Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs overcame a 30-yard sack, four turnovers and a 10-point deficit to clinch their fifth consecutive AFC West title by beating Miami 33-27. Mahomes was picked off three times, his first multi-interception game in more than two years, but threw for 393 yards and two scores to help the Chiefs earn their eighth consecutive victory. It was the Chiefs' second consecutive comeback at Hard Rock Stadium, where they won the Super Bowl in February. Kansas City reached 12 wins for the third consecutive season, and has the best 13-game record in franchise history.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Luka Garza scored 23 points and Joe Wieskamp added 20 to help No. 3 Iowa beat Northern Illinois 106-53 on Sunday. Garza, who came into the game leading the nation in scoring at 30.4 points per game, added eight rebounds while playing just 20 minutes as coach Fran McCaffery used his reserves for much of the second half. It was a season high in scoring for Wieskamp, who played just 19 minutes. Iowa had its third game of 100 or more points. Adong Makuoi had 14 points and Anthony Crump had 10 for winless Northern Illinois.
UNDATED (AP) — Minnesota and Wisconsin will try again to keep their rivalry streak alive. The Big Ten announced the undercard to Saturday's conference title game between Ohio State and Northwestern. Wisconsin is set to host Minnesota on Saturday, and Indiana hosts Purdue on Friday night. Rutgers hosts Nebraska in Friday's other game. The rest of the Saturday slate includes Illinois at Penn State, Michigan at Iowa and Michigan State at Maryland. Minnesota and Wisconsin were supposed to play Nov. 28, but the game was canceled because of elevated COVID-19 cases in the Minnesota program. The teams have played every year since 1907.
Update on the latest sports
NFL-SCHEDULE
Chiefs wrap up division crown
UNDATED (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs turned the ball over four times, fell into an early 10-point hole and watched Patrick Mahomes (mah-HOHMZ') taken down for a 30-yard sack. None of that stopped the Chiefs from clinching their fifth consecutive AFC West title.
Mahomes threw for 393 yards and two scores to help the 12-1 Chiefs earn their eighth consecutive victory, 33-27 at Miami. He shook off three interceptions and led Kansas City to its team-record 10th consecutive road win.
Travis Kelce had eight catches for 136 yards and a touchdown, and Mecole Hardman scored untouched on a 67-yard punt return.
Tua Tagovailoa (TOO-uh tuhng-ah-vy-LOH'-ah) passed for 316 yards and two scores to Mike Gesicki, but he also threw his first career interception as the 8-5 Dolphins lost for just the second time in nine games.
In other NFL action:
— The Packers wrapped up the NFC North as Aaron Rodgers tossed three TD passes and ran for the go-ahead score in a 31-24 downing of the Lions. The two-time MVP completed his first eight passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns before finishing 26 of 33 for 290 yards. The 10-3 Packers knocked Matthew Stafford out of the game with a rib injury in the fourth quarter and went on to win their third straight game and second straight division championship.
— The Eagles stunned the Saints behind Jalen Hurts, who ran for 106 yards and threw for 167 in Philadelphia's 24-21 victory. Hurts was 17 of 30 with a TD in his first career start after replacing Carson Wentz. Miles Sanders had 115 yards rushing and a pair of scores as the Eagles ended a four-game losing streak while dropping the Saints to 10-3.
— Russell Wilson threw for 206 yards and four touchdowns before sitting out the fourth quarter of the Seahawks' 40-3 laugher over the Jets. Wilson hit Freddie Swain, DK Metcalf, Will Dissly and David Moore, giving him a career-high 36 TD tosses this season. Seattle stayed tied with the Rams for the NFC lead and handed the Jets their team-record 13th consecutive loss.
— Josh Allen threw for two touchdowns, Taron Johnson returned an interception for a score and the Bills allowed just 47 yards rushing in dealing the Steelers their second straight loss since an 11-0 start, 26-15. Allen was 24 of 43 for 238 yards, including scoring tosses to Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis. Diggs had 10 receptions for 130 yards to help the 10-3 Bills inch closer to the AFC East title. Ben Roethlisberger had a tough night, completing just 21 of 37 passes for 187 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
— Derrick Henry ran for 215 yards and two touchdowns as the Titans dealt the Jaguars their 12th consecutive loss, 31-10. Henry topped 100 yards rushing for the 10th consecutive road game and became the first player in league history with four games of at least 200 yards and two TDs. Tennessee took control by scoring 17 points in less than four minutes spanning the second and third quarters.
— Tennessee and Indianapolis continue to share the AFC South lead after T.Y. Hilton caught two touchdown passes from Philip Rivers in the Colts' 44-27 shootout win against the Raiders. Jonathan Taylor rushed for a career-best 150 yards and two scores, including a 62-yard TD scamper. The Colts racked up 456 total yards while scoring on seven of their first eight drives in their fourth victory in five games. Las Vegas responded to the loss by firing defensive coordinator Paul Guenther.
— Tom Brady threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Buccaneers to the first win in their last three home games, 26-14 versus the Vikings. Ronald Jones had a 1-yard TD run and Ryan Succop (SUK'-up) kicked field goals of 18 and 48 yards for the 8-5 Bucs. Tampa Bay sacked Kirk Cousins six times, the last producing a fumble that ended any chance of a rally. Dalvin Cook rushed for 102 yards on 22 carries for the 6-7 Vikings.
— Rookies Chase Young and Kamren Curl scored defensive touchdowns as Washington beat the 49ers, 23-15 to take over first place in the NFC East at 6-7, one game ahead of New York. Young returned a fumble 47 yards and Curl provided a 76-yard interception return in Washington's fourth win in a row. Washington's offense was limited after Alex Smith's right leg injury caused him to miss the second half.
— Haason (hah-SAHN') Reddick had a franchise-record five sacks and three forced fumbles for the Cardinals in a 26-7 win against the Giants. Kyler Murray threw for 244 yards and a touchdown as Arizona ended a three-game skid and moved to 7-6. Mike Nugent came off the practice squad and added four field goals for the Cardinals, who recorded eight sacks against Daniel Jones and Colt McCoy. Jones lost two fumbles and was sacked six times in his first game since missing last weekend's game with a hamstring injury.
— Mitchell Trubisky threw three touchdown passes and the Bears snapped a six-game losing streak with a 36-7 victory over the Texans. David Montgomery ran for an 80-yard touchdown on Chicago's first play from scrimmage, helping the 6-7 Bears stop their worst skid since the 2002 team dropped a team record-tying eight in a row. Allen Robinson caught nine passes for 123 yards, matching a season high and giving him 1,027 for the season.
— The Broncos pulled out a 32-27 win at Carolina as Drew Lock threw for 280 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. Lock connected on touchdown throws of 49 and 37 yards to rookie KJ Hamler. Denver's Diontae Spencer returned a punt 83 yards for his first career score.
— Andy Dalton returned to Cincinnati and threw for two scores as the Cowboys ripped the Bengals, 30-7. Dalton was serviceable, going 16 for 23 for 185 yards as the 4-9 Cowboys stayed in contention in the weak NFC East. The Bengals fumbled the ball away on their first three drives, leading to 17 first-half points, including a fumble return for a touchdown.
— Michael Badgley hit a 43-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Chargers past the Falcons, 20-17. Justin Herbert was 36 of 44 for 243 yards with two touchdowns and an interception to help Los Angeles move to 4-9. Austin Ekeler had 79 yars rushing and another 67 receiving as the Chargers stopped a two-game skid.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-AUBURN-MALZAHN
Malzahn let go by Auburn
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn is cutting ties with the last head football coach to lead the Tigers to a national championship game.
Gus Malzahn went 68-35 in eight seasons at Auburn and was 39-27 against SEC opponents. He led the Tigers to the 2013 conference title in his first season before losing to Florida State in the national championship game.
The Tigers weren't able to duplicate their first-year success under Malzahn. They are 6-4 this season, falling to struggling South Carolina and absorbing double-digit losses to Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-ILLINOIS-SMITH
Illini fire Smith
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois has fired coach Lovie Smith with a game left in its ninth consecutive losing season.
Smith became the school's first Black head football coach when he was hired by athletic director Josh Whitman in March 2016. The longtime NFL coach went 17-39 in five seasons with the Illini.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-AP POLL
Bama still unanimous No. 1
UNDATED (AP) — Alabama remains the unanimous No. 1 team in The Associated Press college football poll as the Crimson Tide prepare for Florida in the SEC title game.
The rest of the top-5 remain the same, with Notre Dame followed by Ohio State, Clemson and Texas A&M. Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa State, Coastal Carolina and Georgia round out the top-10.
Florida fell from sixth to 11th with Saturday's loss to LSU.
MLB-INDIANS-NAME
Cleveland dropping "Indians" nickname
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians reportedly are changing their nickname after 105 years.
The New York Times cites three sources that say the team is moving away from a name considered racist for decades. The Indians have been internally discussing a potential name change for months.
A team spokesman told The Associated Press the franchise has no immediate comment on the report.
MLB-METS-PORTER
Mets, Porter finalize deal
NEW YORK (AP) — Jared Porter is the 14th general manager in New York Mets history after the two sides hammered out a four-year contract.
The 41-year-old Porter spent the past four seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks as senior vice president and assistant general manager. He also worked under Theo Epstein with the Red Sox and Cubs, winning three World Series in Boston's front office and another with Chicago before joining the Diamondbacks in 2017.
MLB-OBIT-LINZ
Backup infielder Linz dies
NEW YORK (AP) — Former New York Yankees infielder Phil Linz has died at 81 after being in poor health for several years.
Linz hit .235 with 11 homers as a backup for the Yankees, Phillies and Mets. He also homered off Bob Gibson in Game 7 of the 1964 World Series, but he's best known in baseball lore for angering manager Yogi Berra by playing the harmonica on a team bus following a double-header loss in '64. Linz was fined $50 and Berra was subsequently fired after the season.
T25 MEN'S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE
Garza, Wieskamp lead Hawkeyes
UNDATED (AP) — Luka Garza made the most of his 20 minutes of work as third-ranked Iowa improved to 6-0.
Garza delivered 23 points and eight rebounds in the Hawkeyes, 106-53 thumping of Northern Illinois. The Associated Press preseason All-American was 8 of 10 from the field and is shooting 69.1% for the season.
Joe Wieskamp (WEES'-kamp) chipped in 20 points for Iowa, which scored 15 straight during a 25-2 first-half run.
In other top-25 men's basketball play:
— Gabe Brown scored a career-high 20 points and fourth-ranked Michigan State used a 13-0 run early in the second half to pull away in a 109-91 victory against Oakland. Aaron Henry scored 15 points and Joshua Langford contributed 13 to help the Spartans overcome Rashad Williams' 36-point performance for the Golden Grizzlies.
— Miles McBride scored 20 points and 11th-ranked West Virginia shot a blistering 66% in the first half of an 87-71 victory over No. 19 Richmond. Taz Sherman added 15 points and the Mountaineers jumped out to a 52-30 halftime lead.
— No. 22 Ohio State held off Cleveland State, 67-61 behind 17 points from Duane Washington Jr. C.J. Walker added 16 points and freshman Zed Key had his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
— Remy Martin capped his 31-point afternoon by draining a 3-pointer with 9 seconds left to give No. 23 Arizona State to a 71-70 victory over Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon rallied from an eight-point deficit to take a 70-68 lead in the final minute on consecutive 3-pointers by Jovan Blacksher Jr. and Alessandro Lever.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-NEWS
Gators star still critical but stable
UNDATED (AP) — Florida forward Keyontae Johnson remains in critical but stable condition at a Tallahassee hospital, a day after he collapsed on the court during a game at Florida State.
No details have been released about what might have caused the SEC preseason player of the year to crumple to the floor as teams came out of a timeout early in the game.
Florida sent one of its jets to Norfolk, Virginia, to get Johnson's parents Saturday and take them to Tallahassee to be with their son. Gators coach Mike White also stayed there overnight along with head athletic trainer Dave Werner.
In other college basketball news:
— The ACC has postponed Wednesday night's men's basketball game between No. 25 Louisville and North Carolina State because of positive COVID-19 tests, contact tracing and subsequent quarantining within the Cardinals program. Louisville resumed activities on Thursday after a weeklong pause.
— Northern Iowa says it won't play its scheduled men's basketball matchups with No. 13 Wisconsin or Marshall this week. Coach Ben Jacobson says the COVID-19 pandemic and injuries have had a major impact on his team and the players it has available.
— Former Illinois-Chicago head coach Jimmy Collins has died at 74. Collins had four 20-win seasons with the Flames and led them to their only NCAA tournament appearances in 1998, 2002 and 2004.
NHL-OBIT-LACROIX
Former Avs GM dies
DENVER (AP) — Former NHL executive Pierre Lacroix has died at 72.
Lacroix was a driving force behind turning the Avalanche into a perennial power after the team relocated from Quebec to Denver for the 1995-96 season. The Avs hoisted the '96 Stanley Cup Trophy in their first season in the Mile High City and again in 2001 after Lacroix acquired Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy (wah) from Montreal.
LPGA-US WOMEN'S OPEN
Final LPGA major of season to resume today
HOUSTON (AP) — A relentless rainstorm has pushed the U.S. Women's Open into today.
Third-round leader Hinako Shibuno never teed off on Sunday. The round was just over an hour old when thunderstorms in the area caused play to be stopped. It never resumed, with about three-quarters of an inch of rain falling before there was no point in trying to restart.
Shibuno will carry a one-shot lead over American Amy Olson into Monday's play.
PGA-QBE SHOOTOUT
Kuchar-English complete QBE rout
NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Matt Kuchar and Harris English broke a bunch of their own QBE Shootout records in a runaway victory Sunday at Tiburon Golf Club.
They became the first team to win the event three times, finished at 37-under 179 to break the mark of 34 under they set in 2013. Their nine-stroke victory tops their 2013 record of seven.
Five strokes ahead after an 11-under 61 on Saturday in modified alternate-shot play, Kuchar and English shot a 60 in better-ball play. English closed birdie-eagle-birdie.
Defending champions Rory Sabbatini and Kevin Tway tied for second at 28 under with Lanto Griffin and Mackenzie Hughes and first-round leaders Kevin Na and Sean O'Hair.