KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs activated wide receiver Mecole Hardman from injured reserve on Wednesday, less than an hour before the deadline to decide whether to place him on the active roster or end his season, though it’s unclear whether he will play this weekend in Las Vegas. The Chiefs, who at 13-3 are a half-game ahead of Buffalo for the best record in the AFC, play the Raiders on Saturday night in their regular-season finale. Hardman has not played since Week 9 because of an abdominal injury. He was designated to return on Dec. 14, opening a three-week window in which he could practice.
The NFL is still considering various options following the suspension of the Bills-Bengals game, including possibly eliminating the bye week before the Super Bowl. The Bills-Patriots game set for Sunday and the rest of the Week 18 games remain on schedule. The pivotal Bills-Bengals game was suspended Monday night after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest while making a tackle in the first quarter. A marketing representative for his family says Hamlin’s recovery is moving in “a positive direction” two days after the 24-year-old player had to be resuscitated on the field. NFL executive Jeff Miller said there has been no decision on whether to resume the Bills-Bengals game at a later date. A decision will be made in the coming days.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — NFL players and coaches are rallying to support Damar Hamlin, two days after the Buffalo Bills safety's heart stopped and he needed to be resuscitated during a game at Cincinnati. Colts safety Rodney Thomas made the two-hour drive from Indianapolis to Cincinnati to provide his sedated friend words of encouragement. Vikings defensive tackle and former Bills teammate Harrison Phillips arranged to have dinner delivered to the hospital. Hamlin's marketing representative Jordan Rooney told The Associated Press the player's recovery is moving in “a positive direction.” The Bills say Hamlin is still in critical condition but has shown signs of improvement.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — TCU hopped around quite a bit before landing in the Big 12. The Horned Frogs won or shared titles in three different leagues over 16 seasons after the old Southwest Conference disbanded in the mid-1990s. They played from the East Coast to Hawaii, with stops in the Western Athletic Conference, Conference USA and the Mountain West before joining the Big 12 in 2012. The Frogs play undefeated defending champion Georgia in the national title game Monday night.
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s proud defense has allowed a combined 71 points in its two postseason games, including its 42-41 last-minute win over Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinal. That’s a humbling and somewhat shocking development. The Bulldogs led the nation in scoring defense while winning last season's national championship and were ranked second entering this postseason. Georgia is looking for improvement against high-scoring TCU in Monday night's national title game.
UNDATED (AP) — With the 12-team College Football Playoff expansion approved for 2024, teams that make it to the national championship game will be facing even longer seasons. Georgia and TCU also played in their respective conference championship, so both will be in their 15th game Monday night. When expansion comes, the two teams who make the final game will play 16 or 17 games. Georgia coach Kirby Smart says he worries less about playing more games than having the long layoff after the Southeastern Conference championship game.
WACO, Texas (AP) — Chuck O’Bannon made a jumper with 4 seconds left and No. 17 TCU rallied to beat No. 19 Baylor 88-87. The Horned Frogs extended their win streak to 11 games. The 13-1 Frogs got the ball back after a missed 3-pointer by Baylor’s Jaylen Bridges that went out of bounds with 10 seconds left. Mike Miles Jr., who scored a career-high 33 points for TCU, had the ball but passed to O’Bannon in the left corner. TCU had trailed by as many 17 points before halftime. Freshman Keyonte George had a season-high 27 points for Baylor, but missed on a contested drive at the end.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Caleb Grill scored 20 points to help No. 25 Iowa State beat Oklahoma 63-60. Osun Osunniyi added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Cyclones. Jalen Hill scored 16 and Tanner Groves had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Sooners. Oklahoma was coming off a 70-69 home loss to No. 6 Texas. Oklahoma’s Grant Sherfield, who was fourth in the Big 12 at 18.3 points per game, finished with four on 1-for-7 shooting.
WEDNESDAY SCORES
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final Providence 73 (4)UConn 61
Final Georgia Tech 76 (12)Miami 70
Final (13)Arkansas 74 (20)Missouri 68
Final NC State 84 (16)Duke 60
Final (17)TCU 88 (19)Baylor 87
Final Georgia 76 (22)Auburn 64
Final (23)Coll. of Charleston 92 NC A&T 79
Final (25)Iowa St. 63 Oklahoma 60
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Memphis 131 Charlotte 107
Final Cleveland 90 Phoenix 88
Final Orlando 126 Oklahoma City 115
Final OT Philadelphia 129 Indiana 126
Final New York 117 San Antonio 114
Final New Orleans 119 Houston 108
Final Chicago 121 Brooklyn 112
Final OT Milwaukee 104 Toronto 101
Final Minnesota 113 Portland 106
Final Detroit 122 Golden State 119
Final Atlanta 120 Sacramento 117
Final L.A. Lakers 112 Miami 109
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final New Jersey 5 Detroit 1
Final Minnesota 5 Tampa Bay 1
Final Anaheim 2 Dallas 0