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.
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.
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.
The Hoosiers' dominant CFP run could put them in the mix for best of all time... pending a title
ATLANTA (AP) — Undefeated Indiana did more than just justify its place as the top seed in the College Football Playoff with its lopsided 56-22 rout of Oregon in the Peach Bowl semifinal. The Hoosiers also made a statement about their bid to be considered as one of the top teams in college football history. Indiana was led by Fernando Mendoza’s five touchdown passes in Friday night’s overwhelming win. The balance shown by the Hoosiers, with championship-level play on offense, defense and special teams, was just as impressive. Indiana will try to complete its undefeated run in the national championship game against Miami.
6th-tier Macclesfield upsets FA Cup holder Crystal Palace in huge shock. Man City scores 10
The FA Cup has delivered another fairytale result after sixth-tier Macclesfield knocked out titleholder Crystal Palace 2-1 in one of the competition’s greatest upsets. Some 117 places separated the teams in the English soccer pyramid and Macclesfield is managed by Wayne Rooney’s younger brother, John. At the other extreme, Manchester City overwhelmed third-tier Exeter 10-1 in a match featuring a goal on debut by $87 million signing Antoine Semenyo. Semenyo’s former club, Bournemouth, lost at Newcastle 7-6 on penalties following a 3-3 draw. In another all-Premier League contest, Aston Villa beat Tottenham 2-1. Chelsea marked new coach Liam Rosenior's first match in charge by beating second-tier Charlton 5-1.
Wisconsin beats No. 2 Michigan 91-88 to give Wolverines their 1st loss of the season
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — John Blackwell had 26 points, Nick Boyd scored 22 and Aleksas Bieliauskas set a career high with 17 points to lead Wisconsin to a 91-88 win over previously unbeaten, second-ranked Michigan on Saturday. The Badgers beat their highest-ranked regular-season opponent since a win over No. 2 Michigan in 2019. They beat the AP poll’s No. 2 team on the opponent's court for the second time since winning at Maryland on Feb. 13, 2016. The Wolverines led by as much as 14 in the first half and lost because they gave up 54 points in the second half.
