Sports
A secret to Quentin Lake's Rams success? Having his All-Pro dad as a role model
Quentin Lake got the news on the field after practice, so there was no other place he wanted to pass it along.
The Rams’ safety trotted into the locker room, picked up his phone and waited until teammates had filed in and left the field empty.
Then he quietly made his way back outside, took a deep breath and placed the call.
“Dad,” he said, trying to hide his excitement, “I was elected a team captain.”
Carnell Lake choked up a bit.
“You’re only in your third year!” he told his son, pride rippling through the connection. “‘I didn’t get elected captain till I was 10 years in. Man, I’m proud of you.”
The emotional August exchange, on the eve of the Rams’ season, was another bonding moment for father and son.
Carnell, a star at Culver City High and UCLA, played safety and cornerback for 12 NFL seasons, 10 with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1989 to 1998. He was an All-Pro, a five-time Pro Bowl selection and was named to an NFL 1990s All-Decade team.
Quentin, who also played at UCLA, is a leader and something of an ironman for a Rams team that rebounded from a 1-4 start to make the playoffs.
“Football,” Quentin said of his relationship with his father, “is our love language.”
Quentin’s lineage comes through in his approach, his maturity and his play, Rams coach Sean McVay said. A love for the game, understanding of nuances and “emotional intelligence,” as McVay put it, enables the 25-year-old to navigate situations and connect with other players.
Pittsburgh Steelers strong safety Carnell Lake warms up before the AFC championship game against the Colts in January 1996.
(Mark Duncan / Associated Press)
“You definitely feel that pedigree based on the love that he has and that relationship that he has with his father,” McVay said.
Carnell played in 17 playoff games, including a Super Bowl XXX defeat by the Dallas Cowboys in 1996.
On Monday night, Quentin will start his second postseason game when the Rams play the Minnesota Vikings in an NFC wild-card game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Because of safety concerns related to the wildfires in Southern California, the NFL moved the game from SoFi Stadium.
“You want to remind guys that when stuff like this happens, it’s bigger than the game of football,” Quentin said of his role as a captain, “but at the same time we can use this game to give L.A. hope.”
By design, Quentin’s journey to the NFL was made without a push from his father.
Despite Quentin’s request for his father to coach him in youth sports — “I wanted to learn all the tricks of the trade,” he said — Carnell declined.
“If you grow up enjoying it without feeling pressure,” Carnell said, “I think it’s going to be more about him.”
Carnell never pushed football. He told his son that if he wanted to be an engineer, be an engineer. If he wanted to be a doctor, be a doctor.
“He always said, ‘It’s your life, and you’re going to have to one day make a decision of what you want to do,” Quentin said. “Luckily, he was such a good role model that that’s exactly what I wanted to do was be a football player and go to the NFL.”
Quentin played at Santa Ana Mater Dei before following in his father’s footsteps to UCLA. Carnell, who had coached for seven seasons with the Steelers, left his position so he could watch.
“I said, ‘I don’t want to miss that,’” Carnell said.
Carnell, though, continued to keep his distance.
“He never wanted to overstep,” his son said.
But in 2018, after watching a Bruins practice where Quentin played a coverage incorrectly, Carnell offered a bit of unsolicited advice.
“He was kind of listening like, ‘Hey Dad, you played a long time ago,’” Carnell said, laughing. “So I looked at it like, he’s not listening to me.”
Not much changed after USC receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown burned the Bruins for a long touchdown late in the season.
Quentin Lake warms up before a game between UCLA and Fresno State at the Rose Bowl in September 2021.
(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
The next week, however, St. Brown’s brother, Osiris, scored on a similar play for Stanford.
“At that point, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ve got to listen — he knows what he’s talking about,” Quentin said, chuckling. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
“So from that point on, we started really diving into the film and how can I improve my game — and my game took off.”
The Rams selected Lake in the sixth round of the 2022 draft. He was sidelined for much of his rookie season because of a knee injury, but last season his versatility helped the Rams rebound from a 3-6 start to make the playoffs.
As the Rams prepared for this season, first-year defensive coordinator Chris Shula regarded Lake as a building block for a unit making up for the loss of retired star defensive lineman Aaron Donald. After linebacker Troy Reeder suffered a hamstring injury, Lake assumed signal-calling duties.
“We had that vision of being able to move him around and play wherever we needed to fit the defense,” Shula said. “He’s excellent in coverage. He’s a physical player. He is obviously really smart, so he is a guy that you can do a lot of different things with.”
Quentin, 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds, said he has benefited from the expertise of Rams coaches as well as his sessions with his father.
Carnell recalled one they shared during Quentin’s down time.
Rams safety Quentin Lake, left, and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon celebrate an interception against the Bengals in September 2023.
(Emilee Chinn / Associated Press)
“We stayed up till 2 in the morning watching film, and he showed me his notebook,” Carnell said. “I was like, ‘You gotta be kidding me.’ He’s already ahead of me. His penmanship and his notetaking skills are impressive.
“Mine is like chicken scratch.”
Quentin disagrees. His father had “multiple notebooks for one team,” when he was a player, and now offers “full Power Point presentations” to his son.
“My notes are good,” Quentin said, “but his notes are far and beyond.”
Lake has applied the lessons. He went into the final week of the season as one of only four NFL players to play every defensive snap. The streak ended only because McVay rested or minimized snaps for starters in the season finale.
Lake’s success does not surprise defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant.
“He’s such a stickler for the details that sometimes I have to tell him to give himself some grace, allow himself to be a little more kind to himself,” Pleasant said. “That’s something you want as a coach. You want to be able to pull back on the reins, as opposed to feeling like you’re always pushing them to move forward.”
Lake, a role model for teammates on the field, he also strives to lead by example in other areas.
This season on his off days, Lake was on hand for the dedication of a football field the Rams installed at the Nickerson Gardens housing complex in Watts. He also was among a number of Rams players that pitched in at a construction site in North Hollywood that will eventually be homes for military veterans.
Rams safety Quentin Lake helps with construction of a site that will have homes for multiple military veteran families in North Hollywood.
(Gary Klein / Los Angeles Times)
Rams safety Quentin Lake instructs a youngster during the dedication of the Rams football field at Nickerson Gardens in Watts.
(Gary Klein / Los Angeles Times)
“It’s being able to take a step back really from football and saying I’m a human first, how can I help other people,” he said after mixing and moving wheelbarrows full of cement.
Rams rookie safety Jaylen McCollough attempts to follow Lake’s example.
“You want to be an all-around pro, and that’s on the field and off the field,” McCollough said. “And so any nuggets you can take or just learn from Q, you just got to be a sponge.”
That is how Quentin approaches the lessons his father passes along.
In honor of Carnell, Quentin has always worn jersey No. 37, the number his father wore.
“I thought about changing it when I got drafted,” Quentin said. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m on my own journey.’ But you know what, 37 is just me.”
Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher, a studio analyst for CBS, apparently recognizes the similarities between father and son.
After Quentin and Rams defensive lineman Kobie Turner taped a television segment this season, Cowher sent Lake a video message, relaying a story about a sideline conversation he had with Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu.
“Troy was having a tough time, and Troy came back to the sideline and coach Cowher was like, ‘Troy, you’re good. You’re good,’” Quentin said. “And Troy said, ‘I’m just trying to be like Carnell Lake.’
“I was like, ‘Wow. That’s crazy.’”
Now Quentin hopes to one-up his father.
He wants to not only play in a Super Bowl but be a captain for a team that wins a ring.
“I’d come home and be like, ‘Yeah, I’ve got this,’” Quentin said, shaking his ring finger. “That would be cool.”
And another proud moment for father and son to share.
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Only one more week of the 2025 NFL regular season remains, as Week 17 brought about some more playoff implications and even 2026 NFL Draft key positions.
The biggest takeaway from the slate of Week 17 is that two divisions in the NFL — the AFC North and NFC South — will be determined by whoever wins key matchups in Week 18.
First, it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers getting upset by the Cleveland Browns at home, as Aaron Rodgers couldn’t find Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a controversial game-ending play in the end zone. That loss sets up the AFC North title game between the Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, which is only possibly thanks to a road victory where Derrick Henry scored four touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers.
Then, despite both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers losing their respective matchups, the NFL tiebreakers make their Week 18 bout the NFC South title game.
Aaron Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts during the second quarter of the game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field on Dec. 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
And while everyone was focused on the NFL playoff picture, the two-game 4 o’clock slate gave us the New York Giants against the Las Vegas Raiders, the winner of which owning the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
The Giants would’ve solidified the pick with a loss, but Jaxson Dart and the Giants’ offense blew out Geno Smith and the Raiders to relinquish the pick, which now belongs in Sin City.
NFL WEEK 16 SCORES: PLAYOFF PRESSURE LEADS TO THRILLING FINISHES ACROSS LEAGUE
Here’s how every NFL game played out:
THURSDAY, DEC. 25
– DALLAS COWBOYS 30, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS 23
– MINNESOTA VIKINGS 23, DETROIT LIONS 10
– DENVER BRONCOS 20, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 13
Dak Prescott (4) of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates after his team’s touchdown against the Washington Commanders in the second quarter of a game at Northwest Stadium on Dec. 25, 2025 in Landover, Maryland. (Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
SATURDAY, DEC. 27
– HOUSTON TEXANS 20, LOS ANGELES CHARGERS 16
– BALTIMORE RAVENS 41, GREEN BAY PACKERS 24
SUNDAY, DEC. 28
– CINCINNATI BENGALS 37, ARIZONA CARDINALS 14
– CLEVELAND BROWNS 13, PITTSBURGH STEELERS 7
– NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 34, TENNESSEE TITANS 26
– JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 23, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 17
– MIAMI DOLPHINS 20, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 17
– NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 42, NEW YORK JETS 10
– SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 27, CAROLINA PANTHERS 10
– NEW YORK GIANTS 34, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS 10
– PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 13, BUFFALO BILLS 12
– SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS-CHICAGO BEARS (TBD)
Bundle FOX One and FOX Nation to stream the entire FOX Nation library, plus live FOX News, Sports, and Entertainment at our lowest price of the year. The offer ends on Jan. 4, 2026. (Fox One; Fox Nation)
MONDAY, DEC. 29
– LOS ANGELES RAMS-ATLANTA FALCONS (TBD)
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Opening day at Santa Anita might have been delayed by two days because of heavy rain, but it was worth the wait for no other reason than to watch the stretch run of the $200,000 Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes.
And for trainer Bob Baffert, it was even better than that. Not only did Nysos and Nevada Beach run 1-2 for him Sunday in the thrilling Grade 2 Pincay, but he also captured the two Grade 1 races he entered, the La Brea with Usha and the Malibu with Goal Oriented.
It was the fourth time Baffert won three stakes on the same day at Santa Anita, including the same trio of races on opening day in 2022.
He was especially excited after the Pincay, and not just by what he saw on the track.
“You know what’s great?” Baffert said as he stood in the winner’s circle and motioned to the grandstand, which was crowded with an announced 41,962 fans, the largest opening day audience since 2016. “It’s great to see this place packed. Look, everybody came out. They’ll come out to see a good horse and everybody was on the apron for this one. And they saw a great horse race.
“It was actually fun watching.”
Particularly for Baffert, who knew as the field turned into the stretch he couldn’t lose. Nysos, the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile champion ridden by Flavien Prat, was on the inside of Nevada Beach, the Goodwood Stakes winner ridden by Juan Hernandez.
Nysos was the heavy 1-5 favorite, having lost only one of his seven lifetime races, but for at least a moment it looked as if he might not get past Nevada Beach, at 3 a year younger than his stablemate.
But, in a virtual rerun of the Dirt Mile, when Prat and Nysos edged past Hernandez and another Baffert 3-year-old, Citizen Bull, the older horse once again prevailed, again by a head.
“I was close,” Hernandez said. “My horse ran really good. I was in front on the stretch for a couple of jumps and then it was just back and forth between Nysos and my horse. … He was giving me everything he had.”
The Grade 2 Pincay (formerly the San Antonio) was one of six stakes races on opening day, which is traditionally held the day after Christmas. It wasn’t one of the three Grade 1 races, but the presence of Nysos made it feel like the day’s main event.
Nysos returned $2.40 after running 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.36, the fastest since the Pincay was moved to that distance in 2017.
Baffert said in the leadup to the race that Nysos likely would start next in the $20-million Saudi Cup on Feb. 14 in Riyadh, while Nevada Beach was more apt to go to the $3-million Pegasus World Cup next month at Gulfstream Park. After the Pincay, he didn’t rule out sending both to Saudi Arabia.
The only downside to Baffert’s stakes day was having to scratch Barnes and Cornucopian, the two morning-line favorites, from the Malibu. Barnes suffered a “minor setback” Saturday while Cornucopian had an incident in the paddock minutes before the race, which forced his withdrawal (he was uninjured).
No matter, though; Goal Oriented ($4.20) took over favoritism and earned his first stakes win, defeating stablemate Midland Money by a length in 1:20.97, the fastest Malibu since 2016.
“I’m just happy it turned out that we won it because it was so upsetting for a little bit,” Baffert said.
Usha ($13.20) was starting in a Grade 1 race for the first time, but she won the La Brea like a filly who has more victories in her future. She finished seven furlongs in a rapid 1:21.68 to beat 2-1 favorite Formula Rossa by 5¼ lengths.
The first of the six stakes races was the $200,000 Mathis Mile for 3-year-olds on the turf. Tempus Volat, trained by Leonard Powell, led the race but was passed in the final yard by Hiding in Honduras ($21.40), a 9-1 long shot ridden by Antonio Fresu for Jonathan Thomas. Namaron, the 1-2 favorite ridden by Prat, finished third.
There was no such drama in the second turf stakes, the $100,000 San Gabriel, in which Cabo Spirit ($14.80), trained by George Papaprodromou, took the lead shortly after the start under Mike Smith and rolled to a 1¼-length victory over Astronomer. Stay Hot, the 2-1 favorite, lost a photo for third to Mondego.
The final race of the day was the other Grade 1 event, the $300,000 American Oaks, won by another Thomas trainee, Ambaya, a 12-1 long shot. The daughter of Ghostzapper was ridden by Kazushi Kimura, who picked up the mount when Fresu injured his ankle earlier in the day.
Etc.
The two cards that were rained out over the weekend will be made up Monday and Wednesday, with free parking and admission. Both days will offer two stakes races; Monday’s highlight is the $200,000 Joe Hernandez, which includes Motorious and Sumter, who were 1-2 in the race last year, and Imagination, last month’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint runner-up who will be racing on turf for the first time.
Rain is forecast beginning Wednesday, with track officials saying they will monitor the situation before deciding on how it will affect the racing, if at all. The schedule calls for racing Thursday through Sunday before Santa Anita begins its normal schedule of Fridays through Sundays on Jan. 9.
Sports
Ravens quarterback hopes to provide words of encouragement to Shedeur Sanders before Browns-Steelers game
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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley said Saturday night he hoped to give Cleveland Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders a call before his game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Ravens defeated the Green Bay Packers to keep their playoff hopes alive and need the Browns to pull off an upset victory over the Steelers. If Pittsburgh wins, they clinch the AFC North division title and a spot in the playoffs. If the Browns win, then the division title and a playoff spot would come down to their Week 18 matchup.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley (5) speaks during a press conference after an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)
“I’m trying to make it out of here, so I can call Shedeur really quick and make sure he gets it done,” Huntley told reporters, adding that he would probably watch the game at home.
Huntley was in Browns training camp when he, Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco were all vying for the starting job. Flacco ended up winning the job before he was traded in the middle of the season, while Pickett was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. Huntley was cut and signed with the Ravens. Gabriel started a few games during the season and Sanders earned his own showcase to end the season.
The one-time Pro Bowler got to know Sanders in camp.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders looks to pass against the Buffalo Bills during the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/David Richard)
RAVENS RIDE DERRICK HENRY’S FOUR TOUCHDOWNS TO KEEP PLAYOFF HOPES ALIVE
“Just when we got to the Browns. I knew of him, and he probably knew of me, but once we got to the Browns, we linked up a little bit,” Huntley added. “He’s a cool dude.”
Sanders and the Browns pulling off a win would be the marquee victory the young quarterback is looking for.
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ESPN noted that Deion Sanders, Shedeur’s father, intercepted a pass from Aaron Rodgers when the latter quarterback made an appearance for the Green Bay Packers in 2005. About 20 years later, Rodgers will compete against Sanders’ son in a pivotal matchup.
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