KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Harrison Butker was a career-best 6 for 6 on field-goal attempts, and Kansas City held the Bengals without a point over their final seven possessions in a 25-17 victory that clinched the Chiefs' eighth straight AFC West title. Patrick Mahomes had 245 yards passing and a touchdown for Kansas City, which also secured at least the No. 3 seed and one home playoff game. The Bengals had one last chance, and Jake Browning hit Tyler Boyd to convert a long fourth down and get into Kansas City territory in the closing minutes. But back-to-back sacks by George Karlaftis and Chris Jones ended their comeback hopes.
UNDATED (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys got another big victory without taking the field Sunday. The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers took care of business to make sure they get an extra week of rest. The NFL’s playoff picture is clearer with one week to go. Nine teams are in. Five spots remain open. Twenty clubs are still chasing the Super Bowl. Baltimore secured the AFC’s No. 1 seed with a 56-19 victory over Miami. Lamar Jackson threw five touchdown passes and had a perfect passer rating, helping the Ravens secure a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs while also boosting his MVP chances. The 49ers wrapped up the NFC’s No. 1 seed with victory at Washington and help from Arizona.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Panthers owner David Tepper threw the contents of a drink into the visiting crowd near the end of Carolina’s 26-0 loss at Jacksonville. Tepper’s reaction came after rookie Bryce Young threw an interception with less than 3 minutes to play. It was unclear whether Tepper was reacting to something said to him or the latest miscue for the team with the NFL’s worst record. General manager Scott Fitterer was standing near Tepper when he tossed the remnants of his drink while watching the game from a club suite. The Panthers dropped to 0-9 on the road and were shut out for the first time since losing to Atlanta in Week 12 in 2002.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score to put the Green Bay Packers in control of a spot in the playoffs with a 33-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Aaron Jones rushed for 120 yards and Jayden Reed had two touchdown catches as the Packers moved to 8-8. They can get the NFC’s last wild-card spot by beating Chicago at home next week. Green Bay moved above the cut when Seattle lost earlier in the day. The Vikings fell to 7-9. They benched Jaren Hall for Nick Mullens in another quarterback switch.
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh are among the few larger-than-life figures still standing in a sport long defined by its coaching giants. They’ll meet on opposite sidelines as coaches for only the second time when the Crimson Tide face the Wolverines in a tantalizing Rose Bowl pitting the two winningest schools in major college football against each other. In no small part because of the coaching matchup, this 110th edition of the Granddaddy of Them All is one of the most anticipated games in the 10-year history of the College Football Playoff, with the winner headed to Houston next week to play for a title.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Washington's Kalen DeBoer and Texas' Steve Sarkisian are newcomers as head coaches in the College Football Playoff, with career paths that could not be more different. DeBoer methodically climbed from the lowest levels of college football to become the AP's coach of the year in 2023. Sarkisian was a coaching prodigy whose meteoric rise was interrupted by a drinking problem. On New Year’s Day, the second-ranked, Pac-12 champion Huskies and third-ranked, Big 12 champion Longhorns will play in the Sugar Bowl for a spot in the national championship game.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Freshman guard Kanaan Carlyle scored 25 points, Spencer Jones added 21 points on 8-for-9 shooting and Stanford surprised No. 4 Arizona 100-82 in a Pac-12 matchup Sunday. Andrej Stojakovic scored 16 points and center Maxime Raynaud had 12 points and seven rebounds for the Cardinal. Caleb Love led Arizona with 23 points and center Oumar Ballo added 12 points and seven rebounds. The victory was Stanford's first over a ranked opponent since beating Arizona last season and its eighth over a ranked team since 2020.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Jalon Moore scored 21 points and No. 12 Oklahoma concluded its nonconference schedule with a 72-56 win over Monmouth. Otega Owen scored 13 points, Javian McCollum added 11 and Milos Uzan had 10 for the Sooners (12-1), who shot 48.2% from the field after a slow start. Jack Collins led Monmouth (7-6) with 14 points and Nakita Konstantynovskyi, a transfer from Tulsa, added 11 points. The Hawks shot 36.2% from the field and were held without a field goal for the game’s final 5:10.
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Bryce Thompson scored 17 points as all five starters scored in double figures and Oklahoma State pulled away in the second half to beat South Carolina State 86-70. Thompson sank 5 of 11 shots with four 3-pointers for the Cowboys, adding four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Quion Williams contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Williams had 10 points and five boards by halftime to help Oklahoma State take a 38-34 lead. Drayton Jones and Jordan Simpson opened the second half with layups and the Bulldogs pulled even. Thompson answered with a 3-pointer to ignite a 17-3 run and the Cowboys stayed comfortably in front from there on the way to their fourth straight victory.
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Keshon Gilbert had a triple-double, Tamon Lipsey scored 16 points, and Iowa State defeated New Hampshire 85-70. Gilbert had 10 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the eighth triple-double in Cyclones history. Lipsey also had a strong all-around game with six assists and five rebounds to go with his 16 points. After leading by eight points at halftime, the Cyclones made 7 of 12 shots and scored 17 points in the first 6 1/2 minutes of the second half, building a 60-38 lead. A few minutes later, Curtis Jones scored eight points in a 13-2 run that gave Iowa State a 29-point lead with 8 1/2 minutes to go.
SUNDAY SCORES
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final Arizona 35 Philadelphia 31
Final Baltimore 56 Miami 19
Final Buffalo 27 New England 21
Final Chicago 37 Atlanta 17
Final Houston 26 Tennessee 3
Final Indianapolis 23 Las Vegas 20
Final Jacksonville 26 Carolina 0
Final L.A. Rams 26 N-Y Giants 25
Final New Orleans 23 Tampa Bay 13
Final San Francisco 27 Washington 10
Final Pittsburgh 30 Seattle 23
Final Denver 16 L.A. Chargers 9
Final Kansas City 25 Cincinnati 17
Final Green Bay 33 Minnesota 10
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final Stanford 100 (4)Arizona 82
Final (12)Oklahoma 72 Monmouth (NJ) 56
Final (24)Mississippi 95 Bryant 78
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Atlanta 130 Washington 126
Final Boston 134 San Antonio 101
Final New Orleans 129 L.A. Lakers 109
Final Oklahoma City 124 Brooklyn 108
Final Phoenix 112 Orlando 107
Final Sacramento 123 Memphis 92
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Winnipeg 3 Minnesota 2
Final Boston 5 Detroit 3
Final Ottawa 5 Buffalo 1
Final Pittsburgh 3 N-Y Islanders 1
Final Tampa Bay 4 Montreal 3
Final Edmonton 7 Anaheim 2
Final Dallas 8 Chicago 1
Final Calgary 4 Philadelphia 3