ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2021 16

Denver Nuggets guard Gary Harris shoots against Minnesota Timberwolves cen- ter Ed Davis (17) in the fourth quarter during an NBA bas- ketball game on Jan 3, in Minneapolis. (AP) – See Page 15 Sports Latest sports scores at — http://sports.arabtimesonline.com SAINTS EARN NO. 2 SEED IN NFC PLAYOFFS, RAVENS CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT Browns end postseason drought Colts qualify

CLEVELAND, Jan 4, (AP): After nearly two decades of dysfunction, bad draft picks and coach- ing and front-office chang- es, the NFL’s longest play- off drought is over. The are back in the postseason, qualifying for the first time since 2002 by sur- viving a late Pittsburgh rally for a 24-22 win over the Steelers, who rested quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and several other starters. The Browns (11-5) nearly blew a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, but stopped Pittsburgh’s 2-point conver- sion attempt and then recovered an onside kick with 1:22 left to hold on. A week of COVID-19 disruptions concluded in celebration as the Browns ended what had been the NFL’s lon- gest postseason drought. Their reward: Another game against the AFC North champion Steelers, in Pittsburgh next weekend.

FOOTBALL

Nick Chubb had a touchdown run, threw a TD pass – and had several critical runs in the second half - and the Browns hung on as Mason Rudolph brought back the Steelers (12-4), who had the luxury of sitting their best players after clinching the division last week. San Francisco 49ers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon breaks up a pass intended for Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (14) during the second half of an NFL football game, Jan 3, Instead of Roethlisberger, who is in Glendale, Ariz. (AP) 23-2-1 in his career against the the playoffs,” Cousins said after Browns, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin throwing three touchdowns in the first started Rudolph in the regular-season NFL Results/Standings half and finishing with a season-high finale. Big Ben will be back for the 405 yards passing. playoffs. The Vikings (7-9) failed for the Rudolph’s 2-yard TD pass to JuJu fourth time in a decade to make two Smith-Schuster with 1:23 left pulled WASHINGTON, Jan 4, (AP): NFL Green Bay 35 Chicago 16 results and standings on Sunday. Indianapolis 28 Jacksonville 14 straight trips to the playoffs. They won the Steelers within 24-22. But Rudolph five of six midway through the season badly overthrew rookie Chase Baltimore 38 Cincinnati 3 LA Chargers 38 Kansas City 21 Buffalo 56 Miami 26 LA Rams 18 Arizona 7 to be in the postseason race, but dashed Claypool on the 2-point attempt, and Cleveland 24 Pittsburgh 22 Las Vegas 32 Denver 31 those hopes by losing three straight Browns tight end Stephen Carlson Minnesota 37 Detroit 35 New Orleans 33 Carolina 7 before closing with a win at Detroit. then fell on the ensuing kick under a NY Giants 23 Dallas 19 Seattle 26 San Francisco 23 pile of bodies. New England 28 NY Jets 14 Tennessee 41 Houston 38 Bucs 44 , Falcons 27 Tampa Bay 44 Atlanta 27 Washington 20 Philadelphia 14 Saints 33, Panthers 7 Conference National Football Conference In Tampa, Fla, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heating up In Charlotte, N.C., While the Saints AFC East NFC East at the right time. Hardly surprising didn’t get the first-round bye in the W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA NFC playoffs they coveted, they yx-Buffalo 13 3 0 .813 501 375 yx-Washington 7 9 0 .438 335 329 where Brady is concerned. Miami 10 6 0 .625 404 338 Dallas 6 10 0 .375 395 473 The six-time Super Bowl champion proved again they can win big games New England 7 9 0 .438 326 353 without star players. NY Giants 6 10 0 .375 280 357 threw for 399 yards and four touch- NY Jets 2 14 0 .125 243 457 Philadelphia 4 11 1 .281 334 418 downs , helping the playoff-bound And that could come in handy in the AFC South NFC South W L T Pct PF PA Bucs clinch the fifth seed in the NFC postseason. W L T Pct PF PA yx-New Orleans 12 4 0 .750 482 337 with a 44-27 regular season-ending Drew Brees threw for 201 yards and Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers (23) fumbles the ball, which x-Indianapolis 11 5 0 .688 451 362 was recovered by the Arizona Cardinals, during the first half of an NFL yx-Tennessee 11 5 0 .688 491 439 x-Tampa Bay 11 5 0 .688 492 355 win over the Atlanta Falcons. three touchdowns, the Saints had five Carolina 5 11 0 .313 350 402 interceptions and New Orleans routed football game in Inglewood, California, Jan 3. (AP) Houston 4 12 0 .250 384 464 But the team’s fourth straight vic- Jacksonville 1 15 0 .063 306 492 Atlanta 4 12 0 .250 396 414 tory, which means the Bucs (11-5) will the Carolina Panthers 33-7 on Sunday NFC North without their top two running backs ing into the postseason. (11-5) next Sunday at 1:05 pm EST. AFC North face the NFC East champion, W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Washington or the New York Giants, and fullback to wrap up the No. 2 seed Rams 18 , Cardinals 7 Washington 20, Eagles 14 zyx-Green Bay 13 3 0 .813 509 369 in the NFC playoffs. yx-Pittsburgh 12 4 0 .750 416 312 on the road in the club’s first postsea- In Inglewood, Calif,J ohn Wolford’s In Philadelphia, Just call the x-Baltimore 11 5 0 .688 468 303 x-Chicago 8 8 0 .500 372 370 son game in 13 years, may have come Colts 28, Jaguars 14 x-Cleveland 11 5 0 .688 408 419 Minnesota 7 9 0 .438 430 475 NFL debut started with an interception Washington Football Team division Cincinnati 4 11 1 .281 311 424 Detroit 5 11 0 .313 377 519 with a steep cost. In Indianapolas, Jonathan Taylor on his first throw. It ended with the champs. NFC West Giants 23 , Cowboys 19 inexperienced quarterback fearlessly Alex Smith threw two touchdown AFC West got the Indianapolis Colts revved up W L T Pct PF PA early. leading the Los Angeles Rams back to passes and Washington beat the W L T Pct PF PA In East Ruthrord, N.J., Rookie *zyx-Kansas City 14 2 0 .875 473 362 yx-Seattle 12 4 0 .750 459 371 Xavier McKinney intercepted Dallas’ Then he hit the accelerator. the playoffs. Philadelphia Eagles 20-14 Sunday Las Vegas 8 8 0 .500 434 478 x-LA Rams 10 6 0 .625 372 296 The rookie ran for a franchise- And though Wolford capably did night to capture the lowly NFC East. LA Chargers 7 9 0 .438 384 426 Arizona 8 8 0 .500 410 367 Andy Dalton in the end zone with 1:15 record 253 yards, scored twice and his part, everybody in the Rams’ jubi- The Washington franchise, which Denver 5 11 0 .313 323 446 San Francisco 6 10 0 .375 376 390 remaining, giving the Giants a 23-19 sprinted 45 yards to the end zone with lant locker room realized they owed changed its nickname in July after Note: x denotes clinched playoff spot * denotes clinched home-field advan- victory over the Cowboys . y denotes clinched division tage Dallas (6-10) nearly ripped that 3:35 to play, powering the Colts to a this achievement to a dominant years of protests about it, became the z denotes clinched first round bye playoff-clinching 28-14 victory over defense that scored as many points as first team in the Super Bowl era to away. Dalton rallied Dallas with a the Jacksonville Jaguars . the Rams’ offense – and a couple more reach the playoffs following a 2-7 bloody left hand after being stepped on by defensive tackle Leonard Williams Tomlinson’s best was a 243-yard than the Arizona – in Los Angeles’ start. touchdowns against a team of mostly They also handed coach Jon Gruden his performance against the Raiders in 18-7 victory Sunday. in the third quarter, and he had the Bills 56, Dolphins 26 Kansas City backups, and Los Angeles first win in Denver in eight tries. Cowboys on the doorstep when 2003 - one year before Rivers arrived Troy Hill returned an interception In Orchard, Park, NY a little more rolled to a 38-21 victory at Arrowhead Vikings 37, Lions 35 in San Diego and three years before Williams got close again. 84 yards for a touchdown to lead yet than a year ago, Buffalo Bills general Stadium that should at least give its Dalton scrambled around on a bro- Rivers made his first start. another overwhelming defensive per- owners something to ponder ahead of In Detroit, Kirk Cousins danced in manager Brandon Beane was lament- the end zone after running for a go- ken play, avoided being sacked by Titans 41, Texans 38 formance by the Rams (10-6), who ing how his team needed to score more their end-of-season meeting with Williams for a fourth time, but ended earned their third postseason berth in coach Anthony Lynn. ahead touchdown early in the fourth In Houston, Derrick Henry ran into points. quarter and the Minnesota Vikings up floating one into the middle of the the NFL record books with the best four years under coach Sean McVay. Josh Allen and company certainly Reports surfaced earlier in the day end zone. McKinney caught it easily, that Lynn could be fired as soon as went on to celebrate the end of a disap- game of his career . Ravens 38 Bengals 3 haven’t let him down. pointing season with a 37-35 win over his first career interception. But it was a lucky bounce that gave In a game the Bills scored touch- Monday. And while the Chargers (7-9) In Cincinnati, as one of the NFL’s finished with four straight wins, and the lowly Detroit Lions. Patriots 28 , Jets 14 the Tennessee Titans a win over worst COVID-19 outbreaks sidelined downs in all three phases, and Allen got “We were really close to being in Houston Texans and their first AFC to rest after throwing three touchdowns Herbert has emerged as their franchise In Foxborough, Mass, Cam Newton star players, and injuries hit others, the quarterback, the fate of Lynn may saved his best performance this season South title since 2008. Baltimore Ravens didn’t look like a in the first half, Buffalo put an emphatic Henry ran for a career-high 250 stamp by closing the most prolific sea- have been sealed weeks ago when they for what was likely his final game with playoff team in late November. were eliminated from playoff conten- the New England Patriots. yards to surpass 2,000 yards rushing But as quarterback Lamar Jackson son in team history with a 56-26 rout of and rookie Sam Sloman’s 37-yard the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. tion for the second consecutive year. Newton threw three touchdown came roaring back, so did Baltimore. passes and caught another, and the field goal bounced off the upright and After a Dec 2 loss to Pittsburgh with Packers 35, Bears 16 Raiders 32, Broncos 31 through for the 41-38 victory. Patriots rallied to beat the Jets 28-14 Jackson on the COVID-19 list, the In Chiccago, following a strange In Denver, this time, Shelby Harris in Adam Gase’s final game as New Seahawks 26 , 49ers 23 Ravens rebounded and won the next roller coaster of a season, the Chicago wasn’t there to knock down Derek York’s coach. In Glendale, Ariz., Seattle coach four. That set them up to earn a wild Bears are back in the playoffs. Carr’s 2-point conversion pass in the The win snapped a three-game los- Pete Carroll said Tyler Lockett com- card with a victory in the finale against Who shows up next weekend in closing seconds. ing streak for New England (7-9), pleted a “beautiful season.” Because of the Cincinnati Bengals, who finally New Orleans remains to be seen. Darren Waller hauled in Carr’s which earned its 10th straight win over the veteran wide receiver’s late-game had some momentum after winning Moments after Arizona handed 2-point conversion pass with 24 sec- the Jets (2-14) but won’t be playing in heroics against San Francisco, the two straight. Chicago a postseason spot with an onds left and Las Vegas rallied past the postseason for the first time since Seahawks are heading into the play- The Ravens left no doubt they 18-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the the Broncos 32-31. the 2008 season. offs with momentum. belonged in the postseason with a 38-3 biggest question for the Bears became Carr’s revenge came three days Coach Bill Belichick said after a Russell Wilson hit Lockett for two rout of the Bengals on Sunday, with the status of linebacker Roquan Smith after the Broncos put Harris, who leads disappointing stretch he was proud of fourth-quarter touchdowns, and a stel- Jackson throwing three touchdown and wide receiver Darnell Mooney the league’s D-linemen with 16 pass the way his team bounced back. lar defensive effort helped the passes and becoming the first quarter- after they left Sunday’s 35-16 loss to breakups since 2019, on injured While it won’t erase the disappoint- Seahawks rally past the 49ers 26-23 back in NFL history with two seasons Green Bay with injuries. reserve with a knee injury. ment of New England missing the and end the regular season on a four- of more than 1,000 rushing yards. Chargers 38, Chiefs 21 The Broncos (5-11) reached the Las playoffs, it was a nice finish for game winning streak. The Ravens (11-5) ran for a club In Kansas City, Mo, the Chargers Vegas 45-yard line with 9 seconds left Newton, who entered the season with The win didn’t do anything to record 404 yards - the fourth team spent Sunday reveling in the future of and Brandon McManus’ 63-yard field- the weighty task of succeeding Tom change the Seahawks playoff position. since 1950 to rush for more than 400 their young quarterback and pondering goal try was blocked by Maxx Crosby, Brady following his departure to Seattle (12-4) had a chance to earn the in a single game - and amassed 525 the fate of their head coach. who also blocked McManus’ record Tampa Bay. No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs but overall in advancing to the playoffs for The Chiefs spent it looking forward 70-yard attempt on the last play of the Cleveland Browns defensive tackle New England trailed 14-7 early in stayed at No. 3 after the New Orleans the third straight season. The Ravens to the playoffs. first half. Larry Ogunjobi celebrates after the the third quarter, but outscored the Jets Saints and top-seeded Green Bay took the fifth seed in the AFC with In a game that was in many ways With that, the Raiders (8-8) avoided a team defeated the Pittsburgh 21-0 the rest of the way. New York Packers both won. Even so, the Miami’s loss at Buffalo and will play meaningless, Justin Herbert threw for fourth straight losing season and a 10th Steelers in an NFL football game, announced a few hours after the game Seahawks look plenty dangerous head- at AFC South champion Tennessee 302 yards and accounted for four consecutive loss in their season finale. Jan 3, in Cleveland. (AP) it had fired Gase.

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