Joe Burrow threw two touchdown passes, the Bengals swarmed Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen on a snow-slicked field and Cincinnati advanced to its second straight AFC championship game with a 27-10 win. Damar Hamlin’s inspirational presence while watching the game from an end-zone suite was not enough to spark the Bills in a rematch of a regular-season game that was canceled Jan. 2 when the Bills safety went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field in Cincinnati. The Bengals advanced to consecutive AFC championship games for the first time in franchise history and will again travel to play the Kansas City Chiefs.
Jalen Hurts erased lingering doubts about the state of his right shoulder by throwing two touchdown passes and running for a score during a dominant first half, and the Philadelphia Eagles overwhelmed the New York Giants 38-7 in an NFC divisional playoff game. Top-seeded Philadelphia will host the NFC championship game next Sunday against San Francisco.
Elsewhere, Christian McCaffrey scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter and San Francisco’s defense did the rest, sending the 49ers to their second straight NFC title game with a 19-12 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. San Francisco advanced to play the Eagles in the NFC title game next Sunday in Philadelphia after losing in that round to the Rams a year ago. The Cowboys lost for the record seventh straight time in the divisional round and have failed to make it to the NFC title game since winning their fifth Super Bowl title following the 1995 season.
Patrick Mahomes sustained a right high ankle sprain in the Kansas City Chiefs’ divisional playoff win over the Jaguars, a person familiar with the nature of the injury told The Associated Press on Sunday. But the All-Pro quarterback is expected to play in next weekend’s AFC championship game. Mahomes was hurt late in the first quarter Saturday when a Jacksonville defender landed on him. X-rays taken during the game came back negative, and Mahomes returned after halftime to lead Kansas City to the 27-20 victory. He had an MRI on Sunday that showed no structural damage.
Chad Henne has spent most of the season holding clipboards behind Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes. But when the All-Pro quarterback hurt his right ankle in Saturday night's playoff game against Jacksonville, the 37-year-old journeyman entered the game and proceeded to lead Kansas City on a 98-yard touchdown drive. Mahomes eventually returned to finish off a 27-20 victory that ushered the Chiefs to their fifth consecutive AFC championship game. But the performance by his backup amid the intense pressure of the postseason may have been what kept Kansas City's season alive.
NFL DIVISIONAL ROUND – AT A GLANCE
Saturday, Jan. 21
Chiefs 27, (4) Jaguars 20
Eagles 38, (6) Giants 7
Sunday, Jan. 22
(Bengals 27, Bills 10
49ers 19, Cowboys 12
Championship Sunday - Jan. 29
NFC Championship Eagles vs. 49ers, 3:05 p.m. ET (Fox, stream on fuboTV)
AFC Championship
Chiefs vs. Bengals, 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS, stream on Paramount+)
Australian Open - MONDAY'S KEY RESULTS
Women's Fourth Round: Magda Linette beat No. 4 Caroline Garcia 7-6 (3), 6-4; No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka beat No. 12 Belinda Bencic 7-5, 6-2; No. 30 Karolina Pliskova beat Zhang Shuai 6-0, 6-4; Donna Vekic beat Linda Fruhvirtova 6-2, 1-6, 6-3.
Men's Fourth Round: No. 5 Andrey Rublev beat No. 9 Holger Rune 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (11-9); Ben Shelton beat J.J. Wolf 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-2.
The next stop on Ben Shelton's impressive debut run at the Australian Open will be the quarterfinals. The 20-year-old NCAA champion from the University of Florida pulled out a five-set victory over J.J. Wolf in an all-American matchup at Melbourne Park. Shelton is playing in only his second Grand Slam tournament. He joins Sebastian Korda to give the U.S. two men in the quarterfinals in Australia for the first time since 2007. Yet another American could join them because Tommy Paul is also in fourth-round action. Also reaching the men's quarterfinals is Andrey Rublev. Magda Linette made it to the quarterfinals of a major for the first time and will meet Karolina Pliskova next. Aryna Sabalenka will play Donna Vekic in another women's quarterfinal. The other men’s quarterfinal features unseeded Jiri Lehecka against No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The women’s quarterfinals on Tuesday include No. 3 Jessica Pegula against No. 24 Victoria Azarenka. Azarenka has twice won the Australian Open. Pegula has never advanced past the quarterfinals at a major. Elena Rybakina and Jelena Ostapenko play in the other quarterfinal.
NHL
New Jersey beat Pittsburgh in overtime 2-1.
Boston blanked San Jose 4-0.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Damian Dunn scored 16 points and made the go-ahead free throw and Kur Jongkuch blocked Houston’s go-ahead attempt in the final seconds. Temple held on to defeat the top-ranked Cougars 56-55 on Sunday. Temple improved to 3-18 against No. 1 ranked teams. The Owls earned their first win over a No. 1 ranked team since Feb. 20, 2000. Tied at 55, Dunn made 1 of 2 free throws with 1:06 left to give Temple a one-point lead. Jamal Shead missed a 3-pointer with 37 seconds remaining and Nick Jourdain grabbed the rebound.
University at Albany men’s basketball coach Dwayne Killings is set to be arraigned on a misdemeanor assault charge in Kentucky today.
The Daily Gazette first reported the charge stems from a November 2021 incident that led to Killings' five-game suspension and a $25,000 fine. Killings apologized and served the suspension earlier this season.
The actions came after UAlbany investigated claims of inappropriate physical contact with a student athlete.
The former player involved in the incident has filed a lawsuit against Killings, UAlbany, and the school’s athletic director.
The University told the newspaper it was aware of the complaint and that it was currently not “aware of any additional information that would result in a change” in the coach’s status.
The 41-year-old is in his second year coaching UAlbany, his first head coaching position, and earns $365,000 a year.
After an investigation into what the school calls “insensitive remarks,” Siena College’s Athletic Department has asked Jim Jabir to return as head coach of the women’s basketball team. The private college in Loudonville says its Title Nine and Equal Opportunity Office investigated the matter that led Jabir to step aside at the end of December. He missed seven games. Jabir says he made a regrettable and insensitive comment and immediately apologized to the team. Jabir returned to Siena in 2021 after coaching there from 1987 to 1990. The college says he has its “full support.”
