Kare11
Drama abounds in NFL Wild Card Weekend
One more game in the round remains: Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Buffalo Bills blew a 17-point advantage before recovering to win Sunday. That narrow escape came less than 24 hours after the Jacksonville Jaguars overcame a 27-point deficit and pulled off one of the most stunning comeback victories in playoff history.
No lead is safe and the drama abounds so far in the NFL playoffs.
A loaded Sunday schedule saw the Bills escape with a 34-31 win over the Miami Dolphins, the New York Giants upset the Minnesota Vikings 31-24 and the Cincinnati Bengals hang on to beat the Baltimore Ravens 24-17 as wild-card weekend continued.
One more game in the round remains: Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night.
All three of Sunday’s games were decided in the final minutes. In the nightcap, Sam Hubbard returned Baltimore quarterback Tyler Huntley’s fumble 98 yards for a tiebreaking touchdown in the fourth quarter in a stunning turn of events that led the Bengals to their win.
Huntley tried to go over the top of the line for the go-ahead score. But he was stood up by Germaine Pratt and stripped by fellow linebacker Logan Wilson.
The ball went right to Hubbard at the 2, and the defensive end took off down the field for the longest fumble return for a touchdown in NFL postseason history. It also was the longest go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter in the postseason.
In Sunday’s opener, Bills quarterback Josh Allen shrugged off a three-turnover outing by throwing two touchdown passes 3:11 apart in the third quarter. He finished 23 of 39 for 352 yards and three TDs, but also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.
Cole Beasley scored the go-ahead touchdown with a 6-yard catch, and Gabe Davis extended the lead to 34-24 with a 23-yard TD reception after Buffalo squandered its early 17-0 advantage.
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones became one of the stars of wild-card weekend by leading sixth-seeded New York to its road win over No. 3 Minnesota. Jones — playing in his first playoff game — threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 78 yards in a stellar all-around performance. Saquon Barkley rushed for two scores, including the tiebreaker midway through the fourth quarter.
On Saturday, rookie Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks 41-23 while the Jaguars capped their comeback by beating the Los Angeles Chargers 31-30.
The No. 1 overall seed in the AFC was claimed by Kansas City with its 31-13 win over Las Vegas in Week 18. The NFC’s top spot was taken by Philadelphia. Those teams got the weekend off before playing in the divisional round next weekend.
Here are some other things to know during the postseason:
WHAT’S THE UPCOMING SCHEDULE?
Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8:15 p.m. EST, ESPN/ABC
Jacksonville Jaguars at Kansas City Chiefs, 4:30 p.m. EST, NBC/Peacock/Universo
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:15 p.m. EST, Fox/Fox Deportes
Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills, 3 p.m. EST, CBS/Paramount+
Dallas/Tampa Bay at San Francisco 49ers, 6:30 p.m. EST, Fox, Fox Deportes
WHAT’S THE FORMAT FOR PLAYOFFS?
This is the third straight year of the current playoff format, which includes the top seven teams from both the AFC and the NFC.
The four division winners in both conferences automatically get the top four seeds, regardless of record, and then the top three teams with the best record that didn’t win their division are the wild-card selections. That’s why it’s fairly common for a wild-card selection to have a better record — but worse playoff seeding — than a team that finished as a division winner.
The No. 1-seeded team in each conference gets a bye into the second round — that’s the Chiefs and Eagles — while No. 2 hosts No. 7, No. 3 hosts No. 6 and No. 4 hosts No. 5 during the wild-card weekend.
The NFL re-seeds teams after each playoff round. That means no matter how the bracket started, the lowest-seeded team will always travel to the highest-seeded team.
There are four rounds to the playoffs: The wild-card round, the divisional round is Jan. 21-22, the conference championship games are on Jan. 29 and the Super Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.
WHAT CHANGED WITH BILLS-BENGALS CANCELLATION?
Players and fans watched in horror on Jan. 2 as Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field at Cincinnati when his heart stopped and he received CPR before leaving the field in an ambulance. Over the next week, those same players and fans reacted with joy at news of Hamlin’s recovery.
Even better news came Saturday: Hamlin visited with teammates at the Bills’ facility for the first time since being discharged from a Buffalo hospital.
A person with direct knowledge of Hamlin’s schedule confirmed to The Associated Press the player’s visit. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because Hamlin has kept his schedule and recovery private.
Hamlin’s remarkable recovery has made it much easier to focus on the playoffs.
The cancellation of the Bills-Bengals game because of Hamlin’s injury could lead to one big change to the AFC playoff format.
The AFC championship game would be played at a neutral site if the Chiefs and Bills reach that point under a rule adjustment approved by NFL owners last Friday. That’s because Buffalo (13-3) played one fewer game than Kansas City (14-3) and missed out on a chance to earn the top seed. The Bills beat the Chiefs 24-20 on Oct. 16 and would have held the tiebreaker had the teams finished with the same record. Buffalo lost 42-36 at Kansas City in a divisional-round classic last season.
The Chiefs would host the AFC title game against any other team, including the third-seeded Bengals (12-4).
Watch the latest sports videos – from high school hockey to the Minnesota Vikings and everything in between – in our YouTube playlist:
Kare11
Enrollment moves upward in Universities of Wisconsin system
MADISON, Wis. — Overall enrollment in the Universities of Wisconsin system’s four-year schools ticked upward this fall compared with last year, data released Tuesday shows.
The system released enrollment numbers as of the 10th day of the 2024 fall semester. They show overall enrollment stood at 164,431 students, up 1.2% from the 10th day of the 2023 fall semester.
UW-Green Bay saw 975 new students for a 10.5% increase in enrollment, the largest percentage jump among the 13 four-year schools. Enrollment at UW-Madison, the system’s flagship university, increased nearly 3%. UW-Superior, the most remote campus, in Douglas County in far northwestern Wisconsin, saw a 3.6% increase.
Five schools saw their enrollment shrink, including Eau Claire, Oshkosh, Parkside, Platteville and Stout.
Overall enrollment at the system’s two-year branch campuses fell 22%. The most dramatic drop-off was at UW-Stevens Point’s Marshfield campus, where enrollment plunged nearly 45% compared with fall 2023.
UW officials have blamed declining numbers of high school graduates and more graduates eschewing college for the workforce for faltering enrollment.
Kare11
Student at Anoka Technical College stabbed with screwdriver
An adult male was arrested after the incident.
ANOKA, Minn. — A student was stabbed in the hand at Anoka Technical College Tuesday, authorities said.
A spokesperson with the Anoka Police Department told KARE 11 that officers were dispatched early in the afternoon. At the school, it was learned a student was stabbed in the hand with a screwdriver.
An adult male was taken into custody, officials said. The student was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Anoka Technical College said in a statement that safety and security is the top priority for everyone on campus:
Just before noon today, an incident occurred between two students at Anoka Technical College, in the automotive lab, resulting in one of the students receiving an injury to the hand. The Anoka Police Department responded and took the suspect into custody. The victim was treated by on-campus security officers before going to the hospital for further evaluation and treatment.
At Anoka Technical College, our top priority is the safety and security of everyone on campus. This incident is being investigated by the college and local law enforcement. Support services are available for students and employees impacted by this situation.
Kare11
BCA identifies man shot by police in St. Paul
The BCA said the 40-year-old man was still hospitalized at Regions Hospital on Tuesday.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Police have identified the man shot and injured by officers after pointing a gun at police on Monday evening.
According to a press release from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), Earl Bennett, 40, was shot by police near Allianz Field.
Officials said Bennett does not have a permanent address but has been staying in the Twin Cities Metro area.
Bennett is hospitalized in critical but stable condition at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
The incident started just before 7:45 p.m. Monday when police were called to the 400 block of Pierce Street for reports of shots fired. Officers found a man with a handgun when they responded to the scene.
St. Paul police spokesman Sgt. Mike Ernster told reporters on Monday night that when officers approached the man, he put the gun to his own head. Police began to negotiate with the man for a peaceful surrender, but he reportedly refused to drop the weapon, instead walking south on Snelling Avenue.
Police attempted to use “less lethal” means to subdue Bennett, but when he lifted his handgun and pointed it at police, multiple officers fired their weapons, striking the suspect.
The BCA said it is in the early stages of its investigation.
All the officers who discharged their weapons have been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings