ANTHONY HITCHENS

The two-time defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs are wallowing at 3-4 and already facing an uphill climb just to reach the playoffs as the New York Giants visit Arrowhead Stadium.

Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu has apologized for a tweet calling his team’s supporters “one of the most toxic fan bases in all of sports” amid a 3-4 start for the two-time defending AFC champions.

Baseball is a game bound in tradition, but now the sport is considering a dramatic change. Brook Silva-Braga reports.

Turn on the TV or listen to talk radio and just about everyone has an opinion on why Patrick Mahomes is playing so poorly.

Seahawks linebacker Darrell Taylor had movement in all of his extremities after leaving Seattle’s game Sunday night against Pittsburgh late in the fourth quarter on a stretcher with an unspecified injury.

Patrick Mahomes threw for 397 yards and engineered three second-half touchdown drives to compensate for a pair of interceptions, leading the Kansas City Chiefs to a 31-13 comeback victory at Washington that got them back to.

Patrick Mahomes threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns while running for another score as the Chiefs rallied to beat the Browns 33-29.

Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs to touchdowns on his only two chances with the ball as Kansas City beat the Minnesota Vikings 28-24.

Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones celebrates during the second half of an NFL divisional round football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, in Kansas City. The Chiefs won 22-17. – The Kansas City Chiefs would be the first to tell you that the final score is all that matters. The Chiefs won seven straight games by one possession, two clear of the previous NFL record, including one against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — their Super Bowl opponent Sunday. “We won a lot of games this year off different guys making plays, offense, defense or special teams,” Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens said.

– The Kansas City Chiefs had a pretty good idea what kind of COVID-19 protocols they would have to wade through in defense of their Super Bowl championship the moment they finally gathered for in-person training camp. And it was Burkholder who helped the Chiefs navigate the season with few positive tests and just one postponement — the fault of the other team — as they closed in on a Super Bowl repeat. Those were things we just didn't know, and it was a process to figure out how to do this.”AdUltimately, the Chiefs and Buccaneers are in the Super Bowl in part because they figured it out as well as anybody. It's easy to follow the example of Tom Brady, with six Super Bowl rings behind him and the Hall of Fame in front of him, when he demands the Buccaneers mask up. The same with Patrick Mahomes, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, when he tells the Chiefs to skip the family gatherings around the holidays.

Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) returns an interception during the second half of an NFL divisional round football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, in Kansas City. After helping the Chiefs win their first Super Bowl in five decades last season, Mathieu has followed up with what can only be described as the best season of his career. On a quarter of snaps this season, he's lined up in the deep safety spot. You know that if you feed something to Tyrann, he’s going to get it and he’s going to know why,” Spagnuolo said. “I think any position on the field allows you the chance to make plays,” Mathieu said.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is tackled by Atlanta Falcons Foyesade Oluokun during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Kansas City. The Chiefs had to watch as Pro Bowl kicker Younghoe Koo missed a tying field-goal attempt with 9 seconds left to escape. The Falcons (4-11) took the lead when Matt Ryan hit Laquon Treadwell for a 5-yard touchdown with 4:33 to go. Kansas City finally took its first lead on Harrison Butker's 53-yard field goal with 14:08 left in the game. The Falcons squandered their first chance to match the points when Brandon Powell coughed up the ball deep in Kansas City territory.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)Dwayne Haskins gets his second consecutive start for Washington with quarterback Alex Smith out again because of a right calf injury. Philadelphia receiver DeSean Jackon is active against Dallas after missing two months with an ankle injury. Harrison being inactive against the Rams comes as the Seahawks welcome defensive tackle Bryan Mone back from injured reserve following a lengthy stint because of an ankle injury. The Rams were without rookie running back Cam Akers, who had already been ruled out with an ankle injury. Washington: QB Alex Smith, RB Lamar Miller, WR Terry McLaurin, OT David Steinmetz, LB Kevin Pierre-Louis, LB Thomas Davis.

– The Kansas City Chiefs will be without offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele and wide receiver Sammy Watkins when they visit the Buffalo Bills on Monday night for a game that was pushed back because of COVID-19 protocols. “I did it last year when Tyreek (Hill) went down and Sammy went down one time, too. The Bills had their game against Tennessee pushed to this past Tuesday night, forcing the league to scrap any Thursday night game by moving their matchup with Kansas City to late afternoon Monday. It will be the third time already this season that the Chiefs will play on Monday night. The Chiefs opened the season on Thursday night, which means they've played just two Sunday games this season.

And when Carr threw an early interception Sunday that helped the Chiefs take a commanding lead, well, it seemed as if history was repeating itself. “I've had a lot of sad walks up that ramp,” Carr said later, “but you know what? Not today.”Instead, the oft-criticized quarterback steadied his shaky team, outplayed Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes and led the Raiders to a 40-32 victory. But the Raiders (3-2) recovered a squib quick, Jacobs rumbled for a first down as the Chiefs (4-1) burned timeouts, and Carr sneaked for the crucial first down. But that's how these things go.”The Chiefs tied it at halftime, and the game slowed down during a scoreless third quarter.