Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs are hiring Steve Spagnuolo as their defensive coordinator, moving swiftly to replace Bob Sutton after his unit’s dismal performance against the Patriots in the AFC title game. Spagnuolo went 10-38 over three seasons with the St. Louis Rams and 1-3 as the Giants’ interim coach during the 2017 season.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An Englishwoman has seen the best and worst that Twitter would have to offer the American football player who shares her name, if he had an account. Dee Ford told the Kansas City Star she was deluged with angry tweets from Kansas City Chiefs fans who thought they were venting at linebacker Dee Ford after his late penalty during Sunday’s AFC Championship loss. Oddly enough, she became a fan of the player and sport after being inadvertently tagged in a positive tweet to the player five years ago.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The Big 12 is still good while all jumbled up in its standings. The league is the top conference in some key metrics going into the annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge. It is no surprise that No. 9 Kansas is atop the standings, but the 14-time defending champion Jayhawks are tied with streaking Sunflower State rival Kansas State. Baylor also has only two conference losses, and five other teams are within two games in the loss column with six weeks of conference play remaining.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Sometimes uneventful is a good thing. Two years ago at the Kansas City Royals’ FanFest, team members and staff had just returned from pitcher Yordano Ventura’s funeral in the Dominican Republic. Last year, the question was whether Ned Yost would be ready to manage after a near-fatal fall from a deer stand on his ranch outside Atlanta.