(MEAVIS)—Former Missouri Tiger place kicker Harrison Mevis is living kind of a Cinderella story with the Los Angeles Rams, kicking the Rams to one game away from the Super Bowl.
A year ago he was preparing for the United Football League season with the Birmingham Stallions after signing as an undrafted free agent by the Carolina Panthers for the 2024 season and being waived. He hit 20 of 21 field goals for the Stallions, a performance that drew the attention of the New York Jets who put him on the practice squad before cutting him loose in September. Two months later he signed with the Los Angeles Rams and was activated from the practice squad two weeks after that to replace, for one game, the Rams’ regular kicker, Joshua Karty after Karty missed an extra point and a field goal. He hit all six of his extra points and all three of his field goals and joined the fulltime squad two weeks later.
Jan 18, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Los Angeles Rams placekicker Harrison Mevis (92) kicks the game-winning forty-two yard field goal held by punter Ethan Evans (42) against the Chicago Bears during overtime of an NFC Divisional Round game at Soldier Field. Matt Marton-Imagn Images
In the regular season, Mevis was perfect on 39 extra points and nailed 12 of 13 field goals. He was perfect against the Bears on Sunday with two extra points and two field goals including the walk-off winner from 42 yards out to end the game in overtime, 20-17, Rams.
The Rams play the Seahawks next weekend for the NFC championship with the winner headed to the Super Bowl two weeks later.
CHIEFS)—The Kansas City Chiefs reportedly want to bring back he guy who was known for his creative offensive approach–Eric Bienemy, now he running backs coach for the Chicago Bears. Kansas City has asked permission to talk to him about replacing Steve Nagy. He was the OC for Kansas City for five years before moving on after the 2022 season.
Re-sculpting of the Chief roster has begun by saying goodbye to seven members of the practice squad whose contracts have not been renewed. The biggest name was Clyde Edwards-Hillaire who came to the Chiefs in 2020 and was impressive. In his first 33 games, he averaged 4.5 yards per carry. But injuries and other health issues including PTSD limited his role and he wound up on the practice squad, and now has been released. Others cut loose are offensive guard Nick Broeker and wide receiver Jason Brownlee, who were called up to fill roster gaps this year but didn’t make much of an impression. Also gone are defensive end Malik Herring, tackle Marlon Tuipulotu, tight end Tre Watson, and fullback Carson Steele.
The Chiefs on-roster running back situation is changing, too, with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt entering free agency. Last year, the Chiefs averaged just 106.6 yards rushing per game, which—coupled with a porous offensive line, made things harder for Parick Mahomes and he passing game.
(MIZPORT)—Calum McAndrew at the Columbia Daily Tribune has done a fine job keeping track of who’s coming and who’s going and who is homeless in the college football portal scramble.
Here’s his list of additions since we filed our sports reports last week:
- Naeshaun Montgomery, wide receiver, Florida (Jan. 10)
- Jaden Jones, defensive end, Florida State (Jan. 10)
- Donta Sampson, defensive tackle, Miami (Jan. 11)
- Brunno Reus, punter/kicker, Florida State (Jan. 12)
- Cavan Tuley, defensive end, Houston (Jan. 12)
- Nick Evers, quarterback, UConn (Jan. 13)
- Elijah Dotson, cornerback, Michigan (Jan. 13)
- Sione Laulea, cornerback, Oregon (Jan. 14)
- Va’aimalae Fonoti III, running back, Montana (Jan. 16)
- Kenric Lanier II, wide receiver, Minnesota (Jan. 16)
- Colin Sorensen, offensive lineman, Charleston Southern (Jan. 16)
- Mark Shenouda, punter, Tennessee State (Jan. 16)
- CJ May, defensive end, Louisville (Jan. 16)
Those who’ve decided to seek greener artificial term since our last posting.
- Beau Pribula, graduate, quarterback (Virginia, Jan. 12)
- Jaylen Early, redshirt senior, offensive lineman (Jaylen Early, Jan. 11)
- Nate Johnson, senior, defensive end (Auburn, Jan. 10)
- Justin Bodford, redshirt sophomore, defensive tackle (Middle Tennessee State, Jan. 15)
- Daniel Blood, senior, wide receiver (Washington State, Jan. 10)
Some guys couldn’t find something better.
- Brandon Solis, redshirt junior, offensive lineman (NA)
- Robert Meyer, sophomore, kicker (NA)
- Ryder Goodwin, redshirt junior, kicker (NA)
- Tavorus Jones, redshirt senior, running back (NA)
- Shamar McNeil, redshirt junior, cornerback (NA)
- Damon Wilson II, senior, defensive end (NA)
- Dakotah Terrell, redshirt freshman, tight end (NA)
- Mose Phillips III, senior, safety (NA)
(MIZZBB)—The Tigers split a pair last week with a distressing loss to LSU on Saturday in which they once again let the game get away from them in the opening minutes and never got it back. LSU outscored Missouri 10-0 in the opening minutes…and won by ten.
Against Auburn at home, the Tigers went down by seven in the first half before T.O. Barrett’s basket put Missouri in front and they stayed there. In Baton Rouge, LSU let the Tigers get close in the second half but always got a stop when they needed it—which Missouri didn’t do. It was LSU’s first conference win.
Missouri came into this week 3-2 in the conference. The Tigers face Georgia tonight in Columbia.
(The Baseball)—It might seem premature to be thinking of the end of the 2026 baseball season three weeks before pitchers and catchers report for spring training. But there is a shadow over this season. This year is the last year of the collective bargaining agreement with players and concerns are growing about how smaller market teams such as those in St. Louis and Kansas City can remain competitive, especially financially, with the New Yorks and Los Angeleses.
Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch says the DeWitts, father and son, think upcoming negotiations could be the most “significant of this era” particularly because of the financial disparities that have grown in the last year.
Goold observes that four of the most prominent free agents have signed deals worth at least $100 million this winter all of them have signed with the major market teams. The DeWitts point to the seemingly bottomless checking account of the Dodgers, who signed Kyle Tucker for four years and $240 million. The Dodgers now have eight nine-figure player contracts. Goold counts only here such contracts in the entire history of the Redbirds.
The players union is unlikely to agree to any kind of a salary cap. Bill DeWitt Jr., promised, “We’ll do the best we can in terms of being competitive.”
We’re still waiting for either of our teams to bust loose with a big free agent signing. The Cardinals have finally ended the painful dragged-out departure of Nolan Arenado, who hopes to find renewal in the twilight years of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
(CARDINALS)===Whether the Cardinals got any kind of return (they also sent $31 million of Arenado’s remaining $42 million contract to Arizona) for Arenado appears to be some distance away. They get Jack Martinez in return. He was an eighth round 2025 draft pick from Arizona State. He’s a righty with a 92-94 mph fastball and an above average changeup and a below-average slider. He has yet to make his professional debut but he fits in with the Cardinals focus on developing young players. In his last college season, he made fifteen starts and fanned 110 batters in 77.1 innings but he had a 5.47 ERA.
The Cardinals signed ten free agents to minor league contracts in the last week or so.
(ROYALS)—The Kansas City Royals want more home runs this year and they might get them by moving the outfield walls in by eight to ten feet at the foul poles. Center field will still be 410 feet away but they’re cutting 18 inches off of the ten-foot high wall. The changes also expand seating. There will be 150 more fans in left field waiting to catch homers and about eight new drink rail seats in right.
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The Royals have signed a dozen free agents to minor league deals. They’ve also signed an intriguing kid shortstop named Jaider Suarez, the 22nd ranked prospect by MLB’s Pipeline. He’s an international free agent that the Pipeline says “has the physical look of a potential impact talent.” He was 13 in 2023 when he hit .355 and walked twice as often as he struck out in Cuba’s U15 National League.
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Rolling along—
(INDYCAR)—The knights of speed have a real knight in their midst now. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has knighted Dixon “for services to motorsport.” Luxon described him as “a hero to young New Zealand motorsports fans and his work fundraising for children’s charities is invaluable.” Dixon is a six-time IndyCar champion with 59 victories—one of which is the Indianapolis 500. He’s 45 now, moving toward senior citizen status in a sport filled with a lot of 20and 30 years olds. Dixon finished third in the points standings last year and remains Ganassi Racing’s top driver.
(NASCAR)—NASCAR is ditching its widely criticized playoff system and returning to the Chase format. Gone is the “win and you’re in” system that let drivers who finish far down in the standings replace driver who had much better years in the playoffs because the lower-runners managed to win a race. Joey Logano is the poster child for that issue, taking the title in 2024 although he had an average finish of 17.1 and finished the regular season 15th in points would not have made the then twelve-driver championship field if another driver had not been disqualified in the last regular-season race. Logano had won one race that year and went on to become champion when he won the last race of the season.
The new format eliminates eliminations. Sixteen drivers will compete. There will be no elimination rounds and the champion will be crowned from within that ten-driver field on a points basis, not on the basis of which of four final competitors finishes highest in the last race.
(Photo credits: Mevis—Field Level Media)