CHICAGO (AP) — Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams survived an incredible throw by Caleb Williams that forced overtime, beating the Chicago Bears 20-17 to advance to the NFC championship game. Harrison Mevis kicked a 42-yard field goal in OT after Kam Curl intercepted a deep pass by Williams on the Bears’ first possession of the extra period. Stafford completed a 16-yard pass to Puka Nacua to get the Rams into field-goal range and set up Mevis. The Rams will visit NFC West rival Seattle next Sunday in their first trip to the conference championship game since the 2021 team won the Super Bowl.
CHICAGO (AP) — Caleb Williams almost led the Chicago Bears to another surprising win. He threw a breathtaking touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, but his third interception led to a winning field goal for the Los Angeles Rams in overtime in the divisional playoffs. The 24-year-old Williams led Chicago to an NFL-record seven wins when trailing in the last two minutes of regulation. Despite the loss in the playoffs, Williams remains optimistic, calling it a learning experience. His coach and teammates praised his incredible skills and potential for the future.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes, Marcus Jones returned one of C.J. Stroud’s four interceptions for a TD and the New England Patriots defeated the Houston Texans 28-16 to advance to the AFC championship game for the first time in seven years. They will play at Denver next Sunday. Their last AFC title game trip was during their run to their sixth Super Bowl title in the 2018 season. Maye finished 16 of 27 for 179 yards, but had an interception and fumbled four times, losing two. The eight combined turnovers were the most in a playoff game since 2015. The Texans have lost in the divisional round in three straight seasons under coach DeMeco Ryans.
NFL Championship Sunday is set. It'll be Rams vs. Seahawks and Patriots vs. Broncos. It’s an NFC West showdown between Los Angeles and Seattle, and the AFC matchup is a rematch from 10 years ago when Tom Brady lost to Peyton Manning. This time, Denver has to turn to backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham because Bo Nix broke his ankle, while New England has second-year sensation Drake Maye. The Patriots are 5 1/2-point favorites, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, while the Seahawks are 2 1/2-point favorites.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Indiana and Miami are playing for the national title Monday night, and if that has you scratching your head thinking “Who?” or “What?” then you are not alone. Even though a new world of paying players and rapid-fire transfers from school to school has shuffled the deck in college sports, nobody thought it would get mixed up this much. And even though both schools have been trending upward of late, both were listed as 100-1 long shots to win the championship at some point this season. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers head into the game being played on Miami's home field at Hard Rock Stadium as 8 1/2-point favorites, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — College football leaders have given every indication that they remain stuck in a yearlong debate about expanding the playoff from 12 teams to 16 or beyond. Commissioners and school presidents met on the eve of the College Football Playoff title game, facing a Friday deadline from ESPN to decide on changing or staying with the current 12-team model. ESPN bankrolls the postseason. The debate boils down to two conferences, the Big Ten and SEC, that have widely different visions of where the playoff should go. The SEC wants a 16-team playoff, the Big Ten wants 24. If they can't agree, the playoff will stay at 12 teams for next season.
HONOLULU (AP) — Chris Gotterup didn't take much time adding to his PGA Tour victory total. He rallied for a 64 on the final day of the Sony Open for a two-shot victory. Gotterup started the final round two shots behind and took advantage of a meltdown by Davis Riley. The victory is his third in three years since getting a PGA Tour card. Gotterup was at No. 195 in the world when he left the Sony Open last year. Now he's up to No. 17 and closing in on the elite in golf. Ryan Gerard shot 65 and finished second.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Iga Świątek knows she has much work to do before she can win a first Australian Open title. She struggled in a two-hour win over Chinese qualifier Yuan Yue on Monday. Swiatek has won four French Open titles as well as Wimbledon and the U.S. Open but the Australian title remains elusive. She adjusted her game after a slow start against Yuan. Swiatek had a disrupted preparation, losing two singles matches at the United Cup. Coco Gauff also faced challenges but won her opening match. Other players advancing include Amanda Anisimova and Jessica Pegula. Stan Wawrinka began his farewell season with a win.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Priscilla Hon has helped her Canadian opponent Marina Stakusic leave the court in a wheelchair during the Australian Open. Hon was leading 1-6, 6-4, 5-3 when Stakusic needed treatment for severe leg cramps on Day 2 of the season-opening major. Stakusic was one of two Canadian players to struggle with cramping on Monday. Men's No. 7 Felix Auger-Aliassime also retired from his match with Nuno Borges, saying he'd never had cramps so early in a tournament before. Conditions have been consistently warm without being extreme at Melbourne Park in recent days.
HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant moved into sixth place on the NBA's career scoring list, passing his friend and idol Dirk Nowitzki. Durant scored 18 points in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans and raised his career scoring total to 31,562 points. Durant says he tried to emulate Nowitzki in his career and was thankful that the former Dallas Mavericks player took time to send a video message of congratulations. Next on the scoring list is Michael Jordan at 32,292 points. Durant says he wants to continue climbing up the list and that so far the ride as been amazing.
Finals
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Tampa Bay 4 Dallas 1
Final OT Detroit 4 Ottawa 3
Final Edmonton 5 St. Louis 0
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (7)Houston 103 Arizona State 73
NFL PLAYOFFS
Final New England 28 Houston 16
Final OT Los Angeles 20 Chicago 17