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.
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.
CHICAGO (AP) — At the end of his seventh season as Green Bay’s coach, Matt LaFleur saw a team that lacked composure at big moments in a playoff game. Green Bay blew a 21-6 lead in the fourth quarter of a wild 31-27 loss to the Chicago Bears in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs on Saturday night. The collapse included two big misses for Brandon McManus on an extra point and a 44-yard field goal, to go along with a delay-of-game penalty coming out of a timeout and a fumbled snap on the final play of the game. LaFleur says he felt his team "got a little bit disheveled in the second half.”
MILAN (AP) — The International Olympic Committee says it's impressed with the new hockey arena for the Milan Cortina Games. The Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena will host NHL players returning to the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade. Construction delays have caused concern. The venue is mostly ready though some areas like locker rooms need work. IOC Executive Director Christophe Dubi praised the progress on Sunday. The NHL has previously expressed concerns about safety and ice quality. The International Ice Hockey Federation sees no barriers to the NHL's return and has praised the quality of the ice.
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.
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.
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 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.
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka has won her second consecutive Brisbane International title with a straight-sets victory over Marta Kostyuk. Kostyuk initially challenged Sabalenka but struggled under the physical demands. The final ended with a frosty atmosphere, reflecting tensions between the players. Kostyuk spoke about Ukraine during the trophy ceremony while Sabalenka congratulated Kostyuk and made a playful comment to her boyfriend. Daniil Medvedev also won his 22nd singles title after easing past Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 7-6 in the men's final.
EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (AP) — United States international Ricardo Pepi was to be operated on after breaking his right arm during a game with PSV Eindhoven and is expected to be out for two months. The recovery timeline should give Pepi enough time to regain his form and secure a place on the U.S. team for a home World Cup. The 23-year-old Pepi was injured when he tumbled after scoring during the first half of a 5-1 win over Excelsior in the Dutch league on Saturday. Pepi has scored 13 goals and provided three assists in 34 matches for the U.S. Pepi was surprisingly left off the U.S. squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Finals
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Boston 10 N-Y Rangers 2
Final Calgary 2 Pittsburgh 1
Final Colorado 4 Columbus 0
Final OT San Jose 5 Dallas 4
Final Tampa Bay 7 Philadelphia 2
Final Carolina 3 Seattle 2
Final Buffalo 5 Anaheim 3
Final Detroit 4 Montreal 0
Final Toronto 5 Vancouver 0
Final Florida 3 Ottawa 2
Final Chicago 3 Nashville 0
Final OT N-Y Islanders 4 Minnesota 3
Final Vegas 4 St. Louis 2
Final SO Los Angeles 4 Edmonton 3
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (1)Arizona 86 TCU 73
Final Wisconsin 91 (2)Michigan 88
Final (3)Iowa State 83 Oklahoma State 71
Final (4)UConn 72 DePaul 60
Final (5)Purdue 93 Penn State 85
Final (6)Duke 82 (24)SMU 75
Final (7)Houston 77 Baylor 55
Final (9)BYU 89 Utah 84
Final (10)Nebraska 83 Indiana 77
Final (11)Vanderbilt 84 LSU 73
Final Texas 92 (13)Alabama 88
Final (14)Texas Tech 73 Colorado 71
Final Auburn 95 (15)Arkansas 73
Final (17)North Carolina 87 Wake Forest 84
Final (18)Georgia 75 South Carolina 70
Final (20)Louisville 75 Boston College 62
Final Florida 91 (21)Tennessee 67
Final West Virginia 86 (22)Kansas 75
Final (23)Virginia 70 Stanford 55