AP Sports SummaryBrief at 3:43 p.m. EST

Bills safety Hamlin back in Buffalo to resume recovery

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Doctors who treated Damar Hamlin say the Bills safety is back in Buffalo in an uplifting sign of the remarkable progress he’s made a week after going into cardiac arrest and having to be resuscitated on the field during a game in Cincinnati. Hamlin was discharged from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in the morning and flown to Buffalo, where Dr. William Knight said he was “doing well.” He will continue his recovery at a Buffalo hospital. Hamlin’s return comes a day after he cheered on the Bills from his hospital bed during their 35-23 win over the New England Patriots. The game proved to be a cathartic outpouring of support for the Bills and Hamlin.

NFL playoffs: Brady’s back to try for 8th Super Bowl win

Seven of the 14 teams in this year’s playoffs didn’t make the field last season, giving the NFL’s upcoming wild-card weekend a mix of traditional powerhouses and underdogs. Tom Brady begins his quest for an unprecedented eighth Super Bowl title when his Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys next Monday night. Meanwhile, Jacksonville second-year standout Trevor Lawrence and Seattle veteran Geno Smith will be among at least five quarterbacks making their playoff debuts. The Seahawks were the last team to make the playoffs when they got the help they needed from the Detroit Lions, who beat Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

Kingsbury, Keim out as Cardinals undergo franchise makeover

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Cardinals have fired coach Kliff Kingsbury and parted ways with general manager Steve Keim after a dreadful season that saw constant unwanted headlines, a serious knee injury to star quarterback Kyler Murray and lots of losing. The team confirmed the moves on Monday. The 43-year-old Kingsbury — who received a contract extension just last year — finishes his tenure with a 28-37-1 record over four seasons, including a 4-13 mark this season. The Cardinals ended the season on a seven-game losing streak, falling to the San Francisco 49ers 38-13 on Sunday. The 50-year-old Keim has been with the Cardinals since 1999 and has been the team’s general manager since 2013.

Analysis: Teammates gave Damar Hamlin the ultimate tribute

An emotional week for the NFL filled with fear, tears, prayer and uncertainty ended with exciting games, dramatic finishes and a celebration for Damar Hamlin. When Hamlin left the stadium in Cincinnati in an ambulance Monday night fighting for his life, football didn’t matter. A pivotal game between the Bills and Bengals suddenly was irrelevant. The primary concern for players, coaches, the league and fans around the world became Hamlin’s health. The 24-year-old Bills safety collapses and went into cardiac arrest after making a tackle and needed to be resuscitated on the field in a scary scene witnessed by millions watching “Monday Night Football.” For a couple of days, it was unknown when the NFL would resume playing.

Nets’ Durant out at least 2 weeks with sprained right knee

NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Durant has a sprained right knee and the Brooklyn Nets say he will miss at least two weeks. Durant was hurt Sunday in the Nets’ 102-101 victory in Miami and had an MRI on Monday that revealed an isolated sprain in his medial collateral ligament. The team said he would be re-evaluated in two weeks. Durant has led the Nets to 18 wins in their last 20 games and a 27-13 record, a game behind Boston for the best record in the NBA.

TCU’s CFP title game run came at a perfect time for Big 12

LOS ANGELES (AP) — TCU’s unlikely run to the College Football Playoff championship came at a fortuitous time for the Big 12. The howdown against No. 1 Georgia was a source of pride for a league that seemed in danger of falling apart or being relegated to second-tier status just two years ago. That’s when Texas and Oklahoma said they would be leaving for the Southeastern Conference. Instead, the Big 12 added four new members. And TCU became the first Big 12 team to win a playoff game. It was also the first from the league to play for a national title since 2009.

Houston back at No. 1, Kansas State jumps to 11th in AP poll

Houston is back at No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the second time this season. The Cougars claimed 34 of 60 first-place votes in Monday’s latest poll to return to the top after a two-week stay there earlier this season. They led No. 2 Kansas and No. 3 Purdue. Kansas State also continued its strong start by leaping from unranked to No. 11 under first-year coach Jerome Tang. No. 19 Providence, No. 23 San Diego State and No. 25 Marquette joined Kansas State as new additions. Indiana, Baylor, New Mexico and Ohio State fell out.

Packers LB Quay Walker apologizes after his 2nd ejection

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Packers linebacker Quay Walker has apologized via social media after getting ejected from Green Bay’s regular-season finale for shoving a Lions team physician who was attending to an injured player. The incident occurred during Detroit’s go-ahead touchdown drive midway through the fourth quarter of a 20-16 Lions victory that prevented the Packers from reaching the playoffs. This was the second time Walker got ejected from a game in his rookie season. He also was ejected during an Oct. 30 loss at Buffalo after shoving Bills practice-squad tight end Zach Davidson on the sideline.

Illinois women end 23-year AP Top 25 drought, LSU on rise

No. 24 Illinois has earned its first ranking in 23 years coming inThe Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll. The Illini are off to one of the best starts in school history and have had a remarkable turnaround after going 7-20 last season. South Carolina remained the No. 1 team, still garnering all 28 votes from a national media panel. The Gamecocks have been No. 1 for 29 consecutive weeks. Stanford, Ohio State and UConn are next. LSU moved up to fifth. It’s the first time the Tigers have been that high since 2009.

Shiffrin can break Vonn’s record — if she can stay awake

KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia (AP) — Staying awake might be Mikaela Shiffrin’s biggest challenge as she prepares to try to set a record for women’s World Cup skiing victories. Shiffrin poured out her emotions after matching Lindsey Vonn with career win No. 82 in an early morning giant slalom in Slovenia on Sunday and now needs to refocus and shift her sleeping patterns in time for a slalom to be held under the lights in Austria on Tuesday. She noted that “if I have a good first run then I don’t start until 9:45 in the second run and normally I’m well asleep by then. So we have to change the whole rhythm again.”