Kansas
Four Takeaways from the Chiefs’ 29-10 Win Over the Steelers
The Kansas City Chiefs were on the road this holiday season, capping off their 11-day gauntlet with a big-time win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fueled by a high-flying offensive performance and an inspiring effort from the defense, Andy Reid’s team accomplished plenty on Christmas Day.
With that in mind, here are four takeaways from Wednesday’s game.
When Patrick Mahomes suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 15 against the Cleveland Browns, many thought the injury would limit Kansas City’s superstar signal-caller for weeks to come. While he clearly wasn’t 100% healthy in last Saturday’s win over the Houston Texans, he still played an efficient game and looked comfortable in the pocket. That continued into this week, with Mahomes himself saying he thought he’d be in an even better spot with the ankle for Wednesday. That certainly was the case in Pittsburgh.
In one of his better performances of the season, everything clicked for Mahomes at different points in the game. Early on, he moved well in the pocket and even got a deep ball to Justin Watson to convert. In the third quarter, he got the RPO game going and let his receivers do the work. The fourth quarter saw him connect with Travis Kelce on a record-breaking score. In all, the two-time MVP completed 29 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns. If this is Mahomes rounding into playoff form, Kansas City will be in good shape.
Last weekend, Kansas City put up a mixed bag of defensive football against the Texans. Early on, C.J. Stroud and company had some explosive plays and didn’t have any trouble converting on third down. Things changed in the second half, even after defensive tackle Chris Jones suffered a strained calf. A Wednesday morning report confirmed that Jones wasn’t set to play in Week 17, which left the Chiefs’ defense shorthanded. While things were far from perfect without Jones, sitting him turned out to be the right call as the team managed in his absence.
Let’s get this out of the way: Pittsburgh very well could’ve – and should’ve – wound up with more points. On multiple occasions, the defense failed to contain Russell Wilson and the Chiefs struggled on third downs for most of the game. With that said, Steve Spagnuolo’s unit also forced some turnovers and generated a good deal of pressure on the afternoon. Things could’ve been worse than surrendering five yards per play against a big-play offense, especially down your top defender. Luckily for the Chiefs, they’ll take a 10-point output from the Steelers and also welcome Jones back with open arms whenever he’s healthy.
Last weekend, Chiefs rookie wideout Xavier Worthy hauled in a career-high seven passes and added 65 yards and a touchdown. He pitched in another score on Christmas, also topping his personal bests for receptions and yards with eight and 79, respectively. Mahomes and Co. have alluded to Worthy growing down the stretch of the season, which is exactly what he continues to showcase heading into the playoffs.
Kelce also deserves a huge tip of the cap. The future Hall of Fame man has already lost a step athletically and isn’t really a post-catch threat anymore, but he brought a bit of juice on Wednesday. At the age of 35 and in season No. 12, catching eight passes for 84 yards and a score will certainly do. There’s a case to be made that this was Kelce’s best game in nearly two months, and setting a record in the process is a big deal. He’s earned some rest over the next few weeks.
In the Week 17 playoff picture, the Buffalo Bills still stood a chance at securing the one-seed in the conference thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Chiefs from earlier this season. They also, however, gave the reigning champs a backup plan in case they fell flat on Wednesday. In the event that Kansas City lost to Pittsburgh on Christmas Day, they could’ve still locked up a first-round bye with a Buffalo loss or tie over the weekend. None of that applies now after the Chiefs handled business.
As it turns out, Wednesday served as a Merry Clinchmas for the Chiefs. They now sit atop the conference and won’t have to play on Wild Card weekend, also making sure that they won’t have to hit the road until they (potentially) reach the Super Bowl. Additionally, the timing of this victory now makes Week 18’s game against the Denver Broncos more interesting from a personnel standpoint. With the most important spot in the conference playoff bracket secured, there are only good problems on the team’s hands now.
Read More: Steve Spagnuolo’s Latest Answer on Chiefs Activating Steven Nelson Is Telling
Kansas
Where to watch Kansas City Royals vs Cincinnati Reds: TV channel, start time, streaming for June 3
What to know about MLB’s ABS robot umpire strike zone system
MLB launches ABS challenge system as players test robot umpire calls in a groundbreaking season.
The 2026 MLB season has surpassed the quarter mark, and after each team’s first 40 games, there’s plenty of reasons to tune in all summer long.
Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami has already proven doubters wrong by launching 17 home runs, Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes consistently looks like the best version of himself on the mound and Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski is throwing harder than any starter in the majors.
The MLB action continues on Wednesday as the Kansas City Royals visit the Cincinnati Reds.
Here’s everything you need to know to tune in for the first pitch.
See USA TODAY’s sortable MLB schedule to filter by team or division.
What time is Kansas City Royals vs Cincinnati Reds?
First pitch between the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday, June 3.
How to watch Kansas City Royals vs Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday
All times Eastern and accurate as of Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 11:50 a.m.
- Matchup: KC at CIN
- Date: Wednesday, June 3
- Time: 7:10 p.m. (ET)
- Venue: Great American Ball Park
- Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
- TV: Royals.TV and Reds.TV
- Streaming: MLB.TV on Fubo
Watch MLB all season long with Fubo
MLB regional blackout restrictions apply
MLB scores, results
MLB scores for June 3 games are available on usatoday.com . Here’s how to access today’s results:
See scores, results for all of today’s games.
Kansas
Bat Cats defeat Kansas Cannons, 4-1
AUGUSTA — Great Bend Bat Cat Jaxon Bunkers homered, doubled and drove home three runs to spark a 4-1 victory over the Kansas Cannons in Tuesday’s baseball game.
Bat Cats pitcher Quentin Medrano struck out seven batters in five innings. Hoisington’s Lane French threw three shutout innings and Hays native Carter Graham pitched one scoreless inning.
Bat Cat George McCarroll scored on a first-inning wild pitch after reaching base on an error.
Bunkers’ 2-run seventh-inning homer scored Andrugh Yee for a 3-0 lead.
The Kansas Cannons scored when Talan Barraza’s sacrifice fly scored Colton Petersmith after a seventh-inning triple.
Yee scored on a Jaxon Bunkers double in the ninth inning.
Great Bend 100 000 201 — 4 5 0
Kansas Cannons 000 000 100 — 1 3 1
Medrano, French (6), Graham (9) and Chivira. Reed, Roberts (4), Stephenson (7), Humphreys (9) and Becker. W—Medrano, 1-0. L—Reed, 2B—GB—Bunkers. 3B—KC—Petersmith. HR—GB—Bunkers.
Kansas
Commentary: Kansas fans stepped up to prevent a Razorback takeover | Whole Hog Sports
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