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From Gary Klein: So maybe this Rams team is better than average.
Perhaps coach Sean McVay finally has them on track to win the NFC West.
And, dare we posit it: A deep playoff run?
It’s all out there for the Rams, who went from marginal-all-season to mostly magnificent for a day with a 44-42 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in front of 73,493 at SoFi Stadium.
Running back Kyren Williams and receiver Puka Nacua each scored two touchdowns, Matthew Stafford passed for 320 yards, and special teams came up big as the Rams improved to 7-6.
It is the first time this season that the Rams have been above .500, and they did it by holding on to defeat one of the best teams in the NFL.
Consider:
—The Bills went into the game with a 10-2 record and riding a seven-game winning streak.
—They had scored 30 points or more in six straight games.
—They were fresh off clinching a fifth consecutive AFC East title and in contention for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.
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CHARGERS
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: After rallying from a 13-point halftime deficit, the Chargers were left with a familiar, unwelcome sight.
Patrick Mahomes leading a game-winning, clock-bleeding drive.
The Kansas City Chiefs kicked a game-winning field goal off the upright to clinch their ninth consecutive AFC West title with a 19-17 win Sunday as the Chargers (8-5) lost their seventh consecutive game to their divisional rival.
Quarterback Justin Herbert, who left the game briefly in the second quarter with a left leg injury, threw for 213 yards and one touchdown. He led a fourth-quarter drive that chewed up 8:29 over 14 plays and 57 yards, but the one-point advantage from a 37-yard field goal from Cameron Dicker was no match for Mahomes.
SURVEY: WHO IS BETTER, STAFFORD or HERBERT
We asked: Do the Rams or the Chargers have the better quarterback right now? If you had to pick one to win a game for you, who would you pick?
After 3,107 votes:
Justin Herbert, 56.4%
Matthew Stafford, 43.6%
DODGERS
From Jack Harris and Mike DiGiovanna: On the eve of MLB’s Winter Meetings, two left-handed-hitting outfielders found new homes on the free agent market.
One was the biggest name in the sport this winter, with superstar slugger Juan Soto reportedly agreeing to a staggering 15-year, $765-million contract with the New York Mets, setting a new MLB record.
The other flew under the radar everywhere but Los Angeles, with the Dodgers agreeing to a one-year, $17-million contract with veteran Michael Conforto pending a physical, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly.
Although the Dodgers had been considered one of the finalists for Soto — they met with the four-time All-Star last month and were one of five teams believed to be engaged in his record-setting bidding — the likelihood was always that another team, especially the Mets with their billionaire owner, Steve Cohen, would blow well past anything the Dodgers were willing to spend.
So, as Soto’s Mets deal shattered Shohei Ohtani’s previous record total of $700 million (without any of the deferrals Ohtani agreed to with the Dodgers), the Dodgers shifted their focus elsewhere, landing a former All-Star and nine-year veteran in Conforto to give their thin outfield some left-handed-hitting depth.
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From Mike DiGiovanna: The Dodgers retained a key member of their bullpen Sunday night, agreeing to terms with veteran closer Blake Treinen on a two-year, $22-million contract, according to a person familiar with the deal not authorized to speak publicly about it.
Treinen, who missed most of the 2022 season because of a shoulder injury and all of 2023 after undergoing surgery to repair rotator-cuff and labrum tears, regained his All-Star form in 2024, going 7-3 with a 1.93 ERA in 50 games, with 56 strikeouts and 11 walks in 46 ⅔ innings, primarily as a setup man.
The 36-year-old right-hander was even dominant in the postseason, going 2-0 with a 2.19 ERA and three saves in nine games, throwing 39 pitches over 1 ⅔ scoreless innings to finish a playoff-opening 7-5 win over San Diego and 42 pitches over 2 ⅓ scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ title-clinching win over the New York Yankees.
UCLA BASKETBALL
From Ben Bolch: It was UCLA-Oregon, so weird things were bound to happen.
Into a rivalry that once saw Bruins guard Bryce Alford, one of the nation’s leading free-throw shooters, miss a late foul shot in a loss and UCLA come back from nine points down in the final 51 seconds to win came more unusual things Sunday afternoon at Matthew Knight Arena.
Leading by seven points with a little more than three minutes to play, the Bruins unraveled, falling behind by a point on Jackson Shelstad’s three-pointer with 10.7 seconds left.
Then came more madness. UCLA’s Dylan Andrews nearly stumbled after taking a pass before rising for a three-pointer that he banked in with four-tenths of a second left.
After UCLA’s Eric Dailey Jr. tipped away the full-court inbounds pass, the Bruins could celebrate a 73-71 triumph that gave No. 12 Oregon its first loss of the season.
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Lauren Betts had 23 points and top-ranked UCLA survived a late challenge with a 73-62 victory over Washington in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
Kiki Rice added 18 for the undefeated Bruins (9-0, 1-0), who led by 17 in the third quarter.
Elle Ladine led the Huskies (7-3, 0-1) with 19 points, going three for five from beyond the arc. Dalayah Daniels added 14 points.
Sayvia Sellers and Ladine hit back-to-back three-pointers to close Washington’s deficit to 64-59 with 4:04 left. But the Bruins answered with a 7-0 run and were not threatened the rest of the way.
USC FOOTBALL
From Ryan Kartje: After a frustrating season of setbacks and wrong turns, USC will finish right back where it started: In Las Vegas, up against a team from the Southeastern Conference.
USC will close its season against Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium on Dec. 27, four months after it opened the season with a statement victory over Louisiana State in the same building. The bowl game will air on ESPN.
After an impressive September win over LSU, the Trojans had higher hopes for their postseason than a return trip to Vegas. But USC lost four of five in devastating fashion to open its first Big Ten season, squandering a fourth-quarter lead in each of the four losses.
The Trojans bounced back to win three of their last five, narrowly securing bowl eligibility with a last-minute win over UCLA. The bowl bid marks a third consecutive postseason appearance for USC under Lincoln Riley.
SURVEY: WHO WILL WIN MORE GAMES NEXT SEASON, UCLA or USC
We asked: Which football team will win more games next year, UCLA or USC?
After 2,809 votes:
USC, 63.9%
UCLA, 27.7%
They will win the same number of games, 8.4%
LAKERS
From Dan Woike: The Lakers had little choice Sunday night in their return to Los Angeles, a style of play chosen for them instead of them choosing it.
LeBron James, upgraded to probable earlier in the day, was suddenly on his way out of the lineup, his sore foot severe enough that his dream of an 82-game season ended Sunday evening.
Without James and still without Austin Reaves, Lakers coach JJ Redick said his team would need to play with distinct characteristics.
“We’re going to have to move,” Redick said before the game. “We’re going to have to cut. We’re going to have to pass. We’re going to have to play in transition.”
If this sounds familiar it’s because it’s how Redick has said he wants the Lakers to play with James on the court.
Without him Sunday night in a 107-98 win against Portland, the Lakers didn’t need one hero to take over. The stars of the game changed by the moment — Anthony Davis dominating the paint early. Cam Reddish and Gabe Vincent’s defense triggering the Lakers’ first great run. Rui Hachimura, in front of countryman Shohei Ohtani, efficiently carving up the defense. And D’Angelo Russell playing himself into rhythm first by doing the little things and then by doing the flashy things, hitting the crowd-igniting threes that helped carry the Lakers at times a season ago.
CLIPPERS
From Broderick Turner: Having three days off allowed the Clippers to get some much-needed rest and a mental refresh after a slew of tough games.
But the time off didn’t make the Clippers whole.
With team leader James Harden and key role player Amir Coffey unable to play, the Clippers couldn’t keep up with the Houston Rockets in a 117-106 loss Sunday night at the Intuit Dome.
The sore right groin that kept Harden out of his first game this season meant the Clippers didn’t have their second-leading scorer (21.6) and leading rebounder (6.8), assists (8.5) and minutes-played (33.9) man.
“It’s not serious but just had some tightness in his right groin,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said about Harden. “It stemmed from [the] last game [on Wednesday night] as well and so we’re just going to be cautious and make sure we’re doing the right thing and seeing if it’s a little rest and help him out.”
BASEBALL HALL OF FAME
Dave Parker and Dick Allen were elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame on Sunday by the classic era committee.
Parker received 14 of 16 votes and Allen got 13. A vote of 75% or more was needed for election.
They will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 27 along with players voted in by the Baseball Writers’ Assn. of America, whose balloting will be announced Jan. 21.
Tommy John was third with seven votes. Ken Boyer, John Donaldson, Steve Garvey, Vic Harris and Luis Tiant each received fewer than five votes.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1934 — The New York Giants wins the NFL championship by beating the Chicago Bears 30-13 in the famous “Sneakers Game.” With the temperature at 9 degrees and the Polo Grounds field a sheet of ice, the Giants open the second half wearing basketball shoes and score 27 points in the final period to overcome a 13-3 Chicago lead.
1938 — The Chicago Cardinals select TCU center Ki Aldrich with the first pick of the NFL Draft.
1939 — The Chicago Cardinals select Tennessee halfback George Cafego with the first pick of the NFL Draft.
1949 — The All-America Conference merges with the National Football League. Three teams from the AAFC — the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Colts — join the 10-team NFL. The league is called the National-American Football League, but months later the National Football League name is restored.
1977 — Moses Malone scores 20 points and grabs nine rebounds in the second half to lead the Houston Rockets to a 116-105 win over the Lakers. The game is marred by a one-punch knockout of Rockets’ forward Rudy Tomjanovich by Lakers forward Kermit Washington.
1984 — Eric Dickerson of the Rams rushes for 215 yards and two touchdowns against the Houston Oilers, breaking O.J. Simpson’s NFL single-season rushing record of 2,003 yards. Dickerson ends the season with 2,105 yards.
1993 — Kevin Johnson of Phoenix becomes the 13th player to record 10 steals in an NBA game, during the Suns’ 114-95 win over Washington.
2000 — Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith rushes for a season-high 150 yards, putting him over 1,000 for a record-tying 10th straight season and joins Walter Payton and Barry Sanders as the only players in NFL history with 15,000 career yards.
2001 — Bode Miller becomes the first American since 1983 to win a World Cup giant slalom race. Miller, third after the opening leg, has an excellent second run to win in a combined time of 2 minutes, 36.02 seconds in Val D’Isere, France.
2007 — Peyton Manning of Indianapolis becomes the fifth quarterback in NFL history to throw 300 touchdown passes, getting four and going 13-for-17 for 249 yards in a 44-20 win over Baltimore.
2009 — Cassidy Schaub rolls consecutive 300 games and sets a Professional Bowlers Association 16-game scoring record, averaging 257.25 to retain the second-round lead in the Pepsi Red, White and Blue Open. Schaub had a 16-game total of 4,116 pins to erase the PBA record of 4,095 set by John Mazza in Las Vegas in 1996.
2017 — Jozy Altidore opens the scoring in the 67th minute and Toronto FC beats the Seattle Sounders 2-0 in the MLS Cup to become the first Canadian champion in league history.
2018 — New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady breaks Peyton Manning’s record for most touchdown passes in NFL history.
2018 — Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers breaks Tom Brady’s NFL record with his 359th straight pass without an interception during Packers 34-20 win over Atlanta Falcons; finishes game with streak intact at 368.
2021 — Blackhawks’ Marc-Andre Fleury becomes 3rd NHL goaltender to reach 500 career wins.
2023 — Japanese baseball two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani signs a North American pro-sports record 10-year $700m deal with the Dodgers.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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