>>Pats Down Broncos To Clinch Division Crown
(Denver, CO) — The Patriots are AFC East champions for the eighth straight season. The Pats clinched the division crown with a 16-3 win over the Broncos in Denver. Tom Brady threw for 188 yards for New England, which leads the AFC at 12-and-2. The Patriots will have a first-round bye for the seventh consecutive year.
>>Raiders Clinch First Playoff Spot Since 2002
(San Diego, CA) — The Raiders are going to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. The Raiders secured a postseason berth with a 19-16 win over the Chargers in San Diego. At 11-and-3, Oakland has a one-game lead on the Kansas City Chiefs for first place in the AFC West.
>>Colts Crush Vikings In Peterson’s Return
(Minneapolis, MN) — Andrew Luck finished 21-of-28 for 250 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Colts crushed the Vikings 34-6 at US Bank Stadium. Frank Gore ran for 101 yards on 26 carries, while Robert Turbin had two rushing touchdowns for Indianapolis, which evened its record at 7-and-7. The Colts remain one game behind Houston for first in the AFC South.
>>Cowboys Outlast Bucs On “SNF”
(Arlington, TX) — The Cowboys are inching closer to a division title after outlasting the Buccaneers 26-20 on “Sunday Night Football”. Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown for 12-and-2 Dallas, which has a two-game lead on the Giants for first place in the NFC East. At 8-and-6, Tampa Bay is now behind Washington for the final Wild Card spot in the NFC.
>>Jaguars Fire Bradley Following Loss
(Houston, TX) — The Gus Bradley era is over in Jacksonville. The Jaguars fired the head coach following yesterday’s 21-20 loss to the Texans. Jacksonville is 2-and-12 this season and went just 14-and-48 overall under Bradley.
>>Packers Beat Bears After Blowing 17-Point Fourth Quarter Lead
(Chicago, IL) — Mason Crosby’s 32-yard field goal as time expired gave the Packers a wild 30-27 win over the Bears at Soldier Field. Matt Barkley threw for 362 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears, but had three interceptions and a fumble. Chicago dropped to 3-and-11 and hosts Washington on Saturday.
>>Blackhawks Skate Past Sharks
(Chicago, IL) — The Blackhawks scored four unanswered goals to capture a 4-1 win over the Sharks in Chicago. Duncan Keith scored in the second, while Ryan Hartman, Vincent Hinostroza and Patrick Kane all lit the lamp in the third. Scott Darling made 33 saves for the ‘Hawks, who have reeled off five straight wins. Chicago hosts Ottawa tomorrow night.
>>Missouri Plays Illinois Wednesday In St. Louis
(St. Louis, MO) — Missouri and Illinois basketball meet in their annual tussle Wednesday at Scottrade Center. The Tigers lost 67-64 at home to Eastern Illinois on Saturday to fall back to .500 at 5-and-5. The Fighting Illini beat BYU 75-73 Saturday in Chicago and are now 9-and-3 on the season.
>>White Sox Avoid Arbitration With Abreu
(Chicago, IL) — The White Sox are avoiding arbitration with slugger Jose Abreu. The 29-year-old first baseman agreed to a one-year deal worth just under 10.9-million-dollars over the weekend. Abreu recovered from a slow start last season to hit .293 with 25 homers and 100 RBI.
>>Spurs Retire Tim Duncan’s Number
(San Antonio, TX) — The Spurs are honoring the best to ever put on their jersey. San Antonio retired Tim Duncan’s number-21 in a ceremony after its win over the Pelicans last night. Duncan won five championships during his 19 seasons with the Spurs.