SPORTS HEADLINES

Bears and Rams advance to divisional round with comeback wins to open NFL playoffs

Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears are heading to the NFC divisional round following another comeback victory. All-Pros Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua helped the Los Angeles Rams advance with a last-minute win. The NFL playoffs kicked off Saturday with two wacky, wild-card games. The Bears trailed the Green Bay Packers 21-3 at halftime and 27-16 with just under seven minutes left in the fourth quarter before Williams threw a pair of touchdown passes. His 25-yard TD toss to D.J. Moore put Chicago ahead 31-27 with 1:43 remaining.

Caleb Williams rallies Bears from 18 points down for 31-27 playoff win over rival Packers

CHICAGO (AP) — Caleb Williams came through in his playoff debut, throwing a go-ahead, 25-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore with 1:43 remaining, and the Chicago Bears rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat the rival Green Bay Packers 31-27 in a wild-card playoff game. The NFC North champion Bears extended their resurgent first season under coach Ben Johnson with their seventh fourth-quarter comeback victory. Chicago trailed 21-3 at halftime and 21-6 through three quarters, only to outscore Green Bay 25-6 in the fourth on the way to its first playoff win in 15 years.

Matt LaFleur and the Packers face uncertain future after blowing big lead in wild-card loss

CHICAGO (AP) — At the end of his seventh season as Green Bay’s coach, Matt LaFleur saw a team that lacked composure at big moments in a playoff game. Green Bay blew a 21-6 lead in the fourth quarter of a wild 31-27 loss to the Chicago Bears in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs on Saturday night. The collapse included two big misses for Brandon McManus on an extra point and a 44-yard field goal, to go along with a delay-of-game penalty coming out of a timeout and a fumbled snap on the final play of the game. LaFleur says he felt his team “got a little bit disheveled in the second half.”

Stafford’s late TD pass to Parkinson lifts the Rams past the Panthers 34-31 in tense playoff opener

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Matthew Stafford threw a 19-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds to lift the Los Angeles Rams to a dramatic 34-31 wild-card round win over the Carolina Panthers in the opening game of the NFL playoffs. Stafford finished 24 of 42 for 304 yards with three touchdown passes, while Puka Nacua had 10 receptions for 111 yards and two total touchdowns as the Rams, who were 10 1/2-point favorites, advanced to the divisional round. Bryce Young threw for 264 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score for Carolina, which finished the season losing four of its final five games.

All-Star 3B Alex Bregman agrees to a $175 million, 5-year contract with the Cubs, AP sources say

CHICAGO (AP) — All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman has agreed to a $175 million, five-year contract with the Chicago Cubs, according to two people familiar with the deal. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreement was pending a physical. ESPN was the first to report on the move. Bregman, who turns 32 in March, was back on the market for a second straight offseason. He was pursued by the Cubs before he signed a $120 million, three-year contract with Boston last February, with opt-outs after each of the first two seasons. He decided to test free agency again after hitting .273 with 18 homers and 62 RBIs in 114 games for the Red Sox.

Stafford gets first nod for AP All-Pro. Garrett, Nacua and Smith-Njigba are unanimous choices

Matthew Stafford beat out Drake Maye while Myles Garrett, Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba were unanimous choices for the 2025 Associated Press NFL All-Pro Team. Bijan Robinson is the first-team running back while Christian McCaffrey earned the All-Purpose spot. Ja’Marr Chase is the third wide receiver and tight end. Trey McBride got 49 of 50 first-place votes. Will Anderson Jr. and Micah Parsons joined Garrett at edge rusher. Jeffery Simmons and Zach Allen were selected as interior defensive linemen.

It’s Indiana and Miami in a college-football title matchup that once seemed impossible

It looked improbable two months ago. Two years ago — impossible. But against the odds, it is Miami and Indiana with a date in the College Football Playoff final — a first-of-its-kind matchup in the second national title game of the expanded-playoff era. The Hoosiers, the top-seeded favorite in the 12-team tournament, stomped Oregon 56-22 on Friday night to reach the final. The Hurricanes, seeded 10th and the last at-large team to make the field, beat Mississippi 31-27 the night before. The game will pit two of the nation’s top quarterbacks — Carson Beck of the Hurricanes against Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza of Indiana. Mendoza is a Miami native who grew up less than a mile from the ‘Canes campus.

Sabalenka wins Brisbane final amid frosty exchange with Kostyuk, Medvedev tops Nakashima

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka has won her second consecutive Brisbane International title with a straight-sets victory over Marta Kostyuk. On Sunday, Sabalenka secured the win in just 1 hour and 17 minutes at Pat Rafter Arena. Kostyuk initially challenged Sabalenka but struggled under the physical demands. The match ended with a frosty atmosphere, reflecting tensions between the players. Kostyuk spoke about Ukraine during the trophy ceremony, while Sabalenka congratulated her opponent and made a playful comment to her boyfriend. Later, Daniil Medvedev won his 22nd title after easing past Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 7-6 (1).

Ilia Malinin wins 4th consecutive U.S. Figure Skating title with dialed-back performance

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Ilia Malinin has won his fourth consecutive U.S. Figure Skating title, showcasing his flair despite a scaled-back routine. On Saturday, he scored 324.88 points, extending an unbeaten streak of over two years. Malinin opted for three quads instead of seven to play it safe ahead of the Milan Cortina Olympics. Andrew Torgashev finished second, and Maxim Naumov took bronze. Madison Chock and Evan Bates claimed their seventh U.S. title with a flamenco-style free dance. The U.S. Figure Skating team for the Olympics will be announced Sunday.

Lindsey Vonn’s World Cup race canceled because of snowfall, wind gusts in Austria

ALTENMARKT-ZAUCHENSEE, Austria (AP) — Lindsey Vonn has lost the chance for another World Cup race win on Sunday when a super-G was canceled because of the weather conditions. The 41-year-old United States star won a downhill on the same course Saturday at Altenmarkt-Zauchensee in Austria. Race organizers say “strong snowfall in the night and strong wind on the top” prevented Sunday’s race on safety grounds. The cancellation leaves just two women’s super-G races before the Milan Cortina Olympics open Feb. 6. They are at Tarvisio in Italy and Crans-Montana in Switzerland. Vonn has won two of the four downhills this season.