With receiver Davante Adams and safety Quentin Lake returning to the lineup, the Rams are near full-strength for their NFC wild-card game against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Adams, who leads the NFL with 14 touchdown catches, sat out three games because of a hamstring injury. He rejoins an offense that led the NFL in offense and scoring.
But Lake could be the main difference-maker for the Rams in a rematch of the Nov. 30 game between the teams.
Lake sustained an elbow injury during a Nov. 16 victory over the Seattle Seahawks and did not play in the Rams’ 31-28 defeat by the Panthers, a game in which Bryce Young passed for three touchdowns and the Rams gave up 164 yards rushing.
So coach Sean McVay is looking forward to having Lake back.
“It’s big because he’s so versatile and he’s so physical,” McVay said, adding, “He’s got this presence where you just feel better.”
In their loss to the Panthers, quarterback Matthew Stafford had two passes intercepted, one that was returned for a touchdown. He also lost a fumble.
Stafford of late has recaptured the form that has made him a favorite to win his first NFL most valuable player award. He has been named NFC offensive player of the month two months in a row.
So keeping the ball in Stafford’s hands and eliminating turnovers will be key for the Rams if they want to avenge their Week 13 loss to the Panthers.
Jan. 8 (UPI) — Salt Lake City police are searching early Thursday for suspects after two people were killed and six others wounded in a shooting outside a church where a funeral was taking place Wednesday evening.
No suspects are in custody, and authorities said they are following leads and won’t stop until those responsible have been apprehended.
“Our officers are working hard, and we will work until we bring these individuals to justice,” Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd told reporters during a press conference.
“We are confident we will bring these individuals to justice.”
Authorities said that the shooting occurred outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints following an altercation in the parking lot on Redwood Road.
Police are investigating if there were more than one shooter involved, and Redd said they do not believe that the shooting targeted the church.
“It’s probably too early to say it’s gang related, but yes, our gang detectives are here and we are definitely looking at that angle,” he said.
Of the wounded, three were in critical condition, according to a Salt Lake City Police Department statement on X.
Dozens of people were attending the funeral when the shots rang out, and they are currently being interviewed, Redd said.
We are on scene of a shooting at 660 N. Redwood Road.
2 people were killed and at least 6 more have been injured with at least 3 of those in critical condition.
The suspects are still outstanding, but our officers have obtained solid leads and are working to locate those… pic.twitter.com/SleDVievfv— Salt Lake City Police Department (@slcpd) January 8, 2026
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said the shooting should never have happened.
“This should never have happened at a place of worship. It should not have happened at a celebration of life that was occurring inside of the church tonight,” she said.
“Our condolences continue to grow and we know that this impacts not only those victims and their families, the community that was at the church, but the entire community here in Salt Lake City on the West Side.
A spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said in a statement to local media that they were aware of the shooting and were cooperating with law enforcement.
According to The Gun Violence Archive, which tallies gun violence in the United States, the incident was the 9th mass shooting to take place in the country so far this year.
There were 406 mass shootings, which involved four or more victims, for all of 2025.
As manhunt is under way, police do not believe attack was random but neither was it likely to be attack on religion.
Published On 8 Jan 20268 Jan 2026
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Two people have been killed and several injured in a shooting in the car park of a Mormon church in the Utah capital of Salt Lake City in the United States.
Police said the shooting occurred on Wednesday in the car park of a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where dozens of people were attending a funeral.
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Three of the six injured victims are in critical condition.
Police confirmed that no suspect was in custody and have launched a manhunt, with the FBI reportedly offering assistance.
While police said they did not believe the shooting was random, Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd told The Associated Press news agency it did not appear to be a targeted attack against a religion.
Church spokesman Glen Mills told reporters there had been signs of a fracas outside the church, where the funeral was taking place.
“Out in the parking lot, there was some sort of altercation took [place] and that’s when shots were fired,” he said.
About 100 law enforcement vehicles were at the scene in the aftermath, with helicopters flying overhead.
“As soon as I came over, I see someone on the ground… People are attending to him and crying and arguing,” said Brennan McIntire, a local man who spoke to AP.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said, “This should never have happened outside a place of worship. This should never have happened outside a celebration of life.”
The church, which has headquarters in Salt Lake City, is cooperating with law enforcement.
About half of Utah’s 3.5 million residents are members of the faith. Churches like the one where the shooting occurred can be found in towns throughout the city and state.
The faith has been on heightened alert since four people were killed when a former Marine opened fire in a Michigan church last month and set it ablaze.
The FBI found that he was motivated by “anti-religious beliefs” against the church.
About 82 percent of mass killings in the US in 2025 involved a firearm, according to a database maintained by AP alongside USA Today and Northeastern University.
The shooting in Salt Lake City occurred amid growing unrest in the US, after a federal officer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis amid ongoing protests against an immigration crackdown.
Tight end Tyler Higbee is on track to return on Sunday for the season finale against the Arizona Cardinals.
Safety Quentin Lake will be back for the playoffs. Star receiver Davante Adams also could be held out till then.
The Rams, coming off consecutive losses to the Seattle Seahawks and the Atlanta Falcons, might appear to be limping toward their seventh postseason appearance in nine seasons under coach Sean McVay.
But a team that was regarded by many as the class of the league midway through the season should be at or near full strength when they play an NFC wild-card game next weekend.
“We’re getting healthy at the right time,” McVay said Friday.
Lake agreed.
“The league and the world kind of knew where we were at when we were at full strength,” Lake said. “We’re getting guys back at the right time and I feel like we’re going to hit our stride at the right time.”
The Rams, who at one time were seeded No. 1 in the NFC, are currently seeded No. 6.
If the San Francisco 49ers lose to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, and the Rams defeat the Cardinals on Sunday at SoFi Stadium, the Rams will climb to No. 5.
Regardless, McVay reiterated Friday that starters would play against the Cardinals, though how much remains to be seen.
Several starters are questionable because of injuries, including running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum because of ankle injuries and left tackle Alaric Jackson because of a knee injury that kept him out of last Monday’s loss to the Falcons.
Right guard Kevin Dotson, who also sat out against the Falcons because of an ankle injury, will not play Sunday, and his status for the wild-card round remains uncertain.
The Rams also at some point will make a decision regarding veteran right tackle Rob Havenstein. The 11th-year pro has been on injured reserve since mid-November. Warren McClendon Jr. has played well in his place, but Havenstein would give McVay flexibility if Jackson were injured and McClendon moved to the left side.
The Rams’ 27-24 loss to the Falcons did not result exclusively because of injuries, but the holes left by missing starters were apparent and in some cases glaring.
Veteran tackle D.J. Humphries struggled in Jackson’s place, and guard Justin Dedich is not as big and strong as Dotson. Falcons running back Bijan Robinson ran roughshod through a defense that was missing Lake.
Rams offensive tackle Alaric Jackson, right, blocks Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson during a Rams win on Dec. 14.
(Harry How / Getty Images)
“There is a reason why those guys that have been missed are starters,” McVay said, speaking generally, “because they give us the best chance to play at the optimum levels.”
Rams tight ends have played well during Higbee’s absence, but McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford are eager for the 10th-year pro’s return.
Higbee caught 20 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns in nine games before he was injured during a Nov. 16 victory over the Seahawks.
He is looking forward to getting back into the flow on game day.
“Just try to be myself, bring the energy, bring the physicality and try to make some plays when it’s my turn,” Higbee said.
Stafford has deftly utilized tight ends Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen and Terrance Ferguson. Now he said he will welcome back Higbee, “the ultimate team player,” who helps bind teammates.
“Everybody calls him a glue guy,” Stafford said, “probably an understatement.”
Lake, a team captain, also brings more than talent to the field, which the Rams formally recognized this week when they awarded him a three-year extension that includes more than $25 million in guarantees.
Lake has been sidelined since suffering a left elbow injury that required surgery. He began practicing this week, and said he would be ready for the playoffs.
“The doctor was saying, ‘You came back pretty fast, but if you feel good and you have all the strength and range of motion, go ahead and cut it loose.’
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
Adams sat out the last two games because of a hamstring injury, but he still leads the NFL with 14 touchdown catches.
Adams was limited in practices this week.
“We want to make sure that we’re getting everything ready to roll and being smart with him because of the position that he plays and the stress that that hamstring takes with some of the different things that we activate with him,” McVay said.
Star receiver Puka Nacua is among those happy to see Higbee, Lake and Adams on the practice field again.
“It’s fun to have all those guys out there,” he said. “I’d say their presence is definitely missed.”
A tawny owl screeches nearby in the dark and her mate replies, hooting eerily from the forest below. A white dome floats in the gloaming above a plain black doorway outlined with red light, like a portal to another dimension. I’m in Grizedale Forest, far from any light-polluting cities, to visit the Lake District’s first public observatory and planetarium, which opened in May.
Grizedale Observatory offers immersive films in the planetarium and three-hour stargazing events that go on late into the night. There are sessions on astrophotography and, on moonless nights, dark sky astronomy with the chance to see “a glittering tapestry of stars, galaxies, nebulae and star clusters”. Its director, Gary Fildes, is a veteran in the field, having founded and led three UK observatories over two decades. The goal at Grizedale, he says, is to create “an immersive, year-round astronomy and science destination that brings the beauty of the Lake District skies to visitors”.
The observatory’s regular evenings form part of Cumbria’s annual dark skies festival in late October and November. The festival offers owl- and bat-spotting walks and chances to swim or canoe after dark. But the observatory does more than dip a toe in the cosmic lake – it’s a permanent centre for studying the stars. A group of 60 schoolkids is arriving in the morning.
I’m here for an Aurora Night, timed to coincide with a period of high solar activity, but the heavens are stubbornly blanketed with cloud. The first drops of rain are falling as we head into Mission Control, with its little cafe tables,hand-painted otherworldly mural, inflatable alien and row of model rockets, built to scale by the observatory’s manager, Ben Marshall, a spaceflight obsessive.
Robert Bryce Muir’s warrior sculpture in Grizedale Forest. Photograph: Stan Pritchard/Alamy
A couple of hours later, we’re all staring up in wonder at a bejewelled night sky with shooting stars – thanks to the centre’s planetarium. An illustrated talk about auroras in the Stargazers’ Lounge combines detailed explanations with a sense of cosmic wonder. In the Meteorite Lab next door, there are microscopes and little space rocks – including actual pieces of the moon and Mars.
After hot drinks in Mission Control, Gary leads us through torrential rain to the new cedar-smelling observatory he helped build. He shows us extraordinary photos of the spiralling Andromeda galaxy and the dark Horsehead nebula, silhouetted against a glowing red dust and gas cloud, all taken by the robotic telescope in the retractable custom-built dome. For nights when the weather won’t cooperate, Grizedale gives out a free clear-sky pass so visitors can come back and stargaze another time.
The observatory’s team are clearly enthusiasts. Gary has been fascinated by the night sky “ever since I was a kid growing up in Sunderland, standing in the back garden and looking up, wondering what all those stars were”. His life story is remarkable. He tells me: “I was a bricklayer for years, but that curiosity about the universe never really went away. Eventually, I decided to take a massive leap and follow that passion properly – and it changed my life. I built Kielder Observatory in Northumberland from scratch, then Grassholme Observatory in Teesdale, and now I’m working in Saudi Arabia developing the Al-Ula Manara Space Observatory, one of the most exciting astronomy projects in the world.”
Gary describes how one observatory visitor wept when she first saw Saturn through a telescope, explaining that her father used to draw planets in a wartime air raid shelter and ringed Saturn was her favourite. “For me, astronomy isn’t just about science and telescopes,” says Gary. “It’s about people. It’s about perspective, wonder, and realising that we’re all part of something far bigger.”
The Hawkshead valley looking towards the Old Man of Coniston and Tarn Hows. Photograph: Martin Bache/Alamy
No buses run to Grizedale Forest, but getting here without a car has been surprisingly easy. After an early start from Essex into London, the train up to Oxenholme takes less than three hours, racing past the Chilterns woods and Midlands canals to the cloud-capped Cumbrian fells. The branch line to Windermere is a 20-minute ride through tussocky fields of Herdwick sheep and slate-roofed, whitewashed villages. Finally, bus 505 from outside Windermere station loops round the lake and winds through hilly beech woods to reach the village of Hawkshead by lunchtime.
There are various ways of getting from Hawkshead to the observatory, about 3 miles south: by bike, taxi or on foot. I decide to walk there over the fells near Esthwaite Water and back via Hawkshead Moor. There are streams to hop and boggy hills to climb, but the views are worth it. Home to the UK’s first forest sculpture park, Grizedale has a huge collection of site-specific art. With a map of the walking trails, I follow one waterlogged path to see Andy Goldsworthy’s sinuous dry-stone wall, Taking a Wall for a Walk. Created in 1990, it’s dressed in thick moss and hidden among dense fir trees. There’s no sound other than rushing water and the calls of tiny, pine-loving goldcrests.
Forestry England lets out a little cabin next door to the observatory, and I’m sleeping there tonight. It’s a real log cabin, immaculately clean, with walls of thick pine trunks, tartan wool curtains and furry blankets. Umbrellas stand by the cabin door, on hand for the changeable Cumbrian weather. On a nocturnal trip to the loo, up a leaf-covered slope, I see a handful of stars finally winking through a gap in the clouds.
Heading back towards Hawkshead the next day, I find one of Grizedale’s newer works of art. On a grassy promontory between two waterfalls, Saad Qureshi’s Flight(2021) involves what looks like stained glass on steel filigree, creating iridescent dragonfly wings. Overnight rain has made the tumbling becks spectacular. Robert Bryce Muir’s powerful metal warriors struggle, roped together, in the trees nearby. Squelching through fields, I detour to Esthwaite, Hawkshead’s wildlife-rich lake. Redwings startle from berry-laden bushes and a cormorant skims over the water. Two swans fly overhead, their whirring wings loud in the quiet valley.
A presentation on constellations inside the planetarium
I’m staying tonight in the cosy, 17th-century King’s Arms, which reopened in August after an exquisitely tasteful refurb. My room, with its gnarled oak beams and cushioned bay window overlooking the village square, is all dusky rose and moss green, with elegant watercolours and floral fabrics. Downstairs, there’s a log-burner and local real ales in the slate-floored bar, and elegant plates in the dining room (the jalapeño jam alongside my onion bhaji is garnished with a purple pansy).
With its choice of pubs and cafes, picnic-ready delis, a well-stocked outdoor shop and a cake-filled honesty stall, fell-ringed Hawkshead is a walkers’ paradise. The former Beatrix Potter gallery (which was once her husband’s office) reopened in August as the National Trust’s first stand-alone secondhand bookshop. There’s a craft fair in the village hall and local ghost walks (£8 adults, £6 under-12s, usually on Wednesdays and Sundays).
The original Grasmere Gingerbread shop started in the mid-19th century, next to the quiet riverside churchyard where William Wordsworth lies buried. Now, 170 years later, a sister shop has appeared on Hawkshead’s pretty village square. There’s a plan to produce star-shaped cakes in support of the observatory. I stock up with chutneys from Hawkshead Relish and fresh gingerbread to take home tomorrow. Above the square, the cloudy skies are clearing and the stars are coming out.
Entrance to Grizedale Observatory is £13 adults, £8 concessions, £35 families; three-hour stargazing is £30 adults, £25 concessions, £89 families.Accommodation was provided by the King’s Arms in Hawkshead (doubles from £112.50) and the Cabin in Grizedale (from £117 a night, airbnb.co.uk). Transport was provided by Avanti West Coast (London to Oxenholme from about £35 one-way) and Stagecoach. Further information at visitlakedistrict.com
Flanker Morgan, 25, came through the academy at Scarlets and made his senior debut in 2019, before joining rivals Ospreys two years later. He made his senior Wales bow in a victory over Scotland.
Hooker Lake, 26, has 26 caps and made his debut in the 2022 Six Nations opener against Ireland.
“The Ospreys is a club that means a lot to me on so many different levels so making the decision to move was something that I spent a lot of time thinking over,” he said.
“My whole career to this point has been with this team and there have been so many special moments on the way.
“Coming through the pathway, making my debut, the first time I captained the side and the friendships I’ve forged with players and staff, will all live long in my memory for the rest of my life.”
The moves come at an uncertain time for Welsh rugby, with the number of professional clubs in the country set to be reduced from four to three by 2027.
There will be one in Cardiff, one in the east of the country and one in the west – which is expected to result in a straight survival fight between Swansea-based Ospreys and Scarlets in Llanelli.
Another option that has now emerged is Ospreys owners, Y11 Sport & Media, taking over WRU-owned Cardiff, which could produce the desired number of three professional sides.
There are currently more than 80 Wales-based players out of contract at the end of the season.
