ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Lamar Jackson brought the Baltimore Ravens to the brink of a dramatic come-from-behind victory with the chance to secure their second straight berth in the AFC championship game, only to have the opportunity slip through their fingers. Mark Andrews’ fingers, to be exact in a 27-25 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs on Sunday night. The game was decided with 1:33 left when the usually sure-handed and wide-open tight end had Jackson’s pass glance off his hands and chest and fall incomplete on what would have been a tying 2-point conversion. Baltimore had a chance to change its recent narrative of struggling in the playoffs but heads home with more questions than answers. “We’ve got to get over this,” Jackson said. “Because we’re right there. I’m tired of being right there. We need to punch that ticket.” Jackson, who threw an interception and lost a fumble in the first half, refused to blame Andrews. “I don’t think it’s his fault,” Jackson said. “All of us played a factor in the game. It’s a team effort. We’re not going to put that on Mark. Because he’s been battling all season. All the great things he’s been doing all season. It don’t always go our way. We win as a team. But the times when it’s not going our way, we need to figure that out.”
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley blew through a hole and ran untouched in the wintry mix, the Eagles’ 2,000-yard rusher smacking his helmet with his hand on his final snowy steps of a 78-yard touchdown run. The Rams had braced for gusty winds and a heightened chance of snow on a trip to Philadelphia. They were blown over by Barkley. Barkley waved his arms in celebration as he scampered along the back of the end zone before he slid into the snow — Slide, Eagles, Slide! — in the late-game playoff celebration. Barkley dashed through the snow for touchdown runs of 78 and 62 yards and finished with 205 yards rushing, Jalen Hurts had a 44-yard scoring run and the Eagles held on against the turnover-happy Rams 28-22 on Sunday to reach the NFC championship game for the second time in three years.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic got the mea culpas he wanted from the Australian Open’s local broadcaster and its employee who insulted him on the air and so, according to tournament organizers, the 24-time Grand Slam champion is ready to concentrate on his quarterfinal showdown with Carlos Alcaraz. “Novak acknowledges the apology has been given in public as requested,” read a statement issued Monday by Tennis Australia, “and is now moving on and focusing on his next match.” That, perhaps, will draw a curtain on the bizarre off-court distraction as Djokovic pursues what would be an 11th championship at Melbourne Park and a record 25th major trophy overall. Djokovic, a 37-year-old from Serbia, did not name commentator Tony Jones, but said a “famous sports journalist who works for official broadcaster Channel 9 ... made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments toward me.” Jones called Djokovic overrated and a has-been and made what seemed to be a reference to when the player was deported from Australia in 2022 because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19. Djokovic added that he would continue to avoid speaking to the network without an apology from it and Jones. Those finally arrived on Monday.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Vanderbilt was fined $250,000 by the Southeastern Conference on Sunday for allowing fans to storm the court Saturday in celebration of a 75-75 basketball victory over No. 6 Tennessee. Vanderbilt was penalized for a second offense under the conference’s revised access to competition area policy. The first violation — and a $100,000 fine — came when fans stormed the football field after a 40-35 victory over Alabama in October. Additional offenses will carry a $500,000 fine.
SUNDAY SCORES
NCAA WOMEN TOP 25
No. 2 South Carolina 101, No. 13 Oklahoma 60
No. 3 Notre Dame 88, SMU 64
No. 4 USC 73, Indiana 66
No. 5 LSU 80, Florida 63
No. 6 UCONN 96, Seton Hall 36
Penn State 62, No. 9 Ohio State 59
No. 11 Kansas State 81, Arizona State 69
No. 12 Kentucky 78, Georgia 64
No. 14 North Carolina 75, Pittsburgh 58
Vanderbilt 71, No. 15 Tennessee 70
No. 16 Duke 74, Stanford 49
No. 17 Georgia Tech 89, Clemson 65
No. 18 California 67, Wake Forest 55
No. 19 Alabama 94, Arkansas 62
No. 20 West Virginia 82, Iowa State 68
No. 21 NC State 73, Virginia 68
No. 22 Michigan State 86, Illinois 68
No. 24 Minnesota 87, Northwestern 82