SPORTS HEADLINES

Rams overwhelm Vikings 27-9 in wild-card playoff game moved to Arizona because of LA wildfires

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes and the Los Angeles Rams overwhelmed the Minnesota Vikings, sacking Sam Darnold an NFL playoff record-tying nine times to win 27-9 Monday night. The NFC wild-card game was moved out of Southern California because of devastating wildfires. Rookie Jared Verse returned a fumble for a 57-yard score for the Rams, who looked comfortable in their adopted home of State Farm Stadium from the first snap. LA drove for a touchdown on the opening drive and built a 10-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. The game was played in Glendale, Arizona, nearly 400 miles east of the Rams’ home stadium.

Sam Darnold’s career-best season ends with a thud as he takes 9 sacks in playoff loss

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Sam Darnold’s renaissance pushed Minnesota to one of the NFL’s best records, offering the hope of a deep playoff run. A disappointing night in the desert rammed Darnold and the Vikings right out of the postseason. Darnold was ineffective for most of of his first playoff start, losing two turnovers while being sacked nine times in the Vikings’ 27-9 loss the Los Angeles Rams. Steady for most of his turnaround season, Darnold finished 25 of 39 passing for 245 yards with a touchdown and an interception. One of the sacks caused a fumble that Jared Verse returned 57 yards for a touchdown.

Mike McCarthy won’t return as the Cowboys’ coach. Deion Sanders could be a candidate to replace him

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says Mike McCarthy will not return as the team’s coach. Jones said Monday that the organization and McCarthy mutually agreed to part ways. McCarthy’s contract expired following a 7-10 season. The Cowboys haven’t been past the NFC divisional round since their 1995 Super Bowl season. A person with knowledge of the conversation says Jones has spoken about the job with University of Colorado coach Deion Sanders, who played on the Cowboys’ last Super Bowl-winning team. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no formal interview has been arranged.

Lakers, Clippers return to their home courts after days of fire devastation across Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Lakers and the Clippers both went back to work Monday night in Los Angeles’ first two NBA games since catastrophic wildfires killed at least 24 people and destroyed significant sections of their hometown. The Lakers hosted the San Antonio Spurs in their downtown arena, while the Clippers hosted the Miami Heat in their brand-new Intuit Dome in Inglewood about 10 miles south of downtown. Lakers coach JJ Redick and his family lost their home in the Pacific Palisades in the fires Tuesday. He was grateful to get back on the court with his players.

Lakers lose to Spurs 126-102 in their 1st game back after wildfire postponements

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 23 points and eight rebounds, Harrison Barnes scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Lakers 126-102 in Los Angeles’ first game back from two postponements due to the wildfires devastating the area. Anthony Davis had 30 points and 13 rebounds, and LeBron James added 18 points and eight assists for the Lakers in their first home game since catastrophic wildfires killed at least 24 and burned thousands of structures. Devin Vassell and Stephon Castle scored 23 points apiece for San Antonio.

Lakers retire Michael Cooper’s No. 21 on an emotional night for the Hall of Fame guard from Pasadena

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Cooper spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers as a defense-minded guard who always focused on helping his Showtime teammates to be stars. When the Lakers raised Cooper’s No. 21 to the rafters on Monday night, Cooper relished his turn to be in the spotlight. The 17-time NBA champion Lakers honored Cooper in a halftime ceremony during their game against the San Antonio Spurs, unveiling his No. 21 jersey on the wall of honor at their downtown arena between Magic Johnson’s No. 32 and James Worthy’s No. 42.

Monfils outduels fellow Frenchman in an Australian Open 1st-round match for the ages

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The 38-year-old Gael Monfils has held off fellow Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in five sets to advance to the second round of the Australian Open. Much was made of the aging entertainer’s match against the up-and-coming 21-year-old with the booming serve and the bright future in tennis. Monfils wasted match points in the third set and again on Mpetshi Perricard’s serve in the fifth before finally clinching the win. Monfils warmed up for the year’s first major by winning a title in New Zealand last weekend. Earlier, No. 8 Emma Navarro needed 3 hours and 20 minutes to edge Peyton Stearns 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-5 in an all-American women’s first-round contest.

A.J. Brown’s sideline read skyrockets to No. 1 hottest seller on Amazon

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown could launch a book club of his own after a little sideline reading skyrocketed self-help author Jim Murphy overnight to the hottest seller on Amazon. The Eagles wide receiver passed on the playbook and checked out an inspirational title — Brown casually ignored the action in Philadelphia’s playoff game and flipped through the pages of Murphy’s book, “Inner Excellence.” The little-known book by the mental skills coach was listed No. 1 on Amazon’s best sellers list as of Monday morning. It jumped to the top spot after previously being ranked 523,497th. It had yet to crack the top 100 for sales in 2025, however.

Some Paris Olympic athletes ask for medals to be replaced after quickly deteriorating

Some of the medals from the Paris Olympics seem to be quickly losing their shine. The French mint tells The Associated Press that it is replacing a number of medals from the 2024 Paris Games and Paralympics after athletes complained that they have already deteriorated. The Monnaie de Paris declined to say how many medals have been returned, but French website La Lettre put the number at over 100. In total, the French mint produced 5,084 medals for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. Concerns about their quality emerged before the Games had even ended last summer when American skateboarder Nyjah Huston posted a video showing how quickly his bronze medal had deteriorated.

Texas man charged with stalking WNBA and Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark

A 55-year-old Texas man has been charged with felony stalking Indiana Fever star and WNBA rookie of the year Caitlin Clark. Marion County prosecutors wrote in a court filing Saturday that Michael Thomas Lewis is accused of repeated and continued harassment of the 22-year-old Clark. Authorities say Clark posted numerous messages — some sexually threatening — on Clark’s X account. Prosecutors wrote in the filing Clark felt terrorized, frightened, intimidated and threatened as a result. The FBI learned the X account belonged to Lewis and that the messages were sent from IP addresses at an Indianapolis hotel and downtown public library. Jail records show Lewis is due in court on Tuesday.