Sports
Chiefs chasing sixth straight win over Chargers as Jim Harbaugh enters picture
Sep 15, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid reacts to a no-call against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes are nemeses to many in the NFL based on the Chiefs’ track record of success approaching historic levels. Count the Chargers among the division rivals failing to live up to their end of the rivalry in recent years.
When they meet Sunday at Los Angeles, Kansas City (3-0) seeks a sixth consecutive win over the Chargers (2-1) as the home team introduces first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh to what has become a one-sided AFC West fight with Reid and Mahomes. Turning the tables won’t be easy.
“Multiple challenges,” Harbaugh said of facing the Chiefs before Los Angeles enters its bye week. “Really good run game, really good throwing game, explosive offense. I think everybody understands the challenge of playing a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes in every way. His ability to move the ball with his legs, with his arm, within the offense is elite.”
Modest statistical production to date is becoming a hot topic outside of the Chiefs’ locker room. Kansas City is 14th in the NFL in total offense (328 yards per game) and the usual lead receiver, perennial Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce, is off to an admittedly slow start with eight receptions for 69 yards and no touchdowns in three games.
He’s one reception from tying Tony Gonzalez for the franchise record with 916 catches, and Kelce’s next TD catch from Mahomes would break a tie on the NFL’s all-time list with Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham of the Saints for third-most QB-TE touchdown connections. But Reid said the narrative of Kelce being “old” or “distracted” is false.
“Defenses don’t think that,” Reid said. “We have another receiver who plays opposite him that has a lot of yards and catches. That’s how this thing goes. Travis is fine. He’s being Trav. He works his tail off. He hasn’t lost a step and all those things. He’s not distracted. People are making sure they have him taking care of, these defenses.”
Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is working through an ankle injury while starring as Mahomes’ featured target in September with an NFL-high 24 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns. Mahomes has completed 69.6 percent of his passes for 659 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions through three games.
The Chargers present a hefty challenge with a defense ranked in the top 10 in scoring defense (11 points per game, third), yards per game (267, sixth), run defense (91.7 per game, sixth) and pass defense (175.3 per game, 10th).
“It’s a physical football team, both sides of the ball,” said Reid, who has a record of 17-5 against the Chargers since taking over the Chiefs in 2013. “You’ve got to be ready for a complete game. Their defenses are going to give you a variety of looks. One of the top defenses in the NFL right now.”
Mahomes will look across the line at a defense with a few missing pieces. Pass rusher Joey Bosa (hip) and linebacker Junior Colson (hamstring) sat out Wednesday’s practice. Safety Derwin James Jr. was suspended for Week 4 after being penalized for unnecessary roughness at Pittsburgh.
Elijah Molden or A.J. Finley will get the start — along with Alohi Gilman — at safety against the Chiefs.
“He genuinely cares and does not want to hurt anybody,” Harbaugh said of James’ one-game ban from the NFL. “He wants to do it the way the league wants it done and the evidence is there.
“It will be next man-up mentality.”
The Chargers outscored the Raiders and host Panthers 48-13 before dropping their first game this season 20-10 to the host Steelers in Week 3.
Harbaugh spent last week crossing his fingers that Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert could answer the call to start at Pittsburgh. Herbert spent two days after the Week 2 win over Carolina in a walking boot to stabilize an ankle injury and did very light work on the field in practice leading up game day, but did play in the loss to the Steelers.
With offensive tackles Rashawn Slater (pectoral) and Joe Alt (knee) missing practice, the Chargers’ offense has injury concerns again.
But Herbert said on Wednesday he is well ahead of where he was physically last week, when his right ankle forced him to walk gingerly and avoid contact. He was limited in practice and the decision about playing against Mahomes and the Chiefs will not be entirely his to make on Sunday.
“It’s progressing,” Herbert said. “it was just really painful during the game with the buildup from the hits and the toll on it.”
Harbaugh knows the Chiefs have owned the recent series with the Chargers, building a stockpile of AFC West division titles that stands at eight in a row. With Sunday’s game on their home turf, the Chargers are hearing a lot about the importance of meeting the challenge the conference bully and two-time defending Super Bowll champion presents.
“In terms of opportunity, it’s how it feels,” Harbaugh said. “And we’re attacking it as such.”
The Chiefs return to Kansas City for their third primetime game of the season to face the Saints (2-1) on “Monday Night Football” in Week 5 before a bye week.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Hurricanes pursue another sweep, carry momentum vs. Flyers
May 7, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale (9) battle during the second period in game three of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images The Carolina Hurricanes will aim for their second straight series sweep to start the Stanley Cup playoffs when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference second-round matchup on Saturday evening.
The Hurricanes own a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series after winning the first two games in Raleigh, N.C., and then posting a 4-1 win in Game 3 on Thursday night in Philadelphia.
The seven straight playoff wins tied a franchise record set in 2006.
Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen had 18 saves in Game 3 to improve to 7-0 in the playoffs with two shutouts. He has a 1.02 goals-against average, a .957 save percentage and said preparation for this time of year begins on the first day of training camp.
“We establish how we want to play right away,” he said. “So much is second nature to everyone.”
Carolina was locked in a 1-1 tie with the Flyers on Thursday when Jalen Chatfield scored short-handed at 15:59 of the second period to give the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead. They cemented the win with two more unanswered goals in the third.
“Tonight was a bit of a messy game until the third,” Andersen said. “We kind of just got back on our game a little bit and, obviously, scored a few to close it out.”
Jordan Staal scored his first goal of the 2026 playoffs for Carolina and contributed an assist on Chatfield’s goal.
Andersen said their team captain the past seven seasons leads in a number of ways.
“If you want to see how we want to play, that’s the model right there,” Andersen said of Staal. “He’s such a strong skater, such a strong body out there, and he doesn’t try to do extra. He’s just trying to be reliable and be a calm presence in the room, too. I think that’s where he’s underrated.”
The Flyers have struggled on the power play throughout the playoffs, but especially against the Hurricanes.
They went 0-for-5 with the man-advantage in Game 3, including a 5-on-3 that lasted 1:15 in the second period, and the power-play unit surrendered the short-handed goal to Chatfield. Philadelphia fell to 1-for-16 with the man-advantage in the series and 3-for-33 in the playoffs.
“There’s reads and plays you’ve got to make to be on the power play,” Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said. “In all fairness, we got some guys that are playing power play that probably wouldn’t play a lot of minutes on a power play, and we’re trying to get these guys to understand certain things.”
Part of the problem is the Flyers have been without their leading goal scorer from the regular season, Owen Tippett, who is day-to-day with an unspecified injury.
He has been practicing with the Flyers but has yet to appear in the series.
Philadelphia also lost center Noah Cates to a lower-body in Game 2 and he won’t return this series.
The Flyers were up 3-0 in their first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, lost Games 4 and 5, then closed it out at home in Game 6.
They know anything can happen.
“We’ve got nothing to lose,” Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale said. “We were just in a series where it was the opposite.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mariners INF Brendan Donovan (groin) returns from IL
Apr 12, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners third baseman Brendan Donovan (33) runs towards home plate to score a run against the Houston Astros during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images Seattle Mariners infielder Brendan Donovan was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Friday after recovering from a left groin strain.
As a member of the St. Louis Cardinals last August, Donovan went on the IL with a left groin strain and missed nearly a month, and he underwent sports hernia surgery last October. Donovan and Mariners manager Dan Wilson have indicated the current groin issue needs to be closely monitored and is likely related to the October surgery.
Donovan went 1-for-3 with one double and two walks in a one-game rehab assignment with Double-A Arkansas on Tuesday.
In a corresponding move, the Mariners optioned catcher Jhonny Pereda to Triple-A Tacoma.
Out since April 20, Donovan is batting .304 with three home runs and eight RBIs in 18 games this season, his first since coming over from the Cardinals in a three-team trade in the offseason.
Two of his home runs this season are leadoff home runs, including the first Opening Day leadoff homer in Mariners’ history on March 26 against the Cleveland Guardians.
The versatile Donovan, 29, earned an All-Star spot last season as a second baseman, but he appeared at every position except pitcher, catcher and center field during his four-year run with the Cardinals that featured a slash line of .283/.364/.414. He earned a Gold Glove for his utility work during his rookie year in 2022.
St. Louis selected Donovan in the seventh round of the 2018 MLB Draft. He is a career .283 hitter with 43 homers and 210 RBIs in 510 regular-season games.
Pereda appeared in two games after being called up Saturday when infielder Will Wilson was placed on the 10-day IL with a fractured left thumb. The 30-year-old has a career batting average of .241 with eight RBIs in 48 games with the Miami Marlins (2024), Athletics (2025) and Minnesota Twins (2025).
Pereda achieved a level of fame on May 15, 2025 when he pitched the bottom of the eighth inning of the Athletics’ 19-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers and struck out Shohei Ohtani, who hit two homers earlier in the game.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Pressure on Cavs in Game 3 for first win of series vs. Pistons
May 7, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dribbles defended by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dennis Schroder (8) in the second half during game two of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images All-Star guard Cade Cunningham and the top-seeded Detroit Pistons have the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers on the ropes, holding a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The series shifts to Cleveland for Game 3 on Saturday afternoon, when all of the pressure will be on the home team. The Cavaliers are 4-0 in their arena and 0-5 on the road this postseason.
“We had plenty of chances both games, but we just didn’t make shots,” Cavaliers guard James Harden said. “In the fourth quarter, we were either tied (in Game 1) or did go ahead (in Game 2). Our margin for error isn’t a large margin.
“It’s 2-0. They did what they did at home. We have to do the same.”
Cunningham has been the best player on the court in the first two games, averaging 24.0 points, 8.5 assists and a series-high 42 minutes while thoroughly outperforming fellow lead guard Harden. He also has made 17 of 19 free-throw attempts.
The likely soon-to-be All-NBA selection poured in 12 points in the final 5:47 of Game 2, single-handedly outscoring the Cavaliers by two as Detroit pulled out a 107-97 win Thursday. Harden managed a mere two points in 19 minutes in the second half.
“Our closer was a closer,” Pistons guard Daniss Jenkins said of Cunningham. “We know if we can do our job on the defensive end, he’s going to get us a good look. He’s an MVP candidate, for sure.”
Cunningham finished with 25 points, 10 assists, three rebounds and two blocked shots, earning chants of “MVP” as the clock wound down. He has scored 20-plus points in the first 15 playoff games of his career, the fourth-longest streak in league history, following the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Since trailing the Orlando Magic 3-1 and being on the brink of elimination in the first round, Detroit has rattled off five straight victories.
“We never lost composure,” Cunningham said. “We just stayed poised, stuck to our principles, stuck to our system and just turned up the energy a little bit. I enjoy winning. I just enjoy my team. I don’t want my season to end.”
Harden, meanwhile, used the phrase “for the betterment of the team” twice when asked about his lack of production after halftime, when he went 1-of-3 on field goal attempts and seldom dribbled the ball more than briefly.
Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson, guard Donovan Mitchell and others continue to publicly support Harden, who is shooting 32.1% on field goals and 9.1% on 3-pointers, and has 11 turnovers to 10 assists in the series against the Pistons.
“We’ve got to make James’ and Don’s job a little easier,” Cavaliers forward Dean Wade said. “That’s on all of us. We have to make the simple pass sometimes.”
Cleveland center Jarrett Allen agreed, saying, “Sometimes, I think we overthink things. And honestly, we haven’t been hitting shots this playoff, as well.”
Detroit’s suffocating half-court defense has been the primary reason for the latter, harassing the Cavaliers into missing their final 11 3-point attempts in Game 2. Cunningham and Duncan Robinson combined to go 4-of-6 beyond the arc for the Pistons in the fourth.
Swingman Robinson is shooting a scorching 58.8% on 3-pointers in the series, one year after being with the Miami Heat when they were swept by Cleveland in the first round.
“They did what they’re supposed to do and won two at home,” said Mitchell, who totaled 54 points in the two games in Detroit. “We’ll be fine. We’ll figure it out.”
Cavaliers small forward Sam Merrill (left hamstring strain) was hurt in the opener, missed Game 2 and is listed as questionable for Game 3, while Pistons shooting guard Kevin Huerter (left adductor strain) is doubtful for Saturday’s matchup and could miss the entire series.
–Field Level Media
Hurricanes pursue another sweep, carry momentum vs. Flyers
Mariners INF Brendan Donovan (groin) returns from IL
