Kansas
Patrick Mahomes Critical of His Performance Despite Chiefs’ Win
Similar to last season, the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense has required a bit of help from the defense in order to win games. Unlike the 2023-24 campaign, though, the inconsistent play of quarterback Patrick Mahomes can’t be mostly chalked up to a lack of execution or talent around him.
Sunday night’s triumph over the Atlanta Falcons was a perfect example of that. Mahomes completed 26 of 39 passes, but the two-time MVP winner amassed just 217 yards through the air with a pair of touchdowns. His 87.2 passer rating was far from what folks have grown to expect, and the eye test backs it up.
Following Kansas City’s win in Atlanta, head coach Andy Reid said his team has “a ton of things to work on” moving forward. A good chunk of that is on the offensive side of the ball, which ties back to quarterback play.
Fueled by a turnover in the first quarter, Mahomes averaged just 0.12 EPA per play against the Falcons. That made his Week 2 figure (-0.19) look impeccable, but it also trailed his Week 1 mark (0.42) by quite a bit. This middle-ground performance isn’t good enough for the Chiefs to have sustained success.
Using his early interception as proof, Mahomes believes he needs to get back to the basics. It will make him more effective in games, bringing the Chiefs’ offense along with him.
“I think just footwork stuff,” Mahomes said. “I’ve got to get my base right. I think I’m trusting my arm too much on some of those throws. Even the first throw of the game, I just kind of flicked it – kind of off-balance – and don’t hit Rashee (Rice) going down the seam there. I’ve got to get back to my fundamentals. That’s stuff that I go through sometimes [but] not usually early in the season like this. Luckily for me, I’m not playing my best football and we’re still getting wins. I’ve got to get better to make the offense better.”
Three weeks into his seventh run as the Chiefs’ full-time starter, Mahomes has thrown four interceptions. Last season, he set a career-high in that department with 14. Despite topping the 4,000-yard passing mark and tossing 27 touchdowns on the year, it was viewed as a down effort from the consensus best quarterback in football. With wideout Xavier Worthy added into the fold for this year, many expected Mahomes to approach or reach the statistical heights he had in 2022. That hasn’t been the case thus far.
Mahomes will take the wins over impressive numbers, surely, but a higher floor for him will have a better impact on the Kansas City offense. Even with the 29-year-old scuffling a bit, Rice has picked up right where he left off as a rookie. On the heels of a 12-catch, 110-yard performance, he said he loves that his quarterback thinks there’s room to improve.
“I love that, just because he’s the greatest quarterback I’ve ever played with,” Rice said. “Whenever he feels like he hasn’t had a great game, I feel the same way. We’ve just got to get back to practice so we can get better together.”
Read More: Four Takeaways from the Chiefs’ 22-17 Win Over the Falcons
Kansas
IU football lands Kansas State transfer edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi
Indiana’s portal haul continued to grow Sunday as multiple outlets reported the addition of Kansas State edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi.
Osunsanmi has played in 36 games over the last four years and has 8.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. Most of that production came over the last two seasons. He has a total of 47 QB pressures during his college career.
In 2025 he played in six games and had 20 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. He suffered a season-ending injury in October.
He saw action in all 13 games in 2024 as a reserve defensive end and on special teams, recording 19 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble over 303 defensive snaps and 31 special teams plays.
In 2023 he saw time in all 13 games as a reserve linebacker, a rush end on passing downs and on special teams. He was tied for team-high honors with five tackles on kickoff coverage.
He played in four games in 2022 and preserved his redshirt.
The 6-foot-3 and 250-pound Osunsanmi has one year of eligibility remaining.
The Wichita, Kan. product (Wichita East H.S.) was regarded as the 232nd-best overall player in the nation for the Class of 2022 by 247Sports.
Osunsanmi will help fill the void left by outgoing edge rushers Mikail Kamara, Kellan Wyatt and Stephen Daley.
More transfer portal information:
For complete coverage of IU football recruiting, GO HERE.
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Kansas
Kansas football transfer portal tracker: Jan. 4 developments for KU
Kansas football coach Lance Leipold explains signing QB Jaylen Mason
Check out some of what Kansas football coach Lance Leipold had to say Wednesday about why the Jayhawks signed quarterback Jaylen Mason.
LAWRENCE — The Division I transfer portal window for college football is open from Jan. 2 through Jan. 16, and that means Sunday is another chance for the Kansas football program to shape its roster.
The Jayhawks already gained one public addition earlier this offseason in Grand Valley State transfer Jibriel Conde — whose signing was announced Dec. 4. Conde, who is making the jump up from Division II, is a 247Sports-rated three-star defensive lineman in the portal and is listed by KU as a defensive tackle. On Saturday, a number of current Kansas players — including redshirt freshman quarterback Isaiah Marshall, redshirt sophomore wide receiver Keaton Kubecka and redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Blake Herold — also outlined in social media posts on X that they are locked in with the program for the 2026 season.
Marshall is set to compete for the starting quarterback job next season. Kubecka has the chance to step up into a more significant role at wide receiver. Herold is in line to be a key part of Kansas’ defensive line.
Those positives, though, don’t outweigh the fact that there has been a sizable group of players who have revealed their intentions to transfer away. Looking overall, when it comes to those whose decisions became public before and after the portal opened, the significant names to know include redshirt senior safety Lyrik Rawls, redshirt junior linebacker Trey Lathan and freshman quarterback David McComb. Lathan led KU in tackles in 2025.
Check in here for more updates during this transfer portal window about a KU team that finished 5-7 during the 2025 season, with transfer ratings as outlined by 247Sports.
Kansas football transfer portal additions
Jibriel Conde (3-star defensive lineman from Grand Valley State) — KU lists him as a defensive tackle
Kansas football transfer portal departures
Joseph Sipp Jr. (linebacker)
Jacoby Davis (cornerback)
Dylan Brooks (defensive end)
Jaidyn Doss (wide receiver)
Carter Lavrusky (offensive lineman)
Trey Lathan (linebacker)
Tyler Mercer (offensive lineman)
Harry Stewart III (running back)
Caleb Redd (3-star edge) — KU lists him as a defensive end
Aundre Gibson (3-star cornerback)
David McComb (3-star quarterback)
Kene Anene (3-star interior offensive lineman) — KU lists him as an offensive lineman
Laquan Robinson (3-star safety)
Jameel Croft Jr. (3-star cornerback)
Logan Brantley (3-star linebacker)
Greydon Grimes (3-star offensive tackle) — KU lists him as an offensive lineman
Jon Jon Kamara (3-star linebacker)
Lyrik Rawls (3-star safety)
Damani Maxson (3-star safety)
Jaden Hamm (tight end)
Bryce Cohoon (wide receiver)
JaCorey Stewart (linebacker)
Johnny Thompson Jr. (running back)
Efren Jasso (punter)
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
Kansas
Hundreds celebrate Kwanzaa at Kansas City’s Gem Theatre
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Hundreds of people packed the Gem Theatre over the weekend to celebrate Kwanzaa.
The celebrations run nightly through January 1. Each night highlights a different core value, including unity, cooperation and faith.
The event features local vendors and performances. Organizers say it’s a great way to start the new year.
The Kwanzaa celebration is free and open to everyone.
Copyright 2025 KCTV. All rights reserved.
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