The Sports Report: Rams lose in OT; Chargers win

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

From Gary Klein: A remade Rams defense played the Detroit Lions tough through four quarters on Sunday night.

But they could not stop the Lions in overtime.

Jared Goff drove his team 70 yards in eight plays and David Montgomery scored on a one-yard touchdown to send the Rams to a 26-20 defeat before 66,530 at Ford Field.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passed for a touchdown, running back Kyren Williams scored a touchdown and veteran safety John Johnson III had a key interception, but that was not enough.

It was another heartbreaking loss for the Rams and Stafford, who lost here, 24-23, last January in an NFC wild-card game.

Stafford, who played his first 12 seasons in Detroit, completed 34 of 49 passes for 317 yards and touchdown, with an interception.

But Goff, for whom Stafford was traded in 2021, outdueled him again, completing 18 of 28 passes for 217 yards.

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Optimism runs deep for Rams, Chargers as NFL season gets underway

Rams box score

NFL standings

CHARGERS

From Bill Plaschke: The heat was blistering, the fans were jeering, the knockout punch was looming.

Late Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium, the stage was set for the continuation of a long-standing tradition fostered by a certain local team’s consistent meltdowns.

Except these Chargers didn’t “Charger.”

These Chargers “Harbaughed.”

These Chargers fought back when the Las Vegas Raiders pushed them around, these Chargers stood up when the Raiders knocked them down, these Chargers found their strength when their ancestors have typically lost their will.

These Chargers “Harbaughed,” which translated into using inspiration from their new coach to outslug the Raiders, 22-10, in a season opener that came with a statement.

Jim Harbaugh is the real deal.

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Chargers dominate on defense to open Jim Harbaugh era with a win over Raiders

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Kendrick Lamar to headline 2025 Super Bowl halftime show

Chargers box score

NFL standings

DODGERS

From Jack Harris: For as bad as the Dodgers’ pitching situation looks here in the final month of the season, there’s a world where it could have been so much worse.

A world where the team failed to execute its buzzer-beater acquisition of Jack Flaherty at the July 30 trade deadline. A world where the Southland-raised right-hander never returned to his hometown team. A world where uncertain post-injury versions of Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, or an inconsistent post-Tommy John version of Walker Buehler, might have been their only established pitcher in a potential postseason rotation.

A world that, when presented with the hypothetical Sunday morning, manager Dave Roberts had no interest in imagining.

“It,” Roberts said of not having Flaherty, “would not be a good feeling.”

Luckily for Roberts, his team is enjoying a different reality.

On Sunday, Flaherty further solidified himself as the Dodgers’ top current starter with a scoreless 7⅓-inning gem against the Cleveland Guardians. Thanks to some help from Shohei Ohtani, who hit the third deck in right field at Dodger Stadium with his 46th home run of the year, the Dodgers were victorious, too, taking two of three games this weekend from a fellow first-place club with a 4-0 win.

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Dodgers box score

MLB standings

ANGELS

Andrew Heaney snapped an eight-start winless streak as the Texas Rangers took an early five-run lead and beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-4 on Sunday.

Heaney (5-13), one short of the major league lead in losses, allowed four runs, three earned, on three hits in six-plus innings to win for the first time since July 21. He was backed by home runs from Marcus Semien, Nathaniel Lowe and Ezequiel Duran.

It was rare run support for Heaney. The 33-year-old left-hander received two runs or fewer of support in his previous seven starts and 18 of his 27 this season before Sunday. His 3.55 average run support as a starter was fourth lowest in the American League.

Texas chased 20-year-old right-hander Caden Dana (1-1) 11 batters into his second major league start. Dana, who was brought up from double-A Rocket City on Aug. 30, gave up five runs on seven hits, including three home runs, and left with the bases loaded with none out in the second inning.

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Angels box score

MLB scores

MLB standings

SATURDAY’S USC GAME

From Dylan Hernández: Suddenly, the fantasy feels grounded in reality. Suddenly, the best-case scenario feels entirely possible.

USC can reach the College Football Playoff.

Let’s rephrase that.

USC should reach the College Football Playoff.

The No. 13 Trojans’ path to the 12-team championship tournament opened up on Saturday like one of those gargantuan holes through which running back Woody Marks ran in a 48-0 victory against overmatched Utah State at the Coliseum.

The lopsided win over a visitor from the Mountain West Conference wasn’t particularly informative. What happened elsewhere in college football was.

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USC box score

Big Ten standings

AP TOP 25

Team (first-place votes), record, points, rank last week

1. Georgia (54), 2-0 1566, 1
2. Texas (4), 2-0, 1492, 3
3. Ohio State (5), 2-0, 1476, 2
4. Alabama, 2-0, 1331, 4
5. Ole Miss, 2-0, 1323, 6
6. Missouri, 2-0, 1125, 9
7. Tennessee, 2-0, 1107, 14
8. Penn State, 2-0, 1090, 8
9. Oregon, 2-0, 1077, 7
10. Miami, 2-0, 1073, 12
11. USC, 2-0, 1,022, 13
12. Utah, 2-0, 1,010, 11
13. Oklahoma State, 2-0, 734, 16
14. Kansas State, 2-0, 702, 17
15. Oklahoma, 2-0, 672, 15
16. LSU, 1-1, 521, 18
17. Michigan, 1-1, 503, 10
18. Notre Dame, 1-1, 427, 5
19. Louisville, 2-0, 383, 22
20. Arizona, 2-0, 381, 20
21. Iowa State, 2-0, 309, NR
22. Clemson, 1-1, 292, 25
23. Nebraska, 2-0, 142, NR
24. Boston College, 2-0, 116, NR
25. Northern Illinois, 2-0, 114, NR

NR-not ranked in top 25 last week

Others receiving votes: Illinois 101, Boise State 77, Texas A&M 68, Syracuse 63, Memphis 38, Washington 27, Iowa 24, Kansas 22, Vanderbilt 18, South Carolina 10, Liberty 9, Wisconsin 9, UNLV 7, North Carolina 7, California 3, BYU 2, TCU 1, UCF 1

Dropped from rankings: Kansas 19, Iowa 21, Georgia Tech 23, NC State 24

SPARKS

From Andrés Soto: There were flashes of hope, but in the end, not even a career night for Rickea Jackson was enough as the Sparks fell to the Connecticut Sun 79-67 for their fourth consecutive loss.

The Sun, who hold the second-best record in the WNBA at 25-10, presented no shortage of challenges for the league-worst Sparks (7-28). Their length proved to be a nightmare defensively for the Sparks, who gave up 16 points off 17 turnovers. They conceded 13 second-chance points to Connecticut while scoring only seven second-chance points of their own, despite being relatively equal in rebounds (29 for the Sun, 27 for the Sparks).

Despite this, the Sparks held a lead for the majority of the game thanks to a huge effort from Jackson, who led both teams in scoring (23 points) and also made her presence felt on defense with a career-high four steals.

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Sparks box score

WNBA standings

PARALYMPICS

From David Wharton: As a breakout star at the 2024 Paralympics, Ezra Frech was thrilled about winning gold medals in the 100 meters and high jump, but the Los Angeles teenager was also hoping for a bigger sort of victory.

Large crowds and record television coverage have him feeling good about the last two weeks in Paris. It has him thinking about 2028 when the Games come to his hometown.

“This is a special opportunity for Paralympic sport,” he said. “I look forward to riding this momentum into L.A.”

Other para athletes and officials share his sense of optimism. After decades of fighting for attention, they feel poised to emerge from the shadow of their older, more-glamorous sister, the Summer Olympics.

A look at the “armless archer” from Iowa who won gold at the Paris Paralympics. Is he planning to compete in Los Angeles in 2028?

As Frech put it: “I feel like the Paralympics right now are where the women’s sports movement was maybe 15 years ago. We’re getting close to mainstream.”

The onus now falls on LA28 organizers to continue building on what Paris has achieved. An International Paralympic Committee executive sounded bullish.

“We want to conquer America,” spokesman Craig Spence said. “It is as simple as that.”

The last decade or so has seen the movement taking a few steps back from the 2012 London Paralympics, regarded as the most-successful ever. Numbers from Paris suggest a rebound.

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2024 Paris Paralympics live updates

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1909 — Jack Johnson retains his heavyweight boxing title when he fights Al Kaufman to a no decision in 10 rounds in San Francisco.

1940 — Donald McNeil beats Bobby Riggs after losing the first two sets to capture the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association title. Alice Marble wins her third straight title with a two-set triumph over Helen Jacobs.

1956 — Australia’s Ken Rosewall wins the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association title with a four-set victory over Lewis Hoad. Shirley Fry beats Althea Gibson 6-3, 6-4 for the women’s title.

1960 — The Denver Broncos beat the Boston Patriots 13-10 in the American Football League’s first regular-season game. The game is played on a Friday night at Boston University’s Nickerson Field.

1965 — Sandy Koufax throws his fourth career no-hitter and first perfect game in a 1-0 win over the Chicago Cubs.

1968 — Arthur Ashe wins the U.S. Open by beating Tom Okker 14-12, 5-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Ashe is the first Black male to win a Grand Slam tournament. As an amateur, Ashe is ineligible to receive the $14,000 winner’s prize, but collects $280 in expenses for the two-week tournament.

1972 — UCLA’s Efren Herrera kicks a 20-yard field goal with 22 seconds remaining to beat preseason No. 1 Nebraska 20-17 at the Memorial Coliseum.

1974 — Jimmy Connors romps to a 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 victory over Ken Rosewall to win the U.S. Open.

1978 — Chris Evert beats 16-year-old Pam Shriver 7-5, 6-4 to win her fourth straight U.S. Open.

1979 — In an all-New Yorker U.S. Open men’s final, John McEnroe beats Vitas Gerulaitis, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3. Tracy Austin, at 16 years, 8 months and 28 days, becomes the youngest U.S. Open women’s singles champion, ending Chris Evert’s 31-match win streak at the Open with a 6-4, 6-3 win.

1984 — John McEnroe beats Ivan Lendl 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 to win his fourth U.S. Open.

1987 — Nolan Ryan strikes out his 4,500th batter.

1990 — Pete Sampras, at the age of 19 years and 28 days, becomes the youngest U.S. Open men’s singles champion, defeating Andre Agassi, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

1992 — Robin Yount becomes the 17th player to reach 3,000 hits in the Milwaukee Brewers’ 5-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians.

2000 — Venus Williams wins her first U.S. Open singles title, defeating Lindsay Davenport, 6-4, 7-5.

2012 — Serena Williams, two points from defeat, suddenly regains her composure and her game, coming back to win the last four games and beat No. 1-ranked Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 for her fourth U.S. Open championship and 15th Grand Slam title overall.

2015 — Japan’s Saori Yoshida wins her 16th world or Olympic freestyle title at the world wrestling championships. The most decorated athlete in wrestling history, the 32-year-old Yoshida wins her 13th title at worlds — to go with three Olympic golds in as many tries.

2017 — Sloane Stephens dominates Madison Keys in the U.S. Open final and wins 6-3, 6-0 for her first Grand Slam title. The 83rd-ranked Stephens is the second unseeded woman to win the tournament in the Open era, which began in 1968.

2021 — Tom Brady becomes the first player in NFL history to start 300 regular season games.

Compiled by the Associated Press