PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Brock Purdy threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey, leading San Francisco to a 23-19 victory over defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia in a wild-card game. The 49ers next face top-seeded Seattle next weekend for an NFC divisional playoff game. Purdy threw for 262 yards and had two interceptions. The 49ers might be without star tight end George Kittle, who was injured in the first half. Philadelphia struggled offensively, with Jalen Hurts throwing for only 168 yards. The Eagles’ final drive ended with an incomplete pass, sealing their elimination from the playoffs.
Josh Allen carries Bills to 27-24 win at Jags for Buffalo’s first road playoff victory in 33 years
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Josh Allen took a pounding, doled out punishment and delivered Buffalo its first road playoff victory in more than three decades, 27-24 over Jacksonville. Allen found Brandin Cooks for 36 yards just before the two-minute warning and then capped the go-ahead drive with a 1-yard touchdown run in which Jacksonville let him score. On the play before his score, Allen gained 10 yards on a sneak, refusing to go down while being pushed and pulled to the goal line. Allen completed 28 of 35 passes for 273 yards and two rushing touchdowns. He was sacked just once and played turnover-free football.
World champ Malinin leads one of the strongest US Figure Skating teams ever into Winter Olympics
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Ilia Malinin and the ice dance duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates will lead a strong U.S. Figure Skating team at the Milan Cortina Olympics. Fresh off his fourth national title, Malinin aims to follow Nathan Chen’s footsteps for men’s gold. Chock and Bates, with their seventh U.S. championship, are also top contenders. Alysa Liu, rejuvenated after a brief retirement, joins the women’s team alongside Amber Glenn. The U.S. team includes 16 athletes, with notable names like Andrew Torgashev and Maxim Naumov.
49ers join Bills, Bears and Rams in advancing to NFL’s divisional round with comeback wins
Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and the San Francisco 49ers eliminated the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles to join the Bills, Bears and Rams in advancing to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. Purdy tossed a 4-yard TD pass to McCaffrey with 2:54 remaining to lift the 49ers to a 23-19 comeback win in Philadelphia on Sunday, setting up the NFC’s second-round matchups. McCaffrey also caught a 29-yard TD pass from wide receiver Jauan Jennings. The No. 6 seed 49ers will take on the No. 1 seed Seattle Seahawks. No. 2 seed Chicago will host the No. 5 seed Rams.
49ers’ George Kittle carted off with right Achilles tendon injury in playoff game against Eagles
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has been carted off the field with a right Achilles tendon injury. It happened late in the first half of Sunday’s wild-card playoff game at Philadelphia. Kittle was pushed out of bounds on a 6-yard reception and grabbed the back of his lower right leg. He was ruled out for the rest of the game. Kittle is a key part of both the run and pass game for the 49ers but played in just 11 games this season because of injuries. He clapped for his teammates as he was driven to the locker room.
Barcelona beats Real Madrid again to win Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia clasico
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Raphinha scores twice as Barcelona beats Real Madrid 3-2 in the final of the Spanish Super Cup played in Saudi Arabia. Raphinha’s 73rd-minute winner came in a fortuitous manner after he slipped while shooting and the shot deflected off Madrid defender Raúl Asencio to fool goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Sunday’s clasico final featured a hectic end to the first half when three stoppage-time goals were scored before the break, two by Real Madrid and one by Barcelona, which beat Madrid 5-2 in last year’s final.
Williams scores 20 as No. 12 LSU hands No. 2 Texas its first loss, 70-65
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Mikaylah Williams scored 20 points, capped by her 3 as the shot clock expired with 1:20 to go in the game, and No. 12 LSU handed second-ranked Texas its first loss this season, 70-65. Madison Booker scored 24 points, 14 after committing her fourth foul just 11 seconds into the fourth quarter. Kyla Oldacre had 16 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks. Jordan Lee added 12 points for the Longhorns. Flau’jae Johnson, Milaysia Fulwiley, ZaKiyah Johnson and Jada Richard each scored 10 points for LSU, which led the entire second half and by as many as 13 points. Texas led briefly in the first half but never by more than four points.
Man United crashes out of FA Cup as club weighs up candidates for interim coach
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Managerless Manchester United crashes out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 defeat to Brighton in the third round. At the end of a week that saw the storied Premier League team and 13-time FA Cup winner fire head coach Ruben Amorim, the loss at Old Trafford has likely consigned United to another trophyless season and was greeted with loud jeers from home fans. Former United striker Danny Welbeck scored the decisive goal in the 64th minute. United’s only chance of silverware this term is the Premier League, which would require a remarkable turnaround with the 20-time champion currently 17 points behind leader Arsenal. United’s hierarchy hope an interim coach can salvage the season by securing Champions League qualification.
IOC happy as new Milan Cortina hockey arena almost ready to welcome NHL players
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.
Inside the Numbers: How Indiana and Miami stack up going into CFP national championship game
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza originally planned to attend Yale, where he was recruited five years ago. Yale highlighted its history, including Heisman Trophy winners Larry Kelly and Clint Frank. Mendoza won the Heisman this season. Yale is the only major college football team to finish a season 16-0, achieving this in 1894. Indiana can match this if it wins the College Football Playoff national championship against Miami on Jan. 19. Other teams in lower divisions have gone 16-0. And Miami has a chance to become the first team to finish 8-0 against AP-ranked opponents.
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