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WAMC Sports Report 1/13/25: Bills dominate Broncos for 31-7 wild-card win

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) celebrates with wide receiver Curtis Samuel (1) after Samuel scored a touchdown against the Denver Broncos during the fourth quarter of an NFL wild card playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Jeffrey T. Barnes/AP
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FR171450 AP
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) celebrates with wide receiver Curtis Samuel (1) after Samuel scored a touchdown against the Denver Broncos during the fourth quarter of an NFL wild card playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

NFL

Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes, James Cook scored on a 5-yard run and finished with 120 yards rushing, and the Buffalo Bills leaned on a balanced offensive attack in a 31-7 win over the Denver Broncos in a wild-card playoff game. The Bills methodically wore down the Broncos by scoring on six of their first seven drives in building a 31-7 lead in an outing where they finished with a 23-minute edge in time of possession. The five-time AFC East defending champion Bills advanced to the divisional round for a fifth straight postseason, and will face the third-seeded Baltimore Ravens next Sunday night. The seventh-seeded Broncos were outclassed in their first playoff appearance since their Super Bowl-winning season in 2015.

Jalen Hurts threw two touchdown passes in his first game since a late-season concussion, Dallas Goedert threw three stiff-arms on a rugged touchdown catch and the Philadelphia Eagles rode their NFL-best defense to a 22-10 wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers. Hurts threw for a modest 131 yards but played with no hesitation as he came back from a three-week layoff after a concussion in December. The NFC East champions will host a divisional round game against the winner of Monday night's game between Minnesota and the Los Angeles Rams next week.

Jayden Daniels ran for a critical first down to set up Zane Gonzalez’s 37-yard field goal that clanged off the right upright and went through as time expired, and the Washington Commanders beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 in an NFC wild-card game for the franchise’s first playoff win in 6,945 days. Daniels became the third rookie quarterback in three years to win a playoff game. The Commanders will face the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions in the divisional round. Daniels threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns. Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers missed several opportunities and the veteran quarterback committed a critical turnover in the fourth quarter.

Lamar Jackson vs. Josh Allen won’t decide the NFL MVP next week. The stakes are higher with a spot in the AFC championship game on the line. Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens will visit Allen and the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round while Patrick Mahomes and the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will host C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans. The winners face off on Jan. 26 for a berth in the Super Bowl. In the NFC, the Washington Commanders will play at the top-seeded Detroit Lions after knocking off the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A.J. Brown had a novel ideal to pass time on the bench during Philadelphia's wild-card playoff game. The Eagles wide receiver passed on the playbook and checked out an inspirational title. Brown casually flipped through the pages of “Inner Excellence” by Jim Murphy. Brown had time for some light reading with only one catch for 10 yards in the Philadelphia Eagles’ 22-10 wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night. The book is described on the cover as one that will “Train your mind for extraordinary performance and the best possible life.”

The New England Patriots have hired Mike Vrabel as their head coach. The move comes after Patriots owner Robert Kraft fired Jerod Mayo after the team’s season finale victory over the Buffalo Bills to finish 4-13 in his lone season as coach. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, former Houston Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson also interviewed for the job. But Vrabel (was), a fan favorite during eight seasons as a player in New England where he was a member of its first three Super Bowl winners and an inductee into the team’s hall of fame in 2023, was the preferred candidate.

NBA

NBA games are scheduled to return to wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles tonight, with the Clippers planning to resume their schedule when they play host to the Miami Heat and the Lakers set to host Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. The Clippers said at practice Sunday that the NBA had given the go-ahead for the game at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, south of the sprawling Palisades fire. The Spurs were told that, barring changes, they will play the Lakers on Monday as well at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.

Jalen Brunson wouldn’t reveal much about the shoulder injury that forced him to leave in the third quarter Sunday. He was able to return and finished with 44 points in a 140-106 rout of the Milwaukee Bucks. Brunson tied Carmelo Anthony for third place with his 17th 40-point game as a Knicks player. Only Hall of Famers Patrick Ewing and Bernard King remain ahead of him. Coach Tom Thibodeau said the injury was a shoulder stinger. Brunson told reporters they would need to ask the doctors for clarification and check the injury report Monday to see if he would be able to play that night against Detroit.

Isaiah Collier drove for the go-ahead layup with 2 seconds left to lift the Utah Jazz to a 112-111 overtime victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night. Collier finished with a career-high 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Collin Sexton added 21 points to lead the Jazz, snapping a three-game losing streak. Svi Mykhailiuk and Brice Sensabaugh chipped in 16 points apiece. Evbuomwan led Brooklyn with 22 points and Ziaire Williams added 19. Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton each tallied 14 points. Simmons added nine assists and Claxton collected 12 rebounds. Brooklyn dropped its fifth straight game.

Jayson Tatum scored 38 points with 11 rebounds and Kristaps Porzingis had 19 points and 11 boards as the Boston Celtics overcame the return of Zion Williamson to the New Orleans lineup and beat the Pelicans 120-119. Trey Murphy III scored 30 points and Williamson scored 16 in his return from a one-game suspension for being late to team activities. The 2019 draft lottery prize also had seven rebounds in 28 minutes. The defending NBA champions avoided a loss to one of the NBA’s worst teams and improved to 7-6 in their last 13 games.

Cole Anthony had 27 points, Paolo Banchero scored seven points in the final 1:32 and the Orlando Magic beat the Philadelphia 76ers 104-99. Banchero finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his second game back after being sidelined by a torn oblique. Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 29 points. Paul George had 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists before fouling out with the 76ers leading 94-91 with 2:49 left.

Russell Westbrook had 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists and Nikola Jokic added 19 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists as the Denver Nuggets rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Dallas Mavericks 112-101. The Nuggets trailed by 19 points late in the third period and by 12 early in the fourth. They outscored the Mavericks in the fourth period 33-12 to win for the 12th time in 17 games. Klay Thompson scored 25 points to lead the Mavericks.

Domantas Sabonis had 22 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, and the Sacramento Kings beat the Chicago Bulls 124-119 to extend their season-high win streak to seven games. De’Aaron Fox scored 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Sacramento after missing three games because of a bruised right glute. Malik Monk had 18 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. DeMar DeRozan got a warm reception in his return to Chicago and finished with 21 points. The six-time All-Star spent three seasons with the Bulls before leaving for Sacramento in a three-team trade in July. Zach LaVine led Chicago with 36 points.

Andrew Nembhard scored 19 points, Pascal Siakam had 18 points and nine rebounds and the Indiana Pacers ended NBA-leading Cleveland’s winning streak at 12 games, beating the Cavaliers 108-93 on Sunday night. The teams will complete the home-and-home set Tuesday night in Indianapolis. Myles Turner added 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Jarace Walker had eight points and 12 rebounds off the bench to help Indiana win its sixth straight. The Pacers held the Cavaliers to a season low in points and outscored them 68-40 in the second half. Cleveland lost for the first time since Dec. 8 at Miami. It is 33-5 overall and 20-2 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Darius Garland had 20 points and seven assists for the Cavaliers.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 16 of his 27 points from the foul line to overcome his worst shooting performance of the season and help the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 136-95 rout of the Washington Wizards. Gilgeous-Alexander shot only 29.4% (5 of 17) from the floor over 30 minutes, well below his previous worst of 35% against San Antonio on Oct. 30. It was the Western Conference-leading Thunders' largest margin of victory and sent NBA-worst Washington to its most lopsided loss. Aaron Wiggins added 23 points, Jalen Williams scored 17 points, and Isaiah Hartenstein had 10 points and 12 rebounds to help the Thunder improve to 2-1 on their four-game trip. Corey Kispert scored 17 points for Washington.

Devin Booker scored 30 points, Kevin Durant added 27 and the Phoenix Suns rallied in the final minutes to beat the Charlotte Hornets 120-113 on Sunday night. The Suns have won three straight and four of five. Charlotte has lost 10 of 11. The Hornets — who were trying to beat the Suns for the second time in a week — pushed to a 98-93 lead after the third quarter and led for much of the fourth. Durant hit a stepback jumper to give the Suns a 111-110 advantage with just over three minutes left. Durant found rookie Oso Ighodaro for a dunk to take a 115-113 lead.

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

Patrick Kane scored during Detroit’s fast start, and the Red Wings beat the Seattle Kraken 6-2 for their seventh consecutive victory. Marco Kasper, J.T. Compher, Alex DeBrincat and Kane scored as Detroit opened a 4-0 lead 7:53 into the first period. Erik Gustafsson and Dylan Larkin added second-period goals for the Red Wings. It’s the longest win streak for Detroit in nearly 13 years. Oliver Bjorkstrand and Matty Beniers scored for Seattle.

Nikita Kucherov had two goals and an assist, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2. Brandon Hagel also scored for the Lightning, and Anthony Cirelli and Nick Paul had empty-net goals. Tampa Bay recorded points in both halves of back-to-back games for the first time this season. It lost in overtime against New Jersey on Saturday. Rickard Rakell scored his 22nd goal of the season for Pittsburgh.

Leevi Merilainen made 24 saves in his Ottawa home debut and the Senators ended the Dallas Stars’ seven-game winning streak with a 3-2 victory Sunday night. Merilainen was coming off his first NHL shutout Saturday in a 5-0 victory in Pittsburgh. The 22-year-old Finn’s five previous starts this season were on the road. Josh Norris, Tim Stutzle and Matthew Highmore scored for Ottawa. Evgenii Dadonov and Jason Robertson scored for Dallas. Casey DeSmith made 25 saves. The Stars also played Saturday, winning 2-1 in a shootout in Montreal.

Cutter Gauthier scored two goals, including one 1:52 into overtime, as the Anaheim Ducks beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 on Sunday. Jansen Harkins also scored, and Lukas Dostal stopped 35 shots to help the Ducks snap a three-game losing streak. Jackon LaCombe added two assists. Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov scored a power-play goal midway through the third period, and Seth Jarvis tied it with 56 seconds remaining in regulation and the Carolina net empty. Pyotr Kochetkov made 17 saves.

Adam Edstrom tipped in Jonny Brodzinski’s shot off the rush at 5:57 of the third period to give the New York Rangers the lead for good in their 2-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. The Rangers are 4-1-1 since a four-game skid. After beating New Jersey 3-2 in overtime Thursday, they’ve won consecutive games for the first time since a three-game streak from Nov. 14-19. Vegas lost consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 17 and 20. Vincent Trocheck scored the other New York goal on a power play, and Igor Shesterkin made 29 saves. Mark Stone scored on a power play for the Golden Knights, and Ilya Samsonov stopped 24 shots.

TENNIS

Jannik Sinner has started his Australian Open title defense with a challenging win over No. 35-ranked Nicolas Jarry. The 23-year-old Italian had plenty of support in the crowd at Rod Laver Arena in two tough early sets before extending his winning streak to 15 matches. Top-ranked Sinner entered his first Grand Slam title defense with attention from last year's doping case on his mind. Third-seeded Coco Gauff opened her Australian Open with a 6-3, 6-3 win over 2020 champion Sofia Kenin. Gauff won the title at the WTA Finals last November and started this season by helping the U.S. to victory at the United Cup in Sydney.

GOLF

Nick Taylor is the winner of the Sony Open and he's not even sure how it happened. The Canadian was never in the mix until chipping in for eagle on the 18th hole for a 65 that got him into a playoff with Nico Echavarria. On the second extra hole, Taylor hit a marvelous pitch from 46 yards to 3 feet for birdie. Echavarria three-putted from 40 feet. Taylor now has won his last three PGA Tour events in a playoff. Stephan Jaeger and J.J. Spaun led most of the day until making critical mistakes that left them one back.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Notre Dame’s Anthonie Knapp has been ruled out of the College Football Playoff championship game against Ohio State with an ankle injury. Coach Marcus Freeman said Sunday that Rocco Spindler is on track to play. The Buckeyes’ Denzel Burke will be available after dealing with what coach Ryan Day called an upper extrimity issue. Knapp and Spindler were hurt in the second quarter of the Irish’s semifinal win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl. Burke missed the second half of the Cotton Bowl against Texas.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Quinnipiac 63 Iona 62

Marist 61 Fairfield 51

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Syracuse 66 Miami 61

UMass 67 Fairfield 58

© 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Alexander began his journalism career as a sports writer for Siena College's student paper The Promethean, and as a host for Siena's school radio station, WVCR-FM "The Saint." A Cubs fan, Alexander hosts the morning Sports Report in addition to producing Morning Edition. You can hear the sports reports over-the-air at 6:19 and 7:19 AM, and online on WAMC.org. He also speaks Spanish as a second language. To reach him, email ababbie@wamc.org, or call (518)-465-5233 x 190. You can also find him on Twitter/X: @ABabbieWAMC.