AP Sports SummaryBrief at 11:25 p.m. EST

Houston Texans fire Lovie Smith after just one season

HOUSTON (AP) — Lovie Smith has been fired as coach of the Houston Texans on Sunday night after just one season where the team went 3-13-1. It’s the second straight season in which the Texans have fired a coach after just one year. They parted ways with David Culley last January after he went 4-13 in his only season.

Hamlin in their hearts, the NFL pays tribute to No. 3

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Players and fans across the NFL paid tribute to Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin on Sunday, the first time most across the league resumed playing since his terrifying cardiac arrest during a game last week. Hamlin’s number “3” was on display everywhere across the league, outlined on 30-yard lines on fields, worn on special patches on the Bills uniforms and featured on jackets and sweatshirts and even on red hearts dangling from the tailgate tents outside the Bills home stadium.

NFL playoffs: Dolphins, Jaguars back; Patriots head home

The Miami Dolphins are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2016. So are the surprising Jacksonville Jaguars, returning to the postseason for just the second time since 2007. Among those headed home: The New England Patriots and six-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Belichick. The NFL’s postseason field is largely set after Sunday afternoon’s games. The only remaining drama is if the Green Bay Packers to the playoffs by beating the Detroit Lions on Sunday night. If the Packers lose, the Seattle Seahawks will sneak into the bracket.

Bills win for Hamlin and eliminate Patriots from playoffs

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Nyheim Hines ignited an emotionally charged atmosphere celebrating injured Bills safety Damar Hamlin by returning two kickoffs for touchdowns, and Buffalo clinched the AFC’s No. 2 playoff seed with a 35-23 win over the New England Patriots. The loss, coupled with Miami beating the New York Jets, eliminated the Patriots from the playoffs for the second time in three years, and just the fourth time in 23 seasons during Bill Belichick’s coaching tenure. Buffalo will now host their division rival Dolphins in the wild-card round next weekend. With the game in hand, Bills players held up three fingers in honor of Hamlin’s number with the crowd chanting “Hamlin! Hamlin!” in honor of the safety who is recovering in a Cincinnati hospital after going into cardiac arrest on Monday.

Bengals’ Mixon celebrates TD with coin flip

CINCINNATI (AP) — Joe Mixon and the Cincinnati Bengals are still flipping out over the NFL’s plan to determine home-field advantage in the playoffs. Mixon referenced the NFL’s decision to use a coin flip as a tiebreaker Sunday by celebrating a 1-yard touchdown run against the Baltimore Ravens by taking a coin out of his glove and flicking it. He and several teammates then kicked it on the ground. The league decided to add a coin flip to settle some potential playoff scenarios after Monday night’s game between the Bengals and Buffalo Bills was declared a no-contest after Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field.

Bucs’ Brady breaks own record but suffers 1st losing season

ATLANTA (AP) — Tom Brady broke his own NFL mark for most completions in a season, quickly gaining the needed nine connections in Tampa Bay’s 30-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He played into the second quarter and then was taken out to avoid injury with the playoffs just a few days away. The loss dropped the NFC South champion Buccaneers to 8-9, the first time a team quarterbacked by Brady has finished a season below .500. Brady had a record 485 completions with the Buccaneers in 2021, and the 45-year-old began the day only nine away from a new mark.

White Sox closer Hendriks says he has non-Hodgkin lymphoma

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks says he has non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Hendriks announced Sunday on Instagram that he was diagnosed in recent days. The three-time All-Star was scheduled to begin treatment on Monday. Hendriks says he is “confident” he will “make a full recovery and be back on the mound as soon as possible.” The five-year survival rate for non-Hodgkin lymphoma is 73.8%, according to the National Cancer Institute. Some forms are aggressive while others are slow growing. General manager Rick Hahn says in a statement the White Sox don’t expect to have an update on Hendriks’ status prior to opening day.

Nets top Heat 102-101, lose Durant to right knee injury

MIAMI (AP) — Royce O’Neale’s putback with 3.2 seconds left put Brooklyn to stay, and the Nets defeated the Miami Heat 102-101 on Sunday night in a game where Kevin Durant left early with a right knee injury. Kyrie Irving scored 29 to lead the Nets, who have now won 18 of their last 20 — after winning only nine of their first 20 games. Durant had 17 before departing and Seth Curry scored 14 for Brooklyn. Nic Claxton had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets. Jimmy Butler scored 26 for Miami, which got 24 from Tyler Herro. Butler missed a contested shot at the rim on the game’s final play.

Seahawks keep postseason hopes alive, top Rams 19-16 in OT

SEATTLE (AP) — Jason Myers kicked a 32-yard field goal midway through overtime, and the Seattle Seahawks kept their playoff hopes alive with a 19-16 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Myers missed from 46 yards when he hit the upright on the final play of regulation. Given another shot in overtime, the Pro Bowler connected on his fourth field goal of the game and the Seahawks’ postseason chances stayed alive for a few more hours. Seattle eliminated Detroit from playoff contention but still needed a Lions win or tie against Green Bay on Sunday night to reach the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the NFC.

Purdy leads 49ers to 10th straight win, 38-13 over Cardinals

Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes for his sixth straight game with multiple TDs and the San Francisco 49ers clinched the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs with a 38-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Purdy overcame two sacks from J.J. Watt in the final game of Watt’s stellar career and connected with George Kittle twice and Christian McCaffrey once on TD passes to lead the Niners to their 10th straight win to end the regular season to clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC. The Cardinals ended the season with seven straight losses to tie a franchise record for losses in a season.