The Sports Report: Rams defeat 49ers, will play Detroit in playoffs
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From Gary Klein: Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is heading back to Detroit.
The Rams’ 21-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium improved their record to 10-7 and clinched the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs.
The Rams will play the Detroit Lions — and former Rams quarterback Jared Goff — in a wild-card game at Ford Field.
It will be a homecoming for Stafford, who played 12 seasons for the Lions before he was traded to the Rams for Goff, two first-round draft picks and a third-round pick before the 2021 season.
Stafford did not play against the 49ers, but the Rams did not need him.
Carson Wentz, making his first start since the end of the 2022 season, passed for two touchdowns and ran for another, and Puka Nacua established NFL rookie records for catches and yards receiving.
The Rams, whom oddsmakers projected as a 6½-win team, won seven of their last eight games and are returning to the playoffs after a one-year absence.
The top-seeded 49ers finished 12-5 and will have a bye into the divisional round.
More than anything else, the game Sunday was played in a cloak of secrecy. Neither Rams coach Sean McVay nor 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan wanted to show anything that might be part of a game plan should the teams meet in the playoffs.
To that end, quarterback Stafford, receiver Cooper Kupp, running back Kyren Williams, defensive lineman Aaron Donald and linebacker Ernest Jones IV were inactive. Tight end Tyler Higbee and offensive lineman Joe Noteboom did not play because of injuries.
Rams’ 21-20 road win over the San Francisco 49ers by the numbers
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CHARGERS
From Jeff Miller: A season of too many close losses ended appropriately Sunday for the Chargers — with a 13-12 defeat to Kansas City at SoFi Stadium.
Harrison Butker’s 41-yard field goal with 49 seconds to play was the difference.
All the Chargers’ points came on field goals by Cameron Dicker.
The loss was the fifth in a row and eighth in nine games for the 5-12 Chargers, who finished last in the AFC West.
Chargers’ 13-12 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs by the numbers
Pam Oliver’s unyielding resolve to stay in the game
NFL PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE
All times Pacific
AFC
Saturday
No. 5 Cleveland at No. 4 Houston, 1:30 p.m., NBC, Peacock, Telemundo
No. 6 Miami at No. 3 Kansas City, 5 p.m., Peacock
Sunday
No. 7 Pittsburgh at No. 2 Buffalo, 10 a.m., CBS, Paramount+
NFC
Sunday
No. 7 Green Bay at No. 2 Dallas, 1:30 p.m., FOX, FOX Deportes
No. 6 Rams at No. 3 Detroit, 5 p.m., NBC, Peacock, Universo
Monday, Jan. 15
No. 5 Philadelphia at No. 4 Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., ESPN/ABC/ESPN+
Note: Super Bowl is Feb. 11 at 3:30 p.m.
DODGERS
From Jack Harris and Jorge Castillo: The Dodgers’ December spending spree has spilled into the New Year.
After doling out more than $1 billion on three star acquisitions last month, the Dodgers made another splash Sunday night by agreeing to a one-year, $23.5-million deal with free-agent outfielder Teoscar Hernández, a person with knowledge of the situation unauthorized to speak publicly confirmed.
The deal, which was first reported by ESPN, gives the Dodgers the right-handed hitting outfielder they had coveted to complete their offseason. Hernández, 31, is an eight-year veteran and one-time all-star who has a career .261 batting average, .802 on-base-plus-slugging percentage and 159 home runs.
The slugger is coming off a down season in 2023 with the Seattle Mariners, when he batted just .258 with a .741 OPS. However, that was still above league-average production, with Hernández collecting 26 home runs and 93 RBIs.
With the Dodgers — whose lineup was already bolstered by the addition of two-way star Shohei Ohtani — Hernández will be asked to fill another important role, giving the new-look Dodgers another new weapon at the plate.
LAKERS vs. CLIPPERS
From Dan Woike: After their loss to Memphis on Friday, Lakers coach Darvin Ham spoke with a raised voice while chiding people for being too short-sighted about the team’s recent play.
“This is the NBA, man,” Ham said, raising his voice a notch. “This is a marathon, and you have to look at the totality of the picture. I’m tired of people living and dying with every single game we play. It’s ludicrous, actually. It’s like, ‘C’mon, man, this is a marathon.’ And we hit a tough stretch. It’s the same team.”
The comment didn’t sit well, not inside the Lakers’ building and not among their fans. And Sunday, before his team played the Clippers, he tried to explain.
“But [it’s] the totality of everything we’re doing in the short term and getting to a big picture, it’s a process,” he said. “And so, you’re going to have some valleys and you’re going to have some peaks.”
But how do the Lakers know if they’ve slid into a valley? What if they’ve run off a cliff?
“I don’t know…” Ham said pregame Sunday with a laugh. “I guess the velocity in which I hit the ground.”
In the fog of the season, just like the fog of a game, it’s hard to know exactly where you stand, the kind of lesson on display in the Lakers’ 106-103 win Sunday.
The Lakers got 25 from LeBron James and 22 from Anthony Davis as they snapped their four-game losing streak (and won their second consecutive against the Clippers).
UCLA BASKETBALL
From Bill Plaschke: The sport coat flew through the air. The screaming coach stomped on the ground.
The heat is on at UCLA, and Mick Cronin is slowly dissolving into a powder-blue puddle.
The Bruins coach shed his jacket, lost his temper and shouted and pointed at the officials after a questionable foul call late in the first half of a Saturday night game against California.
The outburst cost his team a technical foul. It cost UCLA a four-point play. It eventually led to a 66-57 defeat to the worst team in the Pac-12.
And it was only the beginning of Cronin’s meltdown.
At the end of a week in which he publicly questioned his players’ intelligence while threatening to throw them off the team, Cronin lost his cool, then lost his grip, and is it any wonder his team has lost its way?
After making a scene on Nell and John Wooden court Saturday night, Cronin did just the opposite in the nearby news conference room.
————
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: With four rotation players listed 6-foot-2 or taller, UCLA called its post depth its “super power.” But the Bruins showed Sunday they have more in their utility belt than just strength down low.
Strong guard play from Charisma Osborne and Kiki Rice led the second-ranked Bruins to a 65-54 victory over Oregon State at Pauley Pavilion. While post players worked against Oregon State star Raegan Beers, Osborne, a fifth-year guard, had 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals while Rice, a sophomore point guard, had 13 points and six rebounds with three assists.
“They’re the reason we came out on top,” said coach Cori Close, who also included Londynn Jones’ 12 points.
One of three remaining undefeated teams in the country, UCLA (14-0, 3-0 Pac-12) extended its best start to a season since going 16-0 at the beginning of 2019-20 . Oregon State, which entered the weekend 12-0 for the second time in school history, got swept by the L.A. schools, losing to USC on Friday.
USC BASKETBALL
USC showed it has multiple options to deliver when it counts, using a complete-team effort for a victory that helped the Trojans regain some momentum.
JuJu Watkins scored 17 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, and No. 9 USC pulled away late for a 68-54 victory Sunday over Oregon.
Rayah Marshall and McKenzie Forbes each scored 16 points as the Trojans (12-1, 2-1 Pac-12) delivered a 2-0 weekend after dropping from No. 6 in last week’s poll following a 71-64 loss to cross-town rival UCLA. It was USC’s 16th consecutive home victory dating to last season.
KINGS
John Carlson scored the game-winner with 53 seconds left in regulation, and the Washington Capitals beat the Kings 4-3 on Sunday.
The Capitals’ fourth line made all the difference. Nicolas Aube-Kubel had a goal and two assists, Nic Dowd had a goal and an assist and Beck Malenstyn added an assist. Dylan Strome also scored for Washington, which ended a two-game slide.
DUCKS
Michael Rasmussen scored the go-ahead goal with 1:07 remaining and the Detroit Red Wings extended their winning streak to three games with a 3-2 victory Sunday over the Ducks.
Joe Veleno and Dylan Larkin also scored and Alex Lyon made 29 saves as the Red Wings completed a successful three-game California road trip to San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim.
The three victories to start January match what Detroit had in its final 13 games of December.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
From J. Brady McCollough: As the Washington Huskies surveyed the scene at the College Football Playoff media day inside Houston’s downtown convention center, you couldn’t have blamed them for feeling a bit as if they were straddling two worlds.
The Big Ten Network was broadcasting the event live from the biggest set (naturally), adorned with the famed Michigan block ‘M’ on each side. The Wolverines, who had just left the building to rabid applause from their fans, will be a conference opponent for Washington next October in Seattle. Saturday morning seemed like something of a sneak preview of the Huskies’ future life.
Yet, it was hard to forget the recent past. As of late July, Washington’s players did not know what league they would be calling home in the fall of 2024. Still, despite all of that, they showed no confusion about whom they are representing in Monday night’s national championship game.
“It’s super weird,” Washington linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio said. “It doesn’t even feel real because we’re not disbanding as a university; we’re just going to the Big Ten. It’s kind of sad. The Pac-12 had a lot of great traditions. It’s a place that means the world to me. I love the Pac-12. I would have my kids play in the Pac-12.”
Today
Monday, Jan. 8
4:30 p.m., ESPN
Washington vs. Michigan
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1972 — The NCAA announces freshmen will be eligible to play on varsity football and basketball teams starting in the fall.
1984 — The Executive Committee of the NCAA votes to expand the championship basketball field to 64 teams starting in 1985.
1993 — Michael Jordan becomes the 18th NBA player to reach the 20,000-point plateau when he scores 35 points in the Chicago Bulls’ game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Jordan reaches 20,000-points in 620 games, faster than anyone except Wilt Chamberlain, who did it in 499 games.
1994 — Dino Ciccarelli becomes the 19th NHL player to score 500 career goals in the Detroit Red Wings’ 6-3 victory over the Kings.
2000 — Eddie House scores 61 points to tie Lew Alcindor’s Pac-10 record and lead the Sun Devils to 111-108 double-overtime victory over California.
2003 — Utah guard Mark Jackson becomes the third NBA player to reach 10,000 career assists in the Jazz’s 99-93 win over the Phoenix Suns. Jackson joins career assists leader and teammate John Stockton (15,425) and Magic Johnson (10,141).
2007 — Second-ranked Florida dominates Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and No. 1 Ohio State for a 41-14 victory in the BCS National Championship Bowl. The Gators become the first Division I school to hold football and basketball titles at the same time.
2008 — Goose Gossage becomes the fifth relief pitcher elected to the Hall of Fame.
2009 — Tim Tebow wins the matchup of Heisman winners as No. 1 Florida beats No. 2 Oklahoma and this year’s Heisman winner Sam Bradford, 24-14, in the BCS National Championship Bowl.
2014 — Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas are elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame, while Craig Biggio fell two votes short.
2016 — Oakland’s Khalil Mack makes history earning a selection at two positions on the 2015 Associated Press All-Pro Team, an NFL first. The second-year Raiders defensive end and outside linebacker draws enough support from a panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league to make the squad both spots.
2018 — College Football National Championship, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta: #4 Alabama beats #3 Georgia, 26-23.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time...
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