January 10, 2024 4:40 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have fired coach Mike Vrabel after six seasons with the franchise having won only six of the past 24 games. Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement that she told Vrabel of her decision Tuesday morning. She said it was a decision “as difficult as any I’ve made.” The announcement came a day after the Titans cleaned out their lockers with Vrabel not speaking to reporters. It was the first time in the franchise’s 27 seasons in Tennessee the head coach did not talk with reporters since the team moved to the state from Texas. Vrabel was hired in January 2018 and went 56-48 including playoffs.
January 10, 2024 4:38 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Kyle Filipowski scored 26 points on 11 of 12 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds as No. 11 Duke raced past Pittsburgh 75-53. The Blue Devils made quick work of the Panthers. Duke built a 25-point halftime lead and cruised to its seventh straight victory. Jared McCain added 12 points for Duke and Caleb Roach had eight points and five assists for the Blue Devils. Zack Austin led Pitt with 11 points but the Panthers were never really in it. Pitt shot just 33% from the field and spent most of the night trying and failing to get a handle on Filipowski.
January 9, 2024 4:41 am
HOUSTON (AP) — Jim Harbaugh and No. 1 Michigan completed a three-year climb to a national championship by beating No. 2 Washington 34-13 Monday night in the College Football Playoff title game. Blake Corum ran for 134 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns for the Wolverines. Michigan was undeterred by suspensions and a sign-stealing case that shadowed the program much of the season. The Wolverines sealed their first national title since 1997 when Corum blasted in from the 1-yard line with 3:37 left. Harbaugh delivered the title so many expected when he took over a struggling powerhouse in 2015.
January 9, 2024 4:43 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in a scrappy contest on Monday night. Rickard Rakell, Erik Karlsson and Chad Ruhwedel also scored for Pittsburgh. Alex Nedeljkovic made 36 saves for the Penguins. Owen Tippett scored for the Flyers, who have lost seven of nine. Carter Hart made 36 stops.
January 9, 2024 4:44 am
Tiger Woods is no longer a Nike athlete after 27 years, ending a partnership between the swoosh and golf’s biggest star and raising questions about the future of both in the sport. Woods in a social media post thanked Nike co-founder Phil Knight for his “passion and vision” that brought Nike and the Nike Golf partnership with Woods together. Mark Steinberg, his agent at Excel Sports, confirmed the end of the deal that began in 1996. Nike also posted to social media, saying in a photo, “It was a hell of a round, Tiger.”
January 8, 2024 4:45 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Left for dead in mid-December, the Pittsburgh Steelers are heading back to the playoffs anyway. Pittsburgh clinched a wild-card spot when Tennessee upset Jacksonville, giving the Steelers a playoff berth that seemed unlikely following a three-game skid that included losses to lowly Arizona and New England. Pittsburgh bounced back to finish the season with a three-game winning streak, culminating in a victory over rival Baltimore in Week 18. The Steelers will play at AFC East champion Buffalo in the wild-card round Sunday at 1 p.m.
January 8, 2024 4:47 am
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Josh Allen threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to Dawson Knox midway through the fourth quarter, and the Buffalo Bills won their fourth straight AFC East title, rallying past the Miami Dolphins 21-14. Allen made things difficult for the Bills with three turnovers in Miami territory, but he came through at the end to help Buffalo earn the No. 2 seed in the conference. The Bills will host seventh-seeded Pittsburgh in the wild-card round on Sunday. Buffalo went 6-1 down the stretch. Miami fell to the sixth seed and will play at AFC West champion Kansas City on Saturday night.
January 8, 2024 4:46 am
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles finished the season on a 1-5 freefall following a 27-10 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday night. The Eagles earned the No. 5 seed and will open the NFC playoffs next Monday night at Tampa Bay. Injured starters DeVonta Smith, Darius Slay and D’Andre Swift were unable to play for the Eagles. Fletcher Cox also sat out. Wide receiver A.J. Brown left the game with a knee injury. Jalen Hurts hurt his middle finger on his passing hand and was eventually pulled with the game out of reach.
January 8, 2024 4:48 am
ATLANTA (AP) — Arthur Smith has been fired by the Atlanta Falcons after completing his third straight losing season. Smith inherited a rebuilding project in his first NFL head coaching job and failed to lift the Falcons from their playoff drought. The 41-year-old son of FedEx founder Fred Smith went 7-10 in each of his three seasons. Atlanta closed the season with an ugly 48-17 loss at New Orleans, its second consecutive lopsided defeat. That sealed Smith’s fate. He was hired by the Falcons in 2021 after a decade-long stint as an assistant with the Tennessee Titans in which he moved up to offensive coordinator.
January 8, 2024 4:50 am
HOUSTON (AP) — No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Washington playing for the College Football Playoff national championship on Monday night is just about the perfect way to close the 2023 season. The matchup of unbeatens hits all the major themes of the past five months from conference realignment to the transfer portal — with Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh as the main character. Michael Penix Jr., the sixth-year quarterback who revived his career by transferring to Washington, and the Huskies will try to deliver the Pac-12 its first championship since 2004 in their last football game before joining Michigan in the Big Ten.
