The Sports Report: Rams and Chargers lose; Dodgers have 100-win season

From Gary Klein: Mile sigh.

A heavy one. The what-the-heck-just-happened kind.

That’s how the stunned Rams felt Sunday night.

Coach Sean McVay and his team came here aiming to put together a second consecutive impressive prime-time performance.

And through the first half against the Denver Broncos, it looked like the Rams would do just that.

But the Rams’ 16-0 halftime lead literally vanished into thin air.

After rallying briefly, the Rams could not hold off the Broncos in a 30-26 defeat in front of 76,633 at Empower Field at Mile High.

“We just came up short tonight,” McVay said.

It came down to the final play: Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga — who returned an interception 66 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter — picked off quarterback Matthew Stafford’s pass in the end zone as time expired.

But the Rams lost control about 29 minutes and 58 seconds before that when they began to let the Broncos come back.

So now the Rams, the much-ballyhooed super team that opened the season as a heavy Super Bowl favorite, are 1-2.

That’s rare for a McVay-coached team.

From Sam Farmer: Cover one eye and the Chargers had a gem of a game Sunday, forcing five turnovers by the Buffalo Bills and shocking one of the best teams in football.

Open both eyes and an undeniable reality came into focus.

No matter how well their defense played, the split-personality Chargers didn’t have the offensive juice to capitalize on those takeaways.

They seized the football, spun their wheels and corkscrewed even deeper into the NFL basement with a demoralizing 24-16 defeat.

“I’m used to this,” said Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, a former Philadelphia Eagles standout who made a key interception Sunday. “I’ve been in two Super Bowls, conference championships. It ain’t nothing new. Teams like [the Chargers], that ain’t really been to the top, they don’t know how to finish as well. And we got playmakers over here that know how to finish.

“So no disrespect, just that’s what it is.”

From Maddie Lee: The Dodgers closed the 2026 regular season with a 5-1 win against the Giants on Sunday, bringing their record to 100-62.

“There’s a lot of things that we had to go through this year,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And we just continue to remain steadfast and play on.”

The Dodgers were already locked into a No. 2 seed, with a first-round bye. But the slate of games Sunday sorted out the rest of the postseason bracket.

In the National League Division Series, the Dodgers play the winner of the best-of-three wild-card series between the No. 6 Philadelphia Phillies (who claimed the final NL wild-card spot with a win Sunday) or the No. 3 Atlanta Braves.

During the bye, the Dodgers will balance practice and live pitching with rest. Then they’ll host Game 1 and 2 of the NL Division Series on Saturday and Sunday. The Dodgers will hit the road for Game 3 on Oct. 6 and an if-necessary Game 4 the next day. If the NLDS goes to five games, it will return to Dodger Stadium on Oct. 9.

It’s now the Dodgers’ job to capitalize on it, the but their regular season put them in a strong playoff position.

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Logan Gilbert struck out eight in four no-hit innings and five Seattle pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts as the Mariners beat the Angels 7-3 in the regular-season finale for both teams.

The Angels finish 2026 with a record of 62-100, the first 100 loss season in franchise history. It was a 10-game slide for the Angels, who had a 72-90 record in 2025.

Gilbert retired the first 12 batters he faced and, after walking Moisés Ballesteros at the start of the fifth inning, was lifted and left to a standing ovation from the Mariners fans.

From Mirjam Swanson: Lincoln Riley said he didn’t notice Desman Stephens II celebrating after his hit on Dante Moore appeared to seriously injure the Ducks’ quarterback in the second quarter of USC’s 41-27 loss to Oregon on Saturday at the Coliseum.

“I did not see it. No,” Riley said.

Riley missed Stephens exulting as Moore lay on his back, the linebacker delighting while most everyone else in the Coliseum held their collective breath after seeing Moore exhibit a fencing response — as we all know, an involuntary physical reaction to a brain injury.

Riley didn’t catch his player taunting the Oregon sideline as the Ducks watched their teammate lay prone at the USC 12-yard line. Didn’t think to correct or coach up Stephens, because he didn’t notice how the junior’s reaction fueled the melee between the teams.

Even after the game, Riley apparently wasn’t aware that Stephens was soon on the sideline thereafter shown on NBC’s broadcast, not kneeling respectfully or exhibiting concern, but smiling and dapping up teammates.

And Riley had no problem with Stephens frolicking along the sideline in the second half, still in his No. 8 jersey, skipping and getting hyped with his teammates — a symbol of unrepentance and a lack of accountability. Of crass classlessness.

A symbol of USC football.

From Iliana Limón Romero: Ryan Kartje: USC suspended linebacker Desman Stephens II for one game and issued apologies after he celebrated delivering a late hit that injured Oregon quarterback Dante Moore Saturday at the Coliseum, the school announced Sunday.

Stephens charged forward to tackle Moore on a run play. Moore slid late and Stephens didn’t change course, lowering his shoulder and running into Moore’s head. Oregon players and fans were more offended after Stephens celebrated the play that nearly triggered a fight among the two teams and was captured by NBC cameras smiling on the sideline while Moore was treated on the field before being transported to the hospital by ambulance. Stephens was ejected for targeting, but new NCAA rules allowed him to remain on the sideline and try to fire up his team during the second half.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning called the hit “disgusting.” USC coach Lincoln Riley and Lanning both said they did not see Stephens reaction after the play.

UCLA is ranked in the Associated Press top 25 poll for the first time in three years, earning the No. 23 spot after going 4-0 to start coach Bob Chesney’s tenure.

USC remained in the top 25 despite a loss to Oregon Saturday, dropping from No. 12 to No. 18 in the latest poll released Sunday.

Florida made a massive jump in poll and landed in the top 10 for the first time in five years while four new teams joined the rankings in a major shuffle.

The Gators’ 24-point win over then-No. 4 Mississippi under first-year coach Jon Sumrall on Saturday earned them a 13-rung promotion to No. 8, their highest ranking since 2020 and first top-10 appearance since 2021.

From Kevin Baxter: LAFC, mired in a slump having won just two of its last 13 games in all competition, fired first-year coach Marc Dos Santos on Sunday with six matches left in the MLS regular season.

The firing, announced in a three-paragraph statement, comes less than 24 hours after Saturday’s 1-0 loss to FC Dallas dropped the team to sixth in the Western Conference table.

“Marc has given a great deal to this club over the years, and we are grateful for his commitment, care and contributions to LAFC,” said John Thorrington, the team’s president of soccer operations, in the release. “We wish Marc and his family all the best moving forward.”

1940 — Bud Brennan, a spectator at Memorial Stadium, races out of the stands and attempts to tackle Michigan’s Tom Harmon at the 3-yard line. Harmon easily evades Brennan and completes an 86-yard touchdown run, his third return for a touchdown, in a 41-0 rout of California.

1951 — Norm Van Brocklin of the Rams throws for an NFL-record 554 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Rams to a 54-14 rout of the New York Yankees. Elroy Hirsch catches four of the touchdown passes and finishes with 173 yards receiving and teammate Tom Fears has 162 yards receiving.

1964 — Australia beats the Unites States 3-2 to win the Davis Cup, the first time it’s played on clay courts.

1968 — The Atlanta Chiefs beat the San Diego Toros 3-0 to win the first NASL championship.

1969 — Minnesota’s Joe Kapp throws for 449 yards and ties an NFL record with seven touchdown passes to give the Vikings a 52-14 victory over the Baltimore Colts.

1976 — Muhammad Ali wins a unanimous 15-round decision over Ken Norton at Yankee Stadium in New York to retain his world heavyweight title.

1979 — Larry Holmes knocks out Earnie Shavers in the 11th round at Las Vegas to retain his WBC heavyweight title.

1985 — Tight end Brian Foster of Rhode Island catches 18 passes for 327 yards to set an NCAA record in a 32-27 loss Brown.

1996 — Troy Davis of Iowa State rushes for 378 yards, the third highest total in major-college history, to lead the Cyclones past Missouri 45-31.

1997 — Wendy Ward records the lowest total in relation to par in the 47-year history of the LPGA tour for her first victory. Ward’s 23-under 265 gives her a two-shot victory in the Fieldcrest Cannon Classic. Ward, who made just one bogey all week, closes with 13 consecutive pars to match Kelly Robbins’ LPGA record for the lowest 72-hole total.

2000 — Tampa Bay forward Gordie Dwyer is suspended for 23 games by the NHL for manhandling two officials in attempts to fight opponents during an exhibition game on Sept. 19 against Washington.

2008 — Brett Favre throws a career-high and Jets-record six touchdown passes, three to Laveranues Coles, and New York takes advantage of mistakes by Arizona in a big second quarter of a 56-35 victory. Kurt Warner completes 40 of 57 passes for 472 yards and two TDs for Arizona.

2017 — Sam Saunders, Arnold Palmer’s grandson, shoots a 12-under 59 in the first round of the Web.com Tour Championship. Saunders closes with six straight birdies at Atlantic Beach Country Club for the seventh sub-60 round in Web.com Tour history. Stephan Jaeger set the tour record of 58 last year in the Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae in Hayward, Calif. Saunders has 13 birdies and a bogey.

2020 — Tampa Bay Lightning win the Stanley Cup for the second time with a 4-2 series win over the Dallas Stars.

Compiled by the Associated Press

1919 — In the shortest nine-inning game in major league history, 51 minutes, the New York Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-1.

1920 — A grand jury indicted eight members of the Chicago White Sox on charges of fixing the 1919 World Series in the “Black Sox Scandal.”

1938 — Gabby Hartnett hit his famous “Homer in the Gloamin’” in the ninth inning against Mace Brown to give the Chicago Cubs a 6-5 victory, their ninth straight, at Wrigley Field. It was a key triumph en route to the Cubs’ NL pennant.

1941 — Ted Williams went 6-for-8 in a doubleheader against the Philadelphia A’s to finish the season with a .406 average. No player has batted .400 since.

1951 — Allie Reynolds pitched his second no-hitter of the season as the New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox, 8-0, in the opener of a doubleheader. The Yankees clinched the AL pennant with an 11-3 victory in the nightcap.

1960 — Ted Williams homered in his final major league plate appearance, against Baltimore’s Jack Fisher. Williams did not take a curtain call, but he trotted out to left field in the ninth and was replaced immediately by Carroll Hardy and retired to a standing ovation. It was Williams’ 521st career home run. The Red Sox rallied for two runs in the ninth for a 5-4 victory.

1974 — Nolan Ryan pitched his third of seven career no-hitters, striking out 15 batters and beating the Minnesota Twins, 4-0, at Anaheim Stadium.

1975 — Vida Blue, Glenn Abbott, Paul Lindblad and Rollie Fingers of the Oakland A’s combined to no-hit the Angels, 5-0, on the final day of the season.

1995 — Greg Harris of the Montreal Expos became the first pitcher in major league history to pitch with both hands. Harris faced four batters, two from his usual right side and two from the left, in the ninth inning of a 9-7 loss to Cincinnati.

1997 — San Diego’s Tony Gwynn tied Honus Wagner’s record by winning his eighth NL batting title. Gwynn finished at .372, becoming the first player to win four consecutive NL batting titles since Rogers Hornsby won six straight from 1920-25.

2001 — Alex Rodriguez of Texas hit his 50th homer in an 11-2 victory over the Angels and became the 20th player to hit 50 homers in a season.

2006 — James Loney tied a franchise record with nine RBIs, including a grand slam and a two-run homer, to lead the Dodgers to a 19-11 victory at Colorado.

2012 — Homer Bailey of the Cincinnati Reds threw the season’s seventh no-hitter, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0. The seven no-hitters matched the modern record (since 1900) for one season, tying 1990 and 1991. Pittsburgh (76-81) assured itself of a 20th consecutive non-winning season with the loss, extending its major North American pro sports record.

2016 — John Jaso hit for the cycle and drove in five runs in Pittsburgh’s 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

2017 — Giancarlo Stanton homered twice to become the first player to hit 59 in a season since 2001, and the Miami Marlins opened the last series of Jeffrey Loria’s tenure as owner by beating the Braves 7-1.

2022 — Aaron Judge ties one of the most hallowed records in baseball — the 61 home runs hit by Roger Maris in 1961, which still stands as the American League record six decades later. He takes Tim Mayza deep with a man on base in the 6th inning of a game at Rogers Centre, breaking a 3-3 tie to lead the Yankees to an 8-3 win. While three players have exceeded that total in the National League, all were active in the steroids era and their accomplishment has been tainted as a result, which is not the case for Judge.

Compiled by the Associated Press

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