Unsurprisingly, Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes was kept in the loop about a potential Hill trade. He knew one was imminent at the time Hill was dealt. Still, that didn’t stop Mahomes from feeling the impact of the Hill trade. “My initial reaction was a little bit of shock,’’ Mahomes told reporters Monday, per ESPN. “Even though you knew this was a possibility, [losing] a guy you had played with and built a friendship with over the last six years, it was definitely something you didn’t want him to leave more for being able to hang out in the locker room and do that stuff more than the actual on-the-field stuff....

The 27-year-old star player is hoping to lead the Chiefs to a second Super Bowl win in four years, but it’s his surname that has become the focus of debate on social media, after TikTok user Jessica Weslie Arena - who has over 139,000 followers - gave her view on how it should sound. She was presenting a video about Mahomes’ wife and brother, when people began questioning why she had said “Ma-homies” rather than “Ma-homes,” as it should be pronounced....

Who was the last quarterback in the conference to start in the Super Bowl? It’s a bit of a trick question. Three-time Super Bowl winner Troy Aikman started his career at Oklahoma, but transferred and finished his collegiate career at UCLA. Actually, Vince Ferragamo was the last quarterback to do it: He started his career at Cal before transferring to Nebraska — then in the Big Eight. He started in Super Bowl 14 for the Los Angeles Rams against the Pittsburgh Steelers....

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski’s season could be in jeoopardy after he took a hard hit to his right knee. Gronk was upended by Broncos safety Darian Stewart. MORE: Scoreboard | Seahawks lose Jimmy Graham for the year | Things we never saw coming Said Brady: “All of our fingers are crossed.” He was later able to walk without assistance. It was a grim sight for the Patriots, who were already playing without top wide receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola and scat back Dion Lewis....

New England activated wide receiver Brandon LaFell from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list Saturday after he missed the team’s first six games with a foot injury. MORE: Week 7 picks | Classic photos of Tom Brady LaFell returned to practice Wednesday. “I’m tired of lifting weights, tired of rehabbing,” LaFell told reporters Friday. “I’m ready to get back to playing football.” LaFell tallied a career-high 74 receptions for 953 yards and seven touchdowns last season, his first with the Patriots, while playing in all 16 regular season game....

Mile High Stadium has been a house of horrors for Tom Brady, but the Patriots quarterback exorcized some of those demons Sunday. Brady helped lead the Patriots to a 16-3 win over the Broncos to end a three-game losing streak in Denver. Brady’s Patriots had lost six of the previous eight road games, including two in the playoffs, to the Broncos. MORE: Updated playoff picture The win gives the Patriots their eighth straight AFC East title and clinches a first-round bye in the playoffs....

There’s pressure on one-time MVP candidate Josh Allen to outduel rookie first-rounder Mac Jones at quarterback. Bill Belichick will create a high degree of difficulty with his defense, while Jones steps into a hostile environment with the scheming of Sean McDermott and Leslie Frazer working against him. The feels like a classic, tight low-scoring December game between two bitter AFC East rivals with plenty on the line. Here’s everything to know about betting on Patriots vs....

Questions about Brady’s health and New England’s vulnerability were quelled by a first-half onslaught that put the Patriots ahead by 28 points at halftime. By the end of the blowout, the Patriots had 499 total yards. Brady completed 34 of 44 passes and threw for a touchdown, while running back Sony Michel rushed for three scores. MORE: Watch the NFL live or on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) After an early touchdown pass from Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers to Keenan Allen, Los Angeles struggled to move the ball until the game was out of reach....

The Line: Colts -3 (EVEN), Total: 58 For starters, look at that OVER/UNDER. According to Spreadapedia.com, only 11 NFL games since 1978 have had a closing total of 58 or more. Twelve games have closed at 57.5 points or more, with 16 closing at 57 or more. For the record, the OVER is 9-7 in games with totals of at least 57 points, though that’s hardly a big data set....

There’s been a lot of back-and-forth on George’s actual ability to play, but he certainly looks ready for a return. The media was allowed to watch the Pacers’ forward participate in 4-on-4 drills Tuesday and from the looks of the team’s video, he’s been impressive. MORE: Case against Griffin dropped | Nash’s legacy plays on | NBA Draft stock report On Monday, Larry Bird said he expects George to play, but later that day Frank Vogel wasn’t quite as optimistic....

George was upset with a call in Saturday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls, so as the referee was heading to the scorer’s table he casually kicked the ball into the crowd and drilled a fan in the face. MORE: Where does “PG13” fall among the Association’s best SFs? George was issued a technical foul for the infraction and subsequently ejected from the game. He proceeded to walk off the court like a person who knew he just did something stupid....

St. Louis’ new slugging first baseman homered three times in the first seven innings Friday night in Milwaukee against the Brewers. Goldschmidt went deep in the first, sixth and seventh, each time against a different pitcher (Freddy Peralta, Taylor Williams and Jacob Barnes). MORE: Watch ‘ChangeUp,’ a new MLB live whiparound show on DAZN Goldschmidt also made major league history with those dingers; he became the first player ever to hit three home runs in his first or second game with his new team, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, via ESPN....

With the Lions’ Tavon Wilson draped all over him, Richardson reached around the safety with his left hand to haul in a 2-yard touchdown pass on fourth down from Russell Wilson. MORE: Vinnie Iyer’s live blog Wilson was called for pass interference on the play, even though Richardson had a pretty good hold of Wilson’s facemask. GAME CENTER: Stats from Lions-Seahawks But it didn’t matter. The third-year receiver from Colorado still made the catch to give the Seahawks a 7-0 lead with 7:07 remaining in the first half....

Lynch, a standout quarterback at Memphis who parlayed his collegiate playing career into a first-round selection, never enjoyed the same level of success in Denver. After starting just four games in three seasons with the team that drafted him, Lynch jumped to the Seahawks and Steelers before finally resurfacing in the CFL, with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. MORE: USFL Draft tracker: Live results, complete picks list, rosters for new football league...

Jose Fernandez da Ponte, senior vice president of crypto and digital currencies at PayPal told Bloomberg News on Friday: “We are exploring a stablecoin; if and when we seek to move forward, we will of course, work closely with relevant regulators.” The development of an in-house stablecoin, a cryptocurrency with value connected to a more stable currency or commodity, was first discovered in the source code of PayPal’s iPhone app by developer Steve Moser....

The sport’s showpiece event will be hosted at the Alexandra Palace, the venue that has staged the event every year since 2008, and as has become tradition the final will be held on New Year’s Day. There are plenty of talking points ahead of this year’s edition of the PDC World Championship. Michael Van Gerwen is aiming to win back-to-back world titles for the first time in his career, while fellow Dutchman Raymond Van Barneveld seeks a fairytale finish to a glittering career and Gerwyn Price looks to clinch a first world title....

One member of the Class of 2015 has a different view. MORE: 75 Sporting News covers of Hall of Famers Pedro Martinez told the Daily Item he believes Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens should be Hall of Famers, based on what they accomplished before the nebulous beginning of baseball’s “Steroid Era.” “If you look at (Bonds’) career and you look at Roger Clemens’ career, they should (get in) because they had (the numbers) before,” Martinez said....

Davis released a statement announcing his decision Wednesday. MORE: Harden, Thompson to start for West | Beal sidelined until All-Star break | Augustin thriving as a starter “After careful thought and consideration, I’ve decided I will not be participating in this year’s NBA All-Star competitions,” Davis said. “I want to thank the fans for voting me into the All-Star game and I am sorry I will not be able to play....

Davis says he expects to travel with the club and be on the bench for games, supporting teammates and offering his observations. The second-year big man, who's averaged 18.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.6 blocks, says it's frustrating being sidelined, but that he's confident in coach Monty Williams' system and his teammates' ability to "still pull out wins, no matter who's on the floor." Davis says he'll work closely with trainers on staying in shape during what is expected to be a four- to six-week absence, spanning as many as 20 games....

Davis, the first overall pick in the 2012 draft, averaged 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 steals and was named an NBA All-Rookie First Team member last season. The 6-foot-10 former Kentucky star was a regular starter at power forward. His 20 double-doubles led all rookies. Rivers was the 10th overall pick in the draft. He averaged 6.2 points, 2.1 assists and 1.8 rebounds, but saw his rookie campaign cut short by a hand injury in early March, during a game in which he'd scored 10 first-half points against the Los Angeles Lakers....