DENVER (AP) — Suddenly, it’s the Denver Broncos who are rolling and the Kansas City Chiefs who are reeling. The teams meet Thursday night in Denver with the Broncos seeking their third straight victory after an 0-4 start and the Chiefs looking to snap a two-game losing streak following their 4-0 start. The Chiefs have a porous run defense that’s allowing 190 yards a game over the past month and the Broncos look to capitalize with the NFL’s top running back tandem.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins will miss his second consecutive game with a hamstring injury when Kansas City visits the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. The Chiefs are down several starters as they face a division rival on short rest. Defensive back Kendall Fuller was ruled out after breaking his thumb in last week’s loss to Houston, defensive tackle Chris Jones and left tackle Eric Fisher have core muscle injuries, and left guard Andrew Wylie is out with an ankle injury.

UNDATED (AP) — The Cardinals exceeded preseason expectations and came from 5½ games back in June to win the NL Central and advance to the NL Championship Series. But 48 strikeouts and six runs in a four-game sweep at the hands of the Washington Nationals put a damper on a season of growth in St. Louis that players believe will set the foundation for more winning to come. Pitcher Adam Wainwright’s future is the biggest offseason question.

UNDATED (AP) — No. 18 Baylor takes the Big 12’s longest winning streak in its game at Oklahoma State. The Bears, who have won eight games in a row, lead the Big 12 allowing only 17.8 points a game. Oklahoma State averages nearly 40 points and 528 yards per game.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State’s hopes for competing for a Big 12 title suffered a serious blow when Talen Horton-Tucker decided to leave for the NBA after just one season. The Cyclones hope they’ve filled that hole with guard Rasir Bolton. He is a Penn State transfer whose numbers were similar to Horton-Tucker’s as a freshman in 2018-19.

National Headlines

NEW YORK (AP) — Rain has pushed Game 4 of the AL Championship Series to tonight. And the Houston Astros and New York Yankees will play Game 5 on Friday at Yankee Stadium and Game 6 in Houston on Saturday if necessary. Houston leads the series 2-1. It’s expected that Houston will start Zack Greinke (GREHN’-kee) against the Yankees’ Masahiro Tanaka (mah-sah-HEE’-roh tah-NAH’-kah) in a rematch of Game 1. Tanaka pitched six sterling innings as New York won the opener 7-0.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) _ Joe Maddon has agreed to become the Los Angeles Angels’ manager. Maddon and the Angels agreed to terms on a deal to reunite the veteran manager with the organization where he spent the first three decades of his baseball career. Maddon left the Chicago Cubs by mutual consent last month after they missed the playoffs for the first time in his five-year tenure. In 2016, he led the Cubs to their first World Series title in 108 years.

CLEVELAND (AP) _ Cleveland Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett says he was punched in the face by a “fan” who wanted to take a picture with him. Garrett posted on his Twitter account that the man delivered a blow that had little effect. The muscular 6-foot-4, 270-pounder joked that his attacker should have “put your legs into it.” A Browns spokesman said the team is aware of the incident “and appropriate law enforcement authorities have been notified.”

UNDATED (AP) — The number of enforced targeting penalties are down 32% in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision compared with the first seven weeks of the 2018 season. Targeting is the act of striking a defenseless opponent above the shoulders or using the crown of the helmet to contact an opponent. It has been a major player-safety concern for a decade.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Graduation rates for college athletes have hit another record, this time 89% overall, according to statistics released by the NCAA. That’s up 1 percentage point from last year’s previous one-year high and almost 10 percentage points of the goal established by the late Myles Brand when the measure was first introduced 17 years ago. This year’s number tracks college athletes who first enrolled in college in 2012.

Wednesday Scores

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASON
Final Detroit 116 Charlotte 110
Final San Antonio 128 Houston 114
Final Atlanta 100 New York 96
Final Memphis 124 Oklahoma City 119
Final Portland 126 Utah 118
Final Sacramento 124 Melbourne 110
Final L.A. Lakers 126 Golden State 93

THURSDAY AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Houston at N-Y Yankees 8:08 p.m.

THURSDAY NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Kansas City at Denver 8:20 p.m.