ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott stated the obvious after the No. 2 seed Bills defeated the No. 7 seed Denver Broncos 31-7 in the wild-card round Sunday to move on to the divisional round, where they will host the No. 3 seed Baltimore Ravens next weekend.

"I mean, this is what everyone's been waiting for, right," McDermott said.

The Bills will be coming off a commanding performance versus the Broncos. The offense scored 31 straight points and finished only two drives without points -- one on a punt, the other at the end of the game -- led by a strong performance from quarterback Josh Allen, who was 20-of-26 for 272 yards and two passing touchdowns. The rushing attack went for 210 yards, including 46 by Allen. The defense limited the Broncos and rookie Bo Nix to 2-of-9 on third down.

The matchup that now awaits the Bills has been much anticipated as a possibility since the playoff seeding was finalized, with the game featuring the two favorites for MVP -- Allen led the odds over Lamar Jackson in the regular season -- and the quarterbacks on the All-Pro first team (Jackson) and second team (Allen). The showdown will be a rematch of the Week 4 meeting that the Ravens won 35-10.

"It'll be a nice week, and everyone will be looking forward to it, and they're a great football team," McDermott said. "They handled us pretty good the first go-around and they're certainly playing well, well-coached. [Ravens coach John Harbaugh] won a Super Bowl and comes from great pedigree, so it'll be a big challenge for us."

In the regular-season matchup, the Ravens got a Derrick Henry 87-yard touchdown run on their first possession and quickly built a 21-3 lead, and the Bills couldn't recover. Buffalo did not have starting linebackers Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard and nickel corner Taron Johnson for that game.

The opposite happened against the Broncos on Sunday.

Denver scored an opening-drive, 43-yard touchdown on a pass from Nix to Troy Franklin to go up 7-0, but the entire Bills team responded and didn't look back.

"It's 58 more minutes left in that game," cornerback Rasul Douglas said. "You can't harp [on] two minutes, you know what I mean? You have a bad day for four minutes. You say you had a whole bad day? You got 23 more hours and some change to change it. So, that's how we look at it."

The Broncos had only 102 passing yards that were not part of that touchdown pass, and only one of their four second-half drives went for more than four plays. An offense that came in having given up three sacks on the season (tied for third fewest) allowed two, and Nix was pressured on 13 of 27 dropbacks (48%), the second-highest rate he has faced in his career. Nix was 6-of-9 for 90 yards with a touchdown, the two sacks and a scramble against the pressure, but for the Bills, it was their best percentage this season.

Von Miller had a season-high six pressures against his former team, while the rest of the Bills' defense had seven.

"It really was just a message to ourselves," defensive end Greg Rousseau said. "We know who we are week after week and what we're capable of and what we're supposed to do out there. That's what it's all about. We're not worried about sending a message to anybody; we just know we've got to go out there and execute, win games."

The win marked the Bills' seventh of the season (including the playoffs) by 20 or more points -- two more than any other team -- thanks in part to the rushing attack led by James Cook and the offensive line. Cook finished with 23 carries for 120 yards -- the most by a Bills player in a playoff game since Thurman Thomas in 1995 against the Miami Dolphins -- and one touchdown. The Bills finished with a time of possession of 41:43, which is the fifth highest in a postseason game over the past 20 seasons.

Though the win was emphatic, the Bills have made the team's goal clear from the start. Douglas said this team has yet to peak. And to get to that point? "Just keep playing," Douglas said. The next test is coming quickly.

"I'ma enjoy the win first, but I love playing good on good football," left tackle Dion Dawkins said. "We have a lot of competitors on our team, and when juggernauts come into town or when we go to their spot, the intensity is up. And I love it. I love when the intensity is high, but we'll see 'em in a week. They're a good team and we look forward to it."

PHILADELPHIA -- Jalen Hurts tossed two touchdown passes in his first game since a late-season concussion, Dallas Goedert threw three stiff-arms on a rugged TD catch and the Philadelphia Eagles rode their NFL-best defense to a 22-10 wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.

Hurts threw for a modest 131 yards, but played with no hesitation in his return from a three-week layoff after a concussion in December. He started strong -- six straight completions to open the game -- and held off the Packers with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Goedert in the third quarter that will be forever stamped on the franchise's postseason highlight reel.

"That was a really fun play. It might my favorite touchdown of my career," Goedert said. "I had one guy to beat and I was able to do that. I'm not ready to go home, and I was going to do whatever it took to help the team get the 'W.'"

Philadelphia's defense handled the rest.

The Eagles turned a recovered fumble on the opening kickoff into Hurts' first TD pass three plays later and the defense picked off Jordan Love twice in the first half. Holding a 19-10 lead in the fourth, the Eagles forced a turnover on downs when Green Bay had a fourth-and-3 on its own 41 with five minutes left in the game.

Quinyon Mitchell had one final interception of Love with 1:51 left in the game that sealed the win for the NFC East champions, who'll host a division game next week at the Linc.

Hurts said the Eagles need to "find our rhythm earlier in the game."

"I think it's been an odd year in a sense of how choppy it's been, and obviously me kind of being on leave the last couple weeks or so," Hurts said. "Being back and just getting into that rhythm and leaving it all out there right now, that's what it's about."

Barkley, who led the NFL in rushing with 2,005 yards, had 119 yards in his Eagles' postseason debut.

"A year ago, I put out a tweet when I was on my couch watching playoff football that I gotta find a way to get back in it," said Barkley, who spent his first six NFL seasons with the New York Giants. "So I'm just happy to be here.

"And shoutout to my teammates and, most importantly, we move on. And we get another home game, so that's good."

The Eagles even had time for some light reading as wide receiver A.J. Brown flipped through the pages of "Inner Excellence" by Jim Murphy while on the bench. Brown had one catch for 10 yards.

Love threw for 212 yards and was intercepted three times and sacked twice as he nursed a sore right elbow that was hurt in the regular-season finale against Chicago.

"That was their goal to take away the run, and they did a good job of that," Love said. "It just comes down to executing and making plays out there, and it just wasn't good enough."

Josh Jacobs ran for 81 yards and a score -- and popped Green Bay's offense with a 31-yard run in the third where he shook off one tackle, had his jersey stretched to his heel by one defender, plowed one more and dragged two more hapless Eagles to the 1-yard line. Jacobs punched it in for the score on the next play and cut it to 16-10.

Aided by an unnecessary roughness flag on Green Bay, Hurts got the Eagles close enough for Jake Elliott to kick a 30-yard field goal for a 19-10 lead. Elliott needed the short kick for a confidence boost after he missed an extra point on Goedert's touchdown.

Elliott, who struggled with kicks from 50-plus yards this season, added a 32-yarder in the fourth and a 31-yarder in the first quarter.

The Eagles had the Linc thumping, from the time the public address announcer put a little relish on his command to, "Welcome back to the Eagles lineup, Jalen Huuurts," to the recovered fumble moments later.

Green Bay's Keisean Nixon had the ball knocked loose by Oren Burks and it was recovered by Jeremiah Trotter Jr. at the Green Bay 28. Hurts needed only three plays to find Jahan Dotson for an 11-yard touchdown.

Darius Slay went over his shoulder for the cornerback to haul in the ball like an elite receiver for an interception and All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun made it two for the Eagles. The Eagles didn't score off those picks, but did keep the Packers off the board.

"They got good players," Packers coach Matt LaFleur said of the Eagles' defense. "Even when we were running the quick game, they were triggering and coming downhill and smacking us in the back too many times. They played better than us, bottom line."

Brandon McManus, who missed a 38-yard earlier, hit one from 26 yards to make it 10-3 at halftime.

Hurts put all immediate questions about his health to rest when he completed his first six passes for 39 yards, including the TD to Dotson. He then missed his next seven going into the half. He didn't complete another pass until late in the third quarter, then hit seven of his final eight overall, that included the Goedert TD catch.

"I don't think we had the game we wanted to have on offense," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. "Jalen did a lot of good things. Jalen is a winner. He wins. No one can argue that."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got a surge of life in the first half against the Washington Commanders when franchise record receiver Mike Evans scored a 1-yard touchdown to tie the game at 10-10 at the half.

The Bucs' defense struggled to get off the field with the Commanders having possession for seven more minutes and the Bucs trailing 10-3, but quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 3 of 3 passes for 43 yards and added an 18-yard scramble.

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Then Evans drew a defensive pass interference penalty on cornerback Marshon Lattimore in the corner of the end zone, advancing the Bucs from the Washington 12 to the Washington 1-yard line, with Mayfield connecting with Evans on a slant route against Lattimore.

It was the' sixth postseason touchdown of Evans' career.

The highly anticipated Evans-Lattimore matchup has been one-sided despite the Commanders being in control of the first half as a hole. Evans has gone 4-for-4 for 55 receiving yards with Lattimore as the nearest defender, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, already the second-most receiving yards Evans has had against Lattimore in his career.

Prior to Sunday, Evans' career best against Lattimore was in Week 1 of the 2018 season, where he caught four passes for 115 yards and a touchdown, according to ESPN Research.

Hurts tosses 2 TD passes and Goedert throws 3 stiff-arms to lead Eagles past Packers 22-10

Dallas Goedert fired one stiff arm to a Packers defender, smacked him again and then in a sports city known for its Broad Street Bullies dispatched one final shot to the face on his way to end zone.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers have decided not to build a $1.3 billion downtown arena, a surprising move that comes just weeks after the team received approval for the controversial project from the city council.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Sunday that multiple council members had confirmed the change in plans. The team has struck a deal with Comcast Spectacor to remain in the city's sports stadium district, the newspaper said, but further details about the new proposal have not been released.

The 76ers, the mayor's office and Comcast Spectator -- which owns the Wells Fargo Center, where the team currently plays -- did not respond Sunday to requests for comment. The team rents the arena from Comcast Spectacor, which also owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL, who play there too.

Opponents of the arena's move to downtown celebrated the news.

Two City Council members who voted against the plan, Jamie Gauthier and Rue Landau, said the reversal shows that the 76ers' development arm had not dealt in good faith with the city.

"We're glad that the Sixers will remain in the stadium district where they best belong. But the way they reached this decision reflects a profound lack of respect for City leaders, stakeholders, and residents," Gauthier and Rue said in a statement.

The 76ers' downtown development plan had pitted working-class Philadelphians against each another and the team had pressured City Council to consider a "half-baked" proposal that left open questions about gridlock and the displacement of the city's Chinatown section, they said.

The council had voted Dec. 19 to approve the downtown arena after more than two years of heated debate over the proposal, and the owners of the NBA team had hoped to move into what would be called 76 Place by 2031. The council vote came despite vocal opposition from nearby Chinatown residents and other activists.

"I'm so livid right now I don't even know what to do," Jimmy Harrity, an at-large member of the council, told the newspaper. Harrity, who supported the team's move, said, "I feel as though I was used as a pawn."

Mayor Cherelle Parker, a Democrat who had championed the plan, has said the entire city will benefit from what she called a "historic game-changing economic development project." Supporters had hoped the 18,500-seat arena would help revive a distressed retail corridor called Market East, which runs from City Hall to the Liberty Bell. The area has struggled for years despite redevelopment efforts.

The team owner, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, had pushed for city approval by year's end so it could meet the target opening date. It had vowed not to ask the city for any construction funding, although it was free to seek state and federal funds. Instead of property taxes, it would have paid about $6 million in annual payments.

Opponents feared the arena would bring gridlock on game days as well as gentrification and rising rents to the area.

The Chinatown community has fought a series of proposed developments since the 1960s, including casinos, a prison, a baseball stadium and a highway, the last of which dissected the neighborhood when it opened in 1991.

CHICAGO -- DeMar DeRozan spent only three seasons playing for the Chicago Bulls, but after receiving a standing ovation and video tribute during Sunday's 124-119 victory -- his first game back at the United Center since signing with the Sacramento Kings in the offseason -- DeRozan said the connections he made with the organization during his tenure made him feel as if he spent 10 years in Chicago.

"Stuff like that goes a long way, man," he said after the game about the video package and reception from fans. "I'm always humbled by any type of appreciation from my time anywhere."

DeRozan signed with the Bulls before the start of the 2021-22 season and instantly flourished. He averaged 25.5 points, his highest scoring total with any team, and 5.1 assists on 49.6% shooting during his three seasons in Chicago, including two All-Star appearances and a top-10 MVP finish in 2022.

He quickly became the leader of the Bulls both on the court, closing out close games down the stretch in the fourth quarter, and in the locker room, mentoring the team's young talent, inviting players such as Coby White and Patrick Williams to train with him during the offseason in Los Angeles.

"The first moment I came here I tried to give my all to this organization, to the city and I think it showed," DeRozan said. "Genuinely putting everything into representing the Bulls. When I came here, I just think it showed I invited the culture of Chicago, everything. So it showed, I think when people see that, you get the genuine reaction in return."

DeRozan, 35, is now on his fourth team after being sent to the Kings in a sign-and-trade during the offseason after he and the Bulls could not come to terms on a long-term contract. DeRozan also wanted a chance to win at this point in his career and Sacramento is starting to put things together, winning its seventh consecutive contest Sunday.

And DeRozan was a key contributor down the stretch vs. Chicago, a sight the Bulls became familiar with the past few seasons. He scored nine points in the fourth quarter to finish with 21 points and three assists in the Kings win.

"Toronto will always be No. 1, but I got to put Chicago second," DeRozan said. "To kind of have a renewed ambition coming to Chicago. I just remember the first meeting I had with [Bulls vice president Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley] and them just saying, 'Come here and just be you.'

"For that to translate to being an All-Star to doing all the incredible things I did here just shows you, you just stay with something, it'll repay you."

The Bulls signed DeRozan to pair him with Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, both also former All-Stars, while Lonzo Ball ran the offense at point guard. Ball got injured midway through their first season and missed the next 2 seasons. The All-Star trio played together for three seasons, but produced only one playoff appearance, a first-round loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2022 playoffs in five games.

DeRozan acknowledged it was bittersweet to match up against the Bulls when his former running mates are performing at a high level individually. Ball made his first start Sunday in three years to replace an injured Coby White (neck) and knocked down five 3-pointers. LaVine finished with 36 points, his sixth straight 30-point game (joining DeRozan and Michael Jordan as the only Bulls in history to do so). Vucevic is shooting a career best in both field goal percentage and 3-point percentage.

So DeRozan said it was only natural to look at those results and wonder, "What if?"

"Without a doubt. Definitely gives you that thought because that's why we came here all together, play together to have those type of moments," DeRozan said. "But it didn't go as we expected it to go."

NEW YORK -- After the Milwaukee Bucks were routed 140-106 on Sunday by the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden -- a loss that dropped them to 0-8 in games against the top three teams in the East -- two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said the Bucks needed to start showing more.

"We've gotta get our stuff together. It's as simple as that. We did not beat Boston. We did not beat the Cavs. We didn't beat the Knicks," Antetokounmpo said. "Those are the top three teams, and we've played horribly against them."

The comments were similar to ones Antetokounmpo made after the Bucks were blown out at the Madison Square Garden in November, prompting him to critique Milwaukee's competitive spirit.

The 30-year-old said things were a bit different Sunday. The Bucks, who dropped to 2-7 after their loss to the Knicks in November, have gotten back on track recently, sitting at 20-17 after their latest loss. But Antetokounmpo still expects more.

"I think we're a way better team [now] than the November team. We've proven it by playing good basketball for longer stretches," said Antetokounmpo, who finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds. "But at the end of the day, when we're playing the better teams, we've got to do a better job. They're not just going to give it to us -- we've got to take it. They're not just going to fold."

Milwaukee kept the score close for much of the first half, but New York used a late run to expand its lead to 13 points by halftime. The Knicks outscored the Bucks by 10 in the first two minutes of the third quarter, prompting Bucks coach Doc Rivers to call two timeouts in an attempt to stop the momentum.

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson finished with 44 points and six assists despite missing much of the third quarter after suffering a right shoulder stinger. Center Karl-Anthony Towns added 30 points and 18 rebounds.

Bucks guard Damian Lillard acknowledged that Milwaukee's record against the top teams in the East is far from ideal, but added that it requires context.

"You have to have watched the games," he said, citing the Bucks' two losses to the Cavs by a combined three points and two other defeats to the Celtics that were decided late in those games.

Lillard said the Bucks' adjustments between now and the start of the postseason will be paramount.

"One year in Portland, we got our asses whupped every [regular-season] game by OKC. Then in the playoffs, we whupped their ass," Lillard said. "So no; we haven't beaten the top teams. But we also have to key in, look at why, figure out the context and move forward."

CLEVELAND -- Andrew Nembhard scored 19 points, Pascal Siakam had 18 points and nine rebounds and the Indiana Pacers ended NBA-leading Cleveland's winning streak at 12 games, defeating the Cavaliers 108-93 on Sunday night.

The teams will complete the home-and-home set Tuesday night in Indianapolis.

Myles Turner added 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Jarace Walker had eight points and 12 rebounds off the bench to help Indiana win its sixth straight. The Pacers held the Cavaliers to a season low in points and outscored them 68-40 in the second half.

"There was nothing to lose, this is the best team in the league right now," Nembhard said of the Cavaliers during his postgame, on-court interview on the FanDuel Sports Network. "We had to play hard, play together, and put some more physicality in the game on the defensive side of the ball, and play off of that."

Cleveland lost for the first time since Dec. 8 at Miami. It is 33-5 overall and 20-2 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

"What disappointed me was our first half was phenomenal, defensively, and then the second half, we fell off," Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. "So, we couldn't sustain our defense. Just disappointed."

Darius Garland had 20 points and seven assists for the Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell scored 19 points and Evan Mobley had 16 points and 12 rebounds, but it wasn't enough.

"We were connected (on defense)," Nembhard said. "We didn't fool around, even when we made mistakes, we helped out each other, and just made the next play."

The win came at a cost for the Pacers, as All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who has appeared in all 40 games and is averaging team highs of 8.9 assists and 35.0 minutes, sat out the second half after experiencing left hamstring tightness. He had two points and five assists.

With a rematch on tap in two days, Indiana coach Rick Carlisle raved about Cleveland's depth and style under Atkinson, saying, "They don't have any weaknesses. I mean, you can't find any. All of their guys can score and those guys play defense, too."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

After postponing a couple of Saturday matchups due to the ongoing wildfires in the Los Angeles area, the NBA has informed the Lakers and the Clippers that their regularly scheduled games are expected to be played Monday at Crypto.com Arena and Intuit Dome.

The Lakers are scheduled to host the San Antonio Spurs, while the Clippers will host the Miami Heat.

"It's above my pay grade," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said when asked whether it feels right to play Monday. "I think the NBA, they have a good handle on things that's going on and what they need to do. So, they make the decision. They know we're going through a tough time right now in the state of California, and they understand that.

"Hopefully, we can bring some kind of joy with the game coming back tomorrow and some togetherness, as you may, and try to put some smiles on people's faces in tough times."

The league on Friday postponed games Saturday featuring the Spurs at the Lakers and the Charlotte Hornets at the Clippers, with those contests to be rescheduled for later dates.

The NBA also said it would donate $1 million for immediate relief to the American Red Cross, World Central Kitchen and additional organizations. The Lakers also will host a donation drive at upcoming home games starting Monday, with fans encouraged to bring unused, unopened items to support the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank's relief efforts.

Approximately 105,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders amid multiple wildfires in the Los Angeles area. At least 16 people have died as a result of the fires. The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in L.A. history, with more than 5,600 structures destroyed over 24,000 acres.

"This is probably the biggest thing I've been a part of," Lue said. "Just seeing families and people lose their houses, lose their businesses, lose loved ones. It's pretty devastating, and it's tough to really fathom what they're going through right now."

Spurs guard Chris Paul, a Los Angeles resident who formerly played for the Clippers, expressed concern for the community after his team's loss Wednesday night at the Milwaukee Bucks. Paul said his wife and children evacuated their home Tuesday.

"It's definitely scary, everything that is going on," Paul said. "I'm sending so much love and prayers to some of my closest friends and family who have lost everything."

Clippers forward Nicolas Batum said his team has "been through some crazy stuff" over the past five days, including playing Wednesday's game at the Denver Nuggets as evacuations were happening in Los Angeles.

"That game in Denver was weird all day," Batum said. "I was on the phone with my family all day. I didn't sleep that night.

"I think I stopped checking my phone three minutes before game. I checked at halftime. I never do that. Just to make sure my wife and kids were OK."

The Spurs arrived in Santa Monica early Thursday after landing in Los Angeles on a flight that commenced shortly after the team's matchup at Milwaukee. The club checked into its team hotel in Santa Monica but decided hours later to relocate to a hotel in downtown Los Angeles for precautionary reasons.

The NBA had previously postponed Thursday's matchup between the Lakers and the Hornets at Crypto.com Arena, with that game still yet to be rescheduled.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said last week that he lost his home in the Palisades Fire.

Following Monday's games, the Lakers are scheduled to host the Heat on Wednesday, while the Clippers will host the Brooklyn Nets the same day.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Dave McMenamin contributed to this report.