the Buffalo Bills to finish 4-13 in his lone season as coach. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, former Houston Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson also interviewed for the job. But Vrabel, a fan favorite during eight seasons as a player in New England where he was a member of its first three Super Bowl winners and an inductee into the team’s hall of fame in 2023, was the preferred candidate.

Irish OL Anthonie Knapp won’t play in CFP championship game; Buckeyes CB Denzel Burke good to go

Notre Dame’s Anthonie Knapp has been ruled out of the College Football Playoff championship game against Ohio State with an ankle injury. Coach Marcus Freeman said Sunday that Rocco Spindler is on track to play. The Buckeyes’ Denzel Burke will be available after dealing with what coach Ryan Day called an upper extrimity issue. Knapp and Spindler were hurt in the second quarter of the Irish’s semifinal win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl. Burke missed the second half of the Cotton Bowl against Texas.

Nick Taylor wins another playoff with clutch play on the 18th in the Sony Open

HONOLULU (AP) — Nick Taylor is the winner of the Sony Open and he’s not even sure how it happened. The Canadian was never in the mix until chipping in for eagle on the 18th hole for a 65 that got him into a playoff with Nico Echavarria. On the second extra hole, Taylor hit a marvelous pitch from 46 yards to 3 feet for birdie. Echavarria three-putted from 40 feet. Taylor now has won his last three PGA Tour events in a playoff. Stephan Jaeger and J.J. Spaun led most of the day until making critical mistakes that left them one back.

Pacers end NBA-leading Cavaliers’ winning streak at 12 with 108-93 victory

CLEVELAND (AP) — Andrew Nembhard scored 19 points, Pascal Siakam had 18 points and nine rebounds and the Indiana Pacers ended NBA-leading Cleveland’s winning streak at 12 games, beating the Cavaliers 108-93 on Sunday night. The teams will complete the home-and-home set Tuesday night in Indianapolis. Myles Turner added 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Jarace Walker had eight points and 12 rebounds off the bench to help Indiana win its sixth straight. The Pacers held the Cavaliers to a season low in points and outscored them 68-40 in the second half. Cleveland lost for the first time since Dec. 8 at Miami. It is 33-5 overall and 20-2 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Darius Garland had 20 points and seven assists for the Cavaliers.

Clippers, Lakers to resume their wildfire-delayed schedules on Monday

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — NBA games are scheduled to return to wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles on Monday night, with the Clippers planning to resume their schedule when they play host to the Miami Heat and the Lakers set to host Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. The Clippers said at practice Sunday that the NBA had given the go-ahead for the game at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, south of the sprawling Palisades fire. The Spurs were told that, barring changes, they will play the Lakers on Monday as well at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.

Lauren Macuga wins a World Cup super-G race with Lindsey Vonn 4th on stellar day for US ski team

ST. ANTON, Austria (AP) — On a stellar day for the United States ski team, Lauren Macuga got her first World Cup win in a super-G and Lindsey Vonn impressed again in fourth place at St. Anton, Austria. Macuga’s victory was no surprise to ski watchers who saw the 22-year-old American’s fast-improving results. Still, she was skiing with a question mark image on her helmet where a sponsor’s brand could be. Macuga was almost flawless to win by a huge 0.68 seconds margin ahead of Stephanie Venier of Austria. Federica Brignone was 0.92 back in third. Vonn was 1.24 back yet fastest on the steep middle section.

Tottenham avoids massive FA Cup shock with extra-time win as Man United beats Arsenal on penalties

Tottenham has endured the humiliation of being taken to extra time by Tamworth, an opponent nearly 100 places lower in English soccer’s pyramid, before winning 3-0 and avoiding one of the biggest shocks in FA Cup history. Four days ago Spurs beat Premier League leader Liverpool 1-0 in the English League Cup semifinals but their team of established internationals toiled against a group of part-time players whose main jobs included bricklaying, selling zippers and being a financial advisor. Defending champion Manchester United also advanced from the third round by beating Arsenal 5-3 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw. In the fourth round United will host Leicester, which is managed by former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.