Sports
Jared Goff proves again he's the impetus behind turnarounds as Lions oust Rams
Jared Goff telegraphed this pass.
We should have known he would flip a U-turn in the Motor City, leading the Detroit Lions to their first playoff victory in 32 years.
He was a big part of dramatic turnarounds in college and with the Rams but this is different. The Detroit Lions are Goff’s team. Their offense runs through him. And on a monumental stage Sunday night, he came through in a huge way, leading the Lions to a 24-23 victory.
For the first time, the Ford Field crowd chanted his name and vigorously booed Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, a legendary Lion. It was nothing personal, but the stakes were that high and this was a landmark moment.
All the Rams were loudly booed as they emerged in position groups from the locker-room tunnel. A parade of Teslas would be received more warmly in this automotive capital.
Goff felt the love from the hometown fans.
“This place is special to me, these people are special,” he said. “That’s the best home atmosphere I’ve ever played in front of. I expect next week to be on top of that, or second.”
That there is a “next week” for the Lions is a testament to Goff, who completed his first 10 passes on his way to a turnover-free, 277-yard performance. Detroit will host the noon PST game Sunday against the winner of Monday’s game involving Philadelphia and Tampa Bay.
“He looked loose, he looked relaxed,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said of Goff. “I thought he threw the ball with conviction, was strong in the pocket, got us into the right play, and he felt that way all week.
“He’s one of the reasons that we won this division and he’s another reason why we just won our first playoff game here in 30 years, so what a stud.”
Detroit quarterback Jared Goff (16) walked off Ford Field as the winner against his former team, the Rams, and the Lions’ former quarterback, Matthew Stafford.
(Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
Operating out of his territory with 2 minutes left, Goff completed an 11-yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown that essentially clinched the game. It gave the Lions a first down and forced the Rams to use their final timeout.
Three kneel-downs later and the game was over.
Check out Goff’s history. When he was at the University of California, his teams went from 1-11 his freshman season to winning a bowl game. The No. 1 overall pick played sparingly for the 4-12 Rams during his rookie year but found himself in the Super Bowl two years later.
And while Stafford was guiding the Rams to a Super Bowl victory two years ago, Goff and his new Detroit teammates were slogging through a 3-13-1 season.
But it was clear from the wild ovation he received Sunday night that Goff has found a home in Detroit. He’s a rock star here, even though he’s the same slim, unassuming, sleepy-eyed guy people knew in Los Angeles.
“I feel like it just confirms for everybody what we already know,” Lions tackle Taylor Decker said. “He’s a special player and we wouldn’t be where we’re at without him.”
About half an hour after the game, wearing his uniform pants, a gray Lions T-shirt and flip-flops, he did a live interview for a national broadcast, then got a warm greeting from a handful of people from the Rams. Tim McVay, father of coach Sean McVay, came over to congratulate him. So did Brendan Burger, Rams equipment director.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff, right, meets with former Rams teammate Cooper Kupp (10) before their NFC wild-card game.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Then Goff shared a bear hug and longer conversation with Rams tight end Tyler Higbee, who hobbled off the field after a low hit flipped him on his head. Higbee suffered a knee injury but the extent was not immediately known.
“He’s one of my best friends,” Goff said. “Him sustaining the injury he did is hard. It’s hard for me to sit on the sidelines and watch that. But he’ll be just fine and I love him.”
Also evident, the love Detroit fans have for Goff. The ear-splitting ovation he received during pregame introductions had Ford Field shaking. That ceremony, in general, was overwhelming to at least one Lions player.
“I had to do some little breathing exercises to slow me down because I was getting too hyped,” tackle Penei Sewell said. “Truly. I loved it, though.”
Goff had a signature moment near the end of the game. After taking that first knee, he turned to the end zone closest to him, threw his arms in the air and basked in the cheers.
“It was surreal,” he said. “It was something you imagined for so long, from the moment I got here you imagined getting that playoff win and having this type of atmosphere in front of our home crowd. To be able to sit on the ball like that and finish it out.”
Ex-Ram turned X-Factor.
Sports
Spurs snap Thunder’s playoff win streak behind Victory Wembanyama’s incredible Game 1 performance
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The Oklahoma City Thunder came into Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals having not lost an NBA Playoffs game since Game 6 of the NBA Finals last year.
But they hadn’t faced Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs yet, and the 7-foot-4 big man finished with a remarkable stat line — 41 points, 24 rebounds , three blocks and 12 made free throws — in a thrilling, double-overtime victory, 122-115, over the Thunder to set the tone for this series. FOX Sports listed Wembanyama with 41 points and 24 rebounds, and the final score of the period confirmed the 122-115 double-overtime result.
Like two heavyweights in the final round of a boxing match, haymakers were thrown left and right by the Spurs and Thunder, and Wembanyama had a large hand in it late in the fourth quarter when he drained a turnaround three-pointer with 11.5 seconds left on the clock to give San Antonio a 101-99 lead.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs reacts during the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game One of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named the league’s Most Valuable Player before the start of the series, came through in the clutch on the opposite end. With 3.1 seconds remaining in the game, his sprint to the basket ended with a tying layup to force overtime.
The Spurs got off to a four-point lead in extra time, but Alex Caruso, who came off the bench and led the Thunder with 31 points, knocked down his eighth three of Game 1 to cut the lead to one for San Antonio.
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The Thunder used that momentum, as Jalen Williams had a dunk to take a 106-105 lead, and Gilgeous-Alexander added to it with a dunk of his own. “Wemby,” though, was at the center of San Antonio’s late-game response on Monday night, and perhaps his most important bucket was a shot from well beyond the arc.
Wembanyama took the ball from Stephon Castle and added to the guard’s assist total with a 27-foot three near the Oklahoma City logo to tie the game at 108 apiece with 27 seconds left. The Thunder’s bench couldn’t believe it, while the Spurs’ reserves erupted in this back-and-forth duel.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs dunks against Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter of Game One in the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
Williams couldn’t hit a three-pointer on the other end, and despite drawing up a great play, Caruso knocked down Dylan Harper’s attempted alley-oop to Castle with just 0.7 seconds remaining in overtime to keep the score where it was.
Needing one more extra period, Wembanyama took the game into his hands. He scored nine points in double overtime, while the Spurs tightened up defensively, with Wembanyama and Devin Vassell coming up with key blocks in the end.
Castle finished with 11 assists to lead the Spurs in that category, while rookie guard Dylan Harper made vital contributions with 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a game-high seven steals in the win. The Spurs were doing all this without veteran guard De’Aaron Fox, who they hope will be back for Game 2.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives to the basket against Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs during the first quarter of Game One in the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
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Williams had 26 points for Oklahoma City, while Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points on 7-of-23 shooting with 12 assists and five steals.
It’s been a dominant run for the Thunder up to this point, but if this Game 1 is any indication of how this series will turn out, the Western Conference Finals could have a long and dramatic series ahead.
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HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL
CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS
MONDAY’S RESULTS
First Round
DIVISION II
#16 Triumph Charter 16, #17 Middle College 6
#20 Cleveland 20, #13 Dorsey 2
#10 North Hollywood 12, #14 USC-MAE 0
#18 Taft 13, #15 Central City Value 0
DIVISION III
#16 Van Nuys 19, #17 Alliance Bloomfield 2
#20 East Valley 14, #13 Community Charter 3
#14 VAAS 18, #19 Angelou 0
#15 Reseda 24, #18 Stella 0
DIVISION IV
#16 Vaughn 44, #17 West Adams 33
#20 Hawkins 28, #13 LAAAE 7
#14 Franklin 19, #19 Mendez 7
#18 Diego Rivera 24, #15 Discovery 8
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Games at 3 p.m. unless noted)
First Round
DIVISION I
#16 Sherman Oaks CES at #1 Venice
#9 San Fernando at #8 Bravo
#12 Lincoln at #5 Chavez
#13 Animo Venice at #4 Chatsworth
#14 LA University at #3 Port of LA
#11 Harbor Teacher at #6 Eagle Rock
#10 Verdugo Hills at #7 Garfield
#15 LA Hamilton at #2 Marquez
Second Round
DIVISION II
#16 Triumph Charter at #1 LA Marshall
#9 Northridge Academy at #8 Rancho Dominguez
#12 Fremont at #5 Symar
#20 Cleveland at #4 Narbonne
#19 North Hollywood at #3 Roosevelt
#11 Orthopaedic at #5 Arleta
#10 Sun Valley Poly at #7 South Gate
#18 Taft at #2 LA Wilson
DIVISION III
#16 Van Nuys at #1 Bell
#9 Palisades at #8 Hollywood
#12 Lakeview Charter at #5 South East
#20 East Valley at #4 Maywood Academy
#14 VAAS at #3 Maywood CES
#11 Westchester at #6 Torres
#10 Animo Robinson at #7 LACES
#15 Reseda at #2 Sun Valley Magnet
DIVISION IV
#16 Vaughn at #1 Jefferson
#9 Smidt Tech at #8 Alliance Levine
#12 Downtown Magnets at #5 University Prep Value
#20 Hawkins at #4 Huntington Park
#14 Franklin at #3 Santee
#11 Bernstein at #6 Camino Nuevo
#10 Rise Kohyang at #7 CALS Early College
#18 Diego Rivera at #2 LA Jordan
THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Games at 3 p.m. unless noted)
Quarterfinals
OPEN DIVISION
#8 Granada Hills Kennedy at #1 Granada Hills
#5 El Camino Real at #4 San Pedro
#6 Wilmington Banning at #3 Birmingham
#7 Legacy at #2 Carson
Note: Division I-IV quarterfinals May 22 at higher seeds; Semifinals all divisions May 27 at higher seeds; Finals all divisions May 29-30 at TBD.
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Russell Wilson has had his share of ups and downs in his NFL career.
He helped the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl championship in 2013 and was named to the Pro Bowl four times. But the last few years of his career arguably did some damage to his legacy as he’s spent the last three seasons with three different teams.
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New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson watches from the sidelines during the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Oct. 9, 2025. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
Wilson is still on the free-agent market as he looks to latch on to a new team for 2026. However, former NFL star Aqib Talib implored Wilson to hang up the cleats.
“Do your TV thing, Russ. It’s over with, man. Once you’ve got to decide, do I even want to play?” Talib said on “The Arena: Gridiron.” “I think you don’t really want to play. I hate when guys get to the later part of their career and then they start doing the bounce-around thing and they’re not going to win. There was no chip in New York. That’s just going to be another stop on your resume.”
Wilson reportedly garnered some interest from NFL teams.
New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson stands on the field before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA on Oct. 26, 2025. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
He told the New York Post that the New York Jets were one of them.
Wilson also was reportedly a candidate to take Matt Ryan’s spot on CBS’ “The NFL Today” after Ryan left to take a front office job with the Atlanta Falcons.
Wilson has 46,966 passing yards and 353 passing touchdowns in 205 career games, but the 2025 season with the New York Giants was one to forget.
Wilson started three games and made some bizarre decisions in a loss against the Chiefs. Jaxson Dart was named the starting quarterback. As he came in to take a few snaps while Dart was being checked for a concussion, Wilson was booed.
New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson watches from the sidelines during the second half against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo., on Oct. 19, 2025. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)
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Should he end up signing with another team, Wilson will be entering his age-38 season.
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