Not all perfect for unbeaten Chiefs

The Chiefs just keep winning, even as the injuries continue to pile up. The latest came Sunday, when the two-time defending Super Bowl champions lost cornerback Jaylen Watson to a season-ending ankle injury and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to a hamstring injury in their 28-18 road victory over the 49ers. It was their 12th straight win going back to last season, and a whole bunch have come despite injuries to some of their best players. “It starts with your locker room, your coaches, and just how do the guys like each other,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid, above, said Monday when asked about overcoming the adversity. “And that whole trust thing that they develop with each other is important. Everything isn’t going to be roses.” Watson had been a rising start in coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, helping the Chiefs shut down some of the NFL’s best offenses through the first six games of the season. Just as concerning is the injury to Smith-Schuster, given that injuries already have decimated the Chiefs’ wide receiver room. He will miss at least one game.

Sabalenka returns to No. 1 in WTA

U.S. Open champion Aryna Sabalenka is officially No. 1 in the WTA rankings again after ending Iga Swiatek’s 11-month reign. Sabalenka led Swiatek by 41 points in the latest rankings published Monday, overturning a 69-point deficit from the week before, even though neither of the two played last week. The 26-year-old Belarusian took back the No. 1 spot following “continuing year-end adjustments for falling short of certain tournament quotas,” the WTA announced. Sabalenka, who was previously No. 1 from September through November 2023 laid the groundwork for regaining the top spot when she won the Wuhan Open on Oct. 13. Swiatek, 23, has taken time out for a coaching change since she last played at the U.S. Open. Swiatek reached the quarterfinals before losing to Jessica Pegula, who was in turn beaten by Sabalenka in the final. Sabalenka also defended her Australian Open title in January. The next chance for Swiatek to regain the top spot is at the WTA Finals next month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Poston secures PGA Tour victory

J.T. Poston used a burst of birdies to build a comfortable lead in the morning and afternoon, first for a three-shot lead after 54 holes and then to give himself a big enough cushion to hold on for a 4-under 67 and a one-shot victory Sunday in the Shriners Children’s Open. Poston never trailed since making a 20-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole when he returned to finish the third round. He had two more birdies for a 66 to build a three-shot lead. He made three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the back nine of the final round and led by four shots with three holes to play. Doug Ghim closed with a 65, making a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole at the TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas to close within one shot. Poston lagged his 45-foot birdie putt to 4 feet and calmly sank that for his third career PGA Tour title. He finished at 22-under 262. The victory assures Poston, 31, of returning to the Masters for the third straight year and moving back inside the top 50 in the world. The 28-year-old Ghim was runner-up, his highest career finish on the PGA Tour. —Associated Press