AP Sports

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The sun has given way to a gray sky over Highmark Stadium, where the green artificial turf is clear of snow but the stands are still covered in a white blanket hours before the Bills host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the storm-delayed AFC wild-card playoff game. The remnants of the lake-effect snow band that dumped more than 2 feet of snow on the Bills’ home in suburban Orchard Park has moved north toward Buffalo. The break is allowing a large crew of shovelers and a fleet of front-load tractors to clear the facility. Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. for a game originally scheduled to be played at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Osaka’s Grand Slam comeback ends in 1st-round loss to Garcia, Gauff advances at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Naomi Osaka’s comeback to Grand Slam tennis after a 15-month break has ended in a 6-4, 7-6 (2) loss to 16th-seeded Caroline Garcia in the first round at the Australian Open. The four-time major winner gave birth to a daughter last July. She’s one of three past Australian Open champions who returned to play at Melbourne Park for the first time as moms. Osaka was only three matches into her return to the tour. U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff is through to the second round. The 19-year-old U.S. Open champion needed exactly 60 minutes for the victory.

Analysis: After another playoff failure by Dallas, maybe a call to Belichick can save the Cowboys

Jimmy Johnson showed more passion on television for winning than any of the Dallas Cowboys did on the field. Now, Jerry Jones could turn to another coaching icon to save his franchise. Speculation about Bill Belichick has ramped up. He already is the odds-on favorite to be the next coach in Dallas even though Mike McCarthy hasn’t been fired. After a dismal performance Sunday against Green Bay, that might be just a matter of time. Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons and the rest of the NFC East champions didn’t show up for a wild-card game against Green Bay. The Cowboys became the first No. 2 seed to lose to a No. 7 seed since the NFL went to a 14-team playoff format in 2020.

UConn hits No. 1 in AP Top 25 after upset-filled week; Gonzaga falls out for first time since 2016

Connecticut jumped to No. 1 in this week’s AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll. It marks the Huskies’ first appearance at No. 1 since the 2008-09 season. The reigning national champions replaced Purdue after the Boilermakers lost to Nebraska to fall to No. 2. Kansas, North Carolina and Houston rounded out the top five. The week also saw Gonzaga fall out for the first time since 2016. The Zags had been in 143 straight polls. No. 19 TCU, No. 21 Dayton, No. 22 Mississippi, No. 24 Iowa State and No. 25 Texas Tech were the week’s new additions.

Iowa up to No. 2, Colorado to No. 3 behind South Carolina in women’s AP Top 25 after chaotic week

South Carolina remained atop The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll after a chaotic week that saw half of the top 10 teams lose. The Gamecocks are the last unbeaten team and received all 36 first-place votes Iowa moved up to No. 2 with Colorado and N.C. State next. UCLA dropped three spots to fifth after its first loss of the season, to new No. 6 USC. Kansas State climbed to seventh for its best ranking since 2003. Iowa State came in at No. 24 while West Virginia fell out.

Soccer player returns to warm welcome in Israel following detention in Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Israeli soccer player Sagiv Jehezkel has returned to Israel to a cheering crowd, hours after he was briefly detained in Turkey for allegedly inciting hatred after he expressed solidarity with people held hostage by the Hamas militant organization during a top-flight league game. Jehezkel was draped in an Israeli flag upon disembarking on Monday. The Antalyaspor player was detained for questioning late Sunday after he displayed a bandage on his wrist with the words “100 Days 7.10” in reference to Oct. 7 next to a Star of David. Oct. 7 was the day Hamas attacked Israel and the hostages were abducted. The 28-year-old Israel international told police he was simply calling for an end to the war. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called Jehezkel’s detention “scandalous.”

Gymnastics body gives neutral status to 30 Belarusians but path to Paris Olympics is still unclear

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The International Gymnastics Federation has granted neutral status to 30 athletes and officials from Belarus allowing them to take part in international competitions. Howver, it is unclear how they could qualify for the Paris Olympics. Reigning Olympic trampoline champion Ivan Litvinovich was one of the 14 athletes on the FIG list of people given neutral status. Russian and Belarusian were banned from most sports following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Belarus supports. But the International Olympic Committee asked sports governing bodies last year to look at integrating individuals from Russia and Belarus back into competitions as neutral athletes.

Everton facing further punishment for breaking Premier League financial rules. Forest also in breach

Everton could be facing another costly punishment for breaking the Premier League’s financial rules. The competition says both Everton and Nottingham Forest are being referred to an independent commission after breaching its profitability and sustainability regulations. The league’s rules allow clubs to lose a maximum of 105 million pounds ($133 million) over a three-year period or face sanctions. The teams could be punished with a fine or a points deduction, applied this season as part of a fast-tracked process. Everton has already received a record 10-point deduction for its overspending in the three-year period up to the end of the 2021-22 season.

Jared Goff leads Lions to first playoff win in 32 years, 24-23 over Matthew Stafford and the Rams

DETROIT (AP) — Jared Goff threw for a touchdown and completed a game-sealing first down against the team that cast him away, and the Detroit Lions won a playoff game for the first time in 32 years, beating Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams 24-23. The Lions ended a nine-game postseason losing streak — the longest in NFL history — that dated to a victory over Dallas on Jan. 5, 1992. Detroit will have two home playoff games for the first time in franchise history, hosting either Tampa Bay or Philadelphia in the divisional round next Sunday. Stafford threw for 367 yards for the Rams.

Jim Harbaugh to meet with Chargers this week about their head coaching vacancy, AP source says

Jim Harbaugh is set to meet with the Los Angeles Chargers about their head coaching vacancy. That’s according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the person wasn’t at liberty to publicly discuss personnel moves. Word of Harbaugh’s plans comes one week after he led the University of Michigan to a national title. A person familiar with Harbaugh’s thinking tells the AP that Harbaugh is also considering staying at Michigan. That person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.