Matthew

As a 12th-year pro, Davante Adams knows the value of rest during a bye week. So before the Rams played the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Oct. 19, Adams looked forward to days off that awaited.

Then Adams, flashing his three-time All-Pro form, caught three touchdown passes.

Was there any part of him that did not want a break?

“Oh, hell yeah,” Adams said this week, noting that he told coach Sean McVay, “‘I wish we could keep rolling at this point.’”

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Gary Klein breaks down what to expect from the Rams on Sunday when they face the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium.

So did McVay.

“He’s like, ‘Man, I don’t want to have a week off,’” McVay recalled. “I said, ‘Hey, just enjoy it.’”

Adams, rested and ready after spending part of last week in Mexico with family, intends to pick up where he left off two weeks ago when the Rams play host to the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium.

The game will mark the return of fellow star receiver Puka Nacua, who sat out against the Jaguars because of an ankle injury suffered Oct. 12 against the Baltimore Ravens.

But the Rams will be without speedy receiver Tutu Atwell, who will be sidelined for at least four games on injured reserve because of a hamstring injury.

McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford showed against the Jaguars that the Rams’ weapons go beyond Nacua and Adams. Four tight ends — Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen and rookie Terrance Ferguson — were among the 10 players who caught passes in the 35-7 victory that improved the Rams record to 5-2.

“The more people we can get involved in the game, the better we are,” said Stafford, who has passed for 17 touchdowns, with only two interceptions. “We have a couple of extremely talented players, quite a few that are difference-makers in this league. When we can spread the ball around and make everybody defend all the guys, all the eligibles, every blade of grass, that’s when we’re at our best.”

The Rams signed Adams aiming to capitalize on his experience and playmaking, his elite separation skills and the threat he poses near the goal line.

Stafford, 37, and Adams, 32, combined for a few highlight-reel plays in the first six games. But they acknowledged in the week leading up to the game against the Jaguars that they were still working to get completely in sync.

They found their rhythm against the Jaguars.

Adams made dynamic catches from inside the two-yard line for all of his touchdowns.

Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said the Rams “absolutely” envisioned those kinds of plays when they pursued Adams, who has 109 career touchdown catches, the most among active players.

“There’s a reason he has over a hundred touchdowns,” LaFleur said, adding, “It’s not shocking.”

Did the Rams find something they can build on?

“Yeah, we’ll see what the red-zone targets look like this week and then we’ll be able to fully tell you,” Adams said, chuckling. “But definitely it’s not a secret that I’ve been able to make plays in the red zone.

“I think a lot of it was just getting on the same page, us feeling each other out and coming up with a good plan. The coaches did that and we were able to connect.

“I think the more you make plays, the more you build that confidence and then you stop straining and pressing to make plays and you just be yourself and go out there and be natural.”

Adams has 31 catches for 431 yards and six touchdowns.

With Stafford and Adams continuing to solidify their connection, the offense is poised to remain productive as the Rams drive toward a playoff spot.

“Me being who I am and Matthew being who he is and just having the team that we do, my expectations are really high and standards are really high for what I should bring and what this team should be able to do,” Adams said. “I’m definitely not satisfied with what we’ve done, but happy with where we are.”

Pop star Sabrina Carpenter hosted “Saturday Night Live” for the first time ever, but it sure didn’t feel like it.

Carpenter was the musical guest last year when Jake Gyllenhaal hosted, and at the 50th anniversary special, she performed with Paul Simon and appeared in a sketch. Whether it’s because she’s done the show both as a musician and a comedic performer (her song performances are often a mix of both) or not, Carpenter seems perfectly at ease in Studio 8H, like she’s always been there.

That served her well on an episode that started badly with a retread of a sketch that’s been done a few too many times (keyword: Domingo), and a monologue that, despite Carpenter’s charm, didn’t seem to connect with the audience.

But after that, Carpenter’s quicksilver timing and ease, plus a diverse set of sketches, put the episode over the top. She sounded just like a 12-year-old boy in a sketch about preteens hosting a podcast called “Snack Homies” with President Trump (James Austin Johnson) as a guest, sold a provocative neck pillow in a funny Shop TV sketch, performed a pretaped “Grind Song” with Bowen Yang, and was thrown out of a window as the host of a girlboss seminar. She scared a co-worker (Ashley Padilla, quickly becoming a critical “SNL” utility player) on her birthday and played a singing and dancing washing machine alongside new cast member Veronika Slowikowska.

It also didn’t hurt that Carpenter’s two playful and well-sung musical performances, for “Manchild” and “Nobody’s Son,” were showstoppers. Her love of the show was evident: she performed the former wearing a “Live from New York” T-shirt and panties with “It’s Saturday Night!” written on the back.

The best argument for inviting Sabrina Carpenter back sometime might be that she held the show together with no outside guests or surprise cameos, which hasn’t happened on “SNL” in a long time. The only exception was a short film from “Please Don’t Destroy” writer Martin Herlihy at the end of the show that may have been about racism and Frankenstein’s Monsters (yes, plural).

We’ll keep this short because the less said about this week’s cold open the better. Chloe Fineman and Andrew Dismukes returned as Matthew and Kelsey, a couple that has struggled in the past with trust issues from Kelsey’s frequent trips with her friends that usually end with a passionate affair with a guy named Domingo (Marcello Hernández). This time, they’re celebrating Matthew’s 30th birthday, but for some reason, Kelsey has flown in her girlfriends (including Carpenter) to sing some pop songs in bad karaoke style about a recent weekend they spent in Nashville. This time the songs are modeled after Taylor Swift’s “Fate of Ophelia,” Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra” and Alex Warren’s “Ordinary Song.” The ladies went to Nashville and of course Domingo is still around. “This is strike six,” Matthew cries haplessly. “Babe, it won’t happen again,” Kelsey promises. Let’s hope so. The Domingo sketches need to be put to rest.

Carpenter’s monologue was largely about dispelling (but not really) the notion that the singer is overly sexualized, or as she described it, a “Horndog popster.” “There’s so much more to me,” she said, “I’m not just horny. I’m also turned on.” She made hay of the controversy over her “Man’s Best Friend” album cover by joking that it was cropped and revealing that Bowen Yang and Martin Short both originally appeared on it, with Yang pulling her up by her hair and Short pushing her away from a buffet line. The monologue started to fizzle when Carpenter went to the audience for some interaction to prove she can have chemistry with anyone or anything, only to come back to the stage for an awkward bit with Kenan Thompson, who said he wanted a Cameo video for his niece. Carpenter has charisma to spare, but the monologue was too disjointed to go anywhere.

Best sketch of the night: Does making plans to see “Plans” also scare you?

Mock horror movie trailers have done well on “SNL” lately and the streak continues with “Plans,” a Blumhouse horror film featuring Ben Marshall and Carpenter as a couple horrified to realize that plans they made back on Fourth of July have suddenly come to fruition with a cousin and her husband. As their terror grows, they remember that the cousin (Sarah Sherman) talks about marathons (“The way I see it, losing toenails is a badge of honor”) and the husband (Dismukes) likes to show off 11-minute YouTube videos. They’re going to end up at a crowded ramen restaurant and then a bad interactive play. For anyone who’s ever regretted saying yes to socializing, this might be your worst nightmare.

Also good: The neck pillow monologues

The Shop TV sketches wouldn’t work so well if Padilla and Mikey Day didn’t do such a good job infusing their characters Bev and Rhett with such practiced professional panic when things go awry, as they’ve done before. Carpenter appears as Virginia Duffy, a crafter who’s designed an ergonomic pillow that looks just like a giant vagina, which comes in different colors. “Why would you bring the pink one?” asks an exasperated Rhett. By the time the faux fur lining is added and Rhett tries on the neck pillow, culminating in an unwanted baby sound effect, Shop TV has done it again. Bonus points for Johnson as Tim Tucker, who appears at the beginning of the sketch with a trick-or-treat pail in the shape of Jesus Christ’s head. “Trick or treat, smell my feet, walk with Christ down the Halloween street,” he chants.

‘Weekend Update’ winner: Did you see ‘Saw’? He did not

New cast member Tommy Brennan discussed moving to New York and growing up in Minnesota, but it was the return of Hernandez’s Movie Guy character, who wants to talk about scary movies but has seen absolutely none of them. “Everybody saw ‘Weapons!’ I have to tell you, I was not one of those people,” he says. Movie Guy expresses that horror movies often tell you what they’re about: with “Scream,” “everbody scream!” With “Smile,” “everybody smile!” How about “Saw?” “Everybody saw! But not me, I did not see.” He goes on to touch on why Stewie from “Family Guy,” “Shrek” and others are also scary (even if he hasn’t seen them). “‘One Missed Call’ … is this a movie about my mother?”

LONDON — Goodbye London. Hello bye week.

The Rams’ ended an extended road trip and welcomed some time off with a 35-7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.

Matthew Stafford passed for five touchdowns — three to Davante Adams and one each to rookies Konata Mumpfield and Terrance Ferguson — and edge rushers Jared Verse and Byron Young led a mostly suffocating defense as the Rams improved their record to 5-2 heading into an off week.

In a light rain, and without injured star receiver Puka Nacua, coach Sean McVay and Stafford poured into 10 different receivers during a victory that made the nine-day road trip worth it.

The Rams were coming off a 17-3 road victory over the Ravens. They remained in Baltimore last week and practiced at Oriole Park at Camden Yards before departing for London on Friday.

They arrived Saturday and played on Sunday.

And they showed no signs of jet lag.

Rams rookie Josaiah Stewart sacks Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence during the second half Sunday.

(Ian Walton / Associated Press)

Verse sacked Trevor Lawrence on the first play, the Rams jumped to a 21-0 halftime lead and cruised as McVay remained unbeaten in London games.

Young, rookie outside linebacker Josaiah Stewart, linebacker Nate Landman, lineman Larrell Murchison and safety Quentin Lake contributed to seven sacks on Lawrence. Lake, who also forced a fumble, and lineman Kobie Turner batted down passes in the backfield.

In 2017, McVay’s first season, the Rams routed the Arizona Cardinals at Twickenham Stadium. Two years later, they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals at Wembley Stadium.

Though Sunday’s game was played thousands of miles from Southern California, it had something of a Rams family feel.

Jaguars coach Liam Coen was an assistant under McVay, and Jaguars first-year general manager James Gladstone worked for nine years under Rams general manager Les Snead.

The week off should benefit Nacua, who did not play because of an ankle injury sustained against the Ravens. The Rams thought it best to rest the third-year pro and let him heal during the off week before they play the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 2 at SoFi Stadium.

Rams wide receiver Davante Adams leaps above Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown to catch his third touchdown pass of the game in the fourth quarter Sunday.

(Ian Walton / Associated Press)

That opened the door for Adams and others.

By the end of the first quarter, Stafford had completed passes to seven of eight different receivers targeted, including touchdowns to Mumpfield and two to Adams.

Stafford connected with Ferguson and Adams for touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Adams and Stafford had said in Baltimore that they were still working to find their timing together.

They found it Sunday: Adams caught five passes for 35 yards, and all of his short touchdown receptions were on the kinds of red-zone plays the Rams envisioned when they signed the three-time All-Pro.

Stafford completed 21 of 33 passes for only 182 yards, but he made them count.

So for the first time since 2021, the Rams will go into their off week with a winning record.

In 2023, the Rams were 3-6 at the bye and then won seven of eight games to finish 10-7 and make the playoffs.

Last season, they were 1-4 at the bye and then won nine of 12 games to finish 10-7 and make the playoffs.

But Sunday’s victory trends closer to 2017, when the Rams shut out the Cardinals, 33-0, at Twickenham Stadium to improve to 5-2 going into the bye. The Rams went on to win the NFC West and make the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

After taking trips to Tennessee, Philadelphia, Baltimore and London, the Rams will leave the West Coast only twice for a Nov. 30 game at Carolina and a Dec. 29 game at Atlanta.

They had to feel good about that as they prepared for their long flight home.

BALTIMORE — Rams receiver Puka Nacua fell off his record-setting pace.

But that was fine with the Rams.

They were just happy their star receiver returned to the field after suffering a foot injury in the first half of Sunday’s 17-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

Matthew Stafford passed for a touchdown, Kyren Williams ran for another and Jared Verse and safety Quentin Lake led a defense that shut down the Lamar Jackson-less Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

The Rams bounced back from their overtime defeat by the San Francisco 49ers and improved their record to 4-2. They will remain in Baltimore this week to prepare for next Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London.

The Rams overcame untimely penalties, dropped passes, special teams errors and Nacua’s scare that left them in a 3-3 tie at halftime.

But the Rams scored two touchdowns in the first five minutes of the second half on a short run by Williams and — after Verse forced a fumble that was recovered by Lake — a short touchdown pass from Stafford to tight end Tyler Higbee.

Nacua, who entered the game with an NFL leading 52 receptions and 588 yards receiving, had only two catches for 28 yards. That proved more than enough against a Ravens team that fell to 1-5.

Nacua was assisted off the field by trainers with about 10 minutes left in the second quarter after attempting to catch a pass in the end zone.

Nacua had run along the right sideline with Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey in tight coverage. Both players leaped for the ball and came down hard on the turf.

Nacua got up gingerly in apparent pain, and then took a few steps and went back to the ground.

Moments later, running back Blake Corum also went to the locker room because of an ankle. Like Nacua, he returned in the second half.

Lake intercepted a pass — the first interception of the fourth-year pro’s career — and also recovered a fumble.

Verse forced a fumble and stopped star running back Derek Henry on a fourth-and-one play at the goal line at the end of the first half.

The script is familiar.

Fourth quarter or overtime. Rams trail or are tied. On comes Matthew Stafford.

The veteran quarterback is the master of comebacks.

And he appeared to be on the verge of doing it again on Thursday night against the rival San Francisco 49ers.

But the 49ers stopped running back Kyren Williams on a fourth-and-one play at the 49ers’ 11-yard line, sending the Rams to a 26-23 overtime defeat before 73,652 at SoFi Stadium.

After the game, Rams coach Sean McVay blamed himself for the failed fourth-down run, saying “it was a bad call by me.”

Stafford tossed two touchdown passes to Williams and another to Puka Nacua, but on a night when the Rams’ kicking woes continued, it was not enough to beat an injury-riddled opponent as the Rams fell to 3-2 and wasted an opportunity to take over first place in the NFC West.

Rams kicker Joshua Karty, who last year beat the 49ers with a winning field goal at SoFi Stadium, missed a long field-goal attempt and had an extra-point attempt blocked, the second time that has happened this season. His kickoff in overtime did not reach the landing zone, giving the 49ers the ball at the 40-yard line.

The 49ers improved to 4-1, with victories over the Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West.

McVay this week good-naturedly blamed his late grandfather John McVay for creating so many 49ers fans by helping assemble 49ers teams that won five Super Bowls.

And McVay and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, his former mentor, have squared off for some classic matchups, including the NFC championship game at SoFi Stadium in January 2022.

But these were not the same 49ers — at least on paper.

San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Alfred Collins (95) celebrates with teammates after forcing Rams running back Kyren Williams to fumble at the goal line late in the fourth quarter Thursday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

With quarterback Brock Purdy receiving a massive extension before the season, the 49ers let go of numerous high-profile stars that helped them make two Super Bowl appearances in the last six years.

Even quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is with the Rams.

Journeyman Mac Jones started in place of Purdy, who is nursing a toe injury. Tight end George Kittle, receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings and star defensive end Nick Bosa also did not play.

But the 49ers still prevailed.

Mac Jones completed 33 of 49 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns.

Rams linebacker Jared Verse celebrates after making a tackle in the third quarter against the 49ers on Thursday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Christian McCaffrey caught eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 57 yards in 22 carries.

The score was tied 23-23 at the end of regulation after the Rams blew a chance to win when Williams fumbled at the 49ers’ one-yard line — but then tied the score on Karty’s 48-yard field goal with two seconds left.

Piniero’s 41-yard field goal gave the 49ers the lead.

The Rams then drove from their 33 to the 49ers’ 11, where their hopes for a victory ended.

For years, Matthew McConaughey wouldn’t tell his mom, Kay, anything of substance during their weekly phone calls — her love of spreading news had cost her his trust.

“We had about an eight-year period where I had to have short conversations with her on our Sunday phone calls because she was sharing a lot of information,” Matthew told People in a joint interview with his mother. “I’d tell her something on Sunday between son and mom, and Tuesday I’d read about it in the news or see it in the local paper.”

Kay called the period a hiatus, which started after she took the media on a tour of Matthew’s childhood home without his consent. In her defense, she didn’t think he would find out.

“I was so proud that I was just telling the world,” she said.

The hiatus came to an end when Matthew felt stable enough with his fame. When the two hit red carpets together after that, Kay would ask if there were any rules she had to follow, but he let her tell the raunchiest stories at will.

“My mom can say whatever the hell she wants,” Matthew said. “Let’s take the lasso off and just go for it, Mom.”

Matthew and Kay co-star in the upcoming film “The Lost Bus,” where she plays his mother. The movie, which premieres Friday on Apple TV+, also stars Matthew’s oldest son, Levi.

Hear the sound of fingers crossing? That might be Levi hoping his dad learned a thing or two from Grandma.

No reset necessary. No reason to make more of some rare misfires.

After 16-plus seasons, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford knows how to put less-than-efficient performances behind.

So the passes he missed in last Sunday’s defeat by the Philadelphia Eagles are not cause for concern as he prepares for Sunday’s game against the unbeaten Indianapolis Colts at SoFi Stadium.

“It happens,” Stafford said Wednesday before practice. “I’m not too worried about it.”

Stafford completed 19 of 33 passes (57.6%) for 198 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Despite missing on some passes he usually completes, he finished the game by directing a two-minute drive that positioned the Rams to win the game. The Eagles blocked a last-second field-goal attempt and returned it for a touchdown.

Stafford compared a rare off day to those sometimes experienced by NBA players.

“You go to an NBA game, you watch guys shoot the ball, the best shooters in the world, the guys that can make it every time,” Stafford said, “and sometimes they have nights where it doesn’t go down.”

On Sunday, Stafford will go against a surprising Colts team led by quarterback Daniel Jones.

Stafford, 37, has completed 63 of 95 passes (66.3%) for 739 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions. He has been sacked five times. Stafford’s longest touchdown pass play covered 44 yards.

Jones, 28, has completed 63 of 88 passes (71.6%) for 816 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He has been sacked twice. Jones’ longest touchdown pass play covered 44 yards.

It has been a renaissance of sorts for Jones, the sixth pick in the 2019 NFL draft, after six-plus seasons with the New York Giants and a short late-season stint with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024.

In two losses to the Rams when he played for the Giants, Jones passed for zero touchdowns with four interceptions.

But he has not committed a turnover this season.

“He’s seeing the field well,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “He’s playing in rhythm. He’s playing on time. … He’s obviously got the mobility to make you pay as a runner, but I think he’s reading well. … He throws the ball with great accuracy and anticipation.”

Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) scrambles for yardage during a victory over the Titans last week.

(George Walker IV / Associated Press)

That has been Stafford’s trademark during his four-plus seasons with the Rams.

Despite being sidelined all of training camp and most preseason practices because of a back issue, Stafford opened the season strong. He completed 21 of 29 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown in a 14-9 victory over the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium. He also eclipsed 60,000 career yards passing in the win.

The next week, he completed 23 of 33 passes for 298 yards and two touchdowns with an interception in a 33-19 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Nashville.

But Stafford’s ball placement and efficiency fell off against the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field as the Rams converted only three of 10 third downs.

“Those kind of days are going to happen,” Stafford said. “Frustrating when it happens, but was able to kind of get it going. … That two-minute drive, was putting the ball right where I wanted to every time for the most part.

“So just continue to throw, trust the process.”

Jones has thrived with the Colts since beating out Anthony Richardson for the starting role.

In the season opener against the Miami Dolphins, Jones led scoring drives on all seven of his team’s possessions. He passed for 272 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for two touchdowns in a 33-8 victory.

The next week, he passed for 316 yards and a touchdown and rushed for a touchdown in a 29-28 victory over the Denver Broncos.

And last week, he passed for 228 yards and a touchdown in a 41-20 victory over the Titans.

The Colts, with star running back Jonathan Taylor and receiver Michael Pittman Jr. among others, rank second in the NFL in total offense.

“It’s been impressive to watch their overall operation,”’McVay said, “with Daniel leading the way.”

NEW YORK — Matthew Dowd’s firing has opened a floodgate.

The MSNBC political analyst, who lost his job shortly after on-air comments about slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, was the first of many figures to face consequences Thursday for public statements or actions about the shooting.

Raw feelings about the killing have ignited a campaign to shame — and worse. Several conservative activists sought to identify social media users whose posts about Kirk they viewed as offensive or celebratory. Right-wing influencer Laura Loomer said she would try to ruin the professional aspirations of anyone who celebrated Kirk’s death.

MSNBC said Dowd is no longer with the network after his comments, shortly after the shooting, in which he said that “hateful words” can lead to “hateful actions.” Both MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler and Dowd apologized for the remarks, which Kutler called “inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable.”

Dowd said he didn’t intend for his comments to blame Kirk for the attack, as some may have construed them. Still, it brought an abrupt interruption to his work as a television commentator, which the former aide to President George W. Bush has done for nearly two decades.

The moves to curb certain public commentary after Kirk’s death are particularly notable, as his admirers had lauded him as a champion of free speech.

Actions spread across country

A Florida reporter was suspended for a question posed to a congressman. A comic book writer lost her job because of social media posts, as did educators in Mississippi and Tennessee. “CBS Mornings” host Nate Burleson was attacked for a question he asked. An Arizona sports reporter and a Carolina Panthers public relations official lost their jobs.

An anonymously registered website pledged to “Expose Charlie’s Murderers” and asked people to offer tips about people who were “supporting political violence online.”

The site published a running list Thursday of targeted posts, along with the names, locations and employers of people who posted them. While some posts contained incendiary language, others didn’t appear to celebrate the shooting or glorify violence. There were several similar efforts, including one by activist Scott Presler, who asked his followers about teachers purported to have celebrated Kirk’s killing and posted findings on X.

A staff member at the University of Mississippi was fired after sharing “insensitive comments” about Kirk’s death, according to the school’s chancellor, Glenn Boyce. The university did not identify the employee or immediately respond to questions from the Associated Press.

The president of Middle Tennessee State University said he’d fired a staffer who offered “callous and inappropriate comments on social media” about Kirk’s shooting. President Sidney A. McPhee did not identify the staff member but said the person “worked in a position of trust with our students.”

It wasn’t clear if it was the same person, but an X post by Tennessee GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn identified an assistant dean of students at MTSU who posted online that she had “ZERO sympathy” after the shooting. Blackburn said the person should be ashamed and fired.

A warning to teachers in Florida

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ education commissioner warned the state’s teachers that making “disgusting” statements about Kirk’s killing could draw sanctions, including the suspension or revocation of teaching licenses. Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas said in a memo to school district superintendents that he’d been made aware of “despicable” comments on social media.

“I will be conducting an investigation of every educator who engages in this vile, sanctionable behavior,” Kamoutsas said in the memo, which he also posted on X on Thursday. “Govern yourselves accordingly.”

The rush to police commentary appeared to have little precedent in other recent examples of political violence, such as the 2022 home-invasion hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; or the shooting deaths in June of Minnesota House Democratic leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark.

DC Comics announced that it was ditching a new “Red Hood” series, a Batman spinoff, after one issue had been published and two more were in the works. The comics’ writer, Gretchen Felker-Martin, had published comments about Kirk’s shooting online that DC called offensive.

“Posts or public comments that can be viewed as promoting hostility or violence are inconsistent with DC’s standards of conduct,” the comics publisher said.

Loomer, an informal advisor to President Trump whose pressure campaigns have resulted in several firings in his administration, attacked the entertainment website TMZ for what she called a “disgusting” livestream in which employees could be heard laughing and cheering seconds before Kirk’s death was announced. TMZ said the noise had nothing to do with the Kirk story — the staff members were crowded around a computer watching a car chase — but apologized for the bad timing and how it looked to viewers.

A writer for the Arizona media company PHNX Sports was fired after conservative activists called attention to a series of online posts that attacked Kirk’s positions on guns and Gaza and called him evil.

The NFL’s Carolina Panthers distanced themselves from an employee who posted comments about Kirk and a photo referencing Wu-Tang Clan’s song “Protect Ya Neck.” Kirk was shot in the neck. Football communications coordinator Charlie Rock was fired, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke under condition of anonymity because the team typically doesn’t announce firings.

Rock’s name has been removed from the team’s website. He did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

CBS News anchor under attack

Burleson, a former NFL star turned anchor for CBS News’ morning show, was attacked online for asking former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on the air Thursday whether this was a moment for the Republican Party to reflect on political violence. His co-anchor, Gayle King, immediately tried to soften the question by interjecting, “I’d say both parties.”

Another former NFL player, Jay Feely, running for Congress in Arizona, said the question was offensive. “Charlie Kirk was assassinated in front of his family and you ask if Republicans need to tone down their rhetoric?” he said. (Kirk’s family was not present at the shooting.) Some conservative media stars also weighed in, with talk show host Erick Erickson calling for Burleson to be fired and Clay Travis calling him a ”moron.”

A reporter for the Floridapolitics.com news site was suspended for texting a Florida congressman a question about gun control immediately after Kirk’s shooting. Peter Schorsch, Floridapolitics.com publisher, said he was concerned that reporter A.G. Gancarski was trying to provoke a source rather than initiate a serious policy discussion. Utah law allows people to carry guns on college campuses; Kirk was slain on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem.

U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, a Florida Republican, texted back that he had learned of Kirk’s shooting only 23 minutes earlier and was repulsed to get the question when people should be praying for Kirk’s safety. Schorsch said he agreed that the timing was inappropriate, and didn’t want any of his staff members to be put in danger by anyone angry about it.

“I think everybody today should be asking questions about a wide range of policies,” Schorsch said in an interview Thursday. “But when a house is on fire, I don’t think you should ask questions about a person’s insurance policy. You put out the fire first.”

He said Gancarski was a good reporter who made a mistake. He’ll be back on the job after a few days out. Gancarski, reached by phone, declined comment.

The feminist website Jezebel removed a post headlined “We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk” that was published Monday, two days before Kirk’s death. “The piece was intended as satire and made it absolutely clear that we wished no physical harm. We stand by every word,” Jezebel said in an editor’s note.

“We may republish at a later date, but out of compassion for the victim’s family, we want to make clear that we prioritize an end to violence over anyone wanting to read about Etsy witches,” Jezebel said, in a reference to the online storefront.

Bauder and Swenson write for the Associated Press. AP journalists Sophie Bates, Kate Payne, Steve Reed and Nicholas Riccardi contributed to this report.

Political analyst Matthew Dowd lost his contributor role at MSNBC because of comments he made about Charlie Kirk after the young right-wing activist was murdered Wednesday.

Shortly after Kirk was shot to death while speaking on stage at Utah Valley State University, Dowd told MSNBC anchor Katy Tur that “hateful thoughts lead to hateful words which then lead to hateful actions.”

The angry reaction on social media was immediate after Dowd’s comments suggested that Kirk’s history of incendiary remarks led to the shooting.

MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler issued an apology Wednesday night.

“During our breaking news coverage of the shooting of Charlie Kirk, Matthew Dowd made comments that were inappropriate, insensitive, and unacceptable,” Kutler said in a statement. “There is no place for violence in America, political or otherwise.”

The network then severed ties with Dowd, according to a person briefed on the decision who was not authorized to comment.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Charlie Kirk,” Dowd later wrote on his Bluesky account. “I was asked a question on the environment we are in. I apologize for my tone and words. Let me be clear, I in no way intended for my comments to blame Kirk for this horrendous attack.”

Dowd is a political consultant who served as the chief strategist for George W. Bush’s successful 2004 presidential reelection campaign. Dowd broke away from the Republican party due to his unhappiness with Bush’s handling of the Iraq war.

Dowd previously served as a political analyst for ABC News.

Matthew Stafford will start at quarterback and the plan is for Alaric Jackson to start at left tackle on Sunday in the season opener against the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium, Rams coach Sean McVay said Monday.

Stafford, 37, practiced the last few weeks after sitting out training camp and several weeks because of a back issue.

“He’ll be good,” to start against the Texans, McVay said during a videoconference with reporters after the Rams completed a no-pads practice that was closed to the media.

Jackson, who signed a $35-million extension in March, practiced Monday for the first time since he was diagnosed with blood clots in his legs in June. Jackson had been doing individual drills with trainers and had participated with starters in jog-throughs.

“He earned the right to be in the position, where you pay him — it was a big priority for us to get him back,” McVay said. “He’s done everything in his power to be ready to go. This was always the end goal in mind — is to be ready to go against the Texans.”

After Jackson was diagnosed with blood clots for the second time in his career — he also dealt with the issue in 2022 — the Rams signed veteran tackle D.J. Humphries. Warren McClendon Jr. and David Quessenberry are other tackles that could play opposite right tackle Rob Havenstein if Jackson is injured, limited or struggles.

But McVay sounded optimistic that the Rams would continue to manage Jackson’s condition and that he would be ready for Sunday.

“He’s taken great care of himself, and he’s put himself in a rare position that I do believe to step in and play at a good clip,” McVay said, adding, “There’s nothing like actually playing real football … but [Monday] was a great step in the right direction.”

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford appears on track to start the season opener against the Houston Texans — and now perhaps his primary protector will join him in the preparation.

Left tackle Alaric Jackson, who has been sidelined because of blood-clot issues in his legs, will participate in full-team drills for the first time next week, coach Sean McVay said Monday.

“We’ve got a good plan in place,” McVay said.

Jackson, 27, signed a three-year, $35-million extension in March. But in June, he was diagnosed with blood-clot issues for the second time in his career, and the Rams hurriedly signed veteran tackle D.J. Humphries.

Rams offensive tackle Alaric Jackson stretches with teammates during training camp at Loyola Marymount on July 24.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Whether Jackson can play in the Sept. 7 opener against the Texans, or any time this season, will be determined by how he responds to the increased workload while managing the condition.

McVay and the Rams are hoping Jackson’s trajectory is similar to Stafford’s.

Stafford, sidelined all of training camp and several weeks of practices because of a back issue, returned last week and completed three workouts and a jog-through with no setbacks. He was on the field Monday and continued to look sharp.

“He’s doing a heck of a job taking care of himself with a lot of different things,” McVay said of Stafford, adding, “I can’t see into the future, but if you look at what the last week has entailed, feel really good.

“There’s nothing that would lead me to believe, unless we have an unforeseen setback, that he’s not going to be ready to roll against the Texans.”

Having Jackson available to protect Stafford’s blindside would be a plus for a Rams team regarded as a Super Bowl contender.

The Rams have experience dealing with Jackson’s issue.

In 2022, the season of the Rams’ historic post-Super Bowl collapse, Jackson sat out eight games because of a blood-clot issue.

Since training camp began, Jackson has been doing individual work with trainers. But he has lined up with starters during jog-throughs. Jackson’s participation in full-team drills starting next Monday will be another milestone for the fifth-year pro.

“I’m really happy for him that all things are pointing to him being ready to go and being able to manage this,” McVay said. “There’s been a lot of work behind the scenes of being educated on how many people have really been able to deal with this. … Feel really fortunate that that’s the direction that we’re trending in.”

Etc.

Initial 53-man rosters must be set by Tuesday at 1 p.m. . McVay said the Rams already have made their decisions. … Rookie outside linebacker Josaiah Stewart is in concussion protocol, McVay said.

As Matthew Stafford got to the podium on Thursday, he joked that he was sure reporters wanted to ask him questions about the paper cut he suffered.

The Rams star quarterback then fielded inquiries about the subject that clouds all conversation about the Rams: The back injury that sidelined Stafford until this week.

Stafford practiced for the fourth day in a row, another small milestone for the 17th-year pro and a team aiming to make a Super Bowl run.

“The good thing is I feel pretty good,” said Stafford, who practiced for the fourth day in a row. “The last couple days out there practicing, I was able to do even more than I thought I was going to be able to do the first day, and then I’ve just been trying to stack days.

“Backs are sometimes interesting things. It’s not cut and dry, what’s what and how you’re going to feel. So I’m really appreciative of our team, our head coach and everybody taking a day-to-day approach with me and doing everything they can to try and help me out.

“I have a feeling of responsibility to our team to do what’s right by them and I’m trying to do that as best as I can day in and day out.”

Stafford, 37, declined to discuss specifics of his injury, which coach Sean McVay has described as an aggravated disc that required at least one epidural injection.

Stafford said there was not a particular offseason incident that caused the condition, which apparently flared while training between the time the Rams returned from Maui in June and the start of training camp in late July.

“It wasn’t like one thing where I knew right away,” he said. “Just kind of something that crept up on me a little bit.”

Stafford said he had done “everything under the sun” to be able to return to the field.

Asked if he expected to be ready for the Sept. 7 opener against the Houston Texans, he said, “I’m not going to answer questions like that. … It’s probably a day-to-day thing. I’m just doing everything I can to try and be out there for the next practice.”

Rams coach Sean McVay, left, talks with quarterback Matthew Stafford, right, during training camp in Woodland Hills on Thursday.

(Gary Klein / Los Angeles Times)

Stafford’s return to the field began on Monday, two days after he did not go through a scheduled individual throwing session. Stafford recovered well enough from Monday’s workout to practice again on Tuesday. He participated in a team jogthrough on Wednesday, and then went through a full practice on Thursday.

Throughout the week, he looked sharp and showed no discernible signs of discomfort or limitations.

“I’ve seen a guy that’s gotten better and better,” McVay said. “He looks like the stud that we know.”

Stafford’s availability will be paramount for a team aiming to return to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2021-22 season, when Stafford led the Rams to a victory in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.

During the offseason, the Rams adjusted Stafford’s contract — he will carry a salary-cap number of $47.5 million this season, according to Overthecap.com — because they believe that with the addition of star receiver Davante Adams and a rising defense, they have a shot at another title.

During training camp and joint practices with the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints, veteran Jimmy Garoppolo took first-team snaps in place of Stafford. Third-year pro Stetson Bennett also made major strides during training camp and two preseason starts.

Yet Stafford’s availability and performance will dictate whether the Rams can improve their performance from last season, when they advanced to the NFC divisional round before losing to the eventual Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles.

So the Rams and Stafford must manage the back issue.

The Rams play their final preseason game at Cleveland on Saturday, but Stafford — and perhaps other veterans — will not travel, McVay said.

Stafford sounded as if managing this back issue will be nothing new for a quarterback who played through numerous injuries during 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions and four with the Rams.

“There’s soreness all over the place, every time I wake up,” he joked. “It’s something that I’ll manage like I do a million other things throughout the year.”

Matthew Stafford’s second day of practice lacked the anticipation and drama of the first.

But Tuesday’s performance was a milestone nonetheless for the star quarterback and a Rams team with designs on a Super Bowl title.

The biggest takeaway: Stafford’s injured back responded positively to Monday’s one-hour workout, enabling the 17th-year pro to play with even more confidence as the Rams prepare for their Sept. 7 opener against the Houston Texans.

“The reality is we’re trying to get our hands on this and get him to feel as good as possible,” coach Sean McVay said. “Backs can be a volatile thing. This is definitely positive progress. … It certainly is trending in a positive direction for us.”

Stafford, 37, had been sidelined since the start of training camp because of what McVay has described as an aggravated disc. McVay has said that Stafford received an epidural injection a few weeks ago, but on Tuesday he declined to specify if he had received another.

Stafford was not made available to reporters.

Rams players welcomed the return of a quarterback who ranks among the NFL’s otp 10 in several career passing categories.

“Any time that man walks into a huddle, he just brings presence,” veteran right tackle Rob Havenstein said Tuesday. “So it’s great to see him out there doing his thing.”

Stafford has plenty of experience. But “repetition is the mother of learning,” McVay said, so Stafford’s ability to read coverages, feel the pass rush and escape a collapsing pocket at full speed in practice helps him continue to develop.

“I don’t care whether you’re Matthew Stafford, whether you’re Steph Curry — whoever you are,” McVay said. “These guys get great at their sports by being able to play it.”

So McVay is eager for Stafford to take as many reps as possible before the opener.

“I’ll be just like, I think, a lot of fans and a lot of his teammates and coaches,” McVay said, “that you’re really hopeful that this is the direction … so we can build a good foundation and allow him to be the Matthew that we’re accustomed to seeing.”

Etc.

Left tackle Alaric Jackson, who is dealing with blood clot issues, continues to do individual work with trainers. “His focus and concentration is being ready to go for Week 1,” McVay said, “and that would be a great situation for us if that’s the case.” … Receiver Davante Adams had a veterans day off from practice.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is back.

But to what degree remains to be seen.

Stafford, who has been sidelined since the start of training camp because of a back issue, practiced Monday for the first time.

Matthew Stafford stretches during practice at the Rams’ facility in Woodland Hills on Monday.

(Gary Klein / Los Angeles Times)

Stafford, 37, went through individual and team drills with the first-team offense. The 17th-year pro was a full participant in practice, but did not speak to reporters afterward.

“It was good to be able to have Matthew out there,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “There are no updates. We’re going to take it a day, a week at a time. “

On Aug. 9. Stafford went through an individual workout that included throwing more than 60 passes. But he was unable to practice two days later as scheduled.

The Rams open the season on Sept. 7 against the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium.

Rams coach Sean McVay was not talking.

Aubrey Pleasant deferred to McVay. And Stetson Bennett was so busy leading a comeback victory, he said he did not notice.

No one in the Rams’ organization could answer these questions:

How did Matthew Stafford’s scheduled workout on Saturday play out? And was he at the Rams’ 23-22 victory over the Chargers at SoFi Stadium?

A team spokesman declined to comment, saying McVay would address the situation on Monday.

So the Stafford saga plays on, incrementally worsening as the Sept. 7 opener against the Houston Texans draws near.

Stafford, 37, is preparing for his 17th NFL season.

Check that: He would be if not for a back issue that has prevented him from taking a single snap or throwing a single pass during a team practice.

In late July, when the Rams reported to training camp at Loyola Marymount and Stafford’s back issue came to light, the situation was cause for concern.

For everyone, it seemed, but McVay.

The Rams had a plan, he said. He was not concerned. Stafford would not practice for the first week, but he would be out there with teammates in Week 2.

It did not happen.

Nearly a month later, it still hasn’t.

McVay said last week that the Rams were “trying to get our hands around” the situation.

But time is becoming shorter.

The Rams are three weeks away from the season opener at SoFi Stadium.

Jimmy Garoppolo has taken first-team snaps during team workouts and joint practices with the Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints. Bennett has started preseason games against the Cowboys and the Chargers.

Garoppolo led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl. Bennett is playing with the confidence he displayed while leading Georgia to two national titles.

With a physically sound Stafford, the Rams would be regarded as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

With Garoppolo or Bennett…

How much time Stafford would need to be ready for the opener is an open question.

Three weeks? Two? One?

No one questions Stafford’s toughness or grit. Or his desire to win another Super Bowl.

But for now, his physical condition and availability — and the Rams’ prospects this season and beyond — remain in doubt.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford walks on the field before a preseason win over the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 9.

(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was scheduled to work out on Saturday, a chance for the 17th-year pro to test his injured back.

But before the Rams played the Chargers at SoFi Stadium, when asked to confirm whether Stafford went through the workout, a Rams official declined to comment and said coach Sean McVay would address the situation Monday.

It was the latest mysterious and potentially troublesome turn in a saga that began at the start of training camp and continues as the Rams prepare for their Sept. 7 opener against the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium.

Stafford, 37, is working through an aggravated disc, according to McVay, a situation that has prevented him from practicing with the team.

Last Saturday, before the Rams’ preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys, Stafford went through a workout in Woodland Hills that included more than 60 passes, McVay said after the Rams’ 31-21 victory. The plan was for Stafford to participate in individual drills two days later.

But Stafford did not practice last week. And after a joint practice with the New Orleans Saints on Thursday, McVay said Stafford would go through another workout in Woodland Hills on Saturday.

Aubrey Pleasant, the Rams assistant head coach, served as head coach for the game against the Chargers and appeared for the postgame news conference. McVay was not made available to reporters.

Rams coach Sean McVay will evaluate roster hopefuls on Saturday when the Rams play the Chargers in a preseason game at SoFi Stadium.

But as was the case last week when the Rams played the Dallas Cowboys, the most important evaluation will occur hours before kickoff at the Rams’ Woodland Hills training facility.

Star quarterback Matthew Stafford, who has yet to practice because of a back issue, is scheduled to go through another workout.

And McVay and the Rams are hopeful that the aftermath of the session will be better than the last.

According to McVay, during Stafford’s first throwing session, the 17th-year pro looked “awesome.”

That’s not how Stafford — or the Rams — felt in the days that followed: Stafford did not begin practicing as scheduled.

There are still three weeks remaining before the Sept. 7 opener against the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium. So there is still plenty of time for one of the NFL’s most experienced players to prepare for the opener and the 16 games that will follow.

A painless recovery from Saturday’s workout would be a start.

Here are five things to watch during Saturday’s game:

Will the Rams neutralize Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert?

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh has said that he plans to play most starters for at least a few series.

Since McVay does not play starters or other significant players during preseason games, that means drafted rookies and others hoping to make an impression will get the opportunity to do so against frontline players for several snaps.

Rams rookie linebacker Chris “Pooh” Paul is expected to again call defensive signals, and rookie edge rusher Josaiah Stewart is aiming for his second sack.

Cornerbacks Derion Kendrick, Shaun Jolly, Josh Wallace and Cam Lampkin could go against veteran receiver Kennan Allen.

Can quarterback Stetson Bennett continue to play with efficiency?

Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett throws a pass to wide receiver Britain Covey at SoFi Stadium on Aug. 9.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Bennett played well in the Rams’ 31-21 victory over Cowboys, passing for 188 yards and two touchdowns, with an interception.

Bennett does not have to be spectacular to give McVay at least some confidence that he could manage the offense if Stafford does not recover from his back issue and if veteran Jimmy Garoppolo suffers an injury.

Bennett’s renewed confidence was evident during training camp and against the Cowboys. It was on full display when, after dumping a third-down pass rather than forcing it, he came back on fourth down and connected with receiver Xavier Smith for a long gain.

Is Cody Schrader on track to make the running back rotation?

Rams running back Cody Schrader carries the all past Cowboys defensive back Mike Smith during a preseason game.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

It is clear that McVay wants to see how Blake Corum and rookie Jarquez Hunter would fit as back-ups for starter Kyren Williams.

And with veteran Ronnie Rivers suffering a rib injury against the Cowboys, the door is open for Schrader to continue to impress.

Schrader rushed for a team-best 59 yards in five carries against the Cowboys and turned a pass reception into a nine-yard touchdown. He also played 13 special teams snaps.

Last season, the Rams claimed Schrader off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers at the end of training camp, and then kept him on the roster to prevent other teams from signing him off the practice squad.

Can receiver Xavier Smith lock down a spot?

The Rams’ Xavier Smith, right, is battling for a role in the team’s receiving rotation.

(Stephen Brashear / Associated Press)

On a certain level, it seems like a foregone conclusion.

Smith stepped up and performed in seemingly every opportunity as a special teams player and receiver last season. Now he is aiming to find a spot in a receiver group that includes Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Tutu Atwell and Jordan Whittington.

Rookie receiver Konata Mumpfield got most of the compliments from coaches and players during training camp as Smith quietly built his case.

Mumpfield struggled in his first preseason game, but it would not be surprising if he makes adjustments and takes a big step against the Chargers.

How will Aubrey Pleasant handle head coach duties?

Rams defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant leaves the field after beating the Chargers last preseason.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

This is the second year in a row that McVay has given Pleasant, who oversees defensive backs and also holds the title of assistant head coach, the opportunity to be the head coach for a preseason game against the Chargers.

Pleasant will meet with game officials, handle pregame and halftime addresses to the team, oversee game management and handle postgame media responsibilities.

Matthew Stafford didn’t participate in the Rams’ joint practice with the New Orleans Saints on Thursday in Carson, but the team hopes he can take meaningful steps this weekend toward a return from injury.

Stafford, who has missed the entirety of training camp because of an aggravated disc in his back, is scheduled to work out Saturday, coach Sean McVay told reporters. The workout will be similar to one Stafford had on Aug. 9 when he threw more than 60 passes, McVay said.

McVay described that workout as “awesome” and was hopeful Stafford would return to practice this week. But the 37-year-old signal-caller didn’t feel up to the task Monday and has sat out of practice this week.

“Hopefully, [his back] responds a little bit better,” McVay said.

McVay added the Rams are still “trying to get our hands around” all aspects of the injury.

“So I don’t really have much more information other than … we’re trying some different things that are hopefully going to be in alignment with getting him back out on the field.”

The Rams continue the preseason Saturday against the Chargers at SoFi Stadium at 4 p.m.

Jennifer Aniston just came out with an unexpected, wistful comment about her “Friends” co-star Matthew Perry’s death: Part of her, she said, thinks it might be “better” for him that he died.

“We did everything we could when we could,” the “Morning Show” star said in an interview published Monday by Vanity Fair, talking about Perry’s friends’ attempts to help him when he was struggling with addiction. “But it almost felt like we’d been mourning Matthew for a long time because his battle with that disease was a really hard one for him to fight.”

Indeed, Perry discussed his friends’ efforts to help him in his 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” which recounted his decades-long struggles with substance abuse as well as his numerous recovery efforts.

“Although he asserts he was never high while filming ‘Friends,’ he’d often be sick or hungover,” former staff writer Christina Veta wrote in The Times’ review of the memoir. “Once, Perry passed out on the Central Perk couch and [co-star Matt] LeBlanc had to nudge him awake to say his line. Later, Aniston called him out for drinking again, telling him, ‘We can smell it.’”

Perry told Aniston, “I know I’m drinking too much, but I don’t exactly know what to do about it.”

“In nature, when a penguin is injured, the other penguins group around it and prop it up until it’s better,” he wrote in his memoir. “This is what my costars on Friends did for me. There were times on set when I was extremely hungover, and Jen and Courteney [Cox], being devoted to cardio as a cure-all, had a Lifecycle exercise bike installed backstage. In between rehearsals and takes, I’d head back there and ride that thing like the fires of hell were chasing me — anything to get my brain power back to normal. I was the injured penguin, but I was determined to not let these wonderful people, and this show, down.”

Aniston told Vanity Fair in the new interview, “looking solemn and out toward the ocean” as she spoke about Perry’s death, “As hard as it was for all of us and for the fans, there’s a part of me that thinks this is better. I’m glad he’s out of that pain.”

Perry said in his memoir that amid all his drinking and drug use, he was never suicidal.

“In the back of my mind I always had some semblance of hope. But, if dying was a consequence of getting to take the quantity of drugs I needed, then death was something I was going to have to accept,” he wrote about the period after “Friends” ended.

“That’s how skewed my thinking had become — I was able to hold those two things in my mind at the same time: I don’t want to die, but if I have to in order to get sufficient drugs on board, then amen to oblivion.”

Almost exactly a year after the memoir came out, on Oct. 28, 2024, at 4 in the afternoon, Perry was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. The drug ketamine would later emerge as his official cause of death, with drowning a contributing factor.

Matthew Stafford was at the Rams’ facility on Monday, but not on the field for his first scheduled practice.

Instead, the 37-year-old quarterback with a back issue was in a shiny metal Airstream-like trailer that sat next to the field and was emblazoned with the Ammortal logo. The chamber offers “absolute state of the art in restoration and rejuvenation,” according to the company’s website.

“It wasn’t anything specifically related to his back that he was doing in there,” coach Sean McVay said.

Hmm…

Stafford’s back, specifically what McVay has described as an aggravated disc, has been the overarching story for a Rams team that will be regarded as a Super Bowl contender if the 17-year pro is physically sound enough to lead them.

A restorative and rejuvenation chamber parked at Rams practice in Woodland Hills. Matthew Stafford spent time in the chamber while his teammates practiced Monday.

(Gary Klein / Los Angeles Times)

From the day the Rams reported for training camp last month, McVay maintained that Stafford would be ready for the Sept. 7 opener against the Houston Texans. And given Stafford’s well-documented toughness and grit, it would not be a complete surprise if he is under center that day at SoFi Stadium.

McVay said from the start that he was not concerned about Stafford’s condition — the Rams, Stafford, team trainers and spine specialist Dr. Robert Watkins had a “week to week” plan in place to manage his workload in the run-up to the opener.

Asked Monday if he was now concerned, McVay moved a bit from his previous answers.

“The fair answer is I’m going to take it a day at a time as well,” McVay said, “because I can’t be 27 days from now [playing] Houston. We have to be able to have agility and flexibility, and that’s not exclusive to Matthew. … I do think it’s important to get some work in, but not at the expense of following the plan that we’ve talked about.”

Veteran Jimmy Garoppolo will continue to take first-team reps in team workouts and during Thursday’s joint practice with the New Orleans Saints in Carson.

Stafford would not have participated in the joint practice, but McVay had hoped he would have emerged from a throwing session on Saturday without any setbacks.

According to McVay, Stafford had looked good while throwing more than 60 passes at the Rams’ Woodland Hills facility hours before the preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys.

“Had a great workout, felt good, but then came in [Monday] and it doesn’t feel great,” McVay said. “And so, didn’t feel like it was the right decision to be able to push him.”

The Rams will be “flexible and fluid” with Stafford’s situation, McVay said.

“We’re going to be smart,” he said.

Stafford was sidelined the final seven games of the Rams’ lost 2022 season because of a spinal bruise. But McVay has said his current condition was not related to that injury.

Stafford received an epidural injection a few weeks ago.

When asked if surgery had been discussed, McVay said “that hasn’t been a conversation that we’ve had.”

If the Rams were opening the season this week, would Stafford be able to play?

“I don’t know that,” McVay said. “I think he still probably would be able to play just based on how he feels.”

Will Stafford practice Tuesday if he is feeling better?

“I don’t know if we’ve gotten to that point yet,” McVay said. “Sometimes when you set expectations, they’re not met. What’s the first response? There’s frustration, and that’s OK to feel that way.

“But how can we move forward accordingly and most importantly, support a guy that when he gets out here we are going to be really excited about it.”

Etc.

Defensive linemen Kobie Turner and Poona Ford and safety Kam Curl returned to practice after sitting out a few days because of injuries. … Cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. (hamstring) and rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson (hamstring) worked on the side with trainers. … Rams signed tight end McCallan Castles to a one-year deal and waived injured tight end Anthony Torres.