Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — One of the strangest NFL seasons ever ended with a familiar scene: Tom Brady holding the Super Bowl trophy. Only this time, Brady was playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, not the New England Patriots. Brady threw for three touchdowns to lead his new team to a 31-9 win over Patrick Mahomes and the defending champs, the Kansas City Chiefs. That's how a season underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic ended. On a picture-perfect night in Tampa, some 7,500 health-care workers scored tickets to watch Brady and the Bucs dominate. Only about 25,000 fans were in attendance due to restrictions caused by the coronavirus. They got to see Brady at his best. He won his fifth Super Bowl MVP title and promised that, yes, he plans on trying again next season.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tom Brady took one final snap and hugged his Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates. They were champions and Brady put together another vintage performance on football's biggest stage by doing everything his unquestioned greatness has forced the world to expect whenever he takes the field. In whatever uniform or city he's in. Brady was masterful. He was magnificent. He was the Super Bowl MVP for the fifth time. Brady delivered Tampa Bay its second Lombardi Trophy and first since 2003 with a 31-9 victory over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night. He went 21 of 29 for 201 yards and three touchdowns.
UNDATED (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made life miserable for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl, forcing him into one of his worst games as a professional in a 31-9 rout Sunday night. Mahomes threw for 270 yards with two interceptions against a Buccaneers defense that had its way with Kansas City's makeshift offensive line. The result was the worst loss for Mahomes as a starter since he played for Texas Tech in a game against Iowa State in 2016.
UNDATED (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Sunday night that his "heart bleeds" for those injured in a car accident involving his son, assistant coach Britt Reid, that left two children with injuries and one of them hospitalized in critical condition. The crash occurred Thursday night, two days before the Chiefs were due to leave for the Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida. Kansas City wound up losing 31-9 to the Buccaneers on Sunday night. Britt Reid did not travel to the Super Bowl. Police are investigating whether the younger Reid was impaired before the accident.
UNDATED (AP) — Patrick Mahomes has always seemed to save his best work for the most important down. With the ability to scramble and improvise with his legs and make magic with his arm, Mahomes has made a habit of demoralizing opponents by turning bad situations on third down into drive-extending ones for Kansas City. Those big plays fueled the Chiefs' success the past three seasons. The lack of them doomed Kansas City in the Super Bowl when Mahomes didn't complete a single third-down pass until late in the fourth quarter of a 31-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar have become the first female coaches on a team to win the Super Bowl. They're both on the staff of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 Sunday night. The 30-year-old Javadifar is an assistant strength and conditioning coach, and the 56-year-old Locust is an assistant defensive line coach. They've each worked two seasons for head coach Bruce Arians. Last season, Katie Sowers became the first female to coach in a Super Bowl. She was an offensive assistant for the San Francisco 49ers in their loss to the Chiefs.
UNDATED (AP) — Tom Brady threw two of his three touchdown passes to Rob Gronkowski and the Tampa Bay defense frustrated Patrick Mahomes to lead the Buccaneers to an 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night for Brady's record seventh Super Bowl title. Brady connected twice in the first half with Gronkowski to give the pair an NFL record 14 playoff TD passes and then added another to Antonio Brown to stake the Bucs to a big halftime lead that the defense had no problem holding. Mahomes was unable to get the Chiefs into the end zone for the first time in his career. He went 26 for 49 for 270 yards and two interceptions.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Super Bowl, the NFL's signature event, looked nothing like any of the previous 54. About 25,000 fans were allowed to attend the game with 7,500 of those being vaccinated healthcare workers. Another 30,000 cardboard cutouts filled empty seats to create space and meet social distancing mandates. Masks were mandated but enforcing the policy was difficult if not impossible for the thousands gathered inside and outside Raymond James Stadium to watch the hometown Tampa Bay Buccaneers play the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Update on the latest sports
NFL-SUPER BOWL
7-up for Brady as Bucs win Super Bowl
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tom Brady was efficient and the Tampa Bay defense was devastating. The combination has led to the Buccaneers' second Super Bowl victory.
Brady threw for three first-half touchdowns and the Buccaneers stifled Kansas City's offense in a 31-9 win over the Chiefs. Brady claimed Super Bowl MVP honors for the fifth time, throwing to Rob Gronkowski for the first two TDs and found Antonio Brown in the end zone with six seconds left in the first half.
Brady was 21 of 29 for 201 yards and no interceptions in winning a Super Bowl ring for a record-extending seventh time. Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones II combined for 144 yards rushing, with Fournette scoring the game's final TD on a 27-yard run in the third quarter.
Most of the Chiefs' 350 total yards came in the fourth quarter. Patrick Mahomes didn't go over 100 yards passing until the final minute of the third quarter. Mahomes was pressured throughout while completing just 26 of his 49 throws for 270 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.
It's the first time Mahomes has been held under 10 points or lost by double digits since becoming a starter.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Jazz extend NBA's best record
UNDATED (AP) — The NBA's top team has picked up another victory.
The Utah Jazz remain red hot following a 103-95 win over the Pacers. Donovan Mitchell delivered 27 points and 11 assists for the Jazz, who won for the 15th time in 16 games and improved to 19-5. Mitchell's team shook off a slow start as the Jazz played their third game in four days.
Former Pacer Bojan (BOY'-ahn) Bogdanovic chipped in 18 points, including a 3-point play midway through the fourth quarter to put Utah ahead to stay.
Jordan Clarkson added 17 points off the bench, and Rudy Gobert (goh-BEHR') had 16 points and 16 rebounds.
Domantas Sabonis scored 20 for the Pacers, who have lost five of six.
Elsewhere in the NBA:
— Bam Adebayo (ad-eh-BY'-oh) had 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat in a 109-103 win over the Knicks. Jimmy Butler finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists as Miami won the opener of a home-and-home series. Julius Randle had 26 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for New York.
— The Hornets cruised to a 119-97 win over the Wizards as Terry Rozier provided 26 points on five 3-pointers. LaMelo Ball finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists as the Hornets handed the Wizards their seventh loss in the last nine games. League scoring leader Bradley Beal paced Washington with 31 points, two below his season average.
— Mikal (mih-KAYL') Bridges scored 19 points and the Suns won for the fifth time in six games by downing the Celtics, 100-91. Devin Booker delivered 18 points and 11 assists for the Suns, who built a 17-point lead midway through the third quarter. Booker hit a big jumper after the Celtics got within 94-91.
— The Kings have a four-game winning streak after a 113-110 victory over the Clippers. De'Aaron Fox poured in 36 points and Buddy Hield (heeld) added 22 as Sacramento improved to 7-1 since a 19-point drubbing by the Clippers on January 20. Fox hit a consecutive 3-pointers to put Sacramento ahead, 103-101.
NBA-NEWS-CAVALIERS-NANCE
Cavaliers forward Nance out up to 6 weeks with broken left hand
UNDATED (AP) — Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. could miss six weeks with a broken left hand.
Nance broke the fourth metacarpal in his hand during Saturday night's loss to Milwaukee.
The loss is a large setback for the Cavs, who have been one of the NBA's biggest surprises this season but are in the midst of a challenging stretch. Cleveland has lost three straight, five of six and will begin a five-game road trip Monday in Phoenix.
Elsewhere in the NBA:
— A person with knowledge of the details says the Knicks have agreed to acquire Derrick Rose from the Pistons for Dennis Smith Jr. and a second-round pick. The deal reunites Rose with coach Tom Thibodeau, his coach in Chicago when the guard became the youngest MVP in NBA history.
— Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Monday and be sidelined for an extended period. Hunter is the Hawks' third-leading scorer at 17.2 points per game.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-TOP 25
Franklin's final shot sends Indiana past number-8 Iowa
UNDATED (AP) — Indiana has added to Iowa's recent basketball struggles.
Armaan Franklin hit a 15-footer with 1.8 seconds left to give Indiana a 67-65 victory and a season sweep of eighth-ranked Iowa.
Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Hoosiers, who stopped a two-game skid and handed the Hawkeyes their fourth loss in five games.
Iowa opened the second half on a 14-2 run to take a 45-35 lead and was ahead 53-48 with 7:25 left. Race Thompson gave Indiana a 63-62 lead in the final minute and finished with 15 points and six boards.
Luka Garza scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half for Iowa.
Elsewhere in college basketball:
— Third-ranked Villanova bounced back from Wednesday's loss to St. John's by downing Georgetown, 84-74. Jermaine Samuels had a career-high 32 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. He shot 10-for-17 after scoring just two points in 25 minutes against the Red Storm.
— Ben Krikke scored 15 points and Valparaiso handed No. 25 Drake its first loss of the season with a 74-57 romp. Drake fell to 18-1. The defeat left No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 2 Baylor as the only remaining major college teams still undefeated this season.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Southeastern Conference postpones two
UNDATED (AP) — The Southeastern Conference has postponed two men's basketball games scheduled for Wednesday night.
The league on Sunday announced the postponement of the Georgia-Texas A&M and Florida-Tennessee games, citing a combination of positive COVID-19 tests, contact tracing and subsequent quarantining of individuals within the Texas A&M and Florida programs.
Makeup dates for the two games have not been determined.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Flyers top Capitals
UNDATED (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers fell behind early Sunday afternoon before Alain Vigneault (VEEN'-yoh) elected to tinker with his lines. It worked to perfection.
Scott Laughton registered his first career hat trick and two other Flyers had 3-point games in a 7-4 comeback over the Capitals.
Sean Couturier scored twice and had an assist in his first game back from a rib injury. Joel Farabee had three assists for Philadelphia, which trailed 2-0 early.
James van Riemsdyk (REEMZ'-dyk) added a goal and an assist to run his point streak to seven games.
The Capitals lost their third in a row despite Alex Ovechkin's (oh-VEHCH'-kihnz) two goals and two assists. Tom Wilson had a goal and three assists for the Caps, who haven't won since a 6-0-3 start.
In other NHL action:
— The Red Wings ended an eight-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory at Florida. Givani Smith had a goal and an assist as Detroit handed the Panthers their first regulation loss of the season. Marc Staal scored for the first time with Detroit, and Thomas Greiss stopped 36 shots.
— Six different Carolina players scored while James Reimer stopped 17 shots in the Hurricanes' 6-5 win over the Blue Jackets. Jordan Staal provided a goal and two assists in Carolina's sixth win in seven games. Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce (PEH'-shee) and Vincent Trochek (TROH'-chehk) each had a goal and assist for the winners.
— Chandler Stephenson scored twice and the Golden Knights grabbed a share of the West Division lead by topping the Kings, 4-3. Reilly Smith and Zach Whitecloud also tallied as Vegas moved to 7-1-1, tying St. Louis and Colorado with 15 points. Robin Lehner overcame a wild first period and made 29 saves, including all 11 he faced on four penalty kills.
— The Blackhawks came away with a 2-1 win over the Stars as Alex DeBrincat scored both Chicago goals, including the winner 2:56 into overtime. DeBrincat has four goals and two assists in his three games since returning from a four-game absence because of COVID-19 protocols. Chicago had been winless in their previous four games that went past regulation, losing twice in overtime and twice more in shootouts.
NHL-OBIT-BACKSTROM
Player, coach, founder Backstrom dies
WINDSOR, Colo. (AP) — Six-time Stanley Cup winner Ralph Backstrom has died at 83.
Backstrom won his six championships with Montreal, served as head coach of the University of Denver and founded the Colorado Eagles minor league franchise.
He played in 1,336 career games in the NHL and the World Hockey Association, with 378 goals and 892 points.
PGA-PHOENIX OPEN
Koepka stages big rally to win Phoenix Open
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Brooks Koepka (KEHP'-kuh) chipped in from 32 yards for eagle on the 17th hole and parred the last for a one-stroke victory in the PGA's Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Five strokes behind Jordan Spieth (speeth) and Xander Schauffele (SHOW'-flee) entering the round, Koepka shot a 6-under 65 to finish at 19-under. The four-time major champion also won in 2015 at TPC Scottsdale for the first of his eight PGA Tour titles.
Schauffele birdied the par-4 18th for a 71 to tie for second with Kyoung-Hoon Lee, who fired a 68.
TENNIS-AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Naomi, Serena breeze to Round 2
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams are among the Day 1 winners at the Australian Open.
Osaka dropped just three games in her match, while Williams lost only two. Other first-round winners on the women's side include Venus Williams.
Over in the men's bracket, 14th seed Milos Raonic (ROW'-nihch) and No. 17 Stan Wawrinka (vah-VRIHN'-kah) won in straight sets.
MLB-METS-ALMORA
AP source: Almora agrees to contract with Mets
NEW YORK (AP) — Outfielder Albert Almora has agreed to a contract with the Mets, according to a person familiar with the deal.
Almora hit .167 with one RBI in 30 at-bats during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. That was down from a .236 average, a career-best 12 homers and 32 RBIs in 2019.