NFL
Superbowl 58 is set. Kansas City will face San Francisco in Detroit on Feb. 11, seeking to become the first team since New England 19 years ago to win it all in back-to-back seasons. This after Brock Purdy threw for 267 yards and a touchdown, and the San Francisco 49ers rallied from 17 points down at halftime to beat the Detroit Lions 34-31 and reach the Super Bowl. The 49ers scored 17 points in an eight-minute span of the third quarter to tie the game and then pulled away in the fourth quarter to earn a rematch against Kansas City after losing to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl four years ago. Detroit became the fourth team to lose a conference title game after leading by at least 17 points and was unable to make the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and (meanwhile) the Kansas City Chiefs are heading to Las Vegas with a chance for a rare repeat while facing the San Francisco 49ers in a Super Bowl rematch from four years ago. The Chiefs beat Lamar Jackson and the No. 1-seeded Baltimore Ravens 17-10 in the AFC championship game Sunday to advance to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years. Brock Purdy later rallied the No. 1-seeded 49ers to a 34-31 victory over Detroit in the NFC title game. The Chiefs will try to become the first back-to-back champions since New England during the 2003-04 seasons. The 49ers seek a record-tying sixth Super Bowl title in their eighth appearance.
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were at their magnificent best in the first half, and Kansas City’s defense delivered another masterpiece against Lamar Jackson and Baltimore, helping the Chiefs reach the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years with a 17-10 victory in the AFC championship game. Kelce caught 11 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown with girlfriend Taylor Swift again in attendance. Kansas City will face San Francisco in Detroit on Feb. 11, seeking to become the first team since New England 19 years ago to win it all in back-to-back seasons.
The aggressiveness that characterized the turnaround for the Detroit Lions under coach Dan Campbell backfired at the worst possible time. Detroit failed on two fourth-down tries in field-goal range in the second half, contributing to a blown 17-point halftime lead and a 34-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game. The success-starved Lions appeared poised to make their first Super Bowl in franchise history when they took a 24-7 halftime lead against the Niners only to allow 27 straight points in a mistake-filled second half.
Taylor Swift may be Super Bowl-bound. The pop star could be on hand in Las Vegas to cheer on boyfriend Travis Kelce after he and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 in the AFC championship game on Sunday. After the game, Swift greeted Kelce on the field with a short kiss, a long embrace and another smooch. Swift and others could be seen cheering from a suite in a corner of the stadium as Kelce caught a touchdown pass among his 11 receptions for 116 yards. Swift has concerts scheduled for Tokyo on the Friday and Saturday before the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 11.
Another monster playoff performance by Travis Kelce has the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs back in the Super Bowl. Kelce had 11 catches for 116 yards and had a touchdown reception in the Chiefs' 17-10 victory at the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game. In the process Kelce broke Jerry Rice's career record for the most catches in the playoffs. Kansas City is making a fourth Super Bowl appearance in the past five years and is one victory from a third NFL title in that span. Kelce has three TDs this postseason after two in a divisional round victory at Buffalo last week.
NBA
Saddiq Bey dunked in Trae Young's miss with 1.1 seconds left to lift the Atlanta Hawks to a 126-125 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night. It was the fifth straight loss for the Raptors. The Raptors had taken a one-point lead when a turnover in the backcourt led to a dunk by Scottie Barnes with seven seconds remaining. Bey finished with a season-high 26 points and he also grabbed 13 rebounds. Young had 30 points and 12 assists as the Hawks overcame a night where they shot just 6-for 27 (22.2 %) from three.
Jalen Duren had 22 points and a career-high 21 rebounds and the Detroit Pistons ended the Oklahoma City Thunder’s five-game winning streak with a 120-104 victory. Duren’s performance included nine of Detroit’s 15 offensive rebounds. Jaden Ivey added 19 points for the Pistons, who played without leading scorer Cade Cunningham. He was a late scratch for what the team termed “injury management.” Cunningham returned from a knee injury on Saturday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 31 points and Jalen Williams added 20.
Bennedict Mathurin scored 24 points off the bench, Jalen Smith sank a go-ahead 3-pointer late, and the Indiana Pacers won their third consecutive home game 116-110 over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. Smith finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Recently acquired All-Star forward Pascal Siakam added 19 for Indiana. Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith each had 16. Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 25 points. Vince Williams Jr. scored 20, and GG Jackson added 18.
Paolo Banchero scored 26 points and the Orlando Magic beat the Phoenix Suns 113-98 on Sunday night, overcoming Devin Booker’s 44-point effort two days after he had 62 in a loss at Indiana. Phoenix went more than eight minutes without a field goal in the fourth quarter, losing its second straight after a seven-game winning streak. Booker was 17 of 26 from the field and hit 9 of 11 free throws. But he had only two points in the fourth quarter. Booker extended the franchise record for consecutive games with 40-point scorers to six. Moritz Wagner added 16 points and 12 rebounds for Orlando.
DeMar DeRozan had 20 points and the Chicago Bulls snapped a two-game losing streak with a 104-96 victory over the Portland Trail Blazer on Sunday night. Coby White had 15 points and 10 assists for the Bulls, while Andre Drummond came off the bench with 15. Jerami Grant led Portland with 24 points, while Deandre Ayton had 22 and 12 rebounds. The Blazers, who kept the Bulls from extending their lead by more than 11 points, have lost four of their last five games.
NHL
Brayden Schenn scored 1:04 into overtime to help the St. Louis Blues beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 for their season-best fifth consecutive win. Jordan Kyrou had one goal and two assists for St. Louis, which surrendered at least four goals in each of its previous four games against Los Angeles. Pavel Buchnevich and Nick Leddy also scored, and Joel Hofer made 30 saves. Schenn got a nice pass from Buchnevich and beat David Rittich for his 13th goal. Phillip Danault, Adrian Kempe and Jaret Anderson-Dolan scored for Los Angeles, which dropped its fourth consecutive game.
Jordan Eberle had two goals and an assist in Seattle’s three-goal first period, and the Kraken beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2. Jared McCann had a goal and an assist, Brandon Tanev also scored, and Oliver Bjorkstrand had two assists as Seattle extended its point streak to three games (2-0-1). Joey Daccord stopped 30 shots. Yegor Chinakhov scored twice in the third period for Columbus, and Daniil Tarasov had 23 saves. The Blue Jackets have lost seven of their last nine games (2-5-2).
Jannik Sinner has rallied from two sets down to win the Australian Open final against Daniil Medvedev and clinch his first Grand Slam title. The 22-year-old Sinner was playing in a major final for the first time and got there by ending Novak Djokovic’s long domination of the tournament. For 2021 U.S. Open champion Medvedev, the loss was his fifth in six major finals. The third-seeded Medvedev set a record with his fourth five-set match of the tournament and time on court at a major in the Open era. Sinner only dropped one set through six rounds — in a third-set tiebreaker against Djokovic — before going to five in the final.
LPGA TOUR
Nelly Korda rallied to win her hometown LPGA Drive On Championship and delay Lydia Ko’s LPGA Hall of Fame entry, outlasting the New Zealander on the second hole of a playoff Sunday after overcoming a three-stroke deficit with an eagle-birdie finish. Korda won with a 3-foot par putt on the par-4 18th after Ko’s 4-footer caught the lip and spun out. Ko won the season-opening event last week in Orlando for her 20th tour victory to move within a point of qualifying for the Hall of Fame. Four strokes ahead of Ko beginning play Sunday at Bradenton Country Club, Korda shot a 2-over 73 to match Ko at 11-under 273. Ko, playing in the group ahead of Korda, also eagled the 17th in a 69.
FIGURE SKATING
Ilia Malinin landed the quad axel, a jump only he has ever landed in competition, while winning his second consecutive U.S. figure skating championship. Malinin finished with 294.35 points, well below the world-leading score of 314.66 points he had at the Grand Prix Final in December. But it was well ahead of Jason Brown in second with 264.50 points, while Camden Pulkinen soared from fifth after his short program into the bronze-medal position with 262.33 points.
HOCKEY
USA Hockey is mandating neck laceration protection for all players under the age of 18. The new rule goes into effect Aug. 1. The decision comes three months after American Adam Johnson died after taking a skate blade to the neck during a game in the Elite Ice Hockey League in England. The International Ice Hockey Federation has since mandated neck guards for players at all levels at the tournaments it runs. USA Hockey's decision announced Sunday comes after the sport's governing body in the country's congress approved the mandate at its annual meeting. The NHL currently does not have any such mandate for players.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
St. Peter’s 63 Siena 52
Marist 80 Canisius 71
UConn 99 Xavier 56
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Virginia Tech 75 Syracuse 62
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