Bo Nix breaks his right ankle late in Broncos' playoff win, will have surgery
DENVER (AP) — Bo Nix broke his right ankle late in overtime of the Denver Broncos’ divisional-round victory over Buffalo on Saturday and will have surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the playoffs. Coach Sean Payton delivered the stunning news about his second-year quarterback in the aftermath of Denver’s biggest win in a decade. Backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham will start the AFC championship game next weekend. Payton said Nix got hurt on a keeper where he lost 2 yards and was tackled by safety Cole Bishop. Nix was limping after the play, but there was no indication that he suffered such a serious injury.
Broncos reach AFC title game after 33-30 win over Bills, but lose Nix for season with ankle injury
DENVER (AP) — The Denver Broncos wrangled their biggest win in a decade from Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills but suffered an enormous loss in the process. About an hour after second-year quarterback Bo Nix led the Broncos to a 33-30 win on Wil Lutz’s 23-yard field goal in overtime, Denver coach Sean Payton returned to the postgame lectern to deliver the stunning news. He said Nix broke his right ankle a few plays before Lutz’s kick sent the top-seeded Broncos to the AFC championship game against either New England or Houston. Nix will have season-ending surgery Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama.
Seahawks dominate 49ers from opening kick, advance to NFC title game with 41-6 win
SEATTLE (AP) — Rashid Shaheed returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, Kenneth Walker III rushed for three scores and the Seattle Seahawks advanced to the NFC championship game with a dominant 41-6 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Sam Darnold threw a touchdown pass and got his first career playoff win in his first season with the Seahawks, who will host either Chicago or the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday with a trip to the Super Bowl at stake. The Seahawks led 7-0 13 seconds into the game thanks to Shaheed, who fielded the opening kick and took it 95 yards to the end zone.
Josh Allen wipes away tears and takes the blame after his 4 turnovers lead to another playoff loss
DENVER (AP) — Josh Allen stood at a microphone and wiped away tears after his latest heartbreaking playoff loss. This might have been the best chance for Allen and the Bills to get to the Super Bowl. He’s heard that, too, and after he committed four of Buffalo’s five turnovers in a 33-30 loss to Denver in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs, he had to answer questions about coming up short yet again. The Bills, who beat Jacksonville in the wild-card round, became the first NFL team to win a playoff game in six straight seasons without capturing a Super Bowl.
Kevin Stefanski hired as Falcons coach after being let go by Browns
ATLANTA (AP) — Kevin Stefanski has been hired as coach of the Atlanta Falcons. He gets a second a second chance to lead an NFL team less than two weeks after he was fired by the Cleveland Browns. Stefanski spent six seasons with Cleveland, where he twice was named AP Coach of the Year and had a 45-56 record. He was fired on Jan. 5 after the Browns finished a 5-12 season. Atlanta announced his hiring on Saturday night. Stefanski replaces Raheem Morris, who was fired alongside general manager Terry Fontenot after an 8-9 campaign in his second season leading the franchise. He will report to newly appointed team president Matt Ryan.
New York Giants hire John Harbaugh as coach after identifying him as their top choice
The New York Giants have hired John Harbaugh as coach. Harbaugh joins the Giants 11 days after he was fired by the Baltimore Ravens. He is a Super Bowl champion who guided Baltimore to the playoffs in 12 of his 18 seasons there. He and the Ravens won it all a year after the Giants' most recent championship in the 2011 season. Harbaugh is now tasked with turning around a beleaguered franchise that has just two playoff appearances over the past decade. He gives New York a proven winner after seven coaches since Tom Coughlin failed to get past the divisional round.
Packers and coach Matt LaFleur agree to contract extension, AP source says
A person familiar with the situation says Matt LaFleur has agreed to terms on a contract extension to remain the Green Bay Packers’ coach a week after their season ended with a wild-card playoff loss to the Chicago Bears. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity becasue the deal hasn’t been announced. ESPN and NFL Network first reported the deal. LaFleur had one year remaining on his contract once the Packers’ season ended. New Packers president/CEO Ed Policy had said last summer he'd prefer not to have a coach enter the final year of his contract without an extension.
Zverev overcomes sluggish start to win Australian Open first-round match
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Alexander Zverev has powered through his first-round match at the Australian Open, overcoming a slow start against Gabriel Diallo. Zverev, last year's runner-up, wins 6-7 (7), 6-1, 6-4, 6-2, marking his 10th consecutive second-round appearance at Melbourne Park. Jasmine Paolini also advanced, defeating Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1, 6-2. Elina Svitolina and Maria Sakkari also advanced on Day 1. The No. 1 seeds for men and women headline Sunday’s night session with Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz getting into action. Venus Williams, at 45, is set to compete, making her the oldest singles player in the tournament. She faces Olga Danilović in the evening session.
Davis Riley takes 2-shot lead in PGA Tour opener at wind-swept Waialae
HONOLULU (AP) — Davis Riley birdied four of the last seven holes Saturday at wind-swept Waialae Country Club for a 3-under 67 and a two-stroke lead with a round left in the PGA Tour’s season-opening Sony Open. Riley was at 12-under 198 on the oceanside course, with Harry Hall (66), Chris Gotterup (68) and Kevin Roy (69) tied for second. Riley rebounded from a bogey on the par-3 11th with a birdie on the par-4 12th. He hit a wedge inside 2 feet on the par-4 14th and made a 15-footer on the par-4 15th. On the par-5 18th, he ran his 60-footer 7 1/2 feet past and made the comebacker. The 29-year-old Riley is ranked 101st in the world.
Wembanyama helps Spurs fend off season-high 55 points from Edwards as Spurs top Timberwolves
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 39 points and nine rebounds, corralling a critical offensive rebound in the final seconds, enabling the San Antonio Spurs to fend off Anthony Edwards’ season-high 55 points and beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-123 on Saturday night. De’Aaron Fox added 25 points and 12 assists as San Antonio avoided a season sweep of its three-game set against Minnesota. Keldon Johnson added 20 points for the Spurs. Edwards had 26 points in the fourth quarter, going 5 for 7 on 3-pointers and nearly completed a repeat of Minnesota’s last game against San Antonio.
