NFL-JETS
Jets clean house
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) β The New York Jets have fired coach Rex Ryan and general manager John Idzik after one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. The team finished the season with just four wins against 12 defeats, failing to make the postseason for the fourth straight season.
Ryan was 50-52, including 4-2 in the postseason in his six seasons with the Jets. His first few years were filled with guarantees, bold statements and two consecutive trips to the AFC title game.
Idzik lasted just two seasons after replacing the fired Mike Tannenbaum in 2013.
NFL-SCHEDULE
Ravens in, Chargers out…Panthers beat Falcons…Packers, Steelers, Seahawks take division titles
UNDATED (AP) β The Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers were able to work themselves into the NFL postseason.
Joe Flacco (FLAK’-oh) threw a pair of fourth quarter touchdown passes to revive a sluggish Baltimore offense in a 20-10 win over Cleveland. The victory, combined with San Diego’s loss to Kansas City, allowed the Ravens to edge out the Chargers for the final AFC wild-card berth.
Flacco went 8 for 9 for 161 yards and two touchdowns during a 17-point fourth quarter. He finished 22 for 36 for 312 yards, and the two TD passes gave him a career-high 27 for the season.
The Panthers took the NFC South title by taking advantage of the mistake-prone Falcons in a 34-3 victory in Atlanta. Roman Harper scored on a 31-yard return in the second quarter, and Tre Boston helped clinch the win with his 84-yard interception return late in the third quarter. A 33-yard fumble return by Thomas Davis set up another touchdown.
Cam Newton threw for a touchdown, ran for another and had a game-high 51 rushing yards on six carries as the Panthers finished 7-8-1, the first team to make the playoffs with a losing record since the 2010 Seahawks.
The Green Bay Packers are NFC North champs for the fourth consecutive year.
Aaron Rodgers was 17 of 22 for 226 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions as the Packers downed Detroit 30-20.
Rodgers put the Packers ahead to stay with his second TD pass of the day to Randall Cobb, then scored on a one-yard run midway through the fourth quarter to put the Packers ahead 28-14.
Eddie Lacy had 100 yards on 26 carries for the 12-4 Packers, who wrapped up a first-round bye in the playoffs.
The Lions settle for a wild-card berth after falling to 11-5 despite Matthew Stafford’s three scoring strikes.
The San Francisco 49ers were winners in Jim Harbaugh’s last game as their coach. Harbaugh announced his departure during his postgame news conference following a 20-17 triumph over Arizona. He did not reveal if he resigned or was fired.
Team CEO Jed York said he and Harbaugh came to the conclusion that it is in their mutual best interest to move in different directions.
Colin Kaepernick (KAP’-ur-nik) threw a go-ahead 3-yard touchdown pass to Bruce Miller late in the third quarter for the 8-8 Niners. Anquan Boldin caught a 76-yard TD pass and went over 1,000 yards receiving. Frank Gore ran for 144 yards on 25 carries to go over 1,000 yards rushing for the eighth time in 10 NFL seasons.
The Cardinals finish 11-5 and will visit the Panthers in the NFC wild-card round next weekend.
In other finals:
β Pittsburgh captured the AFC North crown as Ben Roethlisberger (RAHTH’-lis-bur-gur) threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-17 triumph over Cincinnati. Roethlisberger put the Steelers ahead for good with a 21-yard scoring strike to Martavis Bryant in the second quarter. Pittsburgh iced the victory with Antonio Brown’s 69-yard TD grab with 2:50 left. Andy Dalton threw for two touchdowns but was picked off twice as the Bengals had to settle for a wild-card berth.
β The Seattle Seahawks won the NFC West and grabbed home-field advantage with a 20-6 triumph over St. Louis. The game was tied 6-6 until Marshawn Lynch scored on a 9-yard run with 12:07 remaining, 6 1/2 minutes before Bruce Irvin returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown. The two fourth-quarter TDs allowed the 12-4 Seahawks to cap a six-game win streak to end the regular season. Russell Wilson was 17 of 25 for 239 yards and one interception for the Seahawks.
β San Diego played itself out of an AFC playoff berth with a 19-7 loss at Kansas City. The Chargers left points on the board in the second half, allowing the Ravens to steal the conference’s final wild-card berth. Midway through the fourth, a touchdown pass to Eddie Royal was overturned by a video review when the ball appeared to skip off the turf. Then San Diego went for it on fourth down and Rivers threw an incomplete pass. With about 4 minutes left, Donald Brown was stuffed on fourth-and-1 at the Chiefs 20.
β Denver crushed Oakland 47-14 to wrap up a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs. C.J. Anderson had three touchdown runs as the AFC West champs finished 12-4. Peyton Manning completed 21 of 37 passes for 273 yards, although he failed to throw a TD pass for the second time in four weeks after throwing one for 51 consecutive games.
β J.J. Watt had three sacks, a safety and forced a fumble in Houston’s 23-17 win over Jacksonville. The dominating defensive end bolstered his MVP credentials with the performance. He finished the season with 20 1-2 sacks making Watt the first player in NFL history with 20 or more sacks in more than one season.
β DeMarco Murray and Dez Bryant set franchise records in the Cowboys 44-17 rout of Washington. Murray broke Emmitt Smith’s 19-year old single season rushing record. Bryant’s two touchdown catches gave him 16 for the season, one more than the record Terrell Owens’ set in 2007. Quarterback Tony Romo he completed 75 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and one interception in the month of December.
β Andrew Luck threw for two scores in the Colts 27-10 win over Tennessee. That helped the AFC South champs sweep their division for the second straight year, a first in franchise history. The 2-14 Titans finished the season with ten straight losses.
β Teddy Bridgewater threw the go-ahead 44-yard touchdown pass to Adam Thielen in the third quarter, guiding the Vikings to a 13-9 victory over Chicago. The 5-11 Bears finished with their worst record in 10 years. It perhaps was the final game for Chicago coach Marc Trestman.
β Mark Sanchez threw two touchdowns and Trey Burton returned a blocked punt 27 yards for a score in the Eagles 34-26 win over the Giants. New York finished with a 6-10 record in what could have been coach Tom Coughlin’s (KAWF’-lihnz) final game.
β Geno Smith threw for a career-high 358 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Jets to a 37-24 win over Miami, but it likely isn’t enough to save coach Rex Ryan’s job. The 4-12 Jets finished with their worst record since 2007. Ryan is 46-50 in six seasons, but the Jets have struggled in recent seasons under him.
β Kyle Orton threw for a touchdown and Anthony Dixon rushed for one in Buffalo’s 17-9 win over New England. The Patriots had already clinched the top seed in the AFC, so they rested a number of key players, including quarterback Tom Brady, who sat out the second half. The Bills finished 9-7 for their first winning record in ten years.
β Drew Brees (breez) connected with Marques Colston on a 36-yard touchdown pass with 1:57 to go to help the Saints beat Tampa Bay 23-20.
NFL-PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Playoff matchups set
UNDATED (AP) β The NFL playoffs will begin on Saturday, with Arizona visiting Carolina before Pittsburgh takes on Baltimore. Sunday’s games will have Cincinnati at Indianapolis followed by Detroit at Dallas.
Seattle, Green Bay, New England and Denver will begin their playoff schedules at home the following weekend.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Spurs outlast Rockets
UNDATED (AP) β The San Antonio Spurs have ended a two-game skid by defeating the Houston Rockets for the first time in seven tries.
Danny Green had 24 points and Tim Duncan added 16 as the short-handed Spurs downed the Rockets 110-106. Manu Ginobili (MAN’-oo jih-NOH’-blee) contributed 15 points for the Spurs, who played without the injured Tony Parker and Kawhi (kah-WY’) Leonard.
James Harden had 28 points and Dwight Howard added 24 points and 17 rebounds for the Rockets, but Josh Smith chipped in just five points on 2 of 7 shooting in his first start for Houston.
Also in the NBA:
β Toronto won at Denver for the first time in 11 years as Kyle Lowry delivered 30 points and 11 assists in a 116-112 triumph over the Nuggets. Lou Williams had 31 points for the Eastern Conference leading Raptors, who improved to 24-7.
β Detroit scored 18 straight points and hit a season-high 17 3-pointers in a 103-80 rout of Cleveland. Brandon Jennings scored a game-high 25 points in the Pistons’ second straight win, while Andre Drummond added 16 points and 17 rebounds.
β Wesley Matthews drained six 3-pointers en route to a 28-point performance in Portland’s 101-79 romp over New York. Teammate Nicolas Batum had five 3-pointers and 17 points to help the Trail Blazers win for the eighth time in nine games.
β Goran Dragic (DRAH’-gihch) was 4-for-6 from 3-point range while scoring 24 points to lead Phoenix to its sixth straight win, 116-107 over the Lakers in Los Angeles. Eric Bledsoe added 22 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to the victory.
β Dallas downed Oklahoma City 112-107 as Dirk Nowitzki matched his season high with 30 points and Chandler Parsons added. The Mavericks opened the fourth quarter down by seven before taking the lead for good on Nowitzki’s two free throws with 3:25 remaining.
TOP 25-SCHEDULE
Wisconsin rallies to beat Buffalo…Stony Brook shocks Washington
UNDATED (AP) β The six-ranked Wisconsin Badgers will carry a 12-1 record into their Big Ten opener against Penn State on Wednesday.
Frank Kaminsky scored 25 points and had 11 rebounds as Wisconsin downed Buffalo 68-56. Sam Dekker added 13 points and helped the Badgers shoot 55 percent in the second half after the Bulls carried a one-point lead into intermission.
Also in the top-25 men’s hoops schedule:
β Stony Brook overcame a late 11-point deficit to stun No. 13 Washington 61-57. Jameel Warney led the Seawolves with 15 points, including a go-ahead runner with 30 seconds left.
β Sir’Dominic Pointer had career highs of 24 points and seven steals to lead 17th-ranked St. John’s to an 82-57 rout of Tulane. The Red Storm are 11-1 for the first time in 29 years.
β Nate Buss scored 14 points as 23rd-rated Northern Iowa closed out nonconference play with a 74-63 victory over South Dakota State. The Panthers improved to 11-1.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Ducks in OT…Panthers rally
UNDATED (AP) β The Anaheim Ducks and Florida Panthers were Sunday’s NHL winners.
The Ducks pulled out a 2-1 victory over Vancouver on Cam Fowler’s goal at 2:42 of overtime. Francois Beauchemin (BOH’-sheh-mihn) also scored and Ryan Getzlaf (GETS’-laf) had two assists as Anaheim bounced back from Saturday’s shootout loss at Arizona.
Frederik Andersen needed to make just two of his 13 saves after the second period to help the Western Conference-leading Ducks move four points ahead of Chicago.
The Panthers trailed 4-2 before scoring four times in the third period of a 6-4 triumph over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Brad Boyes scored the tiebreaking goal on a power play with 3:15 remaining. Dmitry Kulikov started the rally with his first goal of the season before Willie Mitchell tied it up midway through the final period.
Jonathan Huberdeau (OO’-bur-doh) had a goal and an assist in the Panthers’ fourth victory in five games.
The Leafs have dropped four of five.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-MIAMI/JOHNSON’S FUTURE
Hurricanes Johnson to turn pro
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) β Miami running back Duke Johnson is skipping his senior season of eligibility and entering the NFL draft.
Johnson rushed for 1,652 yards this season and finished his Miami career with 3,519 yards in 33 games. He leaves the Hurricanes having set or tied at least 11 significant school records, including many as a kick returner β despite not playing on special teams this season.
