AP Sports

Commanders fire coach Ron Rivera as new ownership begins making changes

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — The Washington Commanders have fired coach Ron Rivera. Controlling owner Josh Harris announced the move Monday. The Commanders lost eight in a row to finish 4-13 after opening with back-to-back victories. Washington made one playoff appearance by winning the NFC East at 7-9 in 2020 during Rivera’s four seasons in charge of the team’s football operations. General manager Martin Mayhew and a majority of the front office and coaching staff are also expected to depart as new ownership begins sweeping changes to put its stamp on the organization.

Analysis: Bills, Cowboys were the NFL’s biggest winners in Week 18, securing the No. 2 seeds

Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys made sure they’ll start the playoffs at home, where they’re undefeated. Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills are going home with a division title instead of heading back to Miami for a rematch. The NFL playoff field is set. Fourteen teams will compete for a trip to Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas next month. The postseason starts with six games across three days over wild-card weekend. The Bills rallied for a 21-14 win over the Dolphins to clinch their fourth straight AFC East title and the No. 2 seed. The Packers and Buccaneers got in with wins earlier in the day. The Steelers secured their spot when the Jaguars collapsed in Tennessee.

Falcons fire coach Arthur Smith hours after completing 3rd straight 7-10 season

ATLANTA (AP) — Arthur Smith has been fired by the Atlanta Falcons after completing his third straight losing season. Smith inherited a rebuilding project in his first NFL head coaching job and failed to lift the Falcons from their playoff drought. The 41-year-old son of FedEx founder Fred Smith went 7-10 in each of his three seasons. Atlanta closed the season with an ugly 48-17 loss at New Orleans, its second consecutive lopsided defeat. That sealed Smith’s fate. He was hired by the Falcons in 2021 after a decade-long stint as an assistant with the Tennessee Titans in which he moved up to offensive coordinator.

No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 2 Washington for CFP title caps season of realignment, transfers and Harbaugh

HOUSTON (AP) — No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Washington playing for the College Football Playoff national championship on Monday night is just about the perfect way to close the 2023 season. The matchup of unbeatens hits all the major themes of the past five months from conference realignment to the transfer portal — with Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh as the main character. Michael Penix Jr., the sixth-year quarterback who revived his career by transferring to Washington, and the Huskies will try to deliver the Pac-12 its first championship since 2004 in their last football game before joining Michigan in the Big Ten.

‘It’s going to get crazy’ – What life is like as the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25

There have been 61 schools to reach No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll. Some of them are familiar faces, such as Duke, which has spent 145 weeks there, more than any other program. UCLA once spent 46 weeks there in a row. Others have made history by spending a single week as the best team in the land, such as Saint Joseph’s, which ascended to the top spot in 2004 and was promptly beaten by Xavier. So what is life like at No. 1? Turns out it’s full of attention, both for the team and the entire school, and it also brings with it a certain pressure to live up to the expectations.

Panthers fire GM Scott Fitterer after finishing with NFL-worst 2-15 record

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers have fired general manager Scott Fitterer, one day after the team finished with an NFL-worst 2-15 record. The Panthers will be looking for a head coach and a general manager this offseason. Fitterer joined the team in 2021 and the Panthers have gone 14-37 since. Fitterer orchestrated orchestrated a trade with the Chicago Bears that allowed the Panthers to move to the No. 1 spot to get quarterback Bryce Young in exchange for four draft picks and wide receiver D.J. Moore. That move hasn’t worked out well for the Panthers. Fitterer also swung a deal last year that sent running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for draft picks, but none in the first round.

Bill Belichick under contract, would take lesser role in personnel matters as Kraft meeting looms

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Bill Belichick is open to letting someone else handle personnel duties if he remains with the New England Patriots. The Patriots coach also confirmed during his season-ending news conference that he remains under contract, though he didn’t specify the length of its current terms. New England’s 17-3 loss to the New York Jets cemented a 4-13 record for the Patriots, Belichick’s worst record in his 29-year NFL head coaching career. It’s left his status for next season up in the air as he prepares to meet with team owner Robert Kraft about his future. That meeting was expected to take place this week, possibly as early as Monday.

Virginia lawmakers set to take up proposal to help fund new arena for Capitals, Wizards

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Virginia lawmakers are set to take up legislation to enable Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s plan to build a new professional sports arena and entertainment district in Alexandria. The legislation is expected to be among the most high-profile issues legislators grapple with during the 2024 session, which begins Wednesday. Youngkin announced in December the state had the framework of a deal to relocate the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals across the Potomac. Lawmakers are being asked to create a public entity to help finance the project. Supporters say it’s a generational win for a state without a major professional sports team. Critics call it a giveaway to the wealthy.

CFP championship game is preview of expanded Big Ten; Pac-12 gets a chance for fantastic finish

HOUSTON (AP) — The College Football Playoff championship is quite the stage for Washington and Michigan to get reacquainted with each other. The teams play for the national title on Monday night. Starting next season, they’ll compete against each other for Big Ten titles. The Big Ten’s coast-to-coast expansion began in the summer of 2022 when it voted in Southern California and UCLA beginning in 2024. The Pac-12’s demolition was assured just over a year later when it failed to land a lucrative media rights contract. Oregon and Washington in August accepted invitations from the Big Ten.

Analysis: Rafael Nadal’s Australian Open withdrawal leaves plenty of questions about his future

Rafael Nadal is choosing to look on the bright side when it comes to the torn hip muscle that will keep him out of the Australian Open and extend his absence from tennis to more than a year. Nadal told the world via social media on Sunday that this is not the same part of the hip that he hurt in Melbourne last January and that required surgery last June. The 22-time Grand Slam champion explained he still can point to his main goal for 2024, which remains to be fit and ready to compete at the French Open. But there are still plenty of lingering questions about what this all means for his future in the sport.