December 29, 2020 3:44 am
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – The Buffalo Bills again proved that there’s a new sheriff in the AFC East. The division champs completed their first season sweep of the Patriots since 1999, rolling to a 38-9 win at Foxborough. Josh Allen passed for four touchdowns to help the 12-3 Bills stay in the mix for the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs. Allen was 27 of 36 for 320 yards. He now has 34 touchdown passes, surpassing Jim Kelly to set a franchise single-season record. Stefon Diggs had nine catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns, setting a Bills single-season record for receiving yards. Cam Newton had a touchdown run but was just 5 of 10 for 34 yards passing before being pulled in the third quarter for backup Jarrett Stidham. Newton’s passing yards are the fewest by a Patriots starting quarterback since 1993.
December 29, 2020 3:47 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Washington Football Team is parting with Dwayne Haskins, capping a rough week for the second-year quarterback. Haskins was stripped of his captaincy last week after photos surfaced of him at a party where several individuals weren’t wearing masks. The capper came in Sunday’s loss to Carolina. He was 14 of 28 with two interceptions and fumble before being pulled in the fourth quarter. He later infuriated the team by blowing off the postgame news conference at the stadium before speaking to the media via video at his home. The 2019 first-round pick was 1-5 as a starter this season.
December 29, 2020 3:49 am
UNDATED (AP) – Unbeaten Gonzaga remains the top team in The Associated Press men’s basketball poll after receiving 62 of 64 first-place votes. The Bulldogs have knocked off four ranked teams while going 7-0, including Saturday’s 98-75 rout of Virginia. Second-ranked Baylor is followed by Kansas, Villanova and Houston. Wisconsin, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Iowa round out the top 10.
December 29, 2020 3:50 am
UNDATED (AP) – Henrik Lundqvist says he’s scheduled for open-heart surgery after tests revealed a heart condition that kept him from continuing to play goal in the NHL. Lundqvist wrote on Twitter that he’s set to have an aortic valve and root replacement. He did not say when. Lundqvist underwent a physical after signing with the Washington Capitals over the summer. Further tests led to his decision not to play this season. General manager Brian MacLellan says Lundqvist has had a heart issue all along that he managed, and the team expected it to be the same. It’s unclear what changed for the 38-year-old after playing 15 seasons with the New York Rangers.
December 28, 2020 3:45 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers are AFC North champions. Finally. Ben Roethlisberger overcame a month-long malaise to throw for 342 yards and three second-half touchdowns as the Steelers locked up the division title with a stunningly improbable 28-24 victory. Listless and lifeless for weeks thanks to a three-game losing streak that followed an 11-0 start, Pittsburgh (12-3) somehow got it together over the final 25 minutes against the Colts (10-5). Indianapolis missed a chance to inch closer to a playoff berth when it let a 17-point third-quarter lead slip away.
December 28, 2020 3:48 am
The Jets pulled off their second stunner in as many weeks by holding off the Browns, 23-20. The Browns erased most of a 20-3 deficit before Baker Mayfield fumbled twice in the fourth quarter, once on a sack and the second coming on fourth-and-1 with 1:18 remaining. Jamison Crowder caught a touchdown pass and threw one to Braxton Berrios on a razzle-dazzle play. Mayfield threw for 285 yards, but the 10-5 Browns managed just 45 on 18 carries. Meanwhile, the Ravens leapfrogged over the Colts and Browns in the AFC wild-card scramble by downing the Giants, 27-13. Lamar Jackson engineered four scoring drives while Baltimore built a 20-3 halftime lead. Jackson threw for 183 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 80 yards. The Ravens recorded six sacks of Daniel Jones, including three straight in the second half.
December 28, 2020 3:46 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Kansas City Chiefs have clinched a first-round bye and home field advantage in the AFC playoffs. The Chiefs’ offense was sluggish before a late TD drive gave them a 17-14 win over the Falcons. Kansas City trailed 14-10 until Patrick Mahomes threw a 25-yard scoring pass to Demarcus Robinson with 1:55 remaining. The Falcons still had a chance to force overtime, but Pro Bowl kicker Younghoe Koo missed a 39-yard field goal attempt with nine seconds left.
December 28, 2020 3:43 am
ATLANTA (AP) – Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro has died at the age of 81 after a long fight with cancer. Niekro pitched well into his 40s with a knuckleball that baffled big league hitters for more than two decades, mostly with the Atlanta Braves. The Braves announced his death, saying he died Saturday night in his sleep. Niekro won 318 games over his 24-year career, which ended in 1987 at age 48 after he made one final start with the Braves. The right-hander was a five-time All-Star who had three 20-win seasons with Atlanta. Niekro also pitched for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays late in his career.
December 27, 2020 3:58 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Indianapolis Colts are surging. The Pittsburgh Steelers are reeling. Still, both teams will have plenty at stake when they meet at Heinz Field. The Colts have won five of six games to move into the lead in the AFC South. The Steelers have lost three in a row since their 11-0 start. Indianapolis can clinch a playoff berth with a win and losses by either Baltimore or Miami. Pittsburgh can lock up the AFC North with a victory but will need its offense to get going. The Steelers are averaging just 16 points a game during their current skid.
December 27, 2020 7:44 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) — With a defender dragging him down by his facemask, Ryan Fitzpatrick still managed to launch the pass that might have saved the Miami Dolphins’ season. Just a little more FitzMagic. Fitzpatrick’s desperation heave to Mack Hollins set up Jason Sanders’ 44-yard field goal as the Dolphins drove the field in the final 19 seconds to move one step closer to a playoff berth with an improbable 26-25 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday night. Fitzpatrick led three scoring drives in the fourth quarter for Miami (10-5) with the final one the most unlikely after the Raiders (7-8) bypassed a gimme touchdown for a field goal. The move to play for the field goal backfired as the Raiders lost on a kick instead. The Dolphins moved a half-game ahead of Baltimore in the AFC playoff race and can clinch a wild-card berth with a win next week at Buffalo.
