Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Two weeks after a costly fumble in Baltimore, Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire is making amends. He ran for 100 yards last week against the Chargers, then 102 on just 14 carries in Sunday's 42-30 victory over the Eagles. He also caught a nifty underhand pass from Patrick Mahomes on Kansas City's first offensive drive for his second touchdown reception in as many weeks. His sudden boost of production has helped the Chiefs offense find some balance, and that could be important the rest of the season. The struggles by their defense means they might have to outscore a whole lot of opponents.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis pitcher Adam Wainwright is guaranteed $17.5 million under his 2022 contract with the Cardinals, more than double his $8 million salary this year. The 40-year-old has spent all 16 of his big league seasons with the Cardinals. He was 17-7 with a 3.05 ERA in 32 starts. and the three-time All-Star is scheduled to be on the mound for Tuesday's NL wild-card game at the Los Angeles Dodgers.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals can look back upon their first full post-pandemic season in one of two very different ways. They could look at it as a bitter disappointment given the hopes they had to contend this season. Or they could like at it as another sign of progress. They could point to an improved winning percentage every year since 2018, when they bottomed out with 104 losses, the vast improvement made by a handful of youngsters and the fact that their farm system has become the envy of most of baseball. All of it gives manager Mike Matheny a reason to be optimistic about next season.
UNDATED (AP) — A capsule look at the National League wild-card game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Andy Reid kicked off Homecoming Sunday with a record-setting win in Philadelphia and Tom Brady finished it with one of his own against Bill Belichick in New England. The road to victory was easier for Reid. The 63-year-old coach watched Patrick Mahomes throw five touchdown passes to lead the high-powered Kansas City Chiefs to a 42-30 win over the Eagles. Reid became the first coach in NFL history to win 100 games with two teams, reaching that milestone against his old club. Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had to grind out a 19-17 victory over the Patriots that was secured when Nick Folk hit the left upright on a 56-yard field goal in the closing seconds on a rain-soaked night.
UNDATED (AP) — With Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Harper and the rest of baseball's MVP front-runners left out of the postseason, there's a chance for some budding stars to cement their place among the game's top names. Nobody is likely to match the breakout had by Rays rookie Randy Arozarena last fall, when he set postseason records with 10 homers and 29 RBIs. But teammate Wander Franco tops a list of standouts on the rise as the October spotlight comes into focus.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Ninth-ranked Michigan visits Nebraska on Saturday in a game matching coaches who enjoyed success as players as those schools but are yet to deliver on high expectations as coaches. There's an upbeat vibe around each team this week. Michigan is 5-0 and coming off an impressive win against Wisconsin. Nebraska is 3-3 after a 49-point win over Northwestern that was its most lopsided in a Big Ten game since it joined the conference in 2011. Michigan is still trying to get to the Big Ten title game under Harbaugh. Nebraska is still trying to get to a bowl under Frost.
NFL-RAIDERS CHARGERS
Herbert, Ekeler propel Chargers to 28-14 win over Raiders
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Justin Herbert threw for three touchdowns, Austin Ekeler rushed for 117 yards and scored twice and the Los Angeles Chargers knocked the Las Vegas Raiders from the unbeaten ranks with a 28-14 victory.
Los Angeles, 3-1 for the first time since 2014, is part of a three-way tie atop the AFC West with Las Vegas and Denver. The Raiders' loss leaves the Arizona Cardinals as the NFL's lone undefeated team after four weeks. Herbert, who completed 25 of 38 passes for 222 yards, accounted for all of his TDs in the first half as the Chargers built a 21-0 halftime lead. The Raiders scored on their first two possessions of the second half to draw within a touchdown, but Ekeler gave Los Angeles some breathing room with an 11-yard scoring run.
NFL NEWS
Jets' Maye facing DUI charges from arrest in February
UNDATED (AP) — New York Jets safety Marcus Maye is facing three misdemeanor charges for his DUI arrest after an alleged car accident in Florida in February.
Broward County court records show the 28-year-old Maye was charged on Feb. 22 with driving under the influence, DUI/damage to property and person, and leaving the scene of a crash in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A Zoom hearing is scheduled for Oct. 20 in the case. ESPN first reported the accident and charges Monday night. Maye is also facing a civil suit "in excess" of $30,000 filed by the driver of the car he hit, according to court documents.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
— Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer has apologized to his family, his team and owner Shad Khan for actions he called "just stupid." A video surfaced Saturday night showing a woman dancing close to Meyer's lap. Another video appears to show Meyer touching the woman's behind. The 57-year-old Meyer called a team meeting to address his actions and vowed to "own it." He says his actions were "just stupid.'
— The Washington Football Team has placed head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion on administrative leave for what a team statement calls an ongoing criminal investigation unrelated to the club. Two people familiar with the matter say federal law enforcement officials including agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration served a search warrant at Washington's practice facility. One of the people says another search warrant was served at a local home. Vermillion is in his second season with coach Ron Rivera in Washington after 18 seasons working for the Carolina Panthers.
MLB-METS-NEWS
Mets let manager go
NEW YORK (AP) — Luis Rojas has been let go as manager of the New York Mets after two losing seasons. The team declined its option on Rojas' contract for 2022, making the announcement one day after finishing third in the NL East at 77-85 in Steve Cohen's first year of ownership.
Monday's move was no surprise, the first of several significant changes coming again this offseason for a club in constant turmoil. The Mets said Rojas has been offered the opportunity to remain in the organization in a role still to be determined. The club said decisions about the coaching staff will be made in the next several days.
In other MLB news:
— The Chicago White Sox think pitcher Carlos Rodón will be healthy enough to help them in the playoffs after the All-Star left-hander was limited down the regular-season stretch. General manager Rick Hahn says the team is optimistic he'll be able to contribute through October. Hahn said Rodón will only pitch once during the division series against the AL West champion Houston Astros that begins Thursday. If the White Sox advance, they'll evaluate his workload on a series-by-series basis.
— Major League Baseball drew 45.3 million fans this year as fans gradually were allowed to return, down from 68.5 million over 2019 in the last season before the coronavirus pandemic. The commissioner's office says this year's MLB season averaged 18,901 for 2,397 dates. The Los Angeles Dodgers led the major leagues in home attendance at 2.8 million. They did not start selling full capacity until games in mid-June. Atlanta was second at 2.3 million, followed by San Diego at 2.2 million, Texas and St. Louis at 2.1 million and Houston at 2.07 million.
— Mookie Betts and the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers had four of the top 10 selling jerseys in Major League Baseball this season. Betts' No. 50 uniform claimed the top spot for the second straight year after he was acquired prior to the 2020 season from the Boston Red Sox. He's joined in the top 10 by teammates Clayton Kershaw at five, Cody Bellinger at six and World Series MVP Corey Seager at eight. Kershaw and Seager are set to become free agents.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-ALABAMA-MCCLELLAN
Alabama running back out for the year
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama coach Nick Saban says tailback Jase McClellan is out for the year with a knee injury. The top-ranked Crimson Tide's top backup runner is set for surgery on Tuesday.
McClellan was injured in a win over No. 17 Mississippi, when Brian Robinson Jr. ran 36 times for 171 yards and four touchdowns. McClellan is second on the team in rushing with 40 carries for 191 yards and a touchdown. He also has 10 catches for 97 yards with another three scores.
Elsewhere in college football:
— Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will be out indefinitely after injuring his throwing shoulder in Saturday's loss at Penn State. Coach Tom Allen says the redshirt junior does not need surgery to repair the separated AC joint in his left shoulder, at least not yet. He will be re-evaluated weekly. Jack Tuttle will replace Penix as the starter and could be the starter when the Hoosiers host No. 11 Michigan State on Oct. 16.
— Syracuse coach Dino Babers confirmed that wide receiver Taj Harris has left the program and will enter the transfer portal. Babers said he spoke with Harris before and after Saturday's loss at Florida State and said Harris decided "the best opportunity" would be to transfer. Harris played in only three of the Orange's five games this season and had 16 catches for 171 yards. Harris was a third-team All-ACC selection last season and led the team with 58 receptions for 733 yards and five touchdowns.
— The Southeastern Conference has fined Kentucky $250,000 for violating its access to competition area policy after fans rushed the field at the end of the Wildcats' 20-13 victory over then-No. 10 Florida. The school was fined for a third policy offense. Its previous violation and fine occurred following a game against Mississippi State in 2018. A crowd of 61,632 watched unbeaten Kentucky earn its first home victory over Florida since 1986 and first over a Top-10 opponent since 2010.
NASCAR-TALLADEGA
Milestone for Bubba Wallace as he earns 1st NASCAR victory
TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Bubba Wallace has become just the second Black driver to win a NASCAR's Cup Series race. He was declared the winner when rain stopped the playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
It is the same track where the FBI investigated a noose found in Wallace's garage stall last year. The FBI found that the rope tie had been up for months and Wallace was not a victim of a hate crime. He is the first Black driver to win at NASCAR's elite Cup level since Wendell Scott in 1963. Wallace drives for a team owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan.
NHL-LEHNER INVESTIGATION
VOORHEES, N.J. (AP) — Philadelphia Flyers coach Alain Vigneault is denying accusations that he ever gave players drugs without doctor's consent.
Former Flyers goalie Robin Lehner in a series of tweets says teams give players sedatives and anxiety pills without a doctor's consent. He referenced the Flyers and Vigneault, who says he has never given players pills.
The NHL has reached out to Lehner to set up an interview over his claims. Lehner is currently with the Vegas Golden Knights.
TENNIS-ZVEREV INVESTIGATION
Tennis tour investigating abuse accusations against Zverev
LONDON (AP) — The men's professional tennis tour has opened an investigation into a former girlfriend's accusations of domestic abuse by Olympic gold medalist and 2020 U.S Open runner-up Alexander Zverev.
The ATP says it's looking into "allegations concerning Alexander Zverev at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai in 2019." ATP CEO Massimo Calvelli said the tour wants to "establish the facts and determine appropriate follow-up action." The tour also said it has received a report offering recommendations for establishing a policy governing domestic violence.
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