Sports
Chiefs’ shoddy O-line, WR corps prove too much for Patrick Mahomes to overcome
NEW ORLEANS — When asked how much he was taken aback by the extent of his team’s Super Bowl LIX loss, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins provided a fairly harmless response: “A loss is a loss. It’s a ‘W’ or an ‘L’ at the end of the day.”
Then, Hopkins branched off within the same answer, obviously wanting to get something off his chest following Sunday night’s 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I saw a lot of things in the media about the refs but, obviously, (expletive), what y’all gonna say now about the refs and us when there was a lot of touchy calls?” Hopkins said. “Are y’all gonna report that? Are y’all gonna talk about the refs now?”
It wasn’t officiating that doomed the Chiefs, though. For all the blame that will land on Patrick Mahomes for the Chiefs’ failed attempt at a three-peat (and any blame Hopkins wanted to drop on the officials), the makeshift pieces surrounding Kansas City’s superstar quarterback along the offensive line and wide receiver room didn’t help matters against an Eagles squad that owned the Chiefs in every phase.
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It was clear the Eagles’ pass rush, generated entirely by the team’s defensive front, made Mahomes more uncomfortable than any defense in recent memory. Eagles edge rusher Josh Sweat sped around the Chiefs’ tackles for 2 1/2 sacks, while defensive lineman Milton Williams bullied his way through Kansas City’s typically potent interior line for two more, including a second-half strip-sack.
Mahomes said he felt the Eagles blitzed him maybe once or twice Sunday; according to TruMedia, the actual number of Eagles blitzes in Super Bowl LIX was zero. Without ever needing to bring extra defenders, Philadelphia piled up six sacks on 18 pressures with a 40.9 percent pressure rate.
“In order to make a team blitz, you have to be able to beat what they’re showing, and that’s what we didn’t do — especially in the first half,” Mahomes said. “We made some good adjustments (at) halftime and came out better, but it was almost too late. The momentum had kind of flipped in (the Eagles’) favor, (because of) how they play and how they can run the football and control the clock with Jalen (Hurts) making big third-down conversions. It kind of put our defense in a really bad spot.
“And so, when you’re in these big games, you have to play better from the beginning. And that’s stuff that I hope to continue to work on and continue to get better at.”
There’s zero question the Eagles’ pressure affected Mahomes on both of his interceptions Sunday night, including a pick-six by Cooper DeJean that pushed Philadelphia’s lead out to 17-0 in the second quarter.
“He’s human,” said Hopkins of his QB.
That consistent pressure helps explain why on DeJean’s interception, Mahomes moved outside the pocket to his right on a designed rollout. But even with a little clear space before some late pressure arrived, Mahomes — having already been sacked multiple times by that point — pressed and threw a poor pass. DeJean picked off the errant ball, then took it back for an Eagles TD.
PICK 6 FOR THE EAGLES PHILLY FANS GOING CRAZY!
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Mahomes’ second interception also occurred deep in Kansas City territory, this time from a clogged pocket. Mahomes said a defender hit his arm on the play, which induced a short pass that Eagles linebacker Zack Baun nabbed as he dove to the turf.
“They didn’t show any different looks,” center Creed Humphrey said. “They didn’t show anything unscouted. It just came down to them coming out and playing harder.”
That might be the most telling part.
Joe Thuney has been one of the league’s best guards for many years — there’s a reason the Chiefs signed him in 2021, and why he’s been a first-team All-Pro the past two seasons. But Thuney was the team’s last resort to protect Mahomes’ blind side after Kingsley Suamataia, Wanya Morris and D.J. Humphries proved not to be the answers there, and that revolving door was destined to catch up to the Chiefs at some point.
Thuney ended the regular season with an 11.5 percent pressure rate allowed at left tackle on 131 pass-block snaps. His numbers had improved during the Chiefs’ two prior playoff games (4.6 percent pressure rate), but they reverted (11.9 percent) on Sunday night.
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Mahomes put the heat on himself for the Chiefs’ miscues and inability to handle the Eagles’ pass rush, keeping the criticism away from his front five. He said he’s going to study how to be better equipped against opposing teams’ abilities to throw free defenders at him in the pocket.
“These defenses are going to continue to get better and better, and so I have to get better, and so I take a lot of ownership in that,” Mahomes said. “… I can’t make bad plays worse, and I think that’s something that you saw (Sunday) is that there’s times when guys aren’t open and I need to throw the ball away or check it down and let the other guys make plays happen.”
True. But Mahomes needs help, too.
There’s a high probability Thuney returns to his usual guard spot for the 2025 season, meaning the Chiefs will need a left tackle — badly. Plus, another Kansas City guard, Trey Smith, may be one of the more coveted free agents set to hit the market in March.
The Chiefs’ offensive line issues are relatively new. Mahomes’ lack of viable options at wide receiver, on the other hand, began last season.
Even with Rashee Rice healthy in 2023, Mahomes produced the worst EPA-per-dropback rate of his career. The Chiefs won the Super Bowl that season, of course. But without Rice (on injured reserve since October) for much of this season, the Chiefs had to piece together a band of aging veterans, such as Hopkins, Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster, along with rookie Xavier Worthy, who spent the year trying to jell with Mahomes.
All three of those veteran receivers are impending free agents, but they also combined for just 12 catches for 155 yards and one TD this postseason. Worthy, by himself, eclipsed all of them (19 receptions, 287 yards, three TDs).
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“This might be my last time playing with them, some of them — might be their last game, trades happen,” said Worthy, who caught eight passes for 157 yards and two TDs in Sunday’s loss. “These guys really helped me out a lot, just on my development as a man and as a player in this league. This knowledge they gave me to learn and keep building my rookie year, I just really appreciate them for that.”
Given how many close wins the Chiefs escaped with this season, it always was fair to wonder how far some of these position groups could take them. The Super Bowl LIX drubbing should force Mahomes and the Chiefs to examine closely how they’ll need to improve to keep pace moving forward.
(Photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
Sports
ESPN’s Stephen A Smith hears boos from WrestleMania 42 crowd
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LAS VEGAS – Danhausen’s curse may be real after all – just ask Stephen A. Smith and the New York Mets.
While the latter dropped their 10th game in a row, Smith got his share of the curse on Saturday night during Night 1 of WrestleMania 42. Smith was in attendance for WWE’s premier event of the year and heard massive boos from the crowd.
Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
Smith was sitting ringside to watch the action. The ESPN star appeared on the videoboard above the ring at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He appeared to embrace the reaction and smiled through it.
The boos came after Danhausen appeared on “First Take” on Friday – much to the chagrin of the sports pundit. Smith appeared perplexed by Danhausen’s appearance. Smith said he heard about Danhausen and called him a “bad luck charm.”
Danhausen said Smith had been “rude” to him and put the dreaded “curse” on the commentator.
WWE STAR DANHAUSEN SAYS METS ‘CURSE’ ISN’T EXACTLY LIFTED AS TEAM DROPS NINTH STRAIGHT GAME
Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
Smith is far from the only one dealing with the effects of the “curse.”
Danhausen agreed to “un-curse” the Mets during their losing streak. However, he told Fox News Digital earlier this week that there was a reason why the curse’s removal didn’t take full effect.
“I did un-curse the Mets. But it didn’t work because, I believe it was Brian Gewirtz who did not pay Danhausen. He did not send me my money so it did not take full effect,” Danhausen said. “Once I have the money, perhaps it will actually work because right now it’s probably about a half of an un-cursing. It’s like a layaway situation.”
Danhausen enters the arena before his match against Kit Wilson during SmackDown at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on April 10, 2026. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
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On “Friday Night SmackDown,” WWE stars like The Miz and Kit Wilson were also targets of Danhausen’s curse.
Sports
After 55 years as a broadcaster in L.A., Randy Rosenbloom is leaving town
It’s time to reveal memories, laughs and crazy times from Randy Rosenbloom’s 55 years as a TV/radio broadcaster in Los Angeles. He’s hopping in a car next Sunday with his wife, saying goodbye to a North Hollywood house that’s been in his family since 1952 and driving 3,300 miles to his new home in Greenville, S.C.
“When I walk out, I’ll probably break down,” he said.
He graduated from North Hollywood High in 1969. He got his first paid job in 1971 calling Hart basketball games for NBC Cable Newhall for $10 a game. It began an adventure of a lifetime.
“I never knew if I overachieved or underachieved. I just did what I loved,” he said.
Randy Rosenbloom (left) used to work with former UCLA coach John Wooden for TV games.
(Randy Rosenbloom)
John Wooden, Jerry Tarkanian and Jim Harrick were among his expert commentators when he did play by play for college basketball games. He called volleyball at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games for NBC and rowing in 2004. He’s worked more than 100 championship high school events. He did play by play for the first and only Reebok Bowl at Angel Stadium in 1994 won by Bishop Amat over Sylmar, 35-14.
“There were about 5,000, 6,000 people there and I remember thinking nobody watched the game. We ended up with a 5.7 TV rating on Channel 13 in Los Angeles, which is higher than most Lakers games.”
He conducted interviews with NFL Hall of Famers Gale Sayers and Johnny Unitas and boxing greats Robert Duran, Thomas Hearn and Sugar Ray Leonard. He’s worked with baseball greats Steve Garvey and Doug DeCinces. He called games with former USC coach Rod Dedeaux. He was in the radio booth for Bret Saberhagen’s 1982 no-hitter in the City Section championship game at Dodger Stadium. He was a nightly sportscaster for KADY in Ventura.
Randy Rosenbloom, left, with his volleyball broadcast partners, Kirk Kilgour and Bill Walton.
(Randy Rosenbloom)
He was the voice of Fresno State football and basketball. He also did Nevada Las Vegas football and basketball games. He called bowl games and Little League games. He was a public address announcer for basketball at the 1984 Olympic Games with Michael Jordan the star and did the P.A. for Toluca Little League.
Nothing was too small or too big for him.
“I loved everything,” he said.
He called at least 10 East L.A. Classic football games between Garfield and Roosevelt. He was there when Narbonne and San Pedro tied 21-21 in the 2008 City championship game at the Coliseum on a San Pedro touchdown with one second left.
Probably his most notable tale came when he was doing radio play-by-play at a 1998 college bowl game in Montgomery, Ala.
“I look down and a giant tarantula is crawling up my pants,” he said. “My color man took all the press notes, wadded them up and hit the tarantula like swinging a bat.”
Did Rosenbloom tell the audience what was happening?
“I stayed calm,” he said.
Then there was the time he was in the press box at Sam Boyd Stadium and a bat flew in and attached itself to the wooden press box right next to him before flying away after he said, “UNLV wins.”
Recently, he’s been putting together high school TV packages for LA36 and calling travel ball basketball games. He’ll still keep doing a radio gambling show from his new home, but he’s cutting ties to Los Angeles to move closer to grandchildren.
“I’m retiring from Los Angeles. I’m leaving the market,” he said.
Hopefully he’ll continue via Zoom to do a weekly podcast with me for The Times.
He’s a true professional who’s versatility and work ethic made him a reliable hire from the age of 18 through his current age of 74.
He’s a member of the City Section Hall of Fame and the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. He once threw the shot put 51 feet, 7 1/2 inches, which is his claim to fame at North Hollywood High.
One time an ESPN graphic before a show spelled his name “Rosenbloom” then changed it to “Rosenblum” for postgame. It was worth a good laugh.
He always adjusts, improvises and ad-libs. He expects to enjoy his time in South Carolina, but he better watch out for tarantulas. They seem to like him.
Sports
Becky Lynch enters exclusive WWE club with Women’s Intercontinental Championship win at WrestleMania 42
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LAS VEGAS – Becky Lynch entered an atmosphere no other WWE women’s superstar has ever reached as she won the Women’s Intercontinental Championship over AJ Lee on Saturday night at WrestleMania 42.
Lynch became the first person to hold the Women’s Intercontinental Championship three times after she pinned Lee. She first won the title against Lyra Valkyria in June 2025 and then again against Maxxine Dupri in November.
Becky Lynch celebrates with the belt after defeating AJ Lee during their women’s Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
She dropped the belt to Lee at the Elimination Chamber, sparking a monthslong feud with her.
Lee gave Lynch the chance at the title in the weeks prior to WrestleMania 42. But it appeared Lee played right into Lynch’s plans. Despite arguing with referee Jessica Carr for most of the match, Lynch was able to tactfully tear down a rope buckle and use it to her advantage.
Lynch hit Lee with a Manhandle Slam and pinned her for the win.
WWE STARS REVEAL WHAT MAKES WRESTLEMANIA SO SPECIAL: ‘IT’S THE SUPER BOWL OF PRO WRESTLING’
AJ Lee reacts after losing to Becky Lynch in their Women’s Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
It’s the second straight year Lynch will leave Las Vegas as champion. She returned to WWE at WrestleMania 41, teaming with Valkyria, to win the women’s tag titles. She will now leave Allegiant Stadium as the women’s intercontinental champion.
Lynch is now a seven-time women’s champion, three-time women’s intercontinental champion and two-time tag team champion.
Becky Lynch withstands AJ Lee during their Women’s Intercontinental Championship match on night one of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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Lee’s reign as champion ended really before it could really begin. WrestleMania 42 was her first appearance at the event in 11 years. It’s unclear where Lee will go from here.
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