January 13, 2021 3:45 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin expects a significant amount of change following his team’s stunning wild-card loss to Cleveland. The Steelers finished 12-5 in dropping five of their final six games after starting 11-0. The biggest questions surround the status of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner and defensive coordinator Keith Butler. Tomlin says it is “reasonable” to expect Roethlisberger to return for an 18th season. The contracts for both Fichtner and Butler are up and change could be coming to the offense after the Steelers finished last in the NFL in yards rushing.
January 13, 2021 3:46 am
UNDATED (AP) – With five games called off this week already and more teams dealing with virus-related issues, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have enacted additional rules in the hope of keeping the season going safely. Among the new policies: for “at least the next two weeks,” the league and union said Tuesday, players and team staff will have to remain at their residence when in their home markets and will be prohibited from leaving their hotels or having outside guests when on the road. Tonight’s matchup in Chicago between the Bulls and the Boston Celtics has been postponed because of coronavirus concerns. Tomorrow’s Wizards-Jazz game in Washington is the latest to be scrubbed.
January 13, 2021 3:48 am
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) – Augusta National Club chairman Fred Ridley says the Masters intends to have a limited number of spectators when it is played April 8-11. He says the club still plans to operate the tournament the way it did in November with healthy and safety standards set because of the coronavirus pandemic. Those standards included mandatory COVID-19 testing for everyone on site, along with CDC guidelines such as social distancing and wearing masks.
January 12, 2021 3:46 am
MIAMI (AP) – Alabama’s top offense threats were too much for Ohio State. The top-ranked Crimson Tide are national champions for the sixth time in 12 seasons after DeVonta Smith, Mac Jones and Najee Harris led an explosive offensive performance in a 52-24 rout of No. 3 Ohio State. The Heisman Trophy-winning Smith had 12 catches for 215 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half as the Crimson Tide bolted out to a 35-17 lead. Jones chewed up the Buckeyes’ secondary while throwing for a CFP championship-record 464 yards and five touchdowns. Harris accounted for three TDs, running for 79 yards and two scores while grabbing seven passes for 79 yards and a touchdown. Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields struggled after lighting up Clemson for six touchdowns in the CFP semifinals. The 13-0 Tide limited Fields to 17 of 33 passing for 194 yards and one TD as the Buckeyes fell to 7-1. Ohio State running back Trey Sermon left the game for good after suffering an injury on his team’s first drive. Master Teague carried 15 times for 65 yards and two touchdowns by halftime as Sermon’s replacement, but he had just three yards in the second half.
January 12, 2021 3:50 am
UNDATED (AP) – The men’s basketball game Tuesday between No. 13 West Virginia and No. 2 Baylor in Waco, Texas, has been postponed due to COVID-19 issues with the Mountaineers. West Virginia said in a statement that it will work with Baylor and the Big 12 to reschedule the game. Both teams last played on Saturday.
January 12, 2021 3:48 am
UNDATED (AP) – Gonzaga and Baylor remain atop The Associated Press men’s basketball poll for the seventh consecutive week in the regular season. The Zags received 63 first-place votes from a national media panel and the Bears had one. Villanova, Texas and Iowa rounded out a top 5 that remained the same from last week. Sixth-ranked Kansas is followed by Michigan, Creighton, Wisconsin and Tennessee. No. 25 Connecticut moved into the poll for the first time since reaching No. 18 in 2016-17. Louisville is back in the rankings at No. 16 and Ohio State returned at No. 21. Rutgers, Michigan State and Florida State tumbled out.
January 12, 2021 3:39 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The Philadelphia Eagles fired coach Doug Pederson less than three years after he led them to the franchise’s only Super Bowl title. Pederson was 42-37-1 in five seasons. He led the Eagles to two division titles and three playoff appearances before going 4-11-1 in 2020. Pederson was a starting quarterback in Philadelphia in 1999 and later served as an assistant coach under Andy Reid with the Eagles. The Eagles hired him in 2016 after abruptly firing Chip Kelly. Pederson led the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory over New England in just his second season with backup quarterback Nick Foles filling in after Carson Wentz was injured.
January 12, 2021 2:33 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – The Pittsburgh Penguins will not have fans for their four January home games at PPG Paints Arena, the team announced Monday. Gatherings at indoor arenas in Pennsylvania is currently limited to 500 people because of COVID-19. That number includes players, coaches and hockey operations staffs from both teams, Penguins and PPG Paints Arena game-night staffs, as well as media, broadcasters and broadcast crews. The very limited remaining capacity will be restricted to family and friends of the players and team, the Penguins said. “We look forward to welcoming fans back to PPG Paints Arena as soon as state safety protocols and capacity-limits allow for it,” said Kevin Acklin, chief operating officer of the Penguins. “We will remain in regular contact with state and local authorities, as well as the NHL, and will make an announcement when fans are permitted to attend. The health and safety of our fans and players will always be our top priority.”
January 11, 2021 3:53 am
UNDATED (AP) – The task for the Cleveland Browns was simple. They had to win in a stadium where they had dropped 17 straight and do it without their head coach. Mission accomplished as the Browns built a 35-10 halftime lead before completing a 48-37 win over the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Baker Mayfield threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns, including a screen pass that Nick Chubb turned into a 40-yard score. Chubb’s TD catch halted Pittsburgh’s momentum after the Steelers had pulled within 12. Kareem Hunt added 48 yards and two touchdowns on the ground while Cleveland’s defense forced five turnovers to hand the Steelers a staggering loss. For the Browns, it was their first postseason victory in 26 years and their first playoff road win since December 1969. The Browns played without first-year head coach Kevin Stefanski, Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio and top cornerback Denzel Ward after all tested positive for COVID-19. The 48 points were the most the Steelers have given up in the playoffs, surpassing the 45 they gave up to Jacksonville in the 2017 playoffs.
