AP Sports SummaryBrief at 9:43 a.m. EST

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa in concussion protocol again

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has returned to the NFL’s concussion protocol. Coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that Tagovailoa was experiencing concussion symptoms when he met with team doctors on Monday, a day after the Dolphins’ 26-20 loss to Green Bay. Teddy Bridgewater is expected to get most of the first-team reps in practice this week. McDaniel said it is too early to name a starter for Miami’s game at New England on Sunday. It is the second time this season that Tagovailoa has been in the concussion protocol. The protocol itself was changed after Tagovailoa took a hard hit and appeared to show concussion symptoms but remained in a game.

Hackett out as Broncos coach after Wilson’s awful game

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Nathaniel Hackett was fired a day after the Denver Broncos showed more fight on the sideline and in the postgame handshake line than they did on the field in their 51-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The Broncos fell to 4-11 with their worst loss of the year. During the game, guard Dalton Risner shoved backup quarterback Brett Rypien and later blamed it on a miscommunication. Risner had gone over to the offensive linemen to implore them to help up quarterback Russell Wilson after sacks. After the game, Randy Gregory threw a punch at a Rams lineman who retaliated. Both were suspended for one game.

Chargers reach playoffs, beat Foles, overmatched Colts 20-3

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Austin Ekeler scored on two 1-yard runs and the Los Angeles Chargers clinched their first playoff berth since 2018, intercepting Indianapolis quarterback Nick Foles three times to beat the overmatched Colts 20-3. Justin Herbert threw for 235 yards and Cameron Dicker made two short field goals for the Chargers, who won their third straight after getting the help they needed this weekend from Las Vegas, Miami, New England and the New York Jets. Los Angeles won on the road on a Monday night for the first time in more than a decade. Indianapolis lost its fifth straight under interim coach Jeff Saturday.

Analysis: Some NFL teams won’t reap reward for poor seasons

With two weeks left in the regular season, next year’s NFL draft is starting to take shape. Four of the top 11 picks will go to teams reaping the benefits of a trade. The Seahawks currently hold the third overall selection because Denver traded its first-round pick for Russell Wilson. The Lions own the Rams’ pick that currently stands at No. 7 because of the Matthew Stafford deal that paid dividends in Los Angeles last season. The Eagles have the 10th pick from the Saints, and the Texans the 11th pick from the Browns following the Deshaun Watson trade.

Analysis: In wide-open NBA, uncertainty is only certainty

DENVER (AP) — Boston leads the East and Denver the West in NBA conference races that are wide open with New Year’s Day approaching. How 2023 unfolds could be determined simply by who heals the fastest or who can stay the healthiest. The reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors are missing Stephen Curry, and Phoenix star Devin Booker lasted a little more than four minutes in his return from a groin injury. Domantas Sabonis is day-to-day as the Sacramento Kings try to make the playoffs for the first time since 2005-06. Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum has the Celtics humming along, and Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic is threatening to join Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Bird as the only players to win three consecutive MVP awards.

Pitino’s No. 22 Lobos push their way onto AP Top 25 slate

New Mexico has thrived quickly under second-year coach Richard Pitino. The Lobos are No. 22 in the latest AP Top 25, their first ranking since the 2013-14 season. New Mexico will face Colorado State and Wyoming this week in Mountain West Conference play. The AP Top 25 schedule also includes instate rivalry games featuring No. 5 Arizona against Arizona State, and No. 19 Kentucky against Louisville. And in the ACC, No. 14 Miami and No. 25 North Carolina will look to keep momentum going from win streaks.

No. 1 Purdue headlines AP Top 25; Miami leaps, UNC returns

Purdue remained atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for a third straight week. The week also included preseason No. 1 North Carolina returning to the rankings at No. 25 and New Mexico cracking the poll for the first time in eight years. The Boilermakers earned 40 of 60 first-place votes in Monday’s new poll, while fellow unbeaten Connecticut earned the other 20 to sit at No. 2 in an unchanged top. Houston, Kansas and Arizona rounded out the top five. Miami made the week’s biggest jump by climbing eight spots to No. 14.

No. 1 South Carolina women reach milestone in AP Top 25

South Carolina maintained its hold on top of The Associated Press women’s basketball poll. The Gamecocks have held the No. 1 spot for 27 consecutive weeks. That is the fifth longest run all-time. UConn has three of the top four streaks, including the record 51-week run from Feb. 18, 2008 to Dec. 10, 2010. Louisiana Tech has the second longest streak of 36 weeks. The top five teams remained unchanged as Stanford, Ohio State, Indiana and Notre Dame stayed behind the Gamecocks. South Carolina hosts Texas A&M on Thursday.

US to let MLB stars play for Cuba in World Baseball Classic

HAVANA (AP) — The United States will permit Major League Baseball players from Cuba to represent their home country in the World Baseball Classic next year. The license could be a big step in once again turning Cuba’s national team into heavy hitters on an international stage. It clears the way for MLB stars such as Yordan Alvarez, José Abreu and Randy Arozarena to play for Cuba in the World Baseball Classic in March if they choose to accept a potential invitation. It’s up to each country’s national governing body to pick the players on its team. Final 30-man rosters are due Feb. 7 for the WBC, which begins March 8 with Cuba facing the Netherlands in Taiwan.

Shiffrin takes win No. 78 with 1st GS victory in 2022

SEMMERING, Austria (AP) — Overall women’s World Cup leader Mikaela Shiffrin has held on to a big opening-run advantage to win a giant slalom. It’s the American’s first triumph in the discipline in more than a year. Shiffrin beat Slovakian skier Petra Vlhová by 0.13 seconds. The result marked Shiffrin’s fourth World Cup win of the season and 78th overall. It left her four short of the women’s record set by her former teammate Lindsey Vonn. It was the 15th GS win in total for Shiffrin but the first since triumphing in France in December 2021. Shiffrin called the win “very special.”