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PHILADELPHIA — Safety Kam Curl did not see it happen initially because he was on the Rams sideline teasing the Philadelphia Eagles about what he thought was his team’s certain victory.

Punter and holder Ethan Evans had a close-up view of the first part, but could not stop the second.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford, an 18th-year pro, said he had never witnessed a game-ending play like it.

Those were just a few of the memories from Rams players when asked about last season’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.

Minutes after the Eagles blocked a late field-goal attempt, the Rams lined up for another one on the final play. Jordan Davis of the Eagles leaped and blocked the kick, scooped the ball and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown that sent the Rams to a 33-26 defeat.

“All I heard was ‘boom, boom,’” Curl said of the kick and subsequent block, “and then I looked and it was all bad from there.”

Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis prepares to pick up a loose ball after blocked field-goal attempt against the Rams on Sept. 21, 2025.

(Chris Szagola / Associated Press)

The not-so-Super Rams return to the scene of that fiasco on Sunday.

And they arrive with several special teams units that remain a concern for a star-studded team that opened the season as the overwhelming favorite to win Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium.

Not that the Rams have looked the part.

They lost their opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia, rebounded with a victory over the New York Giants, and last Sunday blew a 16-0 halftime lead in a 30-26 loss to the Denver Broncos in Denver.

Now they play an Eagles team coming off a 27-7 defeat by the Chicago Bears.

Late last season, coach Sean McVay fired special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn, and Ben Kotwica served as interim coordinator for the final two games. During the offseason, McVay hired Bubba Ventrone, who had coordinated special teams for the Indianapolis Colts and Cleveland Browns.

They also signed veteran long-snapper Joe Cardona and linebacker Grant Stuard, a special teams veteran.

The Rams’ field-goal unit is seemingly in a better place than it was last season.

Kicker Harrison Mevis replaced Joshua Karty several games after the debacle against the Eagles. He made 18 of 19 field-goal attempts in nine regular-season games and the playoffs, and has made four of five attempts this season, including two against the Broncos.

The Rams have improved in “that particular phase,” McVay said, “but you have to do it again” against a formidable Eagles field-goal block unit.

“That certainly is not anything we’re taking for granted,” McVay said.

On the same day the Rams lost to the Eagles last season, Ventrone was coaching for the Browns, who blocked a field-goal attempt by the Green Bay Packers with less than 30 seconds left, and then won the game with a field goal.

“It comes down to execution and playing with good fundamentals in those areas,” Ventrone said. “If we can do that, then we’ll be in a better spot.”

While the field-goal unit has mostly thrived, Evans has struggled with consistency, specifically directional placement of his kicks. On Friday, the Rams waived punt returner Xavier Smith, who fumbled in last season’s NFC championship game and made several decision-making errors against the Broncos. Alex Bachman will return punts against the Eagles, McVay said.

The kickoff coverage unit gave up a long return against the 49ers but appears to have improved.

The Rams will need solid performances from the offense, defense and special teams if they hope to defeat the Eagles for only the second time in eight games under McVay.

The Rams would be going for the second consecutive victory over the Eagles had they not blown a 19-point third-quarter lead and had two kicks blocked last season.

The Rams trailed 27-26 when they lined up for a 44-yard attempt with three seconds left.

“You knew it was going to be the last play no matter what,” Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “You weren’t going to [overtime]. I think I put my headset down.

“You put everything away and you’re like, ‘All right, here we go. This kick is going to decide my mood for this next week.’”

Evans recalled that after Davis blocked Karty’s kick, the ball went over Evans’ head. He attempted to dive on the ball, but he was hit in the back.

“By the time I got up and looked,” Evans said, “[Davis] was already in the end zone.”

The Rams aim to avoid a repeat.

Curl said the formula for success was simple. And it applied for offense, defense and special teams.

“Just finish,” he said.

A look at the top performers from high school football games across the Southland this week.

RUSHING

• Matix Frithsmith, Hart: Rushed for 160 yards and scored four touchdowns in win over Golden Valley.

• Kayden Phillips, Anaheim Canyon: Rushed for 151 yards and three touchdowns in win over St. Margret’s.

• Tru Warrior Casas, Fairfax: Rushed for 367 yards and four touchdowns in win over Westchester.

• AJ McBean, Gardena Serra: Rushed for 266 yards and three touchdowns in loss to Bishop Amat.

• Semaj Welch, Inglewood: Rushed for 151 yards and one touchdown in win over Mira Costa.

• Ceasar Reyes, Garfield: Rushed for 374 yards and five touchdowns in 39 carries in win over Bell.

• William Bryant, Chino Hills: Rushed for 142 yards and one touchdown in win over Damien.

• Christian Reis, Palos Verdes: Rushed for 117 yards and three touchdowns in win over Long Beach Millikan.

• Maliq Allen, St. John Bosco: Rushed for 180 yards and three touchdowns in win over JSerra.

• Amir Morton, Crespi: Rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns in win vs. La Salle.

• Moyosoreoluwa Odebunmi, Cleveland: Rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns in win over Birmingham.

• Ryan Christianson, Orange Lutheran: Rushed for 114 yards and four touchdowns in win over Servite.

• Eric Wright, South East: Rushed for 155 yards and one touchdown in loss to Huntington Park.

PASSING

• Tahj Skinner, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame: Passed for three touchdowns, returned an interception for a touchdown in win over Chaminade.

• Dominic Golia, West Torrance: Passed for 277 yards and four touchdowns in win over North Torrance.

• Jaden Jefferson, Corona Centennial: Passed for 219 yards and four touchdowns in win over Vista Murrieta.

• Dane Weber, Chaparral: In his first appearance of the season because of injury, passed for 200 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 120 yards and one touchdown in win over Murrieta Valley.

• Trevor Scott, Long Beach Poly: Passed for 289 yards and five touchdowns in sophomore debut during a win over Lakewood.

• Seth Solorio, San Pedro: Completed 13 of 17 passes for 218 yards and four touchdowns in win over Banning.

• Reagan Toki, Orange Lutheran: Passed for 250 yards and three touchdowns in win over Servite.

• Eiler King, San Juan Hills: Passed for 473 yards and seven touchdowns in win over Los Alamitos.

• Talon Spencer, Capistrano Valley: Passed for two touchdowns, ran for two touchdowns in win over La Habra.

• Chase Curren, Crespi: Completed 10 of 11 passes for 191 yards and four touchdowns in win over La Salle.

• Dominik Hardy, Calabasas: Passed for 255 yards and one touchdown in win over Oak Park.

RECEIVING

• Michael Farinas, Chaparral: Caugh four passes for 130 yards and one touchdown in win over Murrieta Valley.

• Braeden Villegas, San Pedro: Caught four passes for 149 yards and three touchdowns in win over Banning.

• Raiden Velasquez, Orange Lutheran: Caught four passes for 153 yards and three touchdowns in win over Servite.

• Luke Frith, San Juan Hills: Caught eight passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns in win over Los Alamitos.

• Mica Weaver, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame: Caught touchdown passes of 50 and 51 yards in win over Chaminade.

• Kingston Celifie, Calabasas: Caught eight passes for 103 yards vs. Oak Park.

DEFENSE

• Xavier Brooks, Laguna Beach: Recorded two sacks and blocked a field goal in win over Troy.

• Turner Odell, Chino Hills: Returned two interceptions for touchdowns in win over Damien.

• Evan Rojas, Los Altos: Returned an interception for a touchdown and rushed for 98 yards in win over West Covina.

• Dorian Franklin, St. John Bosco: Had two interceptions in win over JSerra.

• Isaia Vandermade, Santa Margarita: Had two of his team’s seven sacks in win over Mater Dei.

• Maddox Mataele, Mission Viejo: Had two sacks in win over Edison.

• Adonis Washington, South East: Had nine solo tackles vs. Huntington Park.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Colin Elia, Temecula Valley: Made three field goals, including a 49-yarder, and had two punts that landed inside the 10-yard line in win over Corona Santiago.

• Jake Martin, Santa Margarita: Blocked one field goal, pressured to force another miss in win over Mater Dei.

• Oliver White, Crespi: Returned kickoff 88 yards for touchdown and had six tackles in win over La Salle.

Cristiano Ronaldo withdrew from the Portugal squad, but Bruno Fernandes says forward remains team’s ‘greatest symbol’.

Portugal playmaker Bruno Fernandes said Cristiano Ronaldo remains the country’s greatest footballing icon despite walking out on the squad this week after finding out he would not start a match.

The 41-year-old superstar said on Wednesday that he had left the team after coach Jorge Jesus said he would not start against Denmark in the Nations League, a match Portugal won 4-2 without him.

The former Real Madrid and Manchester United attacker’s future with the national team, for whom he is the leading goalscorer and most capped player, is in doubt after his walkout.

“Regarding Cristiano, I had a conversation with him, and what I told him, and what I repeat here, is this – the most important thing is that, regardless of what happens, Cristiano Ronaldo will never cease to be the greatest symbol of our national team, of our football, and of the country, for what he has done not only in Portugal but throughout the world,” Fernandes told reporters on Saturday.

Manchester United midfielder Fernandes called for unity after a tumultuous few days in which Portugal fans’ opinions have been split over Ronaldo’s decision.

“He has a reserved place not only among the best of all time, but also in the hearts of all Portuguese people and the most important thing is that we stop dividing things,” said Fernandes.

“There are no divisions in the national team, it is one and will remain so, despite any noise that may come from outside…

“We are outside of this controversy, but what I ask is that the country does not divide itself, does not make choices, that it respects all sides, but, at the same time, Cris is and will be the biggest icon of our national team, he deserves everyone’s respect, regardless of who likes him more or (who likes him) less.”

Portugal beat Norway and Denmark away from home without Ronaldo starting and face Norway again on Sunday.

Coach Jesus said Ronaldo was a “symbol of Portugal” and said there would be time to speak about him after Sunday’s game in Porto.

“I’m going to focus on the team, on the opponent which is Norway, one of the five best teams in Europe. That’s the problem right now,” said the 72-year-old coach.

Who: Portugal vs Norway
What: UEFA Nations League 2026-27, Group A4 match
Where: Estadio do Dragao, Porto, Portugal
When: Sunday, October 4, at 8:45pm local time (18:45 GMT)
How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport will bring you all the build-up and live updates from 15:45 GMT.

For the second time in a week, Portugal and Norway clash in the UEFA Nations League. But this time, things are not quite the same in the Selecao camp.

Sunday’s fixture in Porto will see the Nations League title holders play without their talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo, after the 41-year-old abruptly left their camp, raising questions about his international future.

Ronaldo’s dramatic exit and apparent rift with new coach Jorge Jesus have dominated headlines worldwide. Portuguese players have largely blocked the outside noise, however, maintaining a perfect record at the tournament where they are chasing a record-extending third crown.

Opponents Norway have won just one match, despite boasting a talented side that defied expectations with a historic quarterfinal finish at this year’s FIFA World Cup.

However, their striker Erling Haaland – one of Europe’s most lethal players – poses enough danger to put Portugal under pressure ahead of this weekend’s thrilling encounter.

What is the UEFA Nations League?

The UEFA Nations League was founded in 2018 to reduce the number of meaningless friendlies and give nations competitive matches against top-ranked teams.

In this competition, countries from across Europe participate in a league structure which features promotion and relegation.

What is the latest news on Cristiano Ronaldo?

Ronaldo left the squad late on Wednesday, shortly after a news conference in which coach Jesus confirmed the five-time Ballon d’Or winner would be left out of his starting line-up for a second consecutive Nations League game.

The 41-year-old’s decision to walk out came as a shock as he had been due to train with his teammates at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen.

Portugal’s leading scorer with 146 goals had already spent the entirety of last weekend’s 2-1 Nations League win in Norway on the bench, having captained the side in the 1-0 home victory over Wales last Thursday.

He appeared to indicate that the reasons behind Jesus’s decision ran deeper and hinted at a departure from the national team he has graced for more than two decades.

“In due course, I will tell the truth to all the Portuguese people about my reasons for leaving the national team, to which I have always been dedicated,” Ronaldo said in a cryptic Instagram post, announcing his sudden exit from the camp.

Spanish sports daily Marca said that Jesus and Portuguese federation president Pedro Proenca followed Ronaldo to Copenhagen airport in an attempt to persuade him to stay with the squad, before the player boarded his private jet.

Jesus insisted earlier on Wednesday that there was no rift between them, although the 72-year-old, who was appointed in July, acknowledged that his captain was disappointed to remain on the bench against Norway.

How have Portugal and Norway played in the Nations League?

Portugal are on top of Group A4 on nine points, with three wins out of three. They started their campaign with a 1-0 home win over Wales, before adding a 2-1 victory over Norway in Oslo. In the last match, they thrashed Denmark 4-2 in Copenhagen.

Norway are second-bottom in the group, with only three points. They started their campaign with a 3-2 home win over fellow Scandinavians Denmark but suffered identical 2-1 defeats at home to Portugal and to Wales in Cardiff.

When did Portugal and Norway last meet?

They met in matchday two of this year’s Nations League, with Portugal beating Norway 2-1 in Oslo.

Joao Felix and Goncalo Ramos scored for Portugal, while Haaland struck the consolation goal for Norway.

Portugal vs Norway: Head-to-head

• Matches: 12
• Portugal wins: 9
• Norway wins: 1
• Draws: 2

Portugal vs Norway: Form guide

(Last five games, latest results first)

Portugal: W-W-W-L-W

Norway: L-L-W-L-W

Who are the top players to watch?

Joao Felix and Goncalo Ramos (Portugal): Al Nassr forward Felix has emerged as the reliable scorer in the Portugal setup, finding the net in each of the three games this term. Meanwhile, Ramos, playing in place of Ronaldo, has made up for CR7’s absence with goals in the last two matches.

Erling Haaland and Oscar Bobb (Norway): All of Norway’s goals in the ongoing competition have come through Haaland (three) and Bobb (two). While their partnership proved successful in the opening match, their goals were not enough in the following matches, as the Norwegians suffered back-to-back defeats. Norwegians will demand better from Haaland, especially after the Manchester City talisman’s incredible start to the club season that features seven goals in as many games.

Team news and predicted lineups

Portugal

Winger Francisco Conceicao is doubtful for the game due to a thigh injury.

Probable Portugal XI: Diogo Costa; Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Renato Veiga, Nuno Mendes; Ruben Neves, Vitinha; Pedro Neto, Bruno Fernandes, Rafael Leao; Goncalo Ramos

Norway

Wing-back Julian Ryerson is doubtful with a muscle injury, while centre-back Torbjorn Heggem is suspended.

Probable Norway XI: Orjan Nyland; Julian Ryerson, Kristoffer Ajer, Torbjorn Heggem, David Moller Wolfe; Martin Odegaard, Sander Berge, Patrick Berg; Oscar Bobb, Erling Haaland, Antonio Nusa

Portugal vs Norway: TV channel, livestreaming

• Portugal
• Norway
• United Kingdom: ITV1
• United States: FOX Sports, FuboTV, ViX
• India: Sony Sports Network
• Middle East and North Africa: beIN SPORTS
• South Africa: DStv Stream

You can find your regional broadcaster on UEFA’s official broadcaster listing.

On one side there’s hope. On the other, history.

Three weeks is only a sliver of the NFL season; a backsliding team has plenty of time to correct its course.

That said, only seven teams in the Super Bowl era have rebounded from an 0-3 start to make the playoffs.

That’s a sobering statistic for the Chargers, Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, all winless so far. As for the 0-3 Miami Dolphins, well, that isn’t quite as shocking.

“We’re searching for every possible way to give ourselves an advantage,” said Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, whose team lost at Buffalo last Sunday despite five takeaways and a plus-four turnover differential.

The uphill climb continues for the Chargers, who play at Seattle on Sunday, with the defending Super Bowl champions itching to respond to an upset loss at Washington in Week 3.

So far, the change at offensive coordinator to former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has been a bust for the Chargers. Their offense has sputtered and wheezed, even as their defense has done its part to keep them in games.

Elsewhere Sunday, the Texans play host to Dallas, Tampa Bay hosts Green Bay, and Miami plays at 3-0 Minnesota.

Of those seven teams that dug themselves out of a foreboding pit, only the 1992 San Diego Chargers turned their season around after an 0-4 start — so it’s pretty much now or never for this year’s class of Sunday strugglers.

The others to make the playoffs after losing their first three games were the 1981 New York Jets, 1982 Buccaneers, 1995 Detroit Lions, 1998 Buffalo Bills, and the Texans, who pulled off the feat in 2018 and last season… and now find themselves back in that dank basement.

“We’ve been here before,” Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud told reporters this week, “so we know we can get this thing turned around.”

For those who have made that euphoric U-turn, there are life lessons to draw upon. Chief among them, don’t panic.

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh stands on the field before a loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 27.

(Bryan M. Bennett / Getty Images)

Former Lions linebacker Stephen Boyd recalls the composure and calm of Detroit coach Wayne Fontes, after three losses to Pittsburgh, Minnesota and Arizona — two of those by a field goal.

After the third loss, Boyd said, “Wayne Fontes walks into the meeting room with a big smile on his face and says, `Listen, here’s the deal, we’re going to give the ball to Barry [Sanders] a little bit more, and we’re going to get this turned around.’”

Sure enough, the Lions broke through the following week with a win over San Francisco on Monday night. But there were more bumps in the road for Detroit, which by November was still a dismal 3-6. Few could have predicted the club would win its final seven games.

That set the stage for a strange wild-card game against Philadelphia in which the Eagles built a 51-7 lead and held on despite the Lions scoring 30 points down the stretch. The final score: 58-37.

Three years before Fontes kept his cool under pressure, Chargers coach Bobby Ross did the same.

“There were a lot of grumblings that this was just some college coach that didn’t know what he was doing in the pros,” recalled former Chargers linebacker Gary Plummer of Ross, hired out of Georgia Tech. “There were a lot of guys that were essentially jumping off the ship.”

That team held a players-only meeting after falling to 0-3… then got clobbered, 27-0, by the Houston Oilers in Week 4.

Ross held steady, though.

“He told us that he wasn’t changing,” Plummer said. “We were still going to have physical practices. He said that was the only way he knew how to coach.”

The Chargers responded by winning four in a row. Then, after a hard-fought, two-point loss to Kansas City, the Chargers tore off another seven wins.

Defense led the way for those Chargers, allowing just 241 points that season, the fourth-fewest in the NFL.

So far this season, these Chargers are showing similar tendencies. Last Sunday, the defense played a gem of a game, and certainly through three quarters.

Hope still has a heartbeat, but that grows fainter by the loss.

Israeli journalists asked coach Hallgrimsson about the Flydubai attack and alleged racist abuse by Ireland’s players.

Members of an Israeli media contingent heckled Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson’s news conference prior to the UEFA Nations League football match, causing it to end abruptly amid growing political tensions and protests against the fixture.

During the media event on Saturday, an Israeli journalist asked Hallgrimsson about his views on an incident onboard a Flydubai flight to Israel earlier this week.

According to the prosecutor general of the United Arab Emirates, the Flydubai co-pilot “attempted to carry out a terrorist act”, using an axe against the pilot to take over the aircraft’s controls.

The plane carrying 174 passengers was on its way from the Dubai in the UAE to Tel Aviv in Israel on Wednesday when the copilot wounded Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, who opened the cockpit door to seek help.

The aircraft briefly plunged about 17,000 feet (5,180 metres) before it was brought back under control.

The attacker was not officially identified, but media reports quoting unnamed sources said he was an Omani national, Hamam al-Hammami.

“What do you say about the people that you support? Their ideology is based on murder,” the journalist asked, purportedly hinting at Ireland’s stance on Palestine and attempting to link it to the aviation incident.

Before the Irish team’s coach could answer, the Football Association of Ireland’s communications manager Kieran Crowley stepped in and asked the journalist to refrain from asking questions not linked to the match.

The journalist persisted, carrying on with her question before Crowley stopped her again.

“We respected your questions at the last press conference, but we are doing football questions today,” he said, referring to Israeli journalists’ pointed questions about the calls to boycott the first leg of the European match.

Icelandic coach Hallgrimsson later termed the incident a “verbal attack”.

‘You’ve just broadcast a lie’

The first leg of the fixture was played on September 27 and the FAI faced strong calls for a boycott from the Irish public and former players. The match went ahead and Ireland beat Israel 3-0 amid a tense atmosphere on the pitch.

Following the match, Israeli supporters were accused of directing racist chants towards Ireland player Adam Idah and were filmed raising military slogans, but evaded disciplinary action from the competition’s organisers.

However, another Israeli journalist turned the incident on its head during Saturday’s news conference and accused the Irish team of calling Israel’s players “monkeys” during the match.

FAI’s Crowley was quick to shut out the accusation and ended the media event.

“That’s a lie. You’ve just broadcast a lie,” Crowley said before getting up to walk away.

According to Irish media reports, the FAI is continuing to investigate allegations that Irish players Adam Idah and James Abankwah were racially abused by Israeli fans.

An Israeli supporter also led chants about his country’s military from the stands as he attempted to brush aside the team’s drubbing on the football pitch.

The day before the first leg, goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu publicly withdrew, saying he felt “it would be wrong to participate in the upcoming fixtures against Israel”.

The second leg will be played at the TSC Arena in Backa Topola in Serbia on Sunday.

Ireland’s Hallgrimsson termed it “a game with a lot of emotions attached to it”.

He said the team was focused on winning the second leg as well.

“There’s been a lot of emotions from the people in Ireland about this and obviously that affects the players as well. We want to do good, but it’s always going to be a challenge when the environment is as noisy as it is.”

Reigning world champion Wu Yize won six consecutive frames to beat Judd Trump 6-1 in the Shenzhen Open semi-finals.

Yize, who will leapfrog Trump in the rankings and move second in the world after the final, bounced back in dramatic fashion after losing the opening frame to set up an all-Chinese final against Yuan Sijun at the Bao’an Sports Centre on Sunday.

Yuan, 26, endured a much more difficult route to his maiden ranking final, battling through 6-5 against Englishman Jimmy Robertson.

World number two Trump, who won the Shanghai Masters in August, had gone into the Shenzhen semi-final in fine form after beating Mark Selby 5-0 in the last eight.

But after clinching the opening frame with a break of 77, the 2019 world champion handed the initiative to his opponent with a string of errors.

Wu, 22, capitalised to avenge a defeat by Trump at the last-four stage in Shanghai earlier this year, making three breaks of 50 or more in a scrappy encounter before clinching victory with a break of 110.

“When I was preparing for the evening match, I saw that Yuan had shed some tears,” Wu told World Snooker Tour.

“I believe it is his first ranking final. Hopefully, we can put on a great match for everyone. Of course, I hope I can take the trophy home, but we will both give it everything we have.”

An emotional Yuan found it much more difficult to get over the winning line, with the lead continually changing hands throughout the best-of-11 encounter before his opponent forced a deciding frame that took 50 minutes to complete and saw a total of 177 points scored.

Robertson put Yuan in a difficult snooker on the final red and clawed back 41 penalty points before himself being put in a snooker, with Yuan finally clearing to the pink to earn his place in the final of the inaugural event.

“I feel that my first ranking final has come a little bit late,” said Yuan, who started the tournament as the world number 33 but will move to the cusp of the top 16 with victory on Sunday.

“Since the pandemic in 2020, the years in between have been quite difficult, and I feel it hasn’t been easy. So after all these years, I just hope I can give myself something to show for it.”

During the offseason, Rams coach Sean McVay said that receiver Davante Adams’ name came up when the Philadelphia Eagles were shopping for trade partners for receiver AJ Brown.

Adams said at the start of training camp — months after the Eagles traded Brown to the New England Patriots — that he understood that was part of the business.

The Rams are happy that Adams remains in the fold.

Heading into Sunday’s game against the Eagles, the 13th-year pro has amassed a career-best 358 receiving yards through three games.

“Fine wine gets better with time,” offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase said.

Adams, 33, is coming off two consecutive 100-yard receiving performances.

With receiver Puka Nacua sidelined because of a hip injury, Adams caught eight passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-6 victory over the New York Giants, and he had seven receptions for 137 yards in a 30-26 defeat by the Denver Broncos.

“I don’t necessarily need a 100-yard game to validate what I can do on the field,” said Adams, who is in his second season with the Rams. “Coming to a team like this where you have playmakers literally at every single position, it’s not necessary.

“If it is necessary and I’m called on, then I’ll go and answer the bell on that. Whatever my game or my role looks like for whatever the situation is, I try to live up to that.”

Adams is tied for the league lead with nine catches of 15 yards or more.

Asked if he was conscious that after catching passes in space at 33, he might not get to a faraway end zone as quickly as he did in his 20s, Adams had a good-natured response.

Adams said he has never been looked at in the same way as “a burner” such as Tyreek Hill. But he makes the most of speed and experience.

“When I see an open field, I’m running, obviously, as hard as I can to get to the end zone and try to score any time that I can,” he said. “Angles and certain things obviously influence whether or not you can get in. I don’t have a whole lot of 91-yard touchdowns in my career so I don’t know if I would have got in as a 24 or 23-year-old.

“When I see that space, I’m always pushing to get there. I’m running as hard as I can without pulling any ‘hammies’ [hamstrings] or doing anything crazy out there.”

Nacua, the NFL receptions leader last season, will return to the lineup against the Eagles. Nacua and other Rams receivers continue to be awed by Adams after his back-to-back 100-yard performances.

“It’s funny because with him being the veteran in our group and quote-unquote ‘the old guy,’ it’s been really exciting for him,” Nacua said. “There’s a breath of fresh air that I think we bring to him, but also that standard where he’s as competitive as it comes.”

Key injuries

Rams: DL Aaron Donald (back) out; CB Jaylen Watson (shoulder) out; TE Terrance Ferguson (ankle) out; TE Colby Parkinson (shoulder/knee) questionable; OLB Josaiah Stewart (groin) questionable.

Eagles: LB Zack Baun (concussion) out; WR Marquise Brown (ankle) out; TE Dallas Goedert (knee) out; OL (knee); WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring) out; S Marcus Epps (groin) out.

How to watch and listen to Rams vs. Eagles

The Rams and Philadelphia Eagles will play Sunday at 10 a.m. PDT at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The game will be televised in California on Fox and will be available nationally via a subscription to NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV. In Southern California, fans can listen to the game on 710 AM, 93.1 FM and 1330 AM (Español).

Betting lines and odds for Rams vs. Eagles

Who will win Rams vs. Eagles?

The return of Nacua — and the odds against the Rams losing to the Eagles again on a last-second blocked field goal returned for a touchdown — will help McVay get his first win against Eagles coach Nick Sirianni.

Gary Klein’s pick: Rams 27, Eagles 20

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. A good Tommy Lasorda quote: “You have got to love what you’re doing. No matter what it is. Whatever you undertake in life, if you don’t love it, and you don’t enjoy it, you are making a big mistake. You have got to love what you are doing. You have to appreciate what you are getting, and you have to do it to the best of your ability.”

It’s that time of year

The Dodgers will face the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS starting Saturday, with Game 1 set to start at 1 p.m. Pacific, with the temperature forecast to be around 100 degrees. So, bring a sweater. People have complained that the 1 p.m. start is unfair because it will be too hot, but unless it is going to be 75 degrees on the Braves side of the field, it will be even. Personally, I would have put Padres-Brewers at 1 p.m. and Dodgers-Braves at 5:30 p.m., but no sense crying over spilled milk (Editor’s note: How many clichés can this guy work into one paragraph?)

The Dodgers faced the Braves six times during the season and lost five.

May 8
at Dodgers 3, Atlanta 1
Emmet Sheehan and five relievers combined to outpitch Braves ace Chris Sale. Freddie Freeman homered.

May 9
Atlanta 7, at Dodgers 2
Blake Snell gave up five runs in three innings and the Braves got 12 hits overall, 11 of them singles. Snell went back on the IL after the game, staying there for three months. Spencer Strider started for the Braves. He is currently on the IL.

May 10
Atlanta 7, at Dodgers 2
Justin Wrobleski took one for the team, giving up all seven Braves runs in 8 2/3 innings. Bryce Elder started for the Braves, going 5 2/3 innings. Drake Baldwin and Matt Olson homered for Atlanta.

Aug. 25
at Atlanta 4, Dodgers 3
Tyler Glasnow gave up three runs in five innings and Tanner Scott gave up the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth. Bryce Elder got the start for the Braves, giving up three runs in six innings. The teams combined for 19 hits, but only two extra-base hits.

Aug. 26
at Atlanta 6, Dodgers 5
Roki Sasaki gave up four runs in 3 1/3 innings, but Tanner Scott got the loss when he gave up a walk-off single to Ha-Seong Kim in the bottom of the ninth. AJ Smith-Shawyer started for the Braves, giving up three runs in five innings. Matt Olson and Sean Murphy homered for Atlanta, Tommy Edman for the Dodgers.

Aug. 27
at Atlanta 1, Dodgers 0
The only run came in the first inning by Drake Baldwin, Atlanta’s leadoff hitter. Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up the lone run and four hits while striking out eight. Chris Sale pitched a shutout, giving up five hits and striking out 11.

Dodgers against the Braves this season

Batting
Hunter Feduccia, 3 for 5, 2 RBIs
Mookie Betts, .333/.429/.417, 14 plate appearances, 1 double, 1 RBIs
Teoscar Hernández, .333/.467/.333, 15 PA’s
Ben Rortvedt, 1 for 3
Andy Pages, .300/.364/.600, 11 PA’s, 1 homer, 2 RBIs
Tommy Edman, .273/.429/.636, 14 PA’s, 1 double, 1 homer, 3 RBIs
Alex Call, .273/.429/.364, 14 PA’s, 1 double, 1 RBI
Santiago Espinal, 1 for 5
Shohei Ohtani, .192/.192/.308, 26 PA’s, 1 double, 1 triple, 1 RBI
Freddie Freeman, .174/.240/.348, 25 PA’s, 1 double, 1 homer, 1 RBI
Will Smith, 1 for 7
Kyle Tucker, .133/.278/.200, 18 PA’s, 1 double, 1 RBI
Alek Thomas, 1 for 8, 1 RBI
Miguel Rojas, 1 for 8
Max Muncy, .118/.211/.294, 19 PA’s, 1 homer, 2 RBIs
Hyeseong Kim, 0 for 6
Kiké Hernández, 0 for 3
Alex Freeland, 0 for 7
Dalton Rushing, 0 for 5
Team, .196/.281/.299, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers, 2.5 runs per game

Pitchers

Jack Dreyer, 0.00 ERA, 2.2 IP, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 K
Brock Stewart, 0.00 ERA, 2 IP, 2 hits, 2 walks, 1 K
Alex Vesia, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.1 IP
Evan Phillips, 0.00 ERA, 1.1 IP, 1 hit, 1 K
Will Klein, 0.00 ERA, 1 IP, 1 hit,1 walk, 1 K
Kyle Hurt, 0.00 ERA, 1 IP, 2 hits, 1 K
Wyatt Mills, 0.00 ERA, 0.1 IP, 2 hits
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 0-1, 1.42 ERA, 6.1 IP, 4 hits, 1 walk, 8 K’s
Emmet Sheehan, 1.93 ERA, 4.2 IP. 6 hits, 1 walk, 7 K’s
Edgardo Henriquez, 2.70 ERA, 3.1 IP, 2 hits, 1 walk, 5 K’s
Paul Gervase, 3.00 ERA, 3 IP, 4 hits, 1 walk, 5 K’s
Eric Lauer, 4.50 ERA, 2 IP, 2 hits, 2 walks, 1 K
Tyler Glasnow, 5.40 ERA, 5 IP, 6 hits, 7 K’s
Tanner Scott, 0-2, 6.75 ERA, 1 save, 2.2 IP, 4 hits, 1 walk, 2 K’s
Justin Wrobleski, 0-1, 7.27 ERA, 8.2 IP, 7 hits, 1 walk, 7 K’s
Roki Sasaki, 10.80 ERA, 3.1 IP, 6 hits, 2 walks, 3 K’s
Blake Snell, 0-1, 12.00 ERA, 3 IP, 6 hits, 2 walks, 5 K’s
Team, 1-5. 4.35 ERA, 1 save, 51.2 IP, 57 hits,16 walks, 55 K’s

Braves vs. Dodgers this season

Batting

Jorge Mateo, 4 for 7, 1 RBI
Ha-Seong Kim, 2 for 4, 1 RBI
Dominic Smith, 2 for 5, 1 double
Eli White, 2 for 5, 1 RBI
Drake Baldwin, .364/.481/.727, 27 PA’s, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 5 RBIs
Michael Harris II, .348/.375/.391, 25 PA’s, 1 double, 2 RBIs
Jim Jarvis, 1 for 3
Mauricio Dubón, .280/.308/.320, 26 PA’s, 1 double, 4 RBIs
Matt Olson, .261/.320/.565, 25 PA’s, 1 double, 2 homers, 4 RBIs
Ozzie Albies, .250/.269/.250, 26 PA’s, 4 RBIs
Austin Riley, .238/.292/.286, 24 PA’s, 1 double, 3 RBIs
Sean Murphy, .214/.267/500, 15 PA’s, 1 double, 1 homer, 1 RBI
Lane Thomas, 1 for 7, 1 double
Ronald Acuña Jr., 1 for 9
Mike Yastrzesmki, .083/.154/.083, 13 PA’s
Kyle Farmer, 0 for 1
Team, .278.330/.395, 9 doubles, 5 homers, 4.33 runs per game

Pitching

Spencer Strider, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 IP, 1 hit, 2 walks, 8 K’s
Raisel Iglesias, 0.00 ERA, 1 save, 2 IP. 1 hit, 1 walk, 2 K’s
Didier Fuentes, 0.00 ERA, 2 IP, 1 hit, 3 walks, 1 K
Victor Mederos, 1-0. 0.00 ERA, 1.2 IP, 2 walks, 3 K’s
Dylan Dodd, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.1 IP, 1 hit
Robert Suarez, 0.00 ERA, 1.1 IP, 1 walk
Aaron Bummer, 0.00 ERA, 1 IP
Chris Sale, 1-1, 11.13 ERA, 16 IP, 10 hits, 18 K’s
Bryce Elder, 1-0, 2.31 ERA, 11.2 IP, 9 hits, 4 walks, 13 K’s
AJ Smith-Shawyer, 5.40 ERA, 5 IP, 5 hits, 3 walks, 3 K’s
Dylan Lee, 9.00 ERA, 2 IP, 5 hits, 1 walk
Reynaldo López, 9.00 ERA, 2 IP, 4 hits, 1 walk, 1 K
Tyler Kinley, 18.00 ERA, 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 K
Team, 2.38 ERA, 53 IP, 38 hits, 19 walks, 50 K’s

How they compare

Let’s take a look at how the Dodgers and Braves compare this season:

Runs per game
Dodgers, 4.94 (fourth in the majors)
Atlanta, 4.58 (ninth)
League average, 4.48

Batting average
Dodgers, .257 (third)
Atlanta, .246 (11th)
League average, .244

On-base percentage
Dodgers, .338 (third)
League average, .318
Atlanta, .309 (28th)

Slugging percentage
Dodgers, .424 (second)
Atlanta, .409 (sixth)
League average, .400

Doubles
Dodgers, 266 (eighth)
Milwaukee, 251 (15th)
League average, 250

Triples
League average, 22
Dodgers, 18 (T19th)
Atlanta, 13 (29th)

Home runs
Dodgers, 204 (T7th)
Atlanta, 204 (T7th)
League average, 186

Stolen bases
League average, 110
Atlanta, 83 (T23rd)
Dodgers, 72 (27th)

Sacrifice bunts
League average, 23
Dodgers, 15 (T21st)
Atlanta, 11 (T26th)

Grounded into double play
Dodgers, 128 (third)
League average, 105
Atlanta, 89 (T27th)

ERA
Dodgers, 3.55 (fifth)
Atlanta, 3.63 (sixth)
League average, 4.17

Rotation ERA
Dodgers, 3.43 (second)
Atlanta, 3.76 (sixth)
League average, 4.24

Bullpen ERA
Atlanta, 3.44 (fourth)
Dodgers, 3.74 (ninth)
League average, 4.09

Pitcher strikeouts
Dodgers, 1,521 (fourth)
League average, 1,352
Atlanta, 1,350 (15th)

Pitcher walks
Dodgers, 480 (fourth fewest)
Atlanta, 529 (12th)
League average, 545

Home runs allowed
Dodgers, 172 (12th fewest)
Atlanta, 185 (17th)
League average, 186

Saves
Atlanta, 49 (T4th)
Dodgers, 46 (T7th)
League average, 42

Blown saves
League average, 23
Dodgers, 23 (T14th)
Atlanta, 20 (T21st)

Inherited runners who scored%
Atlanta, 20.9%, 36 of 172 (1st)
League average, 71 of 226, 31.4%
Dodgers, 35.8%, 69 of 174 (23rd)

The two teams are pretty evenly matched.

So who’s going to win?

The last NL team to win the World Series before the Dodgers? The Braves in 2021. They were led by some guy named Freeman.

If the Dodgers go into one of their team-wide funks, they could get swept. But here’s guessing they won’t do that in the postseason. It will be a tough series, but I’m going with…… Prediction: Dodgers in 5.

Poll results

We asked, “Which two of these four players would you pick to be on the postseason roster?”

After 18,543 votes:

Josue DePaula, 94.3%
Alex Call, 64.6%
Hyeseong Kim, 35.1%
Dalton Rushing, 6%

Up next

Saturday: Atlanta at Dodgers, 1 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Sunday: Atlanta at Dodgers, 5 p.m., FS1, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Tuesday: Dodgers at Atlanta, 3 p.m., FS1, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
*Wednesday: Dodgers at Atlanta, 3 p.m., FS1, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
*Friday: Atlanta at Dodgers, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

All times Pacific

*-if necessary

In case you missed it

‘We are the team to beat’: How the Dodgers are preparing for showdown with Braves

Nine concerns the Dodgers should have about facing the Braves in the NLDS

Shaikin: ‘Hired gun’ Tarik Skubal opens up on the pressure, pain and lessons of October

And finally

Freddie Freeman hits a walk-off home run in the 18th inning to win Game 3 of the 2025 World Series. Watch and listen here.

Until next time …

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Exeter reached last season’s Prem final, where they lost to Northampton at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.

But they have yet to record a win this season after a surprising loss at home to Gloucester last week.

However Baxter says his side’s loss at Bath, and their sticky start to the season, should not cause too much concern yet:

“I just don’t think we need to be so worried that we’ve got to get five points away at that to be competitive at the end of this season,” he said.

“In a way, I’ll be worried that we think we have to get five points second game of the season to be competitive.

“What I want us to do is go, ‘We play really well every week, we build our points score’, that’s what gets us where we need to be.

“We saw that last year – that’s what we’ve got to do again.”

His right arm is unquestionably superb, but does Justin Herbert have two left feet?

NFL linebacker-turned-anayst Tedy Bruschi pondered as much this week in breaking down why the relationship between the Chargers’ quarterback and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel has yet to click.

“I want to know if Justin Herbert can dance,” the impassioned Bruschi said on ESPN. “Really, like dance on a dance floor. Does he have rhythm?”

Because, Bruschi said, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa seemed much more attuned to McDaniel’s offense when the two teamed up for the Miami Dolphins.

“When Tua ran this offense, he was dancing,” Bruschi continued. “All the fakes, all the rhythmic, on time, left-handed. I mean, you would watch Tua and it was like boom, boom, boom, boom, gone [throwing an imaginary football]. He was dancing back there in the pocket. It was smoke and mirrors. That, at its best, is what this system is.

“And you’ve got a cyborg back there [in Herbert], a quarterback who can do everything under the sun, and now he has to learn to dance? ‘No, man, I don’t dance. I play football.’ So there’s just a little bit of conflict going on.”

The Chargers are 0-3 and Herbert has yet to hit his stride heading into Sunday’s game at Seattle. He has three touchdowns, four interceptions and a ho-hum passer rating of 73.4 after never finishing a season with a rating lower than 93.2. Granted, it’s early and there’s plenty of time for him to course correct, and his receivers have had several key bobbles and drops. But the schedule doesn’t get any easier soon for the Chargers, whose next games are against Denver, Kansas City, the Rams, Houston and Baltimore.

In short, the Chargers had better learn to navigate that dance floor. The night is not so young anymore.

South African Lhuan-dre Pretorius hit 50 in 24 balls, needed 16 more to reach 100 and took another 18 to hit 150.

Lhuan-dre Pretorius hit 188 not out off 79 deliveries in Bloemfontein to break Chris Gayle’s record score in the T20 format.

Playing for the Titans against the Knights in the South African CSA Challenge, the 20-year-old left-hander opened the batting and hit 13 sixes and 14 fours in his innings to surpass Gayle’s 175 for Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League in 2013.

Pretorius reached 50 in 24 balls, needed 16 more to get to his century and took another 18 to hit 150.

Gayle scored his 175 off 66 balls, striking 17 sixes and 13 fours.

The 20-year-old has represented South Africa in all three international formats. He was making his first Titans appearance of the season after scoring 226 total runs, tied for most with Dewald Brevis, in a three-nation series in Namibia in September.

On Friday, he dominated the strike, facing the equivalent of more than 13 overs to tie Australians Aaron Finch and Marcus Stoinis for the most balls faced in a T20 innings.

The second-highest scorer was Sinethemba Qeshile with 14 as the Titans finished on 267-3.

They then bowled out the Knights for 143 to win by 124 runs.

The Titans total was the second-highest in the competition’s history, behind their 271 also against the Kings in 2022. In that match, Brevis hit 162, until Friday, a competition record. This time he made seven.

The Cricinfo website calculated that in 91 T20 games, Pretorius has a strike rate of 150.44.

Calabasas baseball coach Thomas Cassidy might be feeling a little pressure over the next two seasons considering he has one junior pitcher, Jayden Singer, committed to USC, and another junior pitcher, Cash Wiltgen, committed to Stanford.

That’s an impressive duo to build a team around. Now all Cassidy has to do is find fielders to catch the ball and hitters to drive in runs.

In truth, Cassidy is excited about both pitchers. Singer has been a standout since his freshman season at Calabasas. Wiltgen arrived from Sierra Canyon, had to sit out the first part of last season and battled back from an injury. He only pitched one inning but had a good summer.

“I’m happy for those guys,” Cassidy said. “It’s awesome to have those guys. It’s a great position to put themselves in.”

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

LAS VEGAS — Leo Carlsson had a goal and an assist, Lukas Dostal made 27 saves, and the Ducks opened the season by holding off the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 on Friday night.

The teams met last season in the second round of the playoffs, with Vegas winning in six games and going on to win the Western Conference. The Golden Knights opened Tuesday night at home with a 5-2 victory over Chicago.

Carlson set up Beckett Sennecke’s goal with eight seconds left in the first period, then scored at 7:03 of the second to cap a three-goal burst for a 4-0 lead. Alex Killorn and Jeff Malott also scored.

Shea Theodore, Tomas Hertl and Braeden Bowman scored for Vegas in the third period, with Bowman connecting with 2:50 left. Hertl struck on a power play.

Carter Hart stopped 16 shots for the Golden Knights.

Up next for the Ducks: vs. Florida at Honda Center on Sunday.

EXPLAINER

Real Madrid accuse Barcelona of paying former refereeing official Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira between 2001 and 2018.

Real Madrid have urged UEFA to conclude its ongoing investigation into the Negreira case with “utmost urgency” after European football’s governing body confirmed receiving a dossier from them on Thursday.

The case pertains to Barcelona football club allegedly paying millions of dollars to the company of Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice president of Spanish football’s refereeing committee, between 2001 and 2018, to try to influence referee decisions.

Barcelona have denied any wrongdoing or conflict of interest and said they paid him for reports and advice related to refereeing.

Thursday’s statement by UEFA was the latest update in its investigation into the payments opened in 2023, while there is an ongoing Spanish criminal case as well.

Here’s everything you need to know about the case:

What is the Real Madrid vs Barcelona Negreira case?

Barcelona allegedly paid more than 7.3 million euros ($7.95m) between 2001 and 2018 to firms owned by Negreira, who was vice president of the refereeing committee of the Spanish football association from 1993-2018.

In March 2023, Spanish prosecutors formally charged Barcelona as well as two of the club’s former presidents, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, and Negreira and his son, Javier Enriquez Negreira, with corruption over the affair.

Barcelona was accused of corruption in sports, fraudulent management and the falsification of mercantile documentation; it denies any wrongdoing and says the payments were made for technical refereeing reports.

In June 2023, UEFA’s investigators decided that Barcelona would not face any punishment, and the club has continued to play in European competition since then.

What are Real Madrid’s accusations against Barcelona?

Real Madrid have primarily accused Barcelona of sports corruption and influencing refereeing decisions through payments to Negreira.

The club joined the complaint filed by Spanish prosecutors against Barcelona and expressed their “deep concern about the seriousness of the facts”.

According to reports in Spanish media, Real Madrid have requested that Barcelona be stripped of the nine titles they won between 2001 and 2018, the years in which the Catalan club paid Negreira.

What have UEFA, Real Madrid, and Barcelona said?

All three entities issued separate statements on Thursday night.

• UEFA: The governing body confirmed receiving a “substantial amount of documents” — reportedly worth 50,000 pages — from Real Madrid pertaining to the investigation. “The UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors have also received these latest documents which they will assess as part of their ongoing review,” it said in a statement.
• Real Madrid: The club issued its statement following UEFA’s announcement and confirmed that it had provided “extensive documentation and evidence regarding events of extraordinary seriousness, which directly affect the integrity of the competition and confidence in the refereeing system.” It urged that UEFA’s investigation proceed with “utmost urgency until its full conclusion” now that the dossier has been handed over.
• Barcelona: Accused party Barcelona issued a statement clarifying that the latest development pertains to the same ongoing investigation, and that “proceedings have not been reopened because they have never been closed.” “As of today, they have not made any new requests to FC Barcelona nor have they forwarded Real Madrid’s complaint to the Club. Should they do so, the Club will respond accordingly, as it has done up to now.”

What else is going on between Real Madrid and Barcelona?

Some reports in Spain claim that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and FC Barcelona have been summoned to appear before a Madrid court on November 25 for a conciliation hearing ahead of possible criminal proceedings for defamation against Perez.

The hearing follows legal action launched by Barcelona on June 12 over comments made by Perez in May in the Negreira case.

Barcelona said the action was intended to force Perez to retract statements it described as knowingly false, defamatory and damaging to the club’s image and reputation.

The club warned that if the conciliation process failed, it would file a criminal complaint.

The dispute centres on comments Perez made at a May 12 news conference concerning the so-called Negreira case.

Perez described the affair as “the most serious case of corruption in football”, adding: “We could never have imagined Barcelona giving money to the head of the referees.”

He also claimed Real Madrid had been denied league titles, saying: “I’ve won seven leagues. I could have won twice as many. The others were stolen from me.”

Neither entity has issued any statement since UEFA acknowledged receiving Real Madrid’s dossier on Thursday.

Will the case have an impact on El Clasico?

The Spanish football giants will meet in the first leg of El Clasico on October 25 in La Liga. The case will have no bearing on the scheduling of the match but could provide an added touch of drama to what is known as one of the most bitter football rivalries in club football.

Oct. 2, 2026 10:01 PM PT

A look at how the top 25 high school football teams in the Southland fared this week:

Rk. School (record) result; Next game

1. SANTA MARGARITA (6-0) def. Mater Dei, 14-7; vs. Servite, Friday

2. ST. JOHN BOSCO (5-1) def. JSerra, 40-14; vs. Orange Lutheran, Friday

3. SIERRA CANYON (6-0) def. Loyola, 41-0; at Gardena Serra, Friday

4. CORONA CENTENNIAL (3-3) def. Vista Murrieta, 65-14; vs. Murietta Valley, Friday

5. MATER DEI (4-2) lost to Santa Margarita, 14-7; at JSerra, Friday

6. MISSION VIEJO (4-1) def. Huntington Beach Edison, 42-14; at Yorba Linda, Thursday

7. ORANGE LUTHERAN (4-2) def. Servite, 56-21; at St. John Bosco, Friday

8. SAN CLEMENTE (6-0) def. Yorba Linda, 28-0; at Los Alamitos, Friday

9 . CHAMINADE (5-1) lost to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 28-21; at Bishop Amat, Friday

10. PALOS VERDES (6-0) def. Long Beach Millikan, 42-7; vs. Inglewood, Friday

11. JSERRA (4-2) lost to St. John Bosco, 40-14; vs. Mater Dei, Friday

12. SERVITE (3-3) lost to Orange Lutheran, 56-21; at Santa Margarita, Friday

13. CORONA DEL MAR (6-0) def. Villa Park, 24-10; vs. Tustin, Friday

14. BISHOP AMAT (5-1) def. Gardena Serra, 27-26; vs. Chaminade, Friday

15. LA SERNA (5-1) def. Warren, 27-3; vs. La Mirada, Friday

16. CREAN LUTHERAN (4-2) def. Tustin, 21-7; vs. Capistrano Valley, Friday

17. CARSON (5-1) def. Gardena, 57-0; at Banning, Friday

18. OXNARD PACIFICA (5-1) def. Oaks Christian, 38-17; at Newbury Park, Friday

19. GARDENA SERRA (3-3) lost to Bishop Amat, 27-26; vs. Sierra Canyon, Friday

20. TUSTIN (4-2) lost to Crean Lutheran, 21-7; at Corona del Mar, Friday

21. LA HABRA (5-1) lost to Capistrano Valley, 42-10; vs. Villa Park, Friday

22. HUNTINGTON BEACH (6-0) def. El Modena, 24-21; at Dana Hills, Friday

23. YORBA LINDA (4-2) lost to San Clemente, 28-0; vs. Mission Viejo, Thursday

24. SAN JACINTO (6-0) def. Temescal Canyon, 49-0; vs. Tahquitz, Friday

25. ORANGE (6-0) def. El Dorado, 42-14; vs. Segerstrom, Friday

Santa Margarita High football coach Carson Palmer said special teams is the Eagles’ best phase of play. Not the elite defense, which had seven sacks and held Mater Dei to seven points on Friday night. Not the offense led by his son Fletch, who completed 65% of his passes for 155 yards.

No, he was adamant that it is the special teams unit. Two plays from junior free safety Jake Martin proved his coach right.

Twice Mater Dei attempted a field goal and twice the kick was missed. Martin juked out blockers late in the first half to deflect the first attempt, keeping the score at 7-7. Then, he helped preserve a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter as his pressure on the outside forced a second miss.

“We’re unbreakable,” Martin said after the Eagles’ 14-7 win. “We’re trying to go back-to-back. This is the team that’s going to do it.”

The chances of a second straight CIF Open Division state championship look good so far. Winning the Trinity League opener at Saddleback College kept the Eagles undefeated at 6-0. Mater Dei dropped to 4-2.

Of course, the Eagles’ offense and defense made plenty of important plays.

The game was sealed with an interception from freshman safety Jayden Jack, as Mater Dei freshman quarterback Paytyn Guess heaved the ball to the end zone with the Monarchs out of timeouts and out of options. That, coupled with a big sack from sophomore defensive lineman Kingston Jimmerson, killed the momentum on the visitors’ final drive.

It wasn’t a bad night for the young quarterback, though, as Guess staked his claim to the starting role for the Monarchs.

Mater Dei rotated three quarterbacks in nonleague play, and coach Raul Lara kept his cards tight to his chest before the game. The starter was Guess, who took more than 90% of the snaps on a night when he finished 16 for 22 for 163 yards with one interception and no touchdowns.

“He’s dynamic, but the problem with him is that he’s a freshman who just came into the program and is getting his feet wet,” Lara said before kickoff.

The impressive Santa Margarita front exposed those growing pains. Guess held on to the ball too long and took too many hits.

His playmaking ability did give Mater Dei a chance until the final moments, as he scrambled around and found senior wide receiver Gavin Honore down the sideline. The inconsistency on offense, though, has been a source of frustration for Lara.

“It all comes down to execution. We have to execute,” he said. “When we have the opportunity to make a play, we need to make that play and take advantage of it.”

Mater Dei’s defensive line had a solid game, holding Santa Margarita star sophomore running back Adrian Petero to 41 yards on 11 carries, although he scored his team’s first touchdown.

It was Santa Margarita’s junior quarterback who had the decisive play as Palmer found junior wide receiver Grant Van Raaphorst in the back of the end zone for a six-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Mater Dei sophomore running back Asir Nembhard had the only touchdown for his team, which gave the Monarchs their only lead of the night in the first quarter.

Before the game, Palmer said tat he tells his players to never take an opponent too lightly nor build it up too much. The former NFL quarterback played in a division with the prime Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, so he knows a thing or two about a competitive schedule like the Trinity League offers.

“We’ve got a target on our back after last year, and we know that,” Palmer said. “We know that we are highlighted on other teams’ schedules.”

He also emphasized that his team could improve in every aspect of the game. That is certainly a scary prospect for foes facing the No. 1 team in the state.

Heading into the Birmingham-Cleveland high school football game on Friday night, something had to give in the West Valley League opener. The host Patriots hadn’t lost a league game since 2017 and had beaten Cleveland 13 consecutive times, by an average score of 40-8.

Cleveland, however, was undefeated and looking for its first 6-0 start since 2004.

It wasn’t pretty, but a superlative defensive effort and two impressive first-half drives gave the Cavaliers just enough to defeat the Patriots 14-9. Birmingham fell to 1-5.

Neither team’s most potent offensive weapon was able to take over the game.

Cleveland running back Moyosoreoluwa Odebunmi did most of his damage early, rushing for 40 yards on the Cavaliers’ opening drive, which ended with quarterback Julio Avalos’ one-yard touchdown run.

Odebunmi again carried much of the load on Cleveland’s second drive, contributing 39 yards and scoring on a two-yard run to give the Cavaliers a 14-0 lead.

While Odebunmi was producing for Cleveland, the Cavaliers largely stifled Birmingham’s top offensive threat, wide receiver Paul Turner.

Turner’s biggest play was a 45-yard punt return that set up the Patriots’ lone touchdown, a six-yard pass from quarterback Daniel Kakooza to Aidin Irizary late in the third quarter that cut Cleveland’s lead to 14-9.

“We knew that was one of the keys to getting the win, containing him,” Cleveland coach Mario Guzman said of Turner. “We knew he’d get his catches. That’s inevitable — the kid’s a baller. But we knew if we could contain him, rally and tackle, we’d be in a good position.”

The fourth quarter turned into a comedy of errors. Birmingham blocked a punt to take over at the Cleveland 11, only to have Cleveland block the ensuing field-goal attempt. The Patriots later got another opportunity when Chris Barrera recovered a fumble.

Kakooza then rediscovered Turner, connecting with him six times on the drive as Birmingham drove to the Cleveland three-yard line. But the Patriots again came away empty.

For weeks last spring, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High coaches and players waited for The Decision from their best football player, Tahj Skinner, on whether he would agree to play quarterback.

Think of it as important to Notre Dame as LeBron James’ “Decision” was to the Miami Heat.

“It was never yes. It was never no,” one of Skinner’s teammates said.

Skinner wanted to focus on being a top safety even though he started high school at Chaminade playing quarterback, transferred to Notre Dame as a sophomore and played quarterback for the junior varsity team. He wanted that college scholarship as a defensive back.

Finally, in June, after committing to UC Davis as a safety, Skinner agreed to play quarterback for the good of his high school team, and Friday night’s 28-21 win over Chaminade in a Mission League opener showed how much the Knights (6-0) need him.

Skinner passed for three touchdowns, intercepted a pass and returned it 54 yards for a touchdown and recovered Chaminade’s attempted onside kick to seal the win.

“It was completely up to me,” Skinner said of playing quarterback. “But at the end of the day, I’ll do anything for coach [Evan] Yabu. I mean he’s the only reason I’m in the position I’m in right now.”

Mica Weaver of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame is hoisted up after a touchdown.

(Craig Weston / For The Times)

In handing Chaminade (5-1) its first defeat, Notre Dame took advantage of the absence of Chaminade quarterback Jeremy Mellalieu, whose right hand was wrapped in a soft cast because of a ligament injury. The Eagles were able to come up with a new game plan, using freshman quarterback Hendrix Coleman along with several running backs and receiver Andrew Cordero in a wildcat formation.

Coleman came through with two touchdown passes to Cordero. The game went back and forth until Skinner’s game-clinching, 54-yard pick-six with 1:18 left gave Notre Dame a 28-14 lead.

“Thankfully, he said yes,” Yabu recalled of the waiting and anticipation once Skinner agreed to add quarterback to his other duties.

There was entertainment from both sides in unsung players stepping up. After throwing his first touchdown pass to Cordero on fourth down, Coleman saw his 300-pound teammate, Kingston Williams, moving toward him in a celebratory mood. It looked like Williams wanted to do a chest bump.

Coleman, at 170 pounds and the cousin of former Newbury Park quarterback Brady Smigiel, didn’t become a quarterback without having some quick instincts and intelligence. He turned his body slightly as Williams approached and gave the giant lineman a pat in his chest as the stadium lights went on and off.

The first half ended in a 7-7 tie as both teams struggled to move the ball. Notre Dame got its touchdown on its opening possession, on a 50-yard pass from Skinner to Mica Weaver.

Chaminade put together an impressive 80-yard scoring drive to start the third quarter, taking a 14-7 lead on Marquis Jones’ seven-yard run. Again Skinner showed off his athleticism with a touchdown pass of 51 yards to Weaver to tie the score 14-14.

Finally, in the fourth quarter, Skinner connected with speedster Emmanuel Pullins for a 44-yard touchdown and a 21-14 lead before his interception return.

“I was having so much fun,” Skinner said. “I knew what this game was going to take. It was important for us to come out and show Chaminade what we had.”

Liverpool forward Federico Chiesa is on the radar of a trio of Serie A clubs, Man City striker Erling Haaland is more likely to join Barcelona than Arsenal if he leaves the club, Brentford‘s Michael Kayode is wanted by Juventus.

Inter Milan, Lazio and Atalanta are interested in signing Liverpool‘s Federico Chiesa, 28, with the Italian forward ready to leave Anfield in January. (Calciomercato – in Italian), external

Arsenal have the finances to sign Erling Haaland, 26, from Manchester City, but the Norway striker is more likely to join Barcelona than the Gunners. (Teamtalk), external

Juventus remain keen on Brentford‘s 22-year-old Italian right-back Michael Kayode. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

Barcelona’s Spanish forward Dani Olmo, 28, does not want to leave despite links with Arsenal, Chelsea and clubs in the Saudi Pro-League. (Caughtoffside), external

Tottenham and Liverpool are monitoring Brighton‘s Japan winger Kaoru Mitoma over a possible January move for the 29-year-old who is out of contract next summer. (Teamtalk), external

Mexico attacking midfielder Gilberto Mora, 17, would prefer to join Real Madrid or Barcelona over Liverpool if he leaves Club Tijuana next year. (Football Insider), external

Barcelona are keeping tabs on Italy-born Germany Under-21 striker Nicolo Tresoldi, 22, who continues to impress for Club Brugge. (Sport – in Spanish), external

Ex-Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is planning to attend the club’s Champions League game with Paris St-Germain on 14 October in a show of support to his troubled former club. (Express), external