Sports
Chargers make Aaron Rodgers look like a 41-year-old QB in defense-driven win
An end to the shutdown?
Not for the Chargers.
Their defense smothered the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 25-10 victory Sunday night, and limited Aaron Rodgers to a cosmetic touchdown at the end, intercepting him twice and sacking him three times — once in the end zone for a safety.
-
Share via
Sam Farmer breaks down what went right for the Chargers in a 25-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
“This one was won by strong, tough men,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Physicality and heart. I like the games of strategy and preparation, but this was one that came down to toughness and guts.”
Aaron Rodgers has thrown more touchdown passes than anyone on “Sunday Night Football,” yet the Chargers made him look every bit of his 41 years. The Steelers moved the ball and scored on their final possession, when the outcome had already been decided, but before that were 0 for 9 on third down.
Put bluntly by Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin: “We stunk it up tonight.”
The Chargers didn’t look especially crisp, either, and quarterback Justin Herbert took another beating behind an offensive line that has had 19 different combinations in 10 games. He was sacked five times — bringing his total to 11 in the past two games — and hit nine.
At one point in the second quarter, he was hit low from behind and lay on the turf for a moment before gingerly climbing to his feet. On the sideline, trainers taped both his ankles and he didn’t miss a snap.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert scrambles against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second half Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“Just got rolled up,” he explained. “A little bit of pain. But I thought we did a good job of talking about it on the sideline. I came off and felt like I was safe, comfortable to go back out there.”
The Chargers started slow offensively but began to gather a little momentum in the second quarter when Cameron Dicker kicked his first of three field goals, and Ladd McConkey scored on a 15-yard touchdown reception with 12 seconds remaining in the first half.
Pittsburgh was as cold as a Western Pennsylvania winter, even when cheered on by a SoFi Stadium full of fans. It was a black-and-gold takeover.
“We didn’t run the ball super effectively in the first half,” Rodgers said. “I missed some throws, for sure. At times guys were open and I didn’t hit them; other times, we just weren’t getting open. Just couldn’t put it all together.”
For the Steelers, that was a big letdown from the week before, when they handed the Indianapolis Colts just their second loss. In that game, Pittsburgh forced six Colts turnovers. Sunday night, the Chargers won the turnover battle, 3-0.
Chargers linebacker Bud Dupree dances after sacking Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Sunday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Not only did the Chargers hang onto the football, but they grabbed some team records along the way. Most notable Keenan Allen, who set a club record in the waning moments of the game with his 956th career reception. He eclipsed the mark of Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates, his former teammate.
Allen spoke with Harbaugh on the sideline and suggested the play, which the receiver said would essentially be a guaranteed reception. He began to sprint from left to right across the formation before the snap, then caught a perfectly timed shovel pass as he ran past Herbert, turning upfield and collecting seven yards.
“He’s one of those guys who’s always open,” Herbert said of Allen. “Even when he’s covered he’s open.”
Dicker kicked a 59-yard field goal, tying a club record that he already shared. Khalil Mack, who corralled Rodgers for the safety, became the second player in NFL history with at least 35 sacks for three different franchises. The late Hall of Famer Kevin Greene was the only other player to do that.
The Chargers have won three in a row for the first time since their first three games. Their offensive line remains an issue, and the team surely will be working in the newly acquired tackle Trevor Penning for Sunday’s game at Jacksonville.
The special teams, which gave up a punt-return touchdown at Tennessee the week before, collected a muffed punt by Pittsburgh in the fourth quarter.
Harbaugh said the rumors of the demise of the Chargers offensive line and special teams were premature, praising both units. It’s clear, though, that Herbert’s protectors still have a long way to go.
As for the defense, however, that turned in a gem.
“The interior guys, the edge guys, everybody worked together,” linebacker Denzel Perryman said. “It was rush and cover, cover and rush. That’s how you get numbers like that.”
If the Chargers can keep getting to quarterbacks — and do a better job of protecting theirs — they have potential to be a headache in all the right ways.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Police in Italy successfully intercepted and prevented pro-Palestinian activists from interfering with a sacred Olympic tradition on Saturday.
The Italian police said that the pro-Palestinian activists were prevented from coming into contact with the opening stages of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics torch relay.
Both groups of protesters were removed before they reached the relay route in Rome, per police.
The Olympic torch is lit in Greece. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
A third group of about 10 people that was monitored by police waved Palestinian flags when the relay passed by the city’s biggest university, La Sapienza.
There were also three people carrying signs in support of Venezuela near the American embassy.
In October, more than two million demonstrators marched through more than 100 Italian cities to protest the war in Gaza.
Olympic champion swimmer Gregorio Paltrinieri began the relay in the statue-lined Stadio dei Marmi and the torch was carried for 20 miles before ending the day in Piazza del Popolo.
The relay will cover nearly 7,500 miles and wind its way through all 110 Italian provinces before reaching Milan’s San Siro Stadium for the opening ceremony on Feb. 6.
TEAM ISRAEL GYMNASTS SPEAK OUT AFTER BEING BARRED FROM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS BY INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT
Short-track speedskater Jean-Francois Monette lights the Olympic flame at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium during the Olympic torch relay, Dec. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson)
In all, there will be 10,001 torch-bearers.
The next stops on the torch relay are Viterbo on Sunday, and Terni on Monday.
Pro-Palestinian protesters causing disruption to sporting events have become increasingly regular over the past year, especially sporting events involving Israeli teams.
Last month, multiple people were arrested at a soccer match in the United Kingdom that involved Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv. Israeli fans of the team were prohibited from attending the match due to safety concerns, but disturbances still broke out regardless, with anti-Israel protesters in the vicinity.
Multiple people were arrested at a soccer match in the United Kingdom that involved Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv. Israeli fans of the team were prohibited from attending the match due to safety concerns, but disturbances still broke out regardless, with anti-Israel protesters in the vicinity.
An Israeli cycling team was excluded from an October race in Italy, the Giro dell’Emilia, because of concerns over potentially disruptive pro-Palestinian protests. Organizers made the decision after protesters repeatedly disrupted the recent Spanish Vuelta.
Seven of the past 11 days of racing at the Vuelta were cut short or interrupted because Spain’s government estimated more than 100,000 people were on the streets in Madrid during the final stage in September.
The protesters said their actions were aimed at denouncing Israel’s military campaign in Gaza after Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel Oct. 7, 2023.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Luka Doncic was removed from the team’s status report entering Sunday’s game at Philadelphia after the Lakers superstar and his fiancee announced the birth of their second child Saturday.
Doncic missed the last two games, but before Friday’s game against Boston, coach JJ Redick was open to the possibility of him rejoining the team in time for Sunday’s road trip finale. The Lakers (16-6) went 1-1 to begin the trip with a thrilling, three-point win in Toronto on Thursday before getting blown out in Boston.
LeBron James, who also missed Friday’s game because of sciatica and joint arthritis in his left foot, is questionable to return Sunday. The 40-year-old has played in only six of the Lakers’ 22 games.
Guard Marcus Smart will miss a sixth consecutive game because of a left lumbar muscle strain.
Doncic, who shared a photo of his new daughter, Olivia, on social media, leads the NBA with 35.3 points per game. If he returns against the 76ers (13-9), the game will feature three of the league’s top five scorers.
Philadelphia guard Tyrese Maxey ranks third with 31.6 points per game and Lakers guard Austin Reaves is fifth with 29.3 points. Reaves’ career season has helped the Lakers go 4-2 in games without Doncic, as Reaves is averaging 40 points per game without Doncic in the lineup.
Sports
NFL cites player safety in plan to bring every stadium’s playing surface up to enhanced standards
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
As the debate over NFL playing surfaces continues, the league introduced a plan that aims to bring more consistency to all stadiums.
The new enhanced standards will have to be met by 2028, according to the NFL, and will be set through lab and field testing.
Nick Pappas, an NFL field director, shared some details about the plans for the program rollout.
Each team will be provided with “a library of approved and accredited NFL fields” before the 2026 season begins. Any new field will immediately have to meet those standards, and all teams will have two years to achieve them. Both grass and synthetic turf fields will be subject to the new standards.
The NFL logo on the field at SoFi Stadium Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (Kirby Lee/magn Images)
Most artificial surfaces are replaced every two or three years, Pappas said. Natural fields can have a shorter usage span and are often replaced several times during a single season.
2025 NFL WEEK 14 BUZZ: COMMANDERS GET QB JAYDEN DANIELS BACK VS. VIKINGS
Pappas added that the fields will have undergone extensive testing and been approved by a joint committee with the NFLPA.
“It’s sort of a red, yellow, green effect, where we’re obviously trying to phase out fields that we have determined to be less ideal than newer fields coming into the industry,” he said.
The Las Vegas Raiders logo at midfield at Allegiant Stadium Oct. 27, 2024, in Paradise, Nev. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
“This is a big step for us. This is something that I think has been a great outcome from the Joint Surfaces Committee of the work, the deployment and development of devices determining the appropriate metrics and ultimately providing us with a way to substantiate the quality of fields more so than we ever have in the past.”
Pappas said fields have been tested in labs and on site using two main tools. One is called the BEAST, which is a traction testing device that replicates the movements of an NFL player. The other is called the STRIKE Impact Tester, which helps determine the firmness of each field.
The turf field for a preseason game between the New Orleans Saints and the Denver Broncos at the Caesars Superdome Aug. 23, 2025, in New Orleans. (Derick E. Hingle/Getty Images)
The league’s goal is to find fields that are as consistent as possible for all 30 NFL stadiums and at each stadium throughout the season. Pappas said the “key pillars” for a field are optimized playability, reducing injury risk and player feedback.
The NFL has no plans to require natural grass fields. The league’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, said there are no “statistically significant differences” in lower extremity injuries or concussions that can be attributed to the type of playing surface or a specific surface despite widespread preferences by players for grass fields and complaints about surfaces such as the one at MetLife Stadium, where the New York Giants and Jets play.
“The surface is only one driver of these lower extremity injuries,” Sills said. “There are a lot of other factors, including player load and previous history and fatigue, positional adaptability and cleats that are worn. So, surfaces are a component, but it is a complex equation.”
The natural grass field for the upcoming Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, has been growing at a sod farm located a couple hours east of the Bay Area.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Dec. 6, 2025
How To Watch Kansas Basketball vs Missouri in Border Showdown
Montana Tech moves on with 31-21 win over rival Carroll in NAIA playoffs
Nebraska Weathers Dip in Offense, Sweeps Kansas State
Local veterans donation drive rallies community support for paralyzed veterans of Nevada
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Map: 7.0-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Alaska
Hegseth hints major defense spending increase, reveals new details on Trump’s anti-narcoterrorism operations
Ukraine peace talks stall as Russia unleashes huge waves of attacks
National Park Service drops free admission on MLK Day, Juneteenth while adding Trump’s birthday
A 3-D Look at Trump’s Proposed White House Ballroom
-
Politics4 days agoTrump rips Somali community as federal agents reportedly eye Minnesota enforcement sweep
-
Ohio3 days agoWho do the Ohio State Buckeyes hire as the next offensive coordinator?
-
News4 days agoTrump threatens strikes on any country he claims makes drugs for US
-
World4 days agoHonduras election council member accuses colleague of ‘intimidation’
-
Texas14 hours agoTexas Tech football vs BYU live updates, start time, TV channel for Big 12 title
-
Politics1 week agoRep. Swalwell’s suit alleges abuse of power, adds to scrutiny of Trump official’s mortgage probes
-
Politics5 days agoTrump highlights comments by ‘Obama sycophant’ Eric Holder, continues pressing Senate GOP to nix filibuster
-
News1 week agoVideo: Two National Guard Members Shot Near White House