January 17, 2021 7:46 am
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — In what was supposed to be a showdown between Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, Taron Johnson literally stole the show. If not for the wall separating the field from the stands in the back of the east end zone, the Bills cornerback might still be running after returning an interception 101 yards for a touchdown that propelled Buffalo to its first AFC championship game appearance in 27 years. Johnson’s pick-6 of Jackson’s pass with 41 seconds remaining in the third quarter helped secure a 17-3 win over the Ravens in a divisional-round playoff game Saturday night. Johnson’s return matched the longest in NFL history and punctuated a stellar defensive outing in which Buffalo (15-3) limited the NFL’s top running offense to 150 yards on 32 carries. Jackson, last season’s NFL MVP, was sacked three times and did not return after sustaining a concussion following the final play of the third quarter, and two plays after Johnson scored. He finished 14 of 24 for 162 yards passing, while being limited to 42 yards rushing on nine carries. Allen, an MVP candidate this year, finished 23 of 37 for 206 yards and a touchdown.
January 17, 2021 7:47 am
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Don’t tell Aaron Rodgers the lack of capacity crowds in a pandemic will limit the Green Bay Packers’ home-field advantage in the NFC championship game. He’s been waiting too long for this moment to have any such negative thoughts. Rodgers threw two touchdown passes and also ran for a score as the top-seeded Green Bay Packers beat the Los Angeles Rams 32-18 in an NFC divisional playoff game Saturday. He will play a conference championship game at home for the first time since taking over as Green Bay’s starting quarterback in 2008. Rodgers threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adam s and a game-clinching 58-yarder to Allen Lazard with 6:52 left. Rodgers also had a 1-yard touchdown run, the first by a Packers quarterback in a playoff game at Lambeau Field since Bart Starr’s winning sneak in the Ice Bowl against Dallas on Dec. 31, 1967. The Packers (14-3) reached the NFC championship game for the fourth time in seven seasons as they chase their first Super Bowl berth in a decade.
January 16, 2021 4:03 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Travis Konecny had his first career hat trick to lead the Philadelphia Flyers past the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2. The Flyers did lose team MVP Sean Couturier to an unspecified injury. Couturier was plowed into the boards and may have hurt his left shoulder. He left after just two shifts and 45 seconds. He scored 22 goals last season and won the Selke Award as the NHL’s top defensive forward. Konecny scored the first goals of the game and another one late in the third to get the hat trick.
January 16, 2021 4:04 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Pirates have reached contract agreements for the 2021 season with pitcher Joe Musgrove and eight others. Musgrove, the team’s opening day starter in 2020, will make $4.45 million after going 1-5 with a 3.86 ERA last season. Catcher Jacob Stallings, a Gold Glove finalist in his first year as a starter, earned a raise to $1.3 million. First baseman Colin Moran, who hit a team-high 10 home runs last season, saw his salary jump to $2.8 million. The Pirates are in the middle of a rebuild and finished 2020 with the worst record in the majors.
January 16, 2021 4:05 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh forward John Hugley has been suspended indefinitely by coach Jeff Capel after the freshman was charged with three felonies stemming from an incident last summer. Hugley, who is from Cleveland, Ohio, is facing two counts of felony criminal conspiracy and one felony count of receiving stolen property. Court documents allege Hugley was one of two men who entered a car without permission in the early hours of July 19 while the person responsible for the vehicle was sleeping. The car was reported stolen later in the day before being recovered on Aug. 4.
January 16, 2021 4:06 am
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. (AP) – Kyle Lofton had 28 points as Saint Bonaventure topped Duquesne 62-48. Michael Hughes led the Dukes with 14 points.
January 15, 2021 3:50 am
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Urban Meyer has agreed to become head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He leaves the broadcast booth and returns to the sidelines after a two-year absence that followed a health scare. The 56-year-old Meyer was team owner Shad Khan’s top target. Khan waited nearly a week to get it done. They met last Friday on Khan’s yacht in Miami, again Wednesday and one final time at the facility Thursday. Meyer has won three college national championships with a staggering winning percentage of more than 85%. Hiring the longtime college coach with three national championships signifies a new direction for a franchise that has lost 105 of 144 games since Khan took over in 2012.
January 15, 2021 3:47 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers are shaking up their coaching staff. The team announced offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner and assistants Shaun Sarrett and Tom Bradley will not be back following a first-round playoff loss to Cleveland. Fichtner spent 14 seasons with the Steelers and was promoted to offensive coordinator three years ago. Yet Pittsburgh’s offense struggled down the stretch this season following an 11-0 start. The decision to not retain Fichtner could impact whether quarterback Ben Roethlisberger returns in 2021. Roethlisberger and Fichtner have a close relationship dating back to Fichtner’s stint as quarterbacks coach from 2010-18.
January 15, 2021 2:47 am
GREENVILLE, Pa. — Women’s and Men’s basketball schedules for the current season were announced Thursday by the Presidents’ Athletic Conference office. The pairings feature one game between each of the 10 schools in the league. All matchups pit two schools at one site for the women’s game with the men’s game being held at the other school’s facilities. League play is set to start on Saturday, Jan. 23 with the regular season finales tabbed for Saturday, Feb. 27. All schools will be invited to participate in the league’s championship tournaments starting March 1. Plans for returning to competition and current schedules are subject to change at any time based on available public health best practices and approaches or local, state and federal guidelines, recommendations or mandates. PAC institutions will have adjusted attendance policies in place for home games during the 2021 season in an effort of promoting and prioritizing the health and safety of student-athletes, game day staff and designated personnel in light of COVID-19. Schools will determine if on-campus student attendance is permissible at their own facilities. There will be no outside fans or visiting team’s fans permitted. Institutional attendance policies will continue to be reviewed throughout the season.
Women’s composite schedule Men’s composite schedule
January 15, 2021 2:55 am
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Left-hander Nik Turley has been traded to the Athletics from the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash, giving Oakland a reliable reliever for late in games after losing closer Liam Hendriks in free agency.Turley went 0-3 with a 4.98 ERA and one save over 25 relief outings – most by any big league rookie – spanning 21 2/3 innings for the Pirates in the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season.
