SportsBeat KC

The last season the Chiefs didn’t play in the AFC Championship Game (2017), a solar eclipse passed over Kansas City. It’s been nothing but football sunshine since then. Sunday, the Chiefs travel to the Baltimore Ravens with the winner advancing to the Super Bowl. The Chiefs got here by winning at the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, beat writer Jesse Newell alo...

The Chiefs season lives. They’ve reached the Divisional Round of the AFC playoffs and will visit the Buffalo Bills on Sunday after defeating the Miami Dolphins in the wild card round last weekend. We break down the matchup on SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, with beat writer Jesse Newell and columnists Vahe Gregorian and Sam McDowell. A defense that shut down Tyreek Hill and the Miami off...

With a No. 3 seed, the Chiefs have their worst playoff starting position since Patrick Mahomes became the quarterback in 2018. That likely means they’ll have their most difficult path, beginning with Saturday’s home game against the Miami Dolphins. On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, beat writer Jesse Newell and columnists Vahe Gregorian break down the Chiefs chances and discuss the match...

The eighth straight AFC West is clinched, and a ninth consecutive playoff appearance assured. But one game remains in the regular season. How do Andy Reid and the Chiefs play it? Look for the Chiefs to rest starters against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Why would that be important? Columnists Sam McDowell and Vahe Gregorian along with beat writer Jesse Newell and repoter Pete Grathoff explai...

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Mistakes doomed the Chiefs in their loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, but one -- a penalty against wide receiver Kadarius Toney -- got more attention than the others. Offensive offside was the flag against Toney, and it wiped out a touchdown that started as a pass from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce and finished with Toney racing to the end zone after taking a lateral from Kelce. But the go-ah...

In some ways, the Chiefs’ loss at the Green Bay Packers was their most troubling of the season. The offense couldn’t finish drives with touchdowns in the red zone early. The defense, so good throughout the year, allowed the Packers to score on five of seven possessions. More problems in the passing game, and a bad play on a momentum-turning interception by Patrick Mahomes. We discuss all of it and...

It took a few series to get going, but the Chiefs put away the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday and solved a few issues in the process. It had been a month since the Chiefs had scored in the second half. That streak ended. And the Chiefs were very good in short-yardage situations. Wide receiver Rashee Rice had a breakout game. The Chiefs kept the penalties down and didn’t commit a turnover. Good stuff...

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With the first half of the season behind them, who has been the Chiefs’ top defensive player? Most improved player? Best newcomer? In this episode of SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, beat writer Jesse Newell and columnists Sam McDowell and Vahe Gregorian break down the first half of the season through those categories. As you might imagine, the emphasis is on the defense. Also, we single...

How bad was last weekend’s loss to the Denver Broncos? The Star’s Chiefs writers count the ways on the latest episode of SportsBeat KC podcast. Beat writer Jesse Newell and columnists Sam McDowell and Vahe Gregorian broke down the 24-9 loss, especially the offense and quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs’ next challenge is daunting, a trip to Frankfurt, Germany, to take on the Miami Dolphins. B...

The Chiefs are off to a 6-1 start and have basic offensive and defensive numbers that rank among the NFL’s best. So, how does this team stack up to last year’s Super Bowl champion? Columnist Vahe Gregorian’s response on SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, might surprise you. We talk about how the position groups compare between seasons, and what this season’s improved defense means for the C...

The Chiefs have been grinding on offense, at least by their standards. Heading into Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers, they rank ninth in points and fourth in total yards. And yet...The Chiefs share the best record in the NFL at 5-1 heading into Sunday’s home game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Star columnists Vahe Gregorian and Sam McDowell break down the Chiefs offense and how it...

The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t exactly pulverizing opponents, but they keep finding ways to win. The Chiefs look to make it five straight when the Denver Broncos visit on Thursday Night Football. On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, beat writer Jesse Newell, discuss what’s working for the Chiefs and where improvements can be made. We look ahead to the Broncos, who are off to an awful start...

No AFC team has a better record than the Chiefs at 3-1, and they’re taking a three-game winning streak to Minnesota on Sunday. But wind doesn’t seem to be in the Chiefs’ sails after a 23-20 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football. Uneven play on both sides marked the triumph, and one position group continues to come under scrutiny, the wide receivers. On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s s...

For a blowout victory there was quite the commotion surrounding the Chiefs’ 41-10 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Call it the Taylor Swift affect. There was Swift, sitting next to Travis Kelce’s mother during the game, and the pop star and tight end walked out of Arrowhead together afterwards. As if the defending Super Bowl champion needs more attention. Ready or not, they’re about to ge...

After the Chiefs won the first Super Bowl with Patrick Mahomes, the team made him the game’s highest paid player. History has repeated itself. Mahomes, coming off his next Super Bowl triumph, has a restructured deal that pushes him back to the top of the earnings list. On SportsBeat KC, Star columnists Vahe Gregorian and Sam McDowell discuss the new agreement and its importance to Mahomes and the...

For the first time since 2010, Kansas State will visit Missouri on Saturday in a meeting of former Big Eight/Big 12 rivals, and the setting should bring back some happy memories for former Wildcats coach Bill Snyder. His teams won six of nine meetings played on Faurot Field. After engineering one of the greatest program turnarounds in college football history, Snyder stepped down from his Hall of...

Chris Jones is signed for this season and will be with the Chiefs in practice this week and at their game on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. His holdout cost him fines and game check and the maximum value of his deal, with incentives, is $25.2 million. But it’s not a long-term deal, and it might be challenging for Jones to hit all of his incentives. So, who got the better of the deal? On...

The Chiefs’ season has arrived, but not Chris Jones. The Chiefs now face the hard reality of meeting the Detroit Lions in their season opener Thursday without their top defensive player, and the short- and possible long-term impacts of his absence are the focus of SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast. Beat writer Jesse Newell joins columnists Sam McDowell and Vahe Gregorian in discussing where...

College football season is back and area colleges should all get off to good starts. Kansas State, Missouri and Kansas each played in a bowl game last season, and returning to the postseason is at least the objective for all of them this season. On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, the beat writers check in to preview their teams, offer strengths and weaknesses and provide a projected fina...

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It hasn’t been a good few days for the Chiefs. They opened the preseason with a sluggish performance by the starters and a costly turnover by the reserves to seal a loss at New Orleans. Now, injuries are making news. Beat writer Jesse Newell breaks down the recent developments on SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast. We cover the ups and downs of the game against the Saints and look ahead to S...

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach remains confident that a deal will get done with All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, he told The Star earlier this week. You’ll hear his optimism on today’s SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast. Veach sat down with The Star’s Chiefs coverage crew, including columnists Sam McDowell and Vahe Gregorian and beat writer Jesse Newell, and discussed the Jones situ...

The Chiefs couldn’t avoid the injury bug hitting NFL training camps . Defensive back Nazeeh Johnson, who had been rising up the depth chart, suffered a torn ACL and is lost for the season. On today’s episode of SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, beat writer Jesse Newell discusses the impact of that injury and other topics. Johnson was one of five defensive backs selected by the Chiefs in th...