{"id":274648,"date":"2025-10-03T13:29:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T13:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/274648\/"},"modified":"2025-10-03T13:29:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T13:29:20","slug":"the-sports-report-rams-lose-in-overtime-to-49ers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/274648\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sports Report: Rams lose in overtime to 49ers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From Gary Klein<\/a>: The Rams played the blame game Thursday night.<\/p>\n

They pointed plenty of fingers \u2014 but only at themselves individually.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Coach Sean McVay blamed himself for his call on a failed fourth-and-one running play that ended the game.<\/p>\n

And there was plenty more blame to go around: See the Rams\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

But really, blame San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.<\/p>\n

McVay\u2019s former mentor and his plucky injury\u2013riddled team sent the Rams to a 26-23 overtime defeat before 73,652.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m pretty sick right now,\u201d McVay said.<\/p>\n

With good reason.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

And there was plenty more blame to go around: See the Rams\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

But really, blame San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.<\/p>\n

McVay\u2019s former mentor and his plucky injury\u2013riddled team sent the Rams to a 26-23 overtime defeat before 73,652.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m pretty sick right now,\u201d McVay said.<\/p>\n

With good reason.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/a> <\/p>\n

NFL Week 5 picks: Eagles stay unbeaten; Jaguars defeat Chiefs<\/a> <\/p>\n

Rams summary<\/a> <\/p>\n

NFL standings<\/a> <\/p>\n

DODGERS<\/p>\n

From Dylan Hern\u00e1ndez<\/a>: The Dodgers<\/a> aren\u2019t ready to call Roki Sasaki<\/a> their closer, but who are they kidding?<\/p>\n

Sasaki is their closer.<\/p>\n

When the 23-year-old rookie from the Japanese countryside<\/a> stepped onto the October stage on Wednesday night, he revealed himself to be more than the team\u2019s best late-inning option.<\/p>\n

He showed he was special.<\/p>\n

He was Reggie-Bush-exploding-through-the-Fresno-State-defense<\/a> special.<\/p>\n

He was Yasiel-Puig-doubling-off-a-runner-for-the-final-out-in-his-debut<\/a> special.<\/p>\n

\u201cWow,\u201d third baseman Max Muncy<\/a> said. \u201cReally, all you can say is wow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/a> <\/p>\n

MLB POSTSEASON SCHEDULE, RESULTS<\/p>\n

National League<\/b><\/p>\n

Cincinnati at Dodgers<\/b>
Dodgers 10, Cincinnati 5 (box score<\/a>)
Dodgers 8, Cincinnati 4 (box score<\/a>)<\/p>\n

San Diego at Chicago<\/b>
Chicago 3, San Diego 1 (box score<\/a>)
San Diego 3, Chicago 0 (box score<\/a>)
Chicago 3, San Diego 1 (box score<\/a>)<\/p>\n

American League<\/b><\/p>\n

Detroit at Cleveland<\/b>
Detroit 2, Cleveland 1 (box score<\/a>)
Cleveland 6, Detroit 1 (box score<\/a>)
Detroit 6, Cleveland 3 (box score<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Boston at New York<\/b>
Boston 3, New York 1 (box score<\/a>)
New York 4, Boston 3 (box score<\/a>)
New York 4, Boston 0 (box score<\/a>)<\/p>\n

NL Division Series<\/b>
All times Pacific<\/b><\/p>\n

Dodgers vs. Philadelphia<\/b>
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<\/p>\n

Chicago vs. Milwaukee<\/b>
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<\/p>\n

AL Division Series<\/b><\/p>\n

Detroit vs. Seattle<\/b>
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<\/p>\n

New York vs. Toronto<\/b>
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<\/p>\n

*-if necessary<\/p>\n

LAKERS<\/p>\n

From Broderick Turner<\/a>: The plan, Luka Doncic<\/a> said Thursday after the the Lakers<\/a>\u2019 third day of training camp, is to go \u201ca little bit slower\u201d during these sessions so he doesn\u2019t totally tax his body after a summer of playing hoops with his country\u2019s national team.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, obviously probably take it a little bit slower than the usual,\u201d said Doncic, who will play in the Lakers\u2019 first preseason game Friday night against the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/a> <\/p>\n

From Ryan Kartje<\/a>: After an inconsistent start to the season for USC\u2019<\/a>s secondary, the defensive coordinator stood in front of a cadre of cameras and didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lowlights cannot be that low,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can\u2019t just say it happens sometimes. Those things can\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

That coordinator was Alex Grinch, speaking in September 2023. Six weeks later, he was fired<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The circumstances aren\u2019t quite that dire for the Trojans\u2019 defense \u2014 or Grinch\u2019s successor, D\u2019Anton Lynn<\/a> \u2014 in October 2025. But the problems with big pass plays have persisted since then. In fact, they\u2019ve been worse this season than they were under USC\u2019s previous coordinator, in spite of the fact that USC has yet to play a top-40 passing offense.<\/p>\n

Through five games, USC has given up 51 pass plays of 10 yards or more. That\u2019s 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/a> <\/p>\n

WNBA<\/p>\n

From Steve Henson<\/a>: Napheesa Collier covered a lot of bumpy ground in her lengthy end-of-season statement<\/a>. Yes, officiating in WNBA games is substandard. Sure, the collective bargaining agreement is about to expire and negotiations could cripple the league\u2019s extraordinary popularity.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s not bury the lead. It was a comment Collier attributed to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert<\/a> in response to the paltry rookie contracts forced on stars such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers that could have lasting impact.<\/p>\n

During Indiana Fever exit interviews<\/a> Thursday, Clark said she was unaware of Collier\u2019s unabashed finger-pointing, which went like this:<\/p>\n

\u201cI … 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,\u201d Collier said Tuesday. \u201cHer response was, \u2018Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court because without the platform the WNBA gives her, she wouldn\u2019t make anything.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Reporters filled in Clark on what Collier said. Then Clark took a breath and responded.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all, I have great respect for [Collier],\u201d Clark said. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/a> <\/p>\n

DUCKS<\/p>\n

Jackson LaCombe<\/a> signed an eight-year, $72-million contract extension with the Ducks<\/a> on Thursday, keeping the rising young defenseman under contract through the 2033-34 season.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The Ducks welcomed LaCombe\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/a> <\/p>\n

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY<\/p>\n

1942 \u2014 With a victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Whirlaway becomes the first horse to amass more than $500,000 in lifetime earnings.<\/p>\n

1971 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

1973 \u2014 The formation of the World Football League is announced.<\/p>\n

1974 \u2014 Future Basketball Hall of Fame guard Jerry West (\u201cMr. Clutch\u201d) retires after 14 NBA seasons with the Lakers; West has 25,192 career points; averages 29.1 ppg in 153 playoff games.<\/p>\n

1981 \u2014 USC\u2019s Marcus Allen rushes for 223 yards against Oregon State, his fourth straight 200-plus rushing game.<\/p>\n

1981 \u2014 After a year\u2019s inactivity, American boxer Mike Weaver outpoints countryman James \u2018Quick\u2019 Tillis in 15 rounds in Chicago to retain his WBA heavyweight title.<\/p>\n

1997 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

1998 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

2004 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

2009 \u2014 Aqib Talib has three interceptions in Tampa Bay\u2019s 16-13 loss at Washington.<\/p>\n

2010 \u2014 Angel McCoughtry scores 18 points as the United States wins gold at the women\u2019s basketball world championship with an 89-69 victory over the Czech Republic.<\/p>\n

2010 \u2014 Josh Scobee kicks a 59-yard field goal \u2014 the eighth-longest field goal in NFL history and longest in franchise history \u2014 as time expires to give Jacksonville a 31-28 victory over Indianapolis.<\/p>\n

2012 \u2014 Star Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo scores his first Champions League hat-trick in Real Madrid\u2019s 4-1 win against Ajax in Amsterdam.<\/p>\n

2015 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

2021 \u2014 Tom Brady becomes the NFL\u2019s all-time leader in career passing yardage eclipsing Drew Brees\u2019 high of 80,358.<\/p>\n

THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY<\/p>\n

1951 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

1974 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

1976 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

1981 \u2014 After a year\u2019s inactivity, American boxer Mike Weaver outpoints countryman James \u2018Quick\u2019 Tillis in 15 rounds in Chicago to retain his WBA heavyweight title.<\/p>\n

1990 \u2014 George Brett, Kansas City Royals, become the first player in MLB history to win a batting title in three different decades.<\/p>\n

1993 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

1999 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

2001 \u2014 San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds Is walked for the 171st time in 11-8 win at Houston; breaks Babe Ruth\u2019s 1923 MLB single-season record for walks.<\/p>\n

2004 \u2014 Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki finishes the season with a MLB record 262 hits.<\/p>\n

2015 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

Compiled by the Associated Press<\/p>\n

Until next time…<\/p>\n

That concludes today\u2019s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you\u2019d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com<\/a>. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From Gary Klein: The Rams played the blame game Thursday night. They pointed plenty of fingers \u2014 but…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":274649,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[130913,130912,1582,276,2442,130914,1910,5949,2961,224,5337,130915,1311,34961,5950,3007,3355,2452,2030,80883],"class_list":{"0":"post-274648","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-60-yard-touchdown","9":"tag-alvarez","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-california","12":"tag-dodgers","13":"tag-extra-inning-loss","14":"tag-game","15":"tag-home-run","16":"tag-la","17":"tag-los-angeles","18":"tag-losangeles","19":"tag-major-league-mark","20":"tag-philadelphia","21":"tag-record","22":"tag-season","23":"tag-team","24":"tag-victory","25":"tag-week","26":"tag-win","27":"tag-yard"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115310478353577544","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=274648"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274648\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/274649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=274648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=274648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=274648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}