SportsBeat KC

With their 27-24 victory over the Denver Broncos, the Chiefs made it 15 straight over their AFC West rival, improved to 5-0 in the division and 13-3 overall. What’s not to like about the outcome? Well, if the Super Bowl is the objective, it was a bit discomforting to see the Chiefs continue their special teams problems and for Patrick Mahomes to be off his game early in the second half. We discuss...

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It’s Chiefs vs. Broncos on Sunday and Denver has a new coach: Jerry Rosburg, a longtime special teams coach in the NFL and the team’s director of game management operations, was elevated earlier this week when Nathaniel Hackett was fired. What should the Chiefs expect from an interim regime? That’s a topic on today’s SportsBeat KC podcast with Star columnists Vahe Gregorian and Sam McDowell and be...

A little chilly, some broken water pipes and hotel issues, Kansas and its fans are working through the problems of the program’s first bowl game in 14 years. But they’re happy to be at the AutoZone LIberty Bowl in Memphis to meet the Arkansas Razorbacks. On today’s SportsBeat KC, beat writer Sheryas Laddha breaks down the bowl experience and the game that matches a pair of 6-6 teams that were rank...

Better late than never on our Chiefs postgame conversation. The Chiefs beat the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday 24-10 and beat writers Herbie Teope and Jesse Newell discussed the game before leaving the press box to enjoy Christmas the next day. That chat is today’s SportsBeat KC podcast. It holds up. Not much has happened since we talked Chiefs. Well, there is one thing: The next opponent, the Denve...

The Chiefs look to keep pace with the Buffalo Bills in the AFC West playoff race and will meet the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs and Bills own 11-3 records but the Bills won the matchup earlier this season, so the Chiefs must finish with a better record. We discuss the playoff picture, Harrison Butker’s kicking woes, the potential return of Mecole Hard...

The run-up to Christmas provides Missouri Tigers athletics with a couple of high-profile contests, and we talk about both on today’s episode of SportsBeat KC, The Kansas City Star’s daily sports podcast. Star columnist Vahe Gregorian previews Thursday’s Braggin’ Rights men’s basketball game against Illinois and then shifts gears for a look at Mizzou’s bowl game against Wake Forest on Friday. Misso...

Moments after Argentina’s game-winning penalty kick hit the back of the net to defeat France in the World Cup final, thoughts turned to the next World Cup, the 2026 event to be held in 16 North American cities, including Kansas City. On today’s SportsBeat KC podcast, Star columnists Vahe Gregorian and Sam McDowell sat down with three Kansas City officials who attended the World Cup in Qatar: Kansa...

The Chiefs outgained the Houston Texans 502 yards to 219, held an overwhelming advantage in first downs (33-18) and controlled the ball for 10 minutes longer than their hosts. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes completed 20 straight passes in Sunday’s game at NRG Stadium. So why the Chiefs need overtime to record a 30-24 victory over a team that dropped to 1-12-1 this season? Let’s count the ways: Two fumb...

Ty Zentner had a smile on his face as he prepared to kick the 31-yard field goal in overtime that would give Kansas State the victory over TCU in the Big 12 Championship Game. What was he thinking? On today’s SportsBeat KC, Zentner provides the answer and much more in a conversation with beat writer Kellis Robinett and host Blair Kerkhoff. It’s been a wild ride for the Kansas State kicker who came...

The Chiefs head to Houston on Sunday with a chance to clinch their seventh straight AFC West title, and the division dominance is an amazing thing. But the past two games have shown some flaws. The Chiefs split games with Cincinnati and Denver and have had issues on the defensive side and with turnovers. On today’s SportsBeat KC, beat writers Herbie Teope and Jesse Newell and columnist Sam McDowel...

The Royals conducted the first program on their new stadium/entertainment district “listening tour,” on Tuesday. About 300 came to event held at the Plexpod Westport Commons. A lineup that started with Royals chairman and CEO John Sherman made their pitches for about an hour, then took submitted questions for 45 minutes. The presentation covered many details, although it was short on certain speci...

The good news first. In defeating the Denver Broncos on Sunday, the Chiefs improved to 10-3 and won their 14th straight over the AFC West rival. The final score was 34-28. But the Chiefs led this game 27-0 and seemed on their way to a blowout victory. Three Patrick Mahomes interceptions and some shaky defense brought Denver back into the game. On today’s SportsBeat KC podcast, Star columnist Sam M...

One of college basketball’s top rivalries–Kansas vs. Missouri–continues on Saturday, and we’re here to break it down. The current state of the programs, the history, Norm Stewart, we talk about it all on today’s SportsBeat KC. Star columnist Vahe Gregorian joins beat writers Gary Bedore and Shreyas Laddha to preview the game that begins at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday and will be televised by ESPN. Mizzo...

The assumption for several weeks has been the Chiefs are the top team in the AFC, if not the NFL. Is that still true after the team’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last weekend? The outcome dropped the Chiefs to 9-3 and they no longer have the top seed in the AFC playoff picture. If that’s the case, how do the Chiefs get back to the top, and what issues did the Bengals expose? We discuss that and...

Kansas State won a conference championship, then joined Missouri and Kansas in learning its bowl destination. SportsBeat KC tells the huge weekend in college football in podcast form. You’ll hear comments from K-State coach Chris Klieman and players Daniel Green, Deuce Vaughn, Will Howard and Felix Anudike-Uzomah after their stirring 31-28 victory over TCU for the Wildcats’ first Big 12 championsh...

So much for the Chiefs circling the Bengals game on the schedule. The team that defeated Kansas City twice last year — and knocked them from the playoffs — did it again. Cincinnati defeated the Chiefs 27-24, winning the matchup for the third time in 17 games. The Chiefs had won 26 straight games in November and December until Sunday. On today’s episode of The Star’s SportsBeat KC podcast, beat wri...

Kansas rolled to a big victory over Seton Hall in the Big 12/Big East Battle on Thursday with the Jayhawks getting double-figure scoring from six players. The victory capped a 2-0 week for KU after suffering its first loss of the season. On today’s show new beat writer Shreyas Laddha discusses the game and more. Laddha joined The Star this week and offers his first impressions of the defending NCA...

Since Patrick Mahomes became a starter, two teams have defeated him twice in one season. The first was the New England Patriots in 2018. The next was the Cincinnati Bengals last year. Both times, the second losses came in the AFC Championship Game, and both came in overtime, But there was something different about the Bengals’ loss. The Chiefs were in control of that game in the first half, only t...

For the first time since 2003, Kansas State is playing in a Big 12 Championship Game. The Wildcats can only hope this one will go as well. Two decades ago, K-State throttled then top-ranked Oklahoma at Arrowhead Stadium. This time, the opponent is undefeated TCU angling for a spot in the College Football Playoff. The game is Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex. In between those games, K...

Plenty of good and some concerns for the Chiefs in their 26-10 triumph over the L.A. Rams on Sunday. The outcome was never in doubt. The Patrick Mahomes-to-Travis Kelce connection produced another impressive touchdown. The Chiefs’ 9-2 record remains the best in the AFC. But the Chiefs didn’t get touchdowns on five of six trips to the red zone, one of the failures on a Patrick Mahomes end zone inte...

It’s high school football playoffs semifinal weekend in Kansas and for Class 6 in Missouri, and Dion Clisso of PrepsKC.com is here to break it down. Great matchups include Liberty North against Christian Brothers College of St. Louis and Lee’s Summit North against DeSmet in Missouri Class 6. Could there be an All-Kansas City championship game? Kansas 6A features teams reaching the semifinals in cl...

The last best chance for keeping the Chiefs from winning a seventh straight AFC West title happens on Sunday Night Football, when Kansas City visits the L.A. Chargers. The Chiefs hold a two-game lead over the Chargers and have beaten them once already. Win this one and only an epic collapse would prevent the Chiefs from taking the division yet again. But there are some concerns. Three Chiefs wide...

In a letter to fans and media, Royals owner John Sherman laid out his vision for a new downtown ballpark and entertainment district, complete with a price tag–$2 billion–and renderings. There is plenty to determine, starting with more specifics on funding and a timetable. On today’s SportsBeat KC podcast, Star columnist Vahe Gregorian and beat writer Lynn Worthy explore those questions and more. W...

Kansas State has an inside track in the race to be TCU’s opponent in the Big 12 Championship Game. The Wildcats can clinch a spot this weekend. For that to happen, the Cats would have to win at West Virginia and Texas would need to lose at Kansas. Easier still: K-State would also be in with two straight wins, meaning at WVU and against. KU the following week. K-State’s Big 12 title-game chances ha...