AP Sports Summary for January 13th, 2025:
Jayden Daniels leads Commanders to first playoff win in nearly 7,000 days, 23-20 over the Buccaneers
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jayden Daniels ran for a critical first down to set up Zane Gonzalez's 37-yard field goal that clanged off the right upright and went through as time expired, and the Washington Commanders beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 in an NFC wild-card game for the franchise's first playoff win in 6,945 days. Daniels became the third rookie quarterback in three years to win a playoff game. The Commanders will face the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions in the divisional round. Daniels threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns. Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers missed several opportunities and the veteran quarterback committed a critical turnover in the fourth quarter.
Hurts tosses 2 TD passes and Goedert throws 3 stiff-arms to lead Eagles past Packers 22-10
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts threw two touchdown passes in his first game since a late-season concussion, Dallas Goedert threw three stiff-arms on a rugged touchdown catch and the Philadelphia Eagles rode their NFL-best defense to a 22-10 wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers. Hurts threw for a modest 131 yards but played with no hesitation as he came back from a three-week layoff after a concussion in December. The NFC East champions will host a divisional round game against the winner of Monday night's game between Minnesota and the Los Angeles Rams next week.
Josh Allen leads balanced offense as Bills dominate Broncos for 31-7 wild-card win
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes, James Cook scored on a 5-yard run and finished with 120 yards rushing, and the Buffalo Bills leaned on a balanced offensive attack in a 31-7 win over the Denver Broncos in a wild-card playoff game. The Bills methodically wore down the Broncos by scoring on six of their first seven drives in building a 31-7 lead in an outing where they finished with a 23-minute edge in time of possession. The five-time AFC East defending champion Bills advanced to the divisional round for a fifth straight postseason, and will face the third-seeded Baltimore Ravens next Sunday night. The seventh-seeded Broncos were outclassed in their first playoff appearance since their Super Bowl-winning season in 2015.
Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen will face off for a berth in the AFC championship game
Lamar Jackson vs. Josh Allen won't decide the NFL MVP next week. The stakes are higher with a spot in the AFC championship game on the line. Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens will visit Allen and the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round while Patrick Mahomes and the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will host C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans. The winners face off on Jan. 26 for a berth in the Super Bowl. In the NFC, the Washington Commanders will play at the top-seeded Detroit Lions after knocking off the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Australian Open: Novak Djokovic and new coach Andy Murray get a win against US teen in debut
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic's first match with former rival Andy Murray as his coach turned into a first-round victory at the Australian Open. That is after things did not start all that well, even against a 19-year-old making his Grand Slam debut. Eventually, Djokovic asserted himself for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win against Nishesh Basavareddy, an American who left Stanford University and turned pro last month. That got Djokovic started in his bid for an 11th championship at Melbourne Park and a record 25th major title overall. Not entirely clear: Did Murray's presence at courtside make much of a difference, one way or another?
Turning the page: Eagles receiver A.J. Brown reads inspirational book on sideline during playoff win
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A.J. Brown had a novel ideal to pass time on the bench during Philadelphia's wild-card playoff game. The Eagles wide receiver passed on the playbook and checked out an inspirational title. Brown casually flipped through the pages of "Inner Excellence" by Jim Murphy. Brown had time for some light reading with only one catch for 10 yards in the Philadelphia Eagles' 22-10 wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night. The book is described on the cover as one that will "Train your mind for extraordinary performance and the best possible life."
Jannik Sinner starts his Australian Open title defense with a straight set win
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Jannik Sinner has started his Australian Open title defense with a challenging win over No. 35-ranked Nicolas Jarry. The 23-year-old Italian had plenty of support in the crowd at Rod Laver Arena in two tough early sets before extending his winning streak to 15 matches. Top-ranked Sinner entered his first Grand Slam title defense with attention from last year's doping case on his mind. Third-seeded Coco Gauff opened her Australian Open with a 6-3, 6-3 win over 2020 champion Sofia Kenin. Gauff won the title at the WTA Finals last November and started this season by helping the U.S. to victory at the United Cup in Sydney.
Frances Tiafoe picks up a tough victory after throwing up at the Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Frances Tiafoe has thrown up during a first-round match at the Australian Open along the way to a five-set victory. He said afterward he might have quit if this had been just a run-of-the-mill tournament. The 17th-seeded Tiafoe, who turns 27 in a week, managed to win the topsy-turvy match against Arthur Rinderknech of France 7-6 (2), 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-3 in 4 hours, 8 minutes on Monday. His Grand Slam breakthrough came at Melbourne Park in 2019, when he made it to the quarterfinals before losing to Rafael Nadal. Since then, Tiafoe has taken more steps forward, including making it all the way to the semifinals at the U.S. Open in 2022 and 2024.
Nick Taylor wins another playoff with clutch play on the 18th in the Sony Open
HONOLULU (AP) — Nick Taylor is the winner of the Sony Open and he's not even sure how it happened. The Canadian was never in the mix until chipping in for eagle on the 18th hole for a 65 that got him into a playoff with Nico Echavarria. On the second extra hole, Taylor hit a marvelous pitch from 46 yards to 3 feet for birdie. Echavarria three-putted from 40 feet. Taylor now has won his last three PGA Tour events in a playoff. Stephan Jaeger and J.J. Spaun led most of the day until making critical mistakes that left them one back.
New England hires former Patriots Super Bowl champ Mike Vrabel as coach
The New England Patriots have hired Mike Vrabel as their head coach. The move comes after Patriots owner Robert Kraft fired Jerod Mayo after the team's season finale victory over the Buffalo Bills to finish 4-13 in his lone season as coach. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, former Houston Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson also interviewed for the job. But Vrabel, a fan favorite during eight seasons as a player in New England where he was a member of its first three Super Bowl winners and an inductee into the team's hall of fame in 2023, was the preferred candidate.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Denver 112 Dallas 101
Final New York 140 Milwaukee 106
Final Sacramento 124 Chicago 119
Final Indiana 108 Cleveland 93
Final Boston 120 New Orleans 119
Final Oklahoma City 136 Washington 95
Final Orlando 104 Philadelphia 99
Final OT Utah 112 Brooklyn 111
Final Phoenix 120 Charlotte 113
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Detroit 6 Seattle 2
Final Tampa Bay 5 Pittsburgh 2
Final Ottawa 3 Dallas 2
Final OT Anaheim 3 Carolina 2
Final Vegas 4 Minnesota 1
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Buffalo 31 Denver 7
Final Philadelphia 22 Green Bay 10
Final Washington 23 Tampa Bay 20
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (15)Oregon 82 Penn St. 81
Final (16)Michigan St. 78 Northwestern 68
Final (20)Purdue 104 Nebraska 68
Final (21)West Virginia 78 Colorado 70
Final (24)Michigan 91 Washington 75
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Minnesota at Washington 7 p.m.
Detroit at New York 7:30 p.m.
Golden State at Toronto 7:30 p.m.
Memphis at Houston 8 p.m.
Miami at L.A. Clippers 10:30 p.m.
San Antonio at L.A. Lakers 10:30 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Florida at Philadelphia 7 p.m.
Calgary at Chicago 7:30 p.m.
Los Angeles at Edmonton 9:30 p.m.
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Minnesota at L.A. Rams 8 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(22)UCLA at Rutgers 6:30 p.m.
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