Comment on A look at Cinderella candidates

By DAN GELSTON PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Dallas Goedert fired one stiff arm to a Packers defender, smacked him again and then — in a sports city known for its Broad Street Bullies — dispatched one final shot to the face on his way to end zone. Goedert refused to be stopped — and neither were the Philadelphia Eagles in game in which they welcomed back Jalen Hurts and had the book on Green Bay. Hurts tossed two touchdown passes in his first game since a late-season concussion, Goedert threw those three stiff-arms on a rugged TD catch and the Eagles rode their NFL-best defense to a 22-10 wild-card playoff win Sunday night. Hurts threw for a modest 131 yards, but played with no hesitation in his return from a three-week layoff after a concussion in December.

ORCHARD PARK, N. Y. — Sean Payton knew the Bills would emphasize running the football ahead of Sunday’s wild-card playoff matchup. What the Broncos head coach didn’t know was just how effective Buffalo would be in doing so against a once-stout Denver defense. The Broncos were bullied in the run game, giving up 210 yards on 44 carries in their 31-7 loss to the Bills at Highmark Stadium.

ORCHARD PARK, N. Y. — The Broncos got Buffaloed. In the biggest moment, the outcome still hanging in the balance, the refs screwed Sean Payton again in a playoff game. That’s what I want to write. There is no way Bills receiver Tyler Johnson had control of the ball with a knee in bounds as he slid across the back of the end zone.

The Denver Broncos faced the Buffalo Bills in an AFC wild-card playoff game at Highmark Stadium on Jan. 12, 2025, in Orchard Park, New York. Denver lost 31-7. Related Articles Denver Broncos | Keeler: Sean Payton let Bo Nix, Broncos down in humbling NFL playoffs loss to Buffalo Denver Broncos | Broncos defense bullied by Bills’ rushing attack in wild-card round loss: “We never had an answer” Denver Broncos | Renck: Playoff blowout to Bills shows how far away Sean Payton’s Broncos are from being contenders — botched call or not Denver Broncos | Broncos’ Pat Surtain II on Josh Allen’s fourth-down touchdown pass: “I thought it was out” Denver Broncos | The Broncos’ 2024 season is over.

DALLAS — The Nuggets dug themselves a 17-point hole, rallied to take the lead, then decided one comeback wasn’t enough. So they fell behind again by 19 late in the third quarter, just to storm back at expedited pace for a 112-101 win over the Mavericks on Sunday at American Airlines Center. Jamal Murray bounced back from a terrible start in on-brand fashion, scoring 12 of his 17 points in the last 15 minutes of game time.

WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith has resigned from the Justice Department after submitting his investigative report on President-elect Donald Trump, an expected move that comes amid legal wrangling over how much of that document can be made public in the days ahead. The department disclosed Smith’s departure in a court filing Saturday, saying he had resigned one day earlier.