From Gary Klein: The Rams played the blame game Thursday night.
They pointed plenty of fingers — but only at themselves individually.
Running back Kyren Williams blamed himself for fumbling at the one-yard line on what might have been a winning touchdown run against the San Francisco 49ers.
Coach Sean McVay blamed himself for his call on a failed fourth-and-one running play that ended the game.
And there was plenty more blame to go around: See the Rams’ kicking game, and a defense that put the Rams in an early hole by giving up two touchdowns and made journeyman Mac Jones look like Joe Montana.
But really, blame San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.
McVay’s former mentor and his plucky injury–riddled team sent the Rams to a 26-23 overtime defeat before 73,652.
“I’m pretty sick right now,” McVay said.
With good reason.
The Rams fell to 3-2, blowing an opportunity to take over first place in the NFC West before a mini-bye and then heading off to Baltimore and London.
And there was plenty more blame to go around: See the Rams’ kicking game, and a defense that put the Rams in an early hole by giving up two touchdowns and made journeyman Mac Jones look like Joe Montana.
But really, blame San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.
McVay’s former mentor and his plucky injury–riddled team sent the Rams to a 26-23 overtime defeat before 73,652.
“I’m pretty sick right now,” McVay said.
With good reason.
The Rams fell to 3-2, blowing an opportunity to take over first place in the NFC West before a mini-bye and then heading off to Baltimore and London.
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NFL Week 5 picks: Eagles stay unbeaten; Jaguars defeat Chiefs
Rams summary
NFL standings
DODGERS
From Dylan Hernández: The Dodgers aren’t ready to call Roki Sasaki their closer, but who are they kidding?
Sasaki is their closer.
When the 23-year-old rookie from the Japanese countryside stepped onto the October stage on Wednesday night, he revealed himself to be more than the team’s best late-inning option.
He showed he was special.
He was Reggie-Bush-exploding-through-the-Fresno-State-defense special.
He was Yasiel-Puig-doubling-off-a-runner-for-the-final-out-in-his-debut special.
“Wow,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “Really, all you can say is wow.”
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MLB POSTSEASON SCHEDULE, RESULTS
National League
Cincinnati at Dodgers
Dodgers 10, Cincinnati 5 (box score)
Dodgers 8, Cincinnati 4 (box score)
San Diego at Chicago
Chicago 3, San Diego 1 (box score)
San Diego 3, Chicago 0 (box score)
Chicago 3, San Diego 1 (box score)
American League
Detroit at Cleveland
Detroit 2, Cleveland 1 (box score)
Cleveland 6, Detroit 1 (box score)
Detroit 6, Cleveland 3 (box score)
Boston at New York
Boston 3, New York 1 (box score)
New York 4, Boston 3 (box score)
New York 4, Boston 0 (box score)
NL Division Series
All times Pacific
Dodgers vs. Philadelphia
Saturday at Philadelphia, 3:30 p.m., TBS
Monday at Philadelphia, 3 p.m., TBS
Wednesday at Dodgers, TBD, TBS
*Thursday at Dodgers, TBD, TBS
*Saturday, Oct. 11 at Philadelphia, TBD, TBS
Chicago vs. Milwaukee
Saturday at Milwaukee, 11 a.m., TBS
Monday at Milwaukee, 6 p.m., TBS
Wednesday at Chicago, TBD, TBS
*Thursday at Chicago, TBS, TBS
*Saturday, Oct. 11 at Milwaukee, TBD, TBS
AL Division Series
Detroit vs. Seattle
Saturday at Seattle, 5:30 p.m., Fox/FS1
Sunday at Seattle, 5 p.m., FS1
Tuesday at Detroit, TBD, Fox/FS1
*Wednesday at Detroit, TBD, Fox/FS1
*Friday, Oct. 10 at Seattle, TBD, Fox/FS1
New York vs. Toronto
Saturday at Toronto, 1 p.m., Fox/FS1
Sunday at Toronto, 1 p.m., FS1
Tuesday at New York, TBD, Fox/FS1
*Wednesday at New York, TBD, Fox/FS1
*Friday, Oct. 10 at Toronto, TBD, Fox/FS1
*-if necessary
LAKERS
From Broderick Turner: The plan, Luka Doncic said Thursday after the the Lakers’ third day of training camp, is to go “a little bit slower” during these sessions so he doesn’t totally tax his body after a summer of playing hoops with his country’s national team.
About a month ago, Doncic and Slovenia were eliminated from the 2025 EuroBasket in the quarterfinals by Germany, his 39 points not enough to salvage a win.
Doncic, who slimmed down this offseason, had been playing at a peak level then, but now he and the Lakers want to ease him back into things with the hopes of avoiding injuries.
“Yeah, obviously probably take it a little bit slower than the usual,” said Doncic, who will play in the Lakers’ first preseason game Friday night against the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert. “I had a busy summer. I think month, month and a half I was with national team. So, it was kind of a lot. But that got me ready for the preseason and obviously regular season. So, for me, I think it really helps.”
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From Ryan Kartje: After an inconsistent start to the season for USC’s secondary, the defensive coordinator stood in front of a cadre of cameras and didn’t mince words. There were too many coverage busts leading to too many big pass plays, he said. He planned to spend the bye week studying film with microscopic focus in hopes of understanding exactly what had gone wrong.
“The lowlights cannot be that low,” he said. “You can’t just say it happens sometimes. Those things can’t happen.”
That coordinator was Alex Grinch, speaking in September 2023. Six weeks later, he was fired.
The circumstances aren’t quite that dire for the Trojans’ defense — or Grinch’s successor, D’Anton Lynn — in October 2025. But the problems with big pass plays have persisted since then. In fact, they’ve been worse this season than they were under USC’s previous coordinator, in spite of the fact that USC has yet to play a top-40 passing offense.
Through five games, USC has given up 51 pass plays of 10 yards or more. That’s eighth worst in the nation, equating to an average of over 10 such plays per game. And against Illinois, that propensity for allowing explosive plays came back to bite USC in a brutal loss.
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WNBA
From Steve Henson: Napheesa Collier covered a lot of bumpy ground in her lengthy end-of-season statement. Yes, officiating in WNBA games is substandard. Sure, the collective bargaining agreement is about to expire and negotiations could cripple the league’s extraordinary popularity.
But let’s not bury the lead. It was a comment Collier attributed to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert in response to the paltry rookie contracts forced on stars such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers that could have lasting impact.
During Indiana Fever exit interviews Thursday, Clark said she was unaware of Collier’s unabashed finger-pointing, which went like this:
“I … asked how [Engelbert] planned to fix the fact that players like Caitlin, Angel and Paige, who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for their first four years,” Collier said Tuesday. “Her response was, ‘Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court because without the platform the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.’”
Reporters filled in Clark on what Collier said. Then Clark took a breath and responded.
“First of all, I have great respect for [Collier],” Clark said. “I think she made a lot of very valid points. I think what people need to understand is we need great leadership in all levels. … This is a moment we have to capitalize on…. Phee said it all.”
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DUCKS
Jackson LaCombe signed an eight-year, $72-million contract extension with the Ducks on Thursday, keeping the rising young defenseman under contract through the 2033-34 season.
After just two full NHL seasons, the 24-year-old LaCombe has emerged as an elite two-way defenseman who is under consideration for the U.S. Olympic team roster.
The Ducks welcomed LaCombe’s eagerness to commit his long-term future to Anaheim before he reached restricted free agency next summer, and general manager Pat Verbeek signed him to the richest contract ever given out by the team, although others had larger average annual values.
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THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1942 — With a victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Whirlaway becomes the first horse to amass more than $500,000 in lifetime earnings.
1971 — Billie Jean King wins the Virginia Slims-Thunderbird tournament in Phoenix to become the first women tennis player to win $100,000 in one year.
1973 — The formation of the World Football League is announced.
1974 — Future Basketball Hall of Fame guard Jerry West (“Mr. Clutch”) retires after 14 NBA seasons with the Lakers; West has 25,192 career points; averages 29.1 ppg in 153 playoff games.
1981 — USC’s Marcus Allen rushes for 223 yards against Oregon State, his fourth straight 200-plus rushing game.
1981 — After a year’s inactivity, American boxer Mike Weaver outpoints countryman James ‘Quick’ Tillis in 15 rounds in Chicago to retain his WBA heavyweight title.
1997 — Sixty-nine-year-old Hall of Famer Gordie Howe skates the first shift with the Detroit Vipers in their International Hockey League opener, becoming the only pro in his sport to compete in six decades.
1998 — Ricky Williams rushes for a school-record 350 yards and five touchdowns to set NCAA records with 65 career rushing touchdowns and career points by a non-kicker (394) as Texas defeats Iowa State 54-33.
2004 — New England Patriots win their 18th consecutive game, beating the Buffalo Bills, 31-17 at Ralph Wilson Stadium; Tom Brady 17-for-30 for 298 yards & 2 TDs.
2009 — Aqib Talib has three interceptions in Tampa Bay’s 16-13 loss at Washington.
2010 — Angel McCoughtry scores 18 points as the United States wins gold at the women’s basketball world championship with an 89-69 victory over the Czech Republic.
2010 — Josh Scobee kicks a 59-yard field goal — the eighth-longest field goal in NFL history and longest in franchise history — as time expires to give Jacksonville a 31-28 victory over Indianapolis.
2012 — Star Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo scores his first Champions League hat-trick in Real Madrid’s 4-1 win against Ajax in Amsterdam.
2015 — Leonard Fournette highlights his third straight 200-yard game with a 75-yard touchdown run, and No. 9 LSU defeats Eastern Michigan 44-22. Fournette has 233 yards and three touchdowns to become the first player in the history of the Southeastern Conference to rush for 200-plus yards in three straight games.
2021 — Tom Brady becomes the NFL’s all-time leader in career passing yardage eclipsing Drew Brees’ high of 80,358.
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1951 — Bobby Thomson hits a three-run homer off Ralph Branca of the Brooklyn Dodgers with one out in the bottom of the ninth to give the New York Giants a dramatic 5-4 playoff victory and the National League pennant.
1974 — Frank Robinson signs a $175,000-a-year player-manager contract with the Cleveland Indians, making him the first Black manager in major league history.
1976 — Future Baseball Hall of Fame right fielder Hank Aaron singles in his last MLB at-bat and drives in his 2,297th run as Milwaukee Brewers lose, 5-2 vs. Detroit Tigers.
1981 — After a year’s inactivity, American boxer Mike Weaver outpoints countryman James ‘Quick’ Tillis in 15 rounds in Chicago to retain his WBA heavyweight title.
1990 — George Brett, Kansas City Royals, become the first player in MLB history to win a batting title in three different decades.
1993 — The Toronto Blue Jays become the first team in American League history to have teammates finish 1-2-3 in the batting race. John Olerud leads the league with a .363 batting average, Paul Molitor finishes at .332 and Roberto Alomar at .326.
1999 — St Louis first baseman Mark McGwire hits his 65th homer of the season in a rain shortened 9-5 win over Cubs at Busch Stadium; wins 2nd straight HR title over Sammy Sosa, who hits his 63rd HR in same game.
2001 — San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds Is walked for the 171st time in 11-8 win at Houston; breaks Babe Ruth’s 1923 MLB single-season record for walks.
2004 — Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki finishes the season with a MLB record 262 hits.
2015 — Max Scherzer pitches his second no-hitter this season for Washington, striking out a team-record 17 and leading the Nationals over the NL East champion New York Mets 2-0 for a doubleheader sweep.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…