KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have leaned on their defense to bail out their once-explosive offense during a 7-2 start as they try to repeat as Super Bowl champions. They head into their week off atop the AFC standings despite the struggles of Patrick Mahomes & Co. to put points consistently on the board. Their defense has not allowed more than 24 points in a game this season, and their only two losses came when their own offense failed to score more than 20. In fact, the Chiefs have failed to produce points four times, or nearly half their season so far, which is a big departure from the formula that has won them two Super Bowls in four years.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams are signing quarterback Carson Wentz, a person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press. The source spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Tuesday because Wentz needed to pass a physical before the deal could be announced. Wentz has been out of the NFL this season after starting seven games last season for the Washington Commanders. The seven-year NFL veteran was Philadelphia’s starter for five years, and he started all 17 games for Indianapolis in 2021. The Rams are in need of another passer behind Matthew Stafford, who missed Los Angeles' most recent game with a thumb injury.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Ja’Kobe Walker scored 15 of his 28 points in the second half to help No. 20 Baylor rally to an 88-82 win over Auburn on Tuesday night at the Sanford Pentagon. Baylor used a 22-10 run over the final 8 minutes of the game to overcome an eight-point deficit. Trailing 72-66 with, the Bears started their spurt on Langston Love’s 3-pointer. With just under three minutes to play, Baylor’s Yves Missi stole an Auburn inbounds pass and drove the length of the floor for a dunk that gave the Bears a 79-77 lead, their first since 24-23 midway through the first. Denver Jones hit a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left to cut Auburn’s deficit to three, but Baylor went 3-for-4 from the line down the stretch to seal the win.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas coach Bill Self has signed a lifetime contract that will pay him $53 million over the first five years. That surpasses Kentucky coach John Calipari for the richest deal ever given to a college basketball coach at a public university. Self will make more than $13 million this season overall from the top-ranked Jayhawks. At the conclusion of each year, another is added to the deal. Self will earn a one-time $5 million retention bonus if he serves out the first five.
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy and West Virginia coach Neal Brown have leaped from the hot seat to Big 12 Coach of the Year contenders. Gundy was under scrutiny after the Cowboys lost back-to-back games to South Alabama and Iowa State in September. The team has won five straight, including a 27-24 victory over rival Oklahoma that left the Cowboys tied with Texas atop the Big 12. Brown's West Virginia squad was picked last in the 14-team league. The Mountaineers already are bowl eligible and are one game out of the league lead. They visit No. 17 Oklahoma this week.
DENVER (AP) — The Pac-12 has two teams in No. 5 Washington and No. 6 Oregon that are in the hunt for a College Football Playoff spot. The league also has two programs in Washington State and Oregon State that are about to be left behind when schools scatter from the conference after the season. For 10 Pac-12 programs, it’s off to the promise of greener pastures in mega-conferences. The question that remains is how big is too big for a league. The Big 12 expands to 16 with the incoming Pac-12 arrivals, while the Big Ten balloons to 18 and the ACC to 17. Some programs may end up getting lost in the reshuffle.
NEW YORK (AP) — Nine-inning World Series games averaged 3 hours, 1 minute, the fastest since 1996, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The first postseason of the pitch clock also included defensive shift limits and larger bases, leading to increased stolen bases and appearing to contribute to higher batting averages. Postseason nine-inning games overall averaged 3:02, down from 3:23 last year and 3:37 in 2021, the last season before the PitchCom electronic pitch-calling device. That mirrored a regular season with an average game time of 2:40, the lowest since 1985.
UNDATED (AP) — Michigan is preparing to take possible legal action if the Big Ten punishes the football program before a full investigation of allegations of an impermissible scouting and sign-stealing scheme orchestrated by a low-level staffer. A person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press about Michigan's plans but did not provide details.Michigan has been given notification of potential disciplinary action from the conference. The Big Ten gave the school until this week to respond.
TUESDAY SCORES
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (8)Creighton 105 Florida A&M 54
Final (20)Baylor 88 Auburn 82
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final OT Carolina 3 Buffalo 2
Final Tampa Bay 5 Montreal 3
Final N-Y Rangers 5 Detroit 3
Final Minnesota 4 N-Y Islanders 2
Final Winnipeg 5 St. Louis 2
Final Calgary 4 Nashville 2
Final SO Arizona 4 Seattle 3
Final Pittsburgh 2 Anaheim 0
Final Colorado 6 New Jersey 3