DENVER (AP) — Bo Nix broke his right ankle late in overtime of the Denver Broncos’ divisional-round victory over Buffalo on Saturday and will have surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the playoffs. Coach Sean Payton delivered the stunning news about his second-year quarterback in the aftermath of Denver’s biggest win in a decade. Backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham will start the AFC championship game next weekend. Payton said Nix got hurt on a keeper where he lost 2 yards and was tackled by safety Cole Bishop. Nix was limping after the play, but there was no indication that he suffered such a serious injury.
DENVER (AP) — The Denver Broncos wrangled their biggest win in a decade from Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills but suffered an enormous loss in the process. About an hour after second-year quarterback Bo Nix led the Broncos to a 33-30 win on Wil Lutz’s 23-yard field goal in overtime, Denver coach Sean Payton returned to the postgame lectern to deliver the stunning news. He said Nix broke his right ankle a few plays before Lutz’s kick sent the top-seeded Broncos to the AFC championship game against either New England or Houston. Nix will have season-ending surgery Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama.
SEATTLE (AP) — Rashid Shaheed returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, Kenneth Walker III rushed for three scores and the Seattle Seahawks advanced to the NFC championship game with a dominant 41-6 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Sam Darnold threw a touchdown pass and got his first career playoff win in his first season with the Seahawks, who will host either Chicago or the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday with a trip to the Super Bowl at stake. The Seahawks led 7-0 13 seconds into the game thanks to Shaheed, who fielded the opening kick and took it 95 yards to the end zone.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Venus Williams became the oldest player ever in the Australian Open women's singles draw on Sunday and went ever-so-close to celebrating the record with a win. The 45-year-old, seven-time major winner was leading Olga Danilovic 4-0 in the third set. But Danilovic rallied to win six straight games in a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 first-round win. Williams, ranked No. 576 and playing on a wild-card entry, entered the tournament on a five-match losing streak. Williams made her Australian Open debut in 1998 and was playing at the tournament for the 22nd time.
DENVER (AP) — Josh Allen stood at a microphone and wiped away tears after his latest heartbreaking playoff loss. This might have been the best chance for Allen and the Bills to get to the Super Bowl. He’s heard that, too, and after he committed four of Buffalo’s five turnovers in a 33-30 loss to Denver in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs, he had to answer questions about coming up short yet again. The Bills, who beat Jacksonville in the wild-card round, became the first NFL team to win a playoff game in six straight seasons without capturing a Super Bowl.
ATLANTA (AP) — Kevin Stefanski has been hired as coach of the Atlanta Falcons. He gets a second a second chance to lead an NFL team less than two weeks after he was fired by the Cleveland Browns. Stefanski spent six seasons with Cleveland, where he twice was named AP Coach of the Year and had a 45-56 record. He was fired on Jan. 5 after the Browns finished a 5-12 season. Atlanta announced his hiring on Saturday night. Stefanski replaces Raheem Morris, who was fired alongside general manager Terry Fontenot after an 8-9 campaign in his second season leading the franchise. He will report to newly appointed team president Matt Ryan.
The New York Giants have hired John Harbaugh as coach. Harbaugh joins the Giants 11 days after he was fired by the Baltimore Ravens. He is a Super Bowl champion who guided Baltimore to the playoffs in 12 of his 18 seasons there. He and the Ravens won it all a year after the Giants' most recent championship in the 2011 season. Harbaugh is now tasked with turning around a beleaguered franchise that has just two playoff appearances over the past decade. He gives New York a proven winner after seven coaches since Tom Coughlin failed to get past the divisional round.
A person familiar with the situation says Matt LaFleur has agreed to terms on a contract extension to remain the Green Bay Packers’ coach a week after their season ended with a wild-card playoff loss to the Chicago Bears. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity becasue the deal hasn’t been announced. ESPN and NFL Network first reported the deal. LaFleur had one year remaining on his contract once the Packers’ season ended. New Packers president/CEO Ed Policy had said last summer he'd prefer not to have a coach enter the final year of his contract without an extension.
MILAN (AP) — Fiorentina has paid tribute to owner Rocco Commisso with special shirts and a heartfelt goal celebration in a 2-1 win at Bologna in Serie A. Commisso, who purchased Fiorentina in 2019, died on Saturday. Fiorentina warmed up Sunday wearing shirts with Commisso’s photo and messages of thanks. A minute’s silence was observed before kickoff and players wore black armbands. Rolando Mandragora celebrated his opening goal by holding a special jersey with “Rocco” on it. Relegation-threatened Fiorentina has moved level on points with Lecce, which plays second-placed AC Milan later. Parma drew 0-0 against Genoa in a relegation battle.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Will Power has joined Andretti Global after a long career with Team Penske. Power, one of IndyCar's top drivers, was briefly sidelined by Penske's decision to replace him with David Malukas. Despite a potential contract extension, Power chose Andretti, eager to bring his experience to the team. Penske held him to his contract, delaying his start with Andretti until January. Power is now focused on proving himself and helping Andretti succeed. He already is working closely with the team, aiming to outperform Penske. Power's determination and experience are expected to boost Andretti's performance this season.