Good Morning! Today is Monday, January 20. Here’s what happened over the weekend in the world of sports.

Or if you don’t feel like reading this morning, Jimmy Fallon sorta did my job for me:

NFL

The divisional round was pretty entertaining, so let’s get right to it. We begin in the AFC, with the final game of the weekend:

• Baltimore vs Buffalo was the game we all wanted to see, and it lived up to the hype. Josh Allen ran for two touchdowns in the snow, as the Bills extended a 21-10 halftime lead. But the difference early in this one were turnovers– Lamar Jackson threw an interception and had a fumble in the first half. Even so, the Ravens made a comeback. Lamar led a great touchdown drive at the end of the game, only for Mark Andrews to drop the game-tying two-point conversion with 1:33 remaining. A crushing playoff loss yet again for Baltimore, as Buffalo held on for a 27-25 victory.

• Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs did what they’ve done all season. Impressive defense, a few missed kicks by the Texans, and a clutch touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce was just enough to secure a victory. Kansas City advanced to their seventh-consecutive AFC championship game by a score of 23-14, setting up yet another playoff rematch against Buffalo.

While the top seeds each won in the AFC, the NFC mixed it up:

• And we begin with that bit of surprise– the score was 31-21 at halftime in favor of Washington, as the Commanders went into Detroit trying to upset the number one seed. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels looked more like a 12-year veteran, leading the Washington offense on countless scoring drives against a Lions defense with absolutely no answers. And on the other side of the ball, Jared Goff and the Detroit offense turned the ball over four times. A stunned home crowd saw their explosive Lions team held to just 10 points in the second half, as the Commanders marched on with an impressive 45-31 victory.

• Finally, we go to snowy Philadelphia, where the Eagles and Rams battled each other as well as the elements. A quick moment for LA, who made it this far despite starting the season 1-4. But two key fumbles proved costly, as the slippery football gave Saquan Barkley and the Eagles plenty of scoring opportunities. Even so, Matthew Stafford and the Rams drove the length of the field and had a chance to win the game… but a sack by Jalen Carter pushed the Rams out of the red zone, and they came up just short. Our final score: Philly 28, LA 22. The Eagles will host their NFC East rivals in the conference championship:

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

As you can see, there’s no possible way we can get to all the results from this weekend. Here are a few of the more notable ones:

• (12) Michigan State beat (19) Illinois 80-78 in a really great battle yesterday. The Spartans are currently in first place in the Big 10 and undefeated in conference play.

• Vanderbilt upset (6) Tennessee 76-75 on Saturday. The Volunteers closed with the final nine points of the game, but just couldn’t pull off the comeback.

• Finally, (15) Mississippi State eked out a victory in overtime against (21) Ole Miss, thanks in large part to this clutch play down the stretch

And two quick results from the women’s game:

• (2) South Carolina destroyed (13) Oklahoma, beating the Sooners 101-60. That’s a 50-point win over a ranked team– quite a way to celebrate coach Dawn Staley’s record-breaking contract extension.

• We’ve got our first major upset of the season, as unranked Penn State handed (9) Ohio State their first loss of the season, taking down the Buckeyes 62-59.

TENNIS

I can honestly say that this Australian Open has been one of the more entertaining Grand Slams we’ve seen in a while. A few quick highlights before the quarterfinals begin this evening/tomorrow in Melbourne:

• Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina each upset the number four seeds on Saturday, as the husband and wife duo defeating Taylor Fritz and Jasmine Paolini. Monfils celebrated with this fantastic dance, before providing an incredible perspective on sports and life in the post-game press conference. I think everyone is rooting for these two incredible professionals to keep winning***

• A local Australian sports reporter got into a weird spat with Novak Djokvoic, making fun of the former champion and his fans. Djokovic responded by declining the usual post-match interview on court and demanding an apology. Like many all-time greats, Novak always finds an enemy to help fuel his unmatched competitive nature. He’s got a blockbuster next round against Carlos Alcaraz…

The men’s draw (at time of publishing) as we begin the final week:

• The winner of the Alcaraz-Djokovic match might become the betting favorite, as Jannik Sinner struggled in the heat yesterday during a great battle with Holger Rune.

• Shoutout Lorenzo Sonego, who has defeated the oldest person in the draw (Wawrinka) and two teenagers (Fonseca, Tien).

• If you want someone to root for, look no further than the American Tommy Paul. He’s never made a semifinal at a Grand Slam, but he’s also 2-0 in his career against Zverev.

And now the women:

• The top seeds are holding strong, as Sabalenka, Swiatek, and Gauff remain the favorites to win the title. But keep an eye on American Madison Keys, who won the tournament in Adelaide last week.

• Speaking of Americans, could Gauff, Keys, and Emma Navarro win and make it three of four semifinalists from the USA? I’m sure it’s been a long time since that’s happened.

NBA

Today is all about Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets superstar had two triple-doubles in two games over the weekend, first dropping 24/12/10 against the Heat on Friday. Yesterday, Jokic recorded 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists in just three quarters against the Magic. Jokic is top five in the league this season in points, assists, rebounds, and steals per game, as well as three-point percentage. The guy is simply incredible:

NHL

Two notable plays from this weekend on the ice–

• Connor McDavid is facing a suspension. A physical sequence at the end the Oilers game Saturday night resulted in McDavid crosschecking an opponent. You can see how frustrated the Edmonton superstar is as his team chases the lead in the final moments. One of those rare instances where everyone loses their cool and no one comes out the other side looking their best.

• Pittsburgh goalie Alex Nedeljkovic scored a rare goalie goal on Friday night, shooting one down the length of the ice against the Sabres. Nedeljkovic became the first goalie in NHL history to record an assist and a gaol in the same game!

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

It’s official: the Los Angeles Dodgers have built a superteam. After an intense 30-team courtship reminiscent of the Bachelor, Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki announced his decision to join LA. A flame-throwing starter, Sasaki joins countrymen Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani as the leaders of one of the most impressive starting rotations in recent baseball history. And if that wasn’t enough, the Dodgers also signed the top free agent reliever on the market, left-hander Tanner Scott. Spring training starts in a little under one month…

Here’s one I don’t quite understand: Wisconsin defensive back Xavier Lucas has transferred to Miami, despite never entering the transfer portal. The decision has prompted a series of statements about tampering, contracts, and lawsuits, opening a can of worms that no one is too comfortable with. Keep an eye on this story, as it may have some crucial consequences on the future movements of college athletes

Is it news that golf is hard? No, but I thought this sequence was pretty noteworthy:

***thanks for following this asterisk from the TENNIS section. The Remix has been written for tomorrow morning, and nothing in it is going to change. I just want to say that I’m watching Gael Monfils take on Ben Shelton right now and it’s a fantastic chess match. Neither player has broken serve yet, and the score is 6-6 in the second set. This little paragraph is to acknowledge that Monfils may be eliminated by the time you read this. But he’s given us a great story either way!

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

NBA:

• Timberwolves @ Grizzlies, 2:30 PM on TNT/Max

• Celtics @ Warriors, 5 PM on TNT/Max

AUSTRALIAN OPEN (ESPN2):

• Coco Gauff vs Paula Badosa, 7:30 PM

• Tommy Paul vs Alexander Zverev, 10 PM

• NOVAK DJOKOVIC vs CARLOS ALCARAZ, 2 AM

THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: Notre Dame vs Ohio State, 7:30 PM on ESPN

Can Notre Dame’s defense slow down Jeremiah Smith and the explosive Ohio State offense? Will the Buckeyes be able to slow the powerful run game of the Irish? Can Ryan Day win the biggest game of his career? Can Marcus Freeman? This is going to be a good one…

“It just hurts to lose, man” –Lions head coach Dan Campbell

Or as Lamar Jackson puts it–