Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 6, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM ● C5 D ENVER — Bo Nix celebrated the end of Denver’s eight-year playoff drought with a bunch of new friends. The rookie quarterback circled Empower Field while handing out high- fives to fans after he passed for 321 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-0 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs’ bevy of backups on Sunday. “I learned I’ve got to run a little more during the week because that’s a long lap,” Nix said. “I was a little tired at the end. But the fans deserve it, it’s been a long time coming.” Denver (10-7) buried nearly a decade’s worth of futility and frustra- tions by returning to the postseason party for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season. The Broncos will visit Buffalo (13-4) for a wild-card game Sunday after handing the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs their first shut- out since Dec. 16, 2012, at Oakland. Nix went 26 for 29 while setting franchise records for completion per- centage (89.7) and most completions to start a game (18). “It’s fun to clinch a playoff spot in the last game of the year against a divisional team,” said Nix, who also set an NFL record with 19 touchdown throws at home in his rookie season. “But now playoff time starts, and our goal wasn’t just to make the playoffs, even though it hadn’t been done in a while.” Having already secured the AFC’s No. 1 seed and sole first-round bye in their quest for an unprecedented three-peat, Chiefs coach Andy Reid sat Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and a host of other starters. “My hat goes off to Denver. Great opportunity for them to get into the playoffs and did a nice job today,” Reid said. “Sean (Payton) has done a good job with that group. A positive for us we got to play a lot of young guys. That experience is invaluable, especially against a good football team.” Carson Wentz got the start at quarterback and fizzled in his first extended action since Week 18 with the Rams last season. He was 10 of 17 for 98 yards and was sacked four times by the league’s best pass rush (62 sacks). “We didn’t play great as a team. I didn’t play my best, either,” Wentz said. “Move on from this one pretty quick. It was fun to get out there, give myself and a lot of guys a chance to just go out there and compete. But obviously they were the better team today.” Denver beat Kansas City (15-2) for just the second time in the last 19 games between the teams. Nix’s four TD passes gave him 29 for the season, second-most by a rookie in NFL history, behind only Justin Herbert’s 31 in 2020. He hit Marvin Mims twice, Courtland Sutton (five times for 98 yards) and Devaughn Vele for scores. Vele’s TD was intended for Adam Trautman but ricocheted off corner - backs Nazeeh Johnson (twice) and Keith Taylor before Vele cradled the catch just before tumbling out of the back of the end zone, extending Den- ver’s lead to 21-0. “Vele ran the wrong route,” Nix said, “but he didn’t give up on the play. … Actually, it was perfect. I’m glad he did exactly what he did and he got a touchdown out of it.” That wild conclusion capped an 18-play, 89-yard drive that lasted more than 11 minutes, keeping Wentz cooling his cleats on the sideline next to Mahomes, who was decked out in a white hoodie. “It felt like it lasted forever,” Payton said. The Chiefs certainly concurred. After Harrison Butker was wide left on a 51-yard field goal — his first miss in 18 tries at Empower Field at Mile High — Wil Lutz gave Denver a 24-0 halftime lead by nailing a 33-yarder with 3 seconds left that came right after Nix’s first incompletion, to a wide-open Javonte Williams. “I’ll kick myself for a while for not going 19 for 19 and hitting Javon for a touchdown,” Nix said. The Chiefs won’t play again until Jan. 18 or 19, meaning Mahomes, who last played on Christmas Day, and oth- er stars who sat this one out will have at least 24 days between games. Denver’s playoff drought was the longest for a team after raising the Lombardi Trophy by four years. The Broncos’ clincher came 3,255 days after Von Miller led them to a 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on Feb. 7, 2016, and their reward as the AFC’s seventh seed is a trip to face Miller next weekend. “Man, we look forward to the chal- lenge,” Payton said. The Bills were the only other team to beat Kansas City this season, 30-21 in Week 11. The Chiefs’ loss ended their six-game win streak but eliminated the prospect of them having to possibly face Cincin- nati quarterback Joe Burrow at some point in the playoffs. The Chiefs planned on staying in Denver for the night because of a winter storm that also delayed their flight into Colorado for several hours Saturday. — The Associated Press SPORTS I FOOTBALL MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025 NFL IN BRIEF REY DEL RIO / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LIONS LOCK UP TOP SPOT Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs runs for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday in Detroit. The Lions dominated their division rivals 31-9 to win the NFC North and secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. BUCCANEERS 27, SAINTS 19 TAMPA, Fla. — Baker Mayfield used his legs and arm to help the Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinch their fourth straight NFC South title while putting Mike Evans over 1,000 yards receiving. Mayfield fired a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan for the go-ahead score and then scrambled 28 yards for a crucial first down on the next drive, leading the Buccaneers to a 27-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Evans caught a 9-yard pass on the final play to surpass 1,000 yards for the 11th straight season, tying Jerry Rice for the most in NFL history. BEARS 24, PACKERS 22 GREEN BAY, Wis. — Caleb Williams drove Chicago to Cairo Santos’ 51-yard field goal as time expired and the Bears snapped a 10-game skid with a victory over playoff-bound Green Bay, who lost quarterback Jordan Love and wide receiver Christian Watson to injuries. Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur said Love was held out as a precaution. Green Bay (11-6) is the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoffs and will play at Philadelphia in the wild-card round. EAGLES 20, GIANTS 13 PHILADELPHIA — Tanner McKee threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns in a game full of backups to help Philadelphia tune up for the postseason with a victory over New York. The NFC East champion Eagles (14-3) are the No. 2 seed in the conference. With making a run at the Super Bowl a priority, the Eagles rested their core starters, notably running back Saquon Barkley, quarterback Jalen Hurts, wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and offensive linemen Landon Dickerson and Lane Johnson. Barkley lost his shot at breaking Eric Dickerson’s NFL single-season rushing record. Barkley finished the season with 2,005 yards rushing, 101 yards shy of breaking Dickerson’s record of 2,105 yards set with the Los Angeles Rams in 1984. TEXANS 23, TITANS 14 NASHVILLE, Tenn. — C.J. Stroud completed all six of his passes for 50 yards and a touchdown Sunday on the Texans’ opening drive before going to the bench as Houston snapped a two-game skid going into the AFC playoffs with a victory over Tennessee. The Texans (10-7) won for the first time since clinching their second straight AFC South title Dec. 15 with a win over Miami. COMMANDERS 23, COWBOYS 19 ARLINGTON, Texas — Marcus Mariota threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin with 3 seconds left, lifting Washington to a victory over Dallas and clinching the sixth seed in the NFC play- offs for the Commanders. Mariota threw for two scores and ran for a TD after replacing Jayden Daniels. The Commanders (12-5) sat their dynamic rookie quarterback at halftime since playoff seeding was the only thing on the line. PATRIOTS 23, BILLS 16 FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Joe Milton III passed for a touchdown and ran for another in his NFL debut, and New England Patriots cost themselves the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft with a win over AFC East champion Buffalo. The Patriots (4-13) snapped a six-game skid when a loss would have guaranteed them the top draft pick. Instead, they fell to No. 4 behind Tennessee, Cleveland and the New York Giants. PANTHERS 44, FALCONS 38, OT ATLANTA — Bryce Young passed for three touchdowns, ran for two scores and led a 70-yard drive capped by Miles Sanders’ 1-yard TD run on the opening possession of overtime to give Carolina a win over Atlanta. The Falcons’ playoff hopes had already ended minutes earlier when Tampa Bay rallied past New Orleans. COLTS 26, JAGUARS 23, OT INDIANAPOLIS — Jonathan Taylor ran for 177 yards, including 33 yards on six consecutive carries in overtime to set up Matt Gay’s game-ending 38- yard field goal, as Indianapolis beats Jacksonville. Joe Flacco was 23 of 40 for 263 yards, including a 40-yard TD pass to Alec Pierce, in his 105th career victory — perhaps the last of the 39-year-old former Super Bowl MVP’s 17-year career. CHARGERS 34, RAIDERS 20 LAS VEGAS — Justin Herbert passed for 346 yards and two touchdowns, and the Los Angeles Chargers secured the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs with a victory over Las Vegas. The Chargers (11-6) closed the regular season with a three-game win- ning streak under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh. SEAHAWKS 30, RAMS 25 INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Geno Smith passed for 223 yards and threw his career-best fourth touchdown pass to Noah Fant with 3:19 to play, and Seattle finished their 12th winning season in 13 years with a victory over the playoff-bound Los Angeles Rams. Jimmy Garoppolo passed for 334 yards and two TDs in his debut for the Rams (10-7), who had already clinched the NFC West title through strength of schedule before they hosted the Sea- hawks (10-7). The Rams rested Matthew Stafford and nearly all of his offensive starters to stay healthy for a home playoff game next weekend. JETS 32, DOLPHINS 20 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Aaron Rodgers threw a season-high four touchdown passes — Nos. 500, 501, 502 and 503 of his storied career — in what could’ve been his final NFL game to lead New York to a victory over Miami. The 41-year-old Rodgers is uncertain if he wants to continue playing for a 21st season, and it’s unclear if the Jets (5-12) — who’ll have a new general manager and coach next season — will want to move forward with him. He also helped shut the door on the Dolphins (8-9), who needed a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive. But that became moot when Denver routed Kansas City, which rested Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and several other starters, to clinch the final AFC postseason berth for the Broncos. CARDINALS 47, 49ERS 24 GLENDALE, Ariz. — Kyler Murray threw for 242 yards and four touchdowns, two to Greg Dortch, and Arizona beat injury-depleted San Francisco. Arizona (8-9) won four more games than last year, but still missed the playoffs for a third straight season. San Francisco (6-11) lost seven of its final eight to finish with its worst record since 2018. — The Associated Press BART YOUNG / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Denver Broncos receiver Devaughn Vele catches a tipped ball for a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday in Denver. ARNIE STAPLETON Nix leads Broncos back to playoffs ‘I was a little tired at the end. But the fans deserve it, it’s been a long time coming’ BRONCOS 38 CHIEFS 0 Patriots fire coach Mayo after one season, four wins FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New En- gland Patriots fired coach Jerod Mayo on Sunday after one season, beginning another reboot for the franchise just a year after it parted with longtime coach Bill Belichick. Owner Robert Kraft announced the firing in a statement shortly after New England closed its 4-13 season with a 23-16 win over the Buffalo Bills. “After the game I informed Jerod Mayo that he will not be returning as the head coach of the New England Patriots in 2025. For me, personally, it was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made,” Kraft said. “Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team’s perfor- mances throughout the season did not ascend as I had hoped.” Kraft was set to discuss the move in a news conference today. A former Patriots linebacker who worked as an assistant under Belichick, Mayo started the season with a strong endorsement from Kraft. But alongside a coaching staff that featured offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and first- time defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington, he struggled to get the most out of a young roster that included rookie quarterback Drake Maye. The Patriots opened the season with a win at Cincinnati before losing their next six games. They won two of their next three but then closed the season by losing six of seven, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season. Belichick was 4-13 in his final season in 2023 to cap a 24-year run in New England that included six Super Bowl titles. Mayo played eight seasons with New England and won a Super Bowl during the 2014 season. He took a post-re- tirement job in corporate America in 2015, then returned to football in 2019 to work with Belichick. He served primarily as the Patriots’ linebackers coach while developing a strong reputa- tion among players. It made him a rising star in the coaching ranks and he turned down several interviews for head coaching jobs following the 2022 season, instead signing an extension to remain in New England. A week after letting Belichick go, the Patriots hired Mayo as the fran- chise’s first Black head coach. At age 37, he started the season as the NFL’s second-youngest coach behind Seattle’s Mike Macdonald. From the beginning of his tenure, Mayo tried to establish a culture that differed from Belichick’s often robotic devotion to football — a move that drew praise from players. Yet, it didn’t translate into victories for a team that was ranked near the bottom of the NFL offensively and defensively and went 3-6 in one-score games. Kraft could turn to another former Patriots linebacker in Mike Vrabel, the former Tennessee Titans coach who re- cently interviewed with the New York Jets for their coaching vacancy. Vrabel was a pivotal part of the Patriots’ first three Super Bowl titles during his eight seasons, and he led the Titans to three playoff appearances in six years before he was fired after the 2023 season. — The Associated Press ;