Fast Break
NFL
Three teams clinch divisions
It’s on to the NFL playoffs for the Titans, Giants and Cardinals.
The Cardinals?
Indeed, Arizona clinched the NFC West on Sunday with a 34-10 rout of St. Louis. The Cardinals (8-5) will host a postseason game for the first time since 1947, when they called Chicago home. It’s their first division crown since 1975, when they represented St. Louis.
The clinchings by Tennessee and New York weren’t particularly surprising considering their runaway records. But the Super Bowl champion Giants (11-2) backed into the top spot in the NFC East after a 20-14 loss to Philadelphia. Pittsburgh then did the Giants a nice turn, edging Dallas 20-13 to hand the division to New York.
The Giants’ loss meant the Titans have the best record in the league following their 28-9 victory against Cleveland.
| Sunday’s results |
| Minnesota 20, Detroit 16 |
| Tennessee 28, Cleveland 9 |
| Houston 24, Green Bay 21 |
| New Orleans 29, Atlanta 25 |
| Chicago 23, Jacksonville 10 |
| Philadelphia 20, N.Y. Giants 14 |
| Indianapolis 35, Cincinnati 3 |
| Miami 16, Buffalo 3 |
| New England 24, Seattle 21 |
| San Francisco 24, N.Y. Jets 14 |
| Denver 24, Kansas City 17 |
| Pittsburgh 20, Dallas 13 |
| Arizona 34, St. Louis 10 |
| Baltimore 24, Washington 10 |
|
Today’s Game Tampa Bay at Carolina, 5:30 p.m. TV: ESPN |
Golf
Wie graduates from Q-school
Michelle Wie has been playing LPGA Tour events since she was in the seventh grade, drawing the biggest galleries because of her youth and power, but earning little respect from players because of her preferential treatment.
In the 62 tournaments she has played over the past seven years, Wie received 53 exemptions or invitations.
Wie opened with three straight bogeys before settling down in blustery conditions Sunday for a 2-over 74, easily finishing among the top 20 players to earn her tour card.
“It’s a good feeling,” Wie said. “I really earned it. I legitimately went through Q-school. I took my medicine. And I got it. It feels good. It’s like high school graduation.”
GOLF
Singh wins just days after loss
Five days after his wife delivered their first child stillborn, India’s Jeev Milkha Singh won the Japanese tour’s season-ending Nippon Series Cup in Tokyo.
“I will dedicate this win to my wife,” Singh said. “She is healthy now. Better things are on the way.”
Kudrat Singh, recovering in a Tokyo hospital, urged her husband to play the event.
Singh won by two strokes, closing with a 4-under 66 at Tokyo Yomiuri for a 12-under 268 total.