SEATTLE (AP) β The Seattle Seahawks are going to their second straight Super Bowl after rallying to beat the Green Bay Packers 28-22 in overtime. Russell Wilson connected with Jermaine Kearse for a 35-yard touchdown at 3:19 of OT to cap an exciting finish in the NFC championship game. Marshawn Lynch ran for 157 yards and a touchdown for the Seahawks, who set an NFL conference championship game record by rallying from a 16-point halftime deficit.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) β Tom Brady is going to the Super Bowl for the sixth time after throwing for 226 yards and three touchdowns in New England’s 45-7 pounding of Indianapolis in the AFC title game. LaGarrette Blount ran for three scores while amassing 148 yards on 30 carries to help the Pats reach the title game for the first time in three seasons. The Pats played shutout ball after Zurlon Tipton’s one-yard scoring run late in the first half.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) β The Denver Broncos have found a new head coach, less than a week after parting ways with John Fox. A person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press that Broncos GM John Elway is hashing out a four-year contract with Gary Kubiak. Kubiak was Elway’s backup QB from 1983-91 and Denver’s offensive coordinator from 1995-2005 under Mike Shanahan.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) β Seventh seed Eugenie Bouchard’s quest to match her stellar 2014 record in Grand Slam tournaments started on a positive note she beat Anna-Lena Friedsam of Germany 6-2, 6-4 Monday in the first round of the Australian Open. Bouchard advanced to the semifinals at three majors last year and lost in the Wimbledon final. Fifth seed Ana Ivanovic (ee-VAH’-noh-vihch) had 10 double-faults in losing to Czech qualifier Lucie Hradecka (rah-DEHCH’-kuh). No. 3 Simona Halep (HAH’-lep) advanced in straight-sets. On the men’s side, winners included two-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray, third seed Rafael Nadal, seventh seed Tomas Berdych and No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov (dih-MEE’-trahv).
HONOLULU (AP) β Jimmy Walker has won the PGA’s Sony Open for the second straight year, closing with a 7-under-par 63 for a 23-under total. Walker is the tournament’s first repeat winner since Ernie Els in 2004. He set a tournament record with a nine-stroke victory over Scott Piercy.
