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In Steve Spagnuolo the Kansas City Chiefs trust. With good reason.

Published

2 years ago

February 1, 2024

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In Steve Spagnuolo the Kansas City Chiefs trust. With good reason.

Like most football coaches, Steve Spagnuolo has lived a nomadic existence.

Five seasons at Connecticut. Two in Maine. One with the Frankfurt Galaxy. Two with the Baltimore Ravens. In 40-plus years as a coach, he’s worked for 15 different teams. The closest he’s come to permanence is when he’s worked with Andy Reid, spending eight years with the Philadelphia Eagles and the last five years with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Given what he’s done with the Chiefs, it’s a good bet the defensive coordinator has a place in Kansas City for as long as he likes.

“I still think ‘Spags’ should be up for assistant coach of the year,” defensive tackle Chris Jones said after the Chiefs harassed Lamar Jackson, the NFL’s likely MVP, into one of his worst-ever performances in last weekend’s AFC championship.

“What he’s been able to do with this defense from last year to this year, how we were able to overcome a lot of humps, how we were able to force a lot of guys to grow,” Jones added. “Last year, we gave up a lot of big plays. This year, L’Jarius Sneed had an All-Pro year, should have been All-Pro. (Trent McDuffie) had an All-Pro year. You could go down the list.”

It’s understandable for Patrick Mahomes and the offense to command most of the attention on the Chiefs, who are verging on New England Patriots-like dynasty territory with their fourth Super Bowl appearance in five seasons. Mahomes is a generational quarterback, capable of making plays even the Madden creators can’t imagine. His connection with Travis Kelce is particularly potent, with the two bumping the likes of Jerry Rice, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski down a notch in the record books.

But the Chiefs aren’t playing the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl next weekend without their defense.

While the offense was a work in progress for much of the season, the defense carried the load, finishing second in the NFL in both points and yards allowed. Despite facing both Jackson and Josh Allen, Kansas City is giving up less than 14 points a game in the playoffs. Jackson finished with his lowest completion rate of the season while Allen had to dink rather than dunk, finishing with his fewest yards gained per pass attempt of the year.

No wonder Kansas City players broke out “In Spags We Trust” T-shirts after beating Baltimore.

“We believe in him wholeheartedly; he believes in us and we believe in each other,” said safety Justin Reid, who organized the T-shirts. “Nobody goes out there and tries to play hero ball. We just play the defense, play our responsibility with intensity and a little bit of violence, and good things happen.”

Spagnuolo’s success as a defensive coordinator is not new. He is, after all, the same guy who designed the game plan the New York Giants used to humble Brady and the previously unbeaten Patriots in Super Bowl 42 to conclude the 2007 season. Brady was under constant pressure and sacked a season-high five times in that game, which he later called “one of my least favorite football memories.”

But what Spagnuolo has done in Kansas City, this year in particular, might be his best work yet.

To say Spagnuolo inherited a defense that needed work is putting it nicely. The Chiefs ranked 24^th in the 32-team league in points allowed in 2018, and were second-to-last in yards allowed. Kansas City also was going through a generational change, with players like Allen Bailey, Justin Houston and Steven Nelson giving way to Frank Clark, Derrick Nnadi and Charvarius Ward − who will see his old team in the Super Bowl.

In the five years since Spagnuolo arrived in Kansas City, the Chiefs have been in the top 10 in fewest points allowed all but one year.

“That was important. We have a history together, so I knew what to expect and where he would go with things,” Andy Reid said when asked of the impact hiring Spagnuolo in 2019 had. “What he did with (the younger players) I thought was great, of teaching. All of his guys did that, they did a great job of teaching. The kids were receptive to it, and you’re seeing the rewards of it now.”

Spagnuolo’s strength is fitting his schemes to his players, rather than the other way around. He’s also one of the best at making adjustments, particularly in the second half. In the last eight games, the Chiefs have allowed seven points or less in the last 30 minutes.

In the three playoff games, it’s been a total of 10. That’s right. In the second half against Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins; Allen and the Bills; and Jackson and the Ravens; Kansas City allowed a touchdown and a field goal.

“When the games get bigger, the challenges get higher, (Spagnuolo) performs even better,” Mahomes said after the AFC championship.

Spagnuolo will have to against San Francisco, which ranked second in the NFL in yards this season and third in scoring. Christian McCaffrey is a colossal headache for the entire defense, but he’s far from the only problem. There’s also Deebo Samuel. And Brandon Aiyuk. And George Kittle. Shall I continue?

Even Brock Purdy, who has been dismissed by many as a game manager, showed last week against the Detroit Lions that he’s not to be taken lightly.

But if there’s anyone up for the challenge, it’s Spagnuolo.

“Is it one of the better defenses? Yeah, I’d say it’s one of the better defenses that I’ve been around,” Reid said Monday.

In Spagnuolo the Chiefs trust. With good reason.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

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Kansas Basketball Makes the Cut for 5-Star SF Demarcus Henry

Published

1 day ago

July 8, 2026

Press Room

Kansas Basketball Makes the Cut for 5-Star SF Demarcus Henry

One of the top prospects in the 2027 boys’ high school basketball recruiting class recently trimmed his list of suitors, and the Kansas Jayhawks find themselves firmly in the mix.

KU is one of eight schools to make the cut for 2027 five-star small forward Demarcus Henry, according to On3 National Basketball Reporter Joe Tipton. His list of eight includes some of the best programs in the country: Kansas, Ohio State, Kentucky, North Carolina, BYU, Arkansas, UConn, and Louisville.

The 6-foot-7 Charlotte, North Carolina, native is one of the best players in the 2027 class. He’s currently ranked as the No. 5 player overall and the No. 1 player at his position, according to the most recent On3.com 2027 player rankings.

As a junior this past year at Compass Prep High School in Chandler, Arizona, Henry averaged 15.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game as he helped lead his team to a 25-3 record.

He followed that up with an impressive performance at the NBPA Top 100 camp this summer, leading all attendees in scoring (20.0 points per game) and rebounding (9.3 rebounds per game). He was also a member of the 2026 USA Men’s U18 National Team that earned a silver medal at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup earlier this summer in León, Mexico.

When speaking about his game, Henry mentions his versatility and how he’s developed over the past year.

“I’m just very versatile,” Henry told Rivals in a previous interview. “I can play one through four and just help my teammates and hit shots and play defense. I watch a lot of KD (Kevin Durant) and Paul George. How they score it, and how they could shoot off the dribble, shoot off the catch. I’ve gotten tougher and just more aggressive when I transferred AZ Compass and just being able to get downhill, I feel like that’s really developed for me.”

When asked about what he’s looking for in a potential home at the college level, Henry says he wants to be challenged and grow his game for the NBA.

“What I’m looking for in school is someone that just pushes me to be better,” Henry said. “Help me grow into the person I know I can be and someone who will help me reach my potential. I want to play for a coach that will hold me accountable and help me make me uncomfortable and keep growing and keep getting better and just help me reach the NBA, which is my ultimate goal.”

Early Contenders

Right now the early favorite to land Henry may be the basketball program with the least amount of notoriety of the final eight schools – and that is Ohio State.

Henry has a lot of familial ties to the university as his older brother Chris Henry Jr. is a five-star incoming freshman wide receiver for the Buckeyes football team this year, and his older sister Seini Henry is a talented women’s basketball player at Ohio State.

He’s already taken an unofficial visit to the school and has also taken an unofficial visit to BYU. Thus far, they are the only schools to have received a visit.

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Kansas City Royals news: MLB draft still coming into focus

Published

2 days ago

July 8, 2026

Press Room

Kansas City Royals news: MLB draft still coming into focus

The Royals have been linked to shortstop Jacob Lombard out of Gulliver Prep (Fla.) — if he makes it that far — left-hander Gio Rojas out of Stoneman Douglas (Fla.) HS, outfielder Eric Booth Jr. out of Oak Grove (Fla.) HS, UC Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora and Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress, among others. Maybe they shake up the board and go with Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS left-hander/outfielder Jacob Grindlinger, who is just 17 years old after reclassifying for this year’s Draft and has legitimate upside as a two-way player. Grindlinger is No. 16 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 250 Draft prospects list and is rising on boards as Draft day nears.

Prep players usually mean a lot of upside but with more risk, while college players bring a higher floor and more experience — often with a chance to move quickly. Over the full Draft, the Royals are going to value both.

“There’s a good mix of high school and college,” Bridges said. “To tell you the truth, our range is pretty broad. There’s a clear-cut four players, five players in this Draft, and then believe it or not, where we’re picking, you can go a number of different directions. So we have a pretty good balance of what we’re looking at, both high school and college.”

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Kansas Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 winning numbers for July 7, 2026

Published

2 days ago

July 8, 2026

Press Room

The Kansas Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at July 7, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from July 7 drawing

02-31-35-36-63, Mega Ball: 12

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from July 7 drawing

Midday: 4-2-9

Evening: 2-7-9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning 2 By 2 numbers from July 7 drawing

Red Balls: 07-26, White Balls: 12-18

Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 7 drawing

27-43-48-49-50, Bonus: 02

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Kansas Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at select Kansas Lottery offices.

By mail, send a winner claim form and your signed lottery ticket to:

Kansas Lottery Headquarters

128 N Kansas Avenue

Topeka, KS 66603-3638

(785) 296-5700

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a claim form, and deliver the form along with your signed lottery ticket to Kansas Lottery headquarters. 128 N Kansas Avenue, Topeka, KS 66603-3638, (785) 296-5700. Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Kansas Lottery.

When are the Kansas Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3 Midday/Evening: 1:10 p.m. and 9:10 p.m. CT daily.
2 By 2: 9:30 p.m. CT daily.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Super Kansas Cash: 9:10 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Kansas editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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