KC’s Next Play: about Chiefs-Bills rematch, Salvy’s big bat, brews and (running) shoes

We’re settling into a nice little groove with “Next Play,” and part of that owes to the fact there’s rarely a dull moment around the Kansas City sports scene.

The grind never sleeps for sports in this town, which is great news if you’re a KC sports fan (or KC sports journalist).

As usual, there’s plenty of action crammed into the seven days ahead, so let’s talk business.

It’s Chiefs-Bills again

Same teams, same venue, many of the same central characters. It all makes for a delicious rematch as the Chiefs play host next Sunday, Sept. 26, to the team they beat in the AFC Championship Game: the Buffalo Bills.

This column is supposed to be forward-facing and all that, but let’s briefly recall the 38-24 Chiefs victory in January that sent coach Andy Reid’s squad back to the Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes was 29 of 38 for 325 yards and three TDs, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce combined for 290 receiving yards and the Chiefs’ defense sacked Josh Allen four times and intercepted him once.

Think Allen and his Bills teammates will be thirsting for revenge next weekend? So do we. But the Chiefs harbor their own thirst, the kind that can only be quenched by an undefeated season that includes a second Super Bowl trophy in three years.

Rev up the college games

All three area Division I football teams play interesting matchups Saturday.

Mizzou hits the road for its final early-season non-con, playing Doug Flutie’s alma mater, Boston College. K-State opens Big 12 play at Boone Pickens Stadium against Oklahoma State, and the Kansas Jayhawks head to Duke.

Sorry (not sorry) to drink & run

OK, maybe that isn’t exactly the central idea, but the Brew to Brew Relay (which can also be run solo) earns a place on this week’s rundown of upcoming local sports events because it sounds just wacky enough to be a great time.

Set for Saturday, Sept. 26 and started in the mid-1990s, Brew to Brew sends runners along a route from Bonner Springs, Kansas, to KC and then back to Bonner Springs, with the course broken into 10 legs. Each leg of the relay starts and ends at specified points. And the Kansas City Running Club reportedly hosts a pretty epic after-party at The Ten & Two in Bonner.

We’ve no doubt done a poor job of explaining, so go to brew2brew.com for more information. Próst!

Salvy and the big fly

The Royals are still playing baseball, that’s true. But the real show is Salvy Perez, who’s mashing oodles of souvenirs into the seats.

We’ve written at great length (and will continue to) about Perez’s historic season with the long-ball, but you’re running out of time to see that sweet swing before the Royals hang ‘em up for the year. They’re on the road all this week, returning to Kauffman Stadium for a six-game homestand to close out the 2021 season starting Tuesday, Sept. 28.

So grab the remote and watch Perez and his boys in blue play a doubleheader Monday at Cleveland, plus two more against the Indians on Tuesday and Wednesday, then face the Tigers in Detroit on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Respect the Monarchy

Independent baseball’s KC Monarchs, formerly the KC T-Bones, could wrap up the third title in club history this week.

Games 3, 4 and 5 of the five-game American Association Championship Series are scheduled for Monday-Wednesday at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kansas. The series won’t necessarily extend to a fourth or fifth game, so be sure to check the team’s website, monarchbaseball.com, for the latest and know that you can at least catch the action Monday evening.