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Jim Harbaugh had never lost an NFL opener as a head coach… until last Sunday.

Now, with the Las Vegas Raiders coming to town, Harbaugh is looking to keep another streak intact. With him as coach, his Chargers are 4-0 against the Silver & Black.

If Sunday’s game isn’t a must-win for the Chargers, it’s certainly a high-stakes contest on the heels of an opening flop against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Chargers did precious little right in that 26-14 defeat at SoFi Stadium, the first Week 1 loss for Harbaugh in seven openers.

The Chargers, who were favored by 9½ points, failed to generate anything close to a rhythm. The newly unveiled Mike McDaniel offense failed to get any real traction, and Justin Herbert was sacked three times.

One of the few bright spots for the Chargers was receiver Ladd McConkey, but his availability remains uncertain.

Meanwhile, the Raiders dominated the visiting Miami Dolphins, 27-13, handing Klint Kubiak a victory in his coaching debut. Granted, the Dolphins don’t show a lot of promise.

Harbaugh’s teams have swept the Raiders each of the past two seasons. In fact, the last time the Chargers lost to the Raiders was a 63-21 debacle Dec. 14, 2023, and Chargers coach Brandon Staley was fired the next day.

Emmerdale actress Nicola Wheeler was left “gutted” by her long-term co-star’s exit, following emotional scenes that brought viewers to tears

Last week, Emmerdale fans were left in tears as long-term resident Jimmy King, played by Nick Miles, lost his life in a horrific car accident. The actor had played Jimmy for 22 years, with much of that time spent portraying the husband of Nicola King.

His on-screen wife, Nicola Wheeler, has now opened up about the sad moment Nick told her he was stepping away from the soap.

Speaking to My Weekly magazine, the 52-year-old revealed: “I’ve worked with Nick (Miles) for 17 years. It was Nick who told me the news he was leaving. He contacted me after he’d told his real wife. We will stay friends, so it’s not like I won’t see him, I just won’t see him being Jimmy King again, which is odd.”

Nicola also reflected on filming their final scenes together, telling the Press Association that it suddenly dawned on her that it was the end of an era for their characters.

She said she felt “gutted” by the end of Jimmy and Nicola’s long-running partnership, explaining that filming the death scenes felt particularly strange. Episodes are shot out of order, she said, meaning the reality of Nick’s departure did not always feel real – while part of her also did not want it to be over.

Despite her sadness, Nicola praised the scripts, describing the farewell scenes as “beautifully written”, adding that she wanted to do them justice, even though filming them made the ending feel final.

Reports of Nick’s exit first emerged in May, amid claims that his contract would not be renewed and that producers had informed him earlier in the year.

While he has not addressed the reason behind his exit specifically, he has admitted that the script left both him and others who read it in tears.

Jimmy’s final scenes saw him telling his wife he loved her before succumbing to injuries sustained in the crash. As the tragedy played out on August 27, viewers flocked to X to share their sadness.

One said the soap “won’t be the same without Jimmy King,” while another admitted they were “in bits”.

Sharing what she believes could be next for her character, Nicola said: “I can’t imagine the character would ever fully move on.

“I think there’s always going to be part of her that loves him. Her heart will grow to fit another love in, but she will never let Jimmy go.”

She also teased a new storyline involving Kev Townsend, played by Chris Coghill. “Something happens in which I can only say Nicola behaves appallingly, and Kev is a gentleman, and I think from that moment she starts to see him in a different light,” she added.

Emmerdale continues tonight at 8pm on ITV and ITVX.

The Rams went into training camp with a roster jammed with stars and other notable players.

So for an undrafted player to make the team’s initial 53-man roster was among the most unlikely scenarios in the NFL.

And that was before future Hall of Fame defensive lineman Aaron Donald announced Sunday that he was ending a two-year retirement to rejoin a team favored to win the Super Bowl.

But outside linebacker Wesley Bailey, an undrafted free agent who played at Rutgers and Louisville, beat the odds. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Bailey impressed during preseason games against the Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints before playing only a few snaps against the Chargers, an indication that coach Sean McVay was going to keep him.

The Rams waived or terminated the contracts of 34 players, including defensive lineman Tim Keenan III, a seventh-round draft pick. If they clear waivers, many are expected to be signed to the 16-player practice squad.

The Rams moved to get something for at least one player they feared would not clear waivers, trading tight end Mark Redman to the Green Bay Packers for a 2028 seventh-round draft pick.

They also placed offensive linemen Justin Dedich and Keagen Trost on injured reserve, along with quarterback Matthew Caldwell.

The Rams, led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, the reigning NFL most valuable player, open the season on Sept. 10 against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia.

McVay has not said whether Stetson Bennett or rookie Ty Simpson will be Stafford’s backup.

Star receiver Puka Nacua and starting left tackle Alaric Jackson are the subjects of continuing investigations by the NFL related to separate off-the-field incidents. If the league determines that they violated the league’s personal-conduct policy, they could be suspended.

Barring change, the Rams will travel to Australia with a roster top-heavy with tight ends, receivers and outside linebackers and — because of players’ versatility — minimal numbers at cornerback.

McVay’s incorporation of three tight-end sets into the offense last season paved the way for the Rams to carry five tight ends: Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen, Terrance Ferguson and rookie Max Klare. Ferguson’s skill set ostensibly makes him an option as a third receiver behind stars Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.

The Rams’ trade last week for veteran Tutu Atwell, in a deal that sent running back Jarquez Hunter to the Miami Dolphins, gives them seven receivers.

Bailey is part of an outside linebacker group that includes Myles Garrett, Byron Young, Josaiah Stewart and Desjuan Johnson.

Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and Josh Wallace are the cornerbacks. The Rams kept only four in part because safety Quentin Lake plays as a hybrid slot corner/inside linebacker, and Wallace can play safety.

Dedich and Trost must sit out four games. The nine offensive linemen on the roster are starting center Coleman Shelton, guards Kevin Dotson and Steve Avila and tackles Jackson and Warren McClendon Jr., along with reserves David Quessenberry, Beaux Limmer, Bill Murray and Dylan McMahon.

The show’s co-creator says it turned out to be one of his ‘great joys’ in life

The beloved show’s creator shared there are two main reasons behind the decisions.

Fans of Parks and Recreation are still discovering some behind the scenes secrets. This includes the reason behind some of the names used for both key characters on the show, as well as some who only appear briefly in an episode.

For those unaware, the series follows the parks department in the fictional Indiana town of Pawnee. They are lead by the overly enthusiastic Leslie Knope, who rallies her colleagues and friends to do the best for their community, including their attempts at creating a new park.

Co-created by former writers of The Office, Mikes Schur and Dan Goor it is described by some fans as one of the best comedy series ever made. Despite it being more than 10 years since it finished airing, its dedicated fan base are still learning secrets of the show.

Schur appeared on Amy Poehler’s podcast Good Hang where he revealed some of his own. At one point during their conversation, Amy notes that Schur enjoyed coming up with character and names. He even had a long list of alternate choices for her role of Leslie Knope.

Asked why he put so much thought into names of every character, he explained it was for two reasons. One was that he was heavily inspired by Monthy Python, who would often utilise silly names in their sketches.

He decided that the fictional town of Pawnee would also be a place that contains almost limitless people who happen to have ridiculous sounding names.

However, he also explained another meaningful reason. He said: “The actual thing that’s going on here is different. I would go to actors’ IMDb pages to see what they had been in when we were casting them in the early days of the show and you would see like woman number two or like man in crowd or guy with sandwich and it really bummed me out.

“Because I love actors. I love them so much. I think that they have the hardest job when it comes to making a show. It is so hard. Anyone who doesn’t believe this should try it, by the way. Try acting.”

Schur continued: “That person auditioned for this and booked this gig and drove all the way cross town and like put on fake clothes and put on makeup and whatever and had to stand in a certain place, follow a million instructions, say a line or two, and then they yelled cut and that person went home and they got paid like $600 for like a week’s worth of work.

“They should be something better than man number two or man and crowd. So I decided early in season one of Parks that every character who appeared on the show was going to have a first and last name. So instead of man in crowd, you’re like, ‘Oh, well that it doesn’t really count as an acting gig’. But if you see Marv Vavma, which is a name I gave a character once, you’re like, who the hell is Marv Vavma? What was Marvma up to?'”

The writer described the decision as one of ‘great joys’ in his life to give every actor a character name. He added that there is also a legal issue, with names used on the show needing to be cleared in case they used the name of a real person. As a result he would opt for the ‘weirdest names’ as there would be a chance that no one else has that name.

Some of Schur’s favourite names they created for the show include Mona-Lisa Saperstein, who was played by Jenny Slate and Trodd Frankensteip who was a reporter who only appeared briefly.

There was also a Tyrion Fonzarelli, which was a combination of Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones and Arthur ‘Fonzie’ Fonzarelli from Happy Days. Coincidentally, Henry Winkler, who played Fonzie, also starred in Parks as Dr. Lu Saperstein.

One fan discovering for the first time commented: “I never knew about this and I love it!” Another added: “These names are just incredible.”

Parks and Recreation is streaming on Paramount+, Channel 4 and U.