AP Sports SummaryBrief at 5:15 p.m. EST

Brady, Bucs rally to beat Panthers 30-24, clinch NFC South

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tom Brady threw for 432 yards and three long touchdowns to Mike Evans, helping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinch their second straight NFC South championship with a 30-24 come-from-behind win over the Carolina Panthers. Evans finished with 10 catches for 207 yards while scoring on receptions of 63, 57, and 30 yards and becoming the first player in NFL history to begin a career with nine consecutive seasons with 1,000-plus yards receiving. The Panthers led 14-0 early and 21-10 after Sam Darnold’s third TD pass of the day, 10 seconds into the fourth quarter. It was all Bucs from there.

Giants rout Colts, reach playoffs for 1st time since 2016

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Daniel Jones threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more and the New York Giants routed the Indianapolis Colts 38-10 to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Landon Collins, one of two players from the ’16 team, broke the game open late in the second quarter with a 52-yard pick-6 as the Giants put a final stamp on a surprising playoff run. The Giants are the third team from the NFC East to make the playoffs, joining the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys

Saints win 20-10 in Philly, deny Eagles top spot in NFC

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The New Orleans Saints beat the Philadelphia Eagles 20-10 on Sunday. The loss denied the Eagles their chance at clinching the NFC East and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Eagles played for the second straight week without injured quarterback Jalen Hurts. Hurts has a sprained right shoulder. He might have to play next week in the finale against the New York Giants to give the Eagles their best shot at securing a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the playoffs. The Saints improved to 7-9 and remain in contention for a playoff spot under first-year coach Dennis allen.

Duggan vs. Bennett: 2 onetime underdogs fight for CFP title

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — TCU thought so much of Max Duggan at the beginning of the season that he lost his job. Georgia seemed like it spent years trying to give its starting quarterback job to anyone not named Stetson Bennett. If they gave out five stars for resiliency, these two guys would have been some of the highest-rated recruits in the country. Now the underdogs-turned-legends at their respective schools will fight it out for the national championship on Jan. 9 in Inglewood, California. No. 3 TCU upset No. 2 Michigan 51-45 and No. 1 Georgia rallied to beat No. 4 Ohio State 42-41 in a pair of semifinal games that were among the best the College Football Playoff ever has produced.

Miami QB Bridgewater leaves with finger injury vs. Patriots

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Dolphins quarterback Teddy Bridgewater left Miami’s matchup against the New England Patriots with a right finger injury. Bridgewater made the start Sunday in place of Tua Tagovailoa, who is in the concussion protocol for the second time this season. Miami led 14-10 in the third quarter and faced third-and-15 when Bridgewater threw into traffic looking for receiver Trent Sherfield. New England safety Kyle Dugger intercepted it and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown. Kicker Nick Folk’s extra point banged off the upright, leaving the score at 16-14.

Bills, Bengals AFC showdown highlighted by Allen vs. Burrow

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Bills showdown at the Bengals on Monday night features the first of what’s expected to be many more quarterback matchups between Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow. The two have established themselves as being among the NFL’s top young stars and transformed their respective teams into contenders. The matchup alone is must-watch TV for many, with the outcome playing a big role in determining who finishes first in the AFC.

Defending champion Georgia vs. Cinderella TCU for CFP title

After the best semifinal day in the nine-year history of the College Football Playoff, the title game will match the defending national champion against the closest thing the sport has had in years to a Cinderella team. It will be No. 1 Georgia, looking for its second straight championship, against upstart and No. 3 TCU on Jan. 9 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The four-team playoff has been littered with lopsided semifinal games, but these were both thrillers. The Bulldogs came from 14 points down to beat No. 4 Ohio State 42-41 in the Peach Bowl. TCU upset No. 2 Michigan 51-45 in the Fiesta Bowl.

Utah faces Penn State as the sun sets on a Rose Bowl era

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — The sun is setting on an era of Rose Bowl history when No. 7 Utah faces No. 9 Penn State in an intriguing matchup. The 109th edition of the Granddaddy of Them All is the last that’s guaranteed to feature the game’s time-honored pairing of Pac-12 and Big Ten teams. The game’s status as a College Football Playoff semifinal next season and the expanded playoff in 2024 has put the future in flux for the sport’s oldest active bowl game. This matchup has everything it needs to go out with a bang.

Citrus Bowl pits No. 16 LSU vs. Purdue for 1st time ever

No. 16 LSU and Purdue will meet for the first time in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida, on Monday. Brian Kelly has turned around the Tigers’ program following a forgettable 2021 season. And Purdue will be without Jeff Brohm, who took Louisville’s head coaching job. Brohm’s brother Brian will lead the Boilermakers in their first Citrus Bowl appearance before incoming coach Ryan Walters takes over.

No. 24 Mississippi State faces Illinois with heavy hearts

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Mississippi State players and staff felt they knew what Mike Leach would want them to do following the death of the Bulldogs coach due to complications from a heart condition. That would be play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Illinois. Zach Arnett was promoted from  defensive coordinator to head coach and says there’s no better way to honor Leach than to line up and compete against the Illini. Illinois will be without running back Chase Brown. The nation’s second-leading rusher in the regular season with 1,643 yards has decided to enter the NFL draft and will not play in the game.