Jacksons

Playing an opponent that is without its star quarterback should be an advantage for the Rams.

But after failing to capitalize on that situation in their last game against the San Francisco 49ers, the Rams might get another opportunity on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.

Lamar Jackson sat out last Sunday’s defeat by the Houston Texans because of a hamstring injury, and his status for Sunday’s game against the Rams at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore will be determined this week.

Cooper Rush started for the Ravens in the 44-10 loss to the Texans. Tyler Huntley also is on the roster.

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Gary Klein breaks down what went wrong for the Rams in their 26-23 overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers at SoFi Stadium on Thursday.

Will the Rams plan to face Jackson? Or another quarterback?

“You’ve got to plan for both,” Rams coach Sean McVay said Monday during a videoconference with reporters.

McVay was four days removed from the Rams’ 26-23 overtime loss to the 49ers, a defeat suffered despite the fact that 49ers starting quarterback Brock Purdy did not play because of a toe injury.

McVay spent three days with his family, enjoying the time while trying to forget about the defeat that ended when the 49ers stopped running back Kyren Williams for no gain on a fourth-and-one play at the 49ers’ 11-yard line.

“Was it as enjoyable as it could’ve been been?” McVay said of the break, “No, it wasn’t. But I’m excited to get back to work.”

The Rams are 3-2 after losses to the defending Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles and the 49ers, both of which are 4-1.

“I’ve never had any sort of growth that ever occurred in easy times,” McVay said. “You don’t want it to go down like that, but man, we’re going to learn a lot about ourselves and the people that we’re around — and I think we’re going to like what we see.

“That wouldn’t exist otherwise if maybe we found a way to pull those games out.”

The Rams are preparing for an extended road trip. They will leave for Baltimore on Saturday, and after Sunday’s game they will remain in the area to prepare for their Oct. 19 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London.

The Rams will shed no tears if Jackson remains sidelined.

In two victories over the Rams, the two-time NFL most valuable player passed for a combined 485 yards and eight touchdowns, and rushed for 165 yards.

As the Rams prepare for the Ravens, they will be looking for “more sustained execution throughout,” McVay said.

The Ravens are 1-4.

“I don’t care what’s happened — this is a prideful team,” McVay said of the Ravens. “We better be ready to freaking go this week.”

Etc.

Inside linebacker Omar Speights sustained a high ankle sprain against the 49ers and probably will be doubtful for the game against the Ravens, McVay said. Veteran Troy Reeder or rookie Shaun Dolac could start in his place. … Tight end Colby Parkinson is in concussion protocol but is expected to be available Sunday, McVay said. Tight end Tyler Higbee (hip) and offensive lineman Rob Havenstein (ankle), who did not play against the 49ers, will be evaluated this week. Offensive lineman Steve Avila (ankle) could start against the Ravens, depending on how he practices, McVay said.

The Cincinnati Bengals have started 0-2 or worse in the past three seasons and Joe Burrow was 1-9 in the first two weeks in his career, so their one-point win against the Cleveland Browns will be a huge relief.

Even more encouraging was the fact the much-maligned defence stepped up to clinch their 17-16 victory.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Emeka Egbuka became only the second rookie since the 1970 merger to score a game-winning touchdown in the final minute as they edged Atlanta thanks to the Falcons missing a last-gasp field goal.

Las Vegas Raiders rookie running back Ashton Jeanty scored as they beat the Patriots in New England, and Washington’s Jacory Croskey-Merritt had an even better debut with 82 yards and a score as the Washington Commanders dominated the New York Giants.

Matthew Stafford became the 10th player in NFL history to reach 60,000 passing yards as the Los Angeles Rams beat the Houston Texans, while the San Francisco 49ers lost George Kittle to a hamstring injury in victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Headline rookie Travis Hunter made his eagerly anticipated debut for the Jacksonville Jaguars, taking six catches for 33 yards as a receiver and playing six snaps on defence in a comfortable win over Carolina.

Top overall draft pick Cam Ward lost on his debut as the Tennessee Titans were beaten by the Denver Broncos.

CHELSEA are interested in signing Sporting Lisbon striker Conrad Harder, according to reports.

The Blues could re-enter the transfer market for a forward following the injury suffered by Liam Delap against Fulham on Saturday.

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Enzo Maresca’s side were on the brink of loaning Nicolas Jackson to Bayern Munich, having deemed the 24-year-old to be surplus to requirements.

Jackson was allowed to travel to Germany for a medical yesterday, only for Chelsea to pull the plug on the deal upon Delap’s injury.

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NEW YORK — Rickea Jackson‘s layup at the buzzer lifted the Sparks to a 101-99 win over the New York Liberty on Saturday night.

The Liberty also lost star Breanna Stewart to a lower leg injury three minutes into the game. Stewart had three points and a rebound before she left and went to the locker room. New York was playing the second game on back-to-back nights. The Liberty rallied to beat Phoenix on Friday night.

Sabrina Ionescu, who scored 30 points, tied the score at 99 with an elbow jumper with 23.1 seconds left. Los Angeles worked the clock down before Stephanie Talbot fouled Kelsey Plum with 5.9 seconds left. The Liberty still had a foul to give, so the Sparks got the ball on the side.

After a timeout, Jackson got the ball in the post and threw a shot up over her head just before time expired. She finished with 24 points and Plum added 20 for the Sparks, who have won five straight.

The Liberty (17-7), who had a five-game winning streak stopped, were down 15 points early in the third quarter before rallying. Ionescu’s three-point play with 2:18 left in the game tied it at 95. After the teams exchanged baskets, Azurá Stevens hit a layup with 1:03 left to give the Sparks a 99-97 advantage.

Los Angeles (11-14) led by 15 early in the third quarter before New York rallied. The Liberty got to 65-61 and then Ionescu hit a three-pointer that was waved off because off an illegal screen on Jonquel Jones. Ionescu vehemently disagreed with the call, telling the official to “tech me.” The referee obliged, giving the star guard a technical foul.

Sparks forward Azurá Stevens drives down the lane past Liberty forward Leonie Fiebich during their game Saturday.

(Catalina Fragoso / NBAE via Getty Images)

New York trailed 74-69 heading into the fourth quarter before coming back behind Natasha Cloud and Ionescu. Cloud had 10 of her 22 points in the final 10 minutes.

Los Angeles came out hot, making 13 of its 19 shots in the first quarter, including seven three-pointers. Jackson had 17 points in the opening quarter as the Sparks led 35-20. The team kept it going in the second quarter and was up 58-45 at the half, making 10 of its 18 shots from behind the arc.

One of Jackson’s long-time critics is former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, who featured on the TV broadcast of the game on Dazn.

He said: “[It’s an] unbelievable, stupid, stupid stupid mistake, I don’t know what is going through his head. You come into the game at 2-1 down and your team needs you and he does that.

“He did that at Newcastle, a very important game we needed to win to get to the Champions League. You can’t keep making mistakes. I don’t care what his frustration is, it is massive club, Chelsea Football Club.

“If you are annoyed that Delap is going to be the competition with you, if you are a big player you have to embrace it. We can become successful together as a team.

“Maresca must ask do I still trust this guy or do I stick with the player I brought into the football club, Delap? If he doesn’t trust him then it is time for Delap to start the game.

“It is the competition he is not embracing, he wants to be the only guy in the club. No, healthy competition is important. If he is not ready for it he shouldn’t be at Chelsea Football Club.”

Cucurella defended his team-mate, saying: “He’s very sad. He tried to win the ball, had the bad luck that he kicked his leg and that’s it. He’s a young player with a lot of quality but maybe needs to improve a little bit in these things.

“But he has to learn. After the manager spoke, he said sorry, he didn’t do it on purpose. He’s a very important player for us.”