The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC goes through Seattle. The NFC South champion will be decided by the two teams that aren’t in the race for the division title. The Seahawks secured the No. 1 seed and won the NFC West with a 13-3 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night in a showdown that had major ramifications. The 49ers will now be the NFC’s No. 5 or 6 seed. Earlier Saturday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Carolina Panthers 16-14 to stay alive in the playoff race. The Buccaneers need New Orleans to beat or tie Atlanta on Sunday to win a fifth straight NFC South championship.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks have secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. Zach Charbonnet scored on a 27-yard run in the first quarter and Seattle shut down the high-powered San Francisco offense in a 13-3 victory over the 49ers on Saturday night. Seattle won its first division title since 2020 and is now two home wins away from returning to Levi’s Stadium for the Super Bowl next month. The loss sends the 49ers on the road for the wild-card round next weekend. The Seahawks held the 49ers to 173 yards, their fewest in a regular-season game under coach Kyle Shanahan.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco's offense had been nearly unstoppable heading into a showdown with Seattle with the No. 1 seed in the NFC at stake. But the 49ers could generate almost nothing against the Seahawks in a 13-3 loss on Saturday night. The defeat means San Francisco will have to open the playoffs on the road in the wild-card round. The Niners will earn the fifth seed and the chance to play the 8-9 winner of the NFC South in the playoffs if the Rams lose or tie against Arizona on Sunday. They would fall to the sixth seed with a trip to Philadelphia or Chicago if Los Angeles wins.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The winner of the NFC South will be crowned at home watching on television. Baker Mayfield threw a touchdown pass to Cade Otton, Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers avoided elimination with a sloppy 16-14 victory over the Carolina Panthers on a rain-soaked Saturday. The Buccaneers need New Orleans to beat or tie Atlanta on Sunday to clinch a fifth straight NFC South title. If the Falcons win, the Panthers will secure their first division championship since coach Ron Rivera and quarterback Cam Newton led them to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl appearance 10 years ago.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A.J. Dybantsa led No. 10 BYU to an 83-73 victory over Kansas State in his Big 12 debut on Saturday. Despite facing tough defense and committing seven turnovers, Dybantsa scored 24 points in the Cougars' first true road game of the season. The freshman, a potential top NBA draft pick, was frustrated at times, but he also showed why he is such a coveted prospect. The Cougars have won 10 straight games since their only loss in November. Dybantsa's performance will continue to be crucial as BYU navigates Big 12 play.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Onetime NBA draft pick James Nnaji drew plenty of boos in his college debut with Baylor at TCU. The 7-foot center from Nigeria finished with five points and four rebounds in the Bears' 69-63 loss to the Horned Frogs. TCU fans jeered Nnaji every time he touched the ball. The 21-year-old didn't return after picking up his fourth foul late in the game. Nnaji was drafted by Detroit in 2023. His draft rights have since been traded to Charlotte and New York. He played professionally in Europe but never signed an NBA contract.
TORONTO (AP) — Two people familiar with the negotiations tell The Associated Press that infielder Kazuma Okamoto and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a $60 million, four-year contract. A six-time All-Star, Okamoto has a .277 average with 248 homers and 717 RBIs in 11 Japanese big league seasons, leading the Central League in home runs in 2020, 2021 and 2023. He homered off Colorado’s Kyle Freeland to help Japan beat the U.S. 3-2 in the 2023 World Baseball Classic final. Under the posting agreement between Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball, a deal must be finalized by 5 p.m. EST Sunday.
LONDON (AP) — British boxer Anthony Joshua has reportedly returned to the UK after a deadly crash in Nigeria. Two of his friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, died when their vehicle hit a stationary truck near Lagos on Monday. Joshua sustained minor injuries in the crash and was released from the hospital on Wednesday. British media reported on Saturday that he returned to Britain ahead of his friends' funerals. Ghami was his strength coach, and Ayodele was a trainer. The car's driver, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, was charged with dangerous driving, with the trial set for January 20. Joshua has family roots in Nigeria.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Mario Cristobal doesn't want to hear anyone say "The U Is Back." The Miami Hurricanes are in the College Football Playoff semifinals, despite midseason losses and doubts from pundits. They've tied a school record with 12 wins and are close to their first national championship since 2001. But Cristobal isn't focused on that. Miami faces Mississippi in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday. Cristobal emphasizes avoiding distractions and maintaining focus, a lesson he learned from former Alabama coach Nick Saban. All semifinal coaches have ties to Saban, sharing a focus on recruiting, schemes, and player development.
NEW YORK (AP) — Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews scored twice in the second period against the New York Islanders on Saturday night to pass Mats Sundin and set the franchise record for career goals with 421. His first goal tied Sundin at 420 when Matthews entered the offensive zone past Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield, shifted the puck from his backhand to his forehand and slid it past goaltender David Rittich at 9:30 of the second period. It tied the score 1-1. Just 7:49 later, Matthews broke the record with his second of the game to put Toronto ahead, burying a cross-ice feed from Bobby McMann on a one-timer. Matthews is fourth all time in franchise points with 760, trailing Sundin (987), Darryl Sittler (916) and Dave Keon (858).
Finals
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Pittsburgh 4 Detroit 1
Final New Jersey 4 Utah 1
Final Columbus 5 Buffalo 1
Final Philadelphia 5 Edmonton 2
Final St. Louis 2 Montreal 0
Final Tampa Bay 7 San Jose 3
Final Ottawa 4 Winnipeg 2
Final Colorado 5 Carolina 3
Final OT N-Y Islanders 4 Toronto 3
Final SO Chicago 3 Washington 2
Final Nashville 4 Calgary 3
Final SO Los Angeles 5 Minnesota 4
Final OT Boston 3 Vancouver 2
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final Tampa Bay 16 Carolina 14
Final Seattle 13 San Francisco 3
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (1)Arizona 97 Utah 78
Final (5)Purdue 89 Wisconsin 73
Final (6)Duke 91 Florida State 87
Final (8)Houston 67 Cincinnati 60
Final (10)BYU 83 Kansas State 73
Final (11)Vanderbilt 83 South Carolina 71
Final SMU 97 (12)North Carolina 83
Final (14)Alabama 89 Kentucky 74
Final (15)Texas Tech 102 Oklahoma State 80
Final UCF 81 (17)Kansas 75
Final (18)Arkansas 86 (19)Tennessee 75
Final (20)Illinois 73 Penn State 65
Final (21)Virginia 76 North Carolina State 61
Final Missouri 76 (22)Florida 74
Final (23)Georgia 104 Auburn 100
Final (25)Iowa 74 UCLA 61