Sports
Justin Herbert and Chargers can’t catch up to Jonathan Taylor and Colts in loss
The Chargers had the look. All-gold uniforms. Retro logos. Powder-blue end zones with script from the nostalgic days of Dan Fouts and Don Coryell.
But their defense?
As dead as disco when it counted most.
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, the NFL’s leading rusher, trampled the Chargers on Sunday with touchdowns of 23, eight and 19 yards in a 38-24 victory at SoFi Stadium.
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Sam Farmer breaks down what went wrong for the Chargers in their 38-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.
“Until we get it fixed, until we put that fire out…” Chargers All-Pro safety Derwin James Jr. said. “The last two, three games, we haven’t been ourselves on defense.”
The Chargers have lost three of their past four games and need some quick-drying cement to patch the holes with Minnesota coming to town for a Thursday night game.
“Short week,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “We didn’t play our best in any phase, but now it’s time to regroup, refit and get ready.”
If Harbaugh has any answers, he wasn’t sharing them outside the locker room Sunday. He stood in front of the media, gripped the lectern and stared into the distance.
“It wasn’t our best day, but do I have confidence in my team? Yes,” he said. “Do I believe they’re fighting? Yeah. And that’s all you can really ask for as a coach.”
It was just another Sunday for Taylor who came into Week 7 leading the league in rushing yards and touchdowns, and averaged 5.9 yards per carry against a Chargers defense that had been respectable to this point. That defense allowed an average of 20.8 points in the six previous games.
That helped open the passing lanes for Colts quarterback Daniel Jones, who threw a pair of touchdowns and again made an early-season case for Comeback Player of the Year after his career had seemingly flamed out with the New York Giants.
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is tackled by Chargers linebacker Odafe Oweh during the first half of the Chargers’ 38-24 loss Sunday.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
It was the second trip to Los Angeles in four weeks for the Colts, who lost to the Rams here in Week 4.
The Chargers, whose distinctive look was a nod to the 1970s, were sleepwalking in the first half before coming to life in the second.
Justin Herbert kept the home team somewhat in the game with three touchdown passes after halftime but found himself trying to dig out of a deep hole all day.
The Chargers actually outgained the Colts, 445 yards to 401, and held the ball for nine minutes longer, but Indianapolis was more efficient with its possessions, better in the red zone, and took advantage of its opportunities.
He saw two of his passes intercepted in the first half. The first was batted high in the air at the line of scrimmage and plucked by 314-pound defensive tackle Grover Stewart. The second pick came in the red zone, when safety Nick Cross slipped in front of Quentin Johnston in the end zone to intercept an eight-yard pass.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert slides while scrambling during the second half Sunday.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
The Chargers, who trailed at halftime, 23-3, clawed their way back into the game with touchdown passes to Johnston, Keenan Allen and Oronde Gadsden II.
It has been a rollercoaster of a season for the Chargers, who ran the table against the AFC West in the first three weeks, then lost back-to-back games to the Giants and Washington Commanders, before rebounding with a come-from-behind win at Miami.
Denver came from behind Sunday to beat the Giants, 33-32, knocking the Chargers out of the top spot in the division. Meanwhile, Kansas City stomped Las Vegas, 31-0, and could be gathering some of that familiar momentum. It isn’t getting any easier for the Chargers.
Herbert was hit 15 times by the Colts — three times more than the Chargers hit Jones — and sacked three times. More punishment for a quarterback who has been under intense pressure all season.
“That’s football,” he said. “That’s part of the job. We threw the ball a lot today and that’s going to happen. The offensive line is doing an incredible job battling and I can always get the ball out quicker.”
Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin breaks up a pass intended for Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey in the end zone during the fourth quarter Sunday.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
Against the Colts, the troubles began early for the Chargers. After the home team’s first snap, Chargers left tackle Austin Deculus lay face down on the turf. He was the team’s fourth player to line up as Herbert’s blindside protector.
It was an ankle injury that felled Deculus — he wound up returning in the second quarter with a bulky brace — and the Chargers turned to the lightly experienced Foster Sarell, who suddenly held one of the most important positions on the field.
Just more offensive line insanity for the Chargers, who have cycled through six tackles so far. Their line was once considered an area of strength.
The Chargers are shedding the “university gold” uniforms and replacing them Thursday with familiar navy ones. They need to make more than superficial changes, however.
James, for one, is happy the next game is coming so soon.
“Yes, sir,” he said with the slightest glint of optimism. “I can’t wait to get this taste out of my mouth.”
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After the World Cup group stage, things go from intense to do-or-die.
In previous years, the Round of 16 was the first knockout stage match, but with an expanded field of 48 teams— it is now the second.
Following the conclusion of the group stage, we now know all 16 Round of 32 matchups. As Brazil- Japan, Netherlands-Morocco and Portugal-Croatia are set to meet in powerhouse showdowns, other nations like Argentina (vs. Cape Verde) and England (vs. DR Congo) have much more favorable draws.
With that, let’s check out the odds for which countries are favored to win at least one knockout stage game and make it to the Round of 16, at FanDuel Sportsbook as of June 28.
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.
To Reach Round of 16
Argentina: -1500 (bet $10 to win $10.67 total)
France: -750 (bet $10 to win $11.33 total)
England: -650 (bet $10 to win $11.54 total)
USA: -600 (bet $10 to win $11.67 total)
Spain: -550 (bet $10 to win $11.82 total)
Germany: -500 (bet $10 to win $12 total)
Brazil: -310 (bet $10 to win $13.23 total)
Canada: -300 (bet $10 to win $13.33 total)
Colombia: -250 (bet $10 to win $14 total)
Portugal: -230 (bet $10 to win $14.35 total)
Norway: -210 (bet $10 to win $14.76 total)
Switzerland: -210 (bet $10 to win $14.76 total)
Belgium: -195 (bet $10 to win $15.13 total)
Netherlands: -180 (bet $10 to win $15.56 total)
Mexico: -165 (bet $10 to win $16.06 total)
Egypt: -165 (bet $10 to win $16.06 total)
Australia: +100 (bet $10 to win $20 total)
Ecuador: +125 (bet $10 to win $22.50 total)
Morocco: +130 (bet $10 to win $23 total)
Ivory Coast: +130 (bet $10 to win $23 total)
France currently -750 to make the Round of 16 (Getty Images).
Here’s what to know about this oddsboard.
The Favorites: France and Spain are favored to win the tournament, making them heavy favorites to at least reach the second round of the knockout stage. In 2014, France made it to the quarterfinals, followed by a championship in 2018 and a runner-up finish in 2022. The last time it failed to make it out of the group stage was back in 2010. For Spain, it lost in the Round of 16 in both 2022 and 2018, and failed to make it out of the group stage in 2014, after winning the World Cup in 2010. However, in this betting market, Argentina is the heavily favored to make it to the Round of 16 as sportsbooks believe Cape Verde has an extremely small chance of upsetting the defending champions.
The Host Nations: The USA and Mexico are in great shape to win their Round of 32 matchups after winning their respective groups. Mexico officially won Group A after sweeping its group, while the U.S. clinched Group D after its win over Australia and Türkiye’s loss to Paraguay. And lastly, after its first-ever World Cup win, Canada will advance after finishing second in Group B.
Mexico has a familiar relationship with the Round of 16, having lost in that round every tournament from 1994 to 2018 — seven straight tournaments. In 2022, Mexico didn’t make it out of group play. As for the USA, it made the Round of 16 in 2022, did not qualify for the tournament in 2018, and made the Round of 16 in 2014 and 2010. Canada will play in its first knockout game ever.
Canada will face South Africa on Sunday, Mexico has drawn Ecuador on Tuesday, and the U.S. will play Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday.
SAN DIEGO — One after another, Kyle Tucker and Dalton Rushing broke up their offensive slumps with home runs.
The Dodgers’ sixth-inning rally, en route to a 15-3 victory against the Padres at Petco Park Saturday, featured blasts from the two hitters who needed individual victories at the plate.
Tucker, who entered Saturday with just a .700 OPS, had gone four straight games without a hit. Rushing went hitless in the previous five, in a rough seven-week stretch.
“It’s tough,” Tucker said of his uncharacteristically slow offensive start. “You just have to try and stay positive as much as you can. … We’re going to enjoy the win, but you’ve got another game tomorrow, and you’ve gotta move on to that. Anything that happened yesterday, you’ve got to move on, do your best at that, move on to the next game, and try to improve and try to help your team win.”
Tucker and Rushing’s home runs started the sunflower seed showers in a nine-run inning, which included a home run by Mookie Betts. Four of the runs scored in the sixth were unearned.
The Dodgers’ Dalton Rushing celebrates with Alex Freeland after hitting a home run against the Padres Saturday in San Diego.
(Tony Ding / Ap Photo/tony Ding)
The Dodgers took full advantage of the Padres’ defensive mistakes to jump-start their offense.
In the second inning, Max Muncy hit a line drive into the corner, and Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. dove after it. But he missed the catch, and the ball bounced behind him. Muncy legged out a triple. And that put him in position to score easily on Tommy Edman’s double to the center-field warning track for the first run of the game.
The Padres evened the score with a Gavin Sheets’ solo home run off Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who’d go on to limit the Padres to two runs through six innings.
Shaky defense, however, came back to haunt the Padres the next inning.
With Freddie Freeman standing on second base, after a leadoff double against Padres right-hander Randy Vásquez, Muncy hit a sharp grounder to second baseman Will Wagner, who muffed the play. Freeman raced around the bases, scoring on a close play at the plate.
Then Edman, who’s been swinging a hot bat since making his season debut last week, tripled to drive in Muncy.
That’s when Tucker, who went three for five with four RBIs Saturday, stepped up to the plate. He won a nine-pitch battle, sending a cutter over the right-field fence.
“Kind of been looking for it all year,” Tucker said. “I just kind of caught the ball at the right point of contact. I didn’t really stay through it great, but I put a decent enough swing on it, got it to work out.”
Rushing was next, and also went long in a two-strike count.
The Dodgers kept extending the inning, with two walks and three more hits, including Betts’ three-run homer off Padres reliever Ron Marinaccio. It was Betts’ third home run in as many games.
The Padres chipped away at the lead with an RBI single from Sheets off Yamamoto in the sixth and another run against Dodgers reliever Kyle Hurt, who gave up two hits and issued two walks in one-third of an inning.
But the lead the Dodgers compiled in the sixth inning, plus the four runs they tacked on in the eighth with Muncy’s infield single, Edman’s bases-loaded groundout, and Tucker’s opposite-field single, was too steep to overcome.
By the ninth inning, both teams had position players pitching.
Injury update
The Dodgers hope to activate Teoscar Hernández (strained left hamstring) from the 10-day injured list on Monday, manager Dave Roberts said before Saturday’s game.
Hernández homered in all three of his triple-A rehab games, entering Saturday.
“Triple-A pitching is not comparative to big league pitching, I think we all know that,” Roberts said. “But if he’s healthy, he’s an easy guy to bet on.”
Catcher Will Smith, on the other hand, has not returned to baseball activities since receiving an injection to address his neck injury.
“I think we’re all surprised how long it’s taken,” Roberts said. “I hope he’s back before the All-Star break. But the more time he’s off, he’s going to have to play some [rehab] games. So that kind of cuts into the time of return to us. So I don’t really know. I don’t want to add any pressure to him. I want him to be healthy and then once he’s healthy we can have that conversation.”
Sports
Knicks hand Mamdani-backed candidate cease and desist letter for using team’s logo in campaign: report
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A New York Senate candidate who has been backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has reportedly been issued a cease-and-desist letter by the New York Knicks for using the championship team’s logo as part of her campaign.
Promotional stickers read, “I voted for Aber Kawas,” using the Knicks logo, with the team’s name replaced with “Kawas.”
According to the New York Post, the Knicks demanded that the campaign “immediately remove all promotional materials incorporating Knicks Intellectual Property, including but not limited to the unauthorized Advertisements, and cease any further use of Knicks Intellectual Property.”
Aber Kawas, Youth Activities Director for the Arab-American Association of New York, speaks at a rally in Columbus Circle protesting proposals to restrict Muslim arrivals to the United States. (Andy Katz/Corbis)
“Neither the Knicks nor NBA [Properties] have authorized the Campaign to use Knicks Intellectual Property in any way, including the Unauthorized Advertisements, which are likely to mislead the public into believing that the Campaign is affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by, or in some way connected with the Knicks,” Brian N. Warner, senior vice president and head of legal for Madison Square Garden Sports, said in the letter, according to the outlet.
“The Campaign’s activities in this regard constitute, among other things, trademark infringement, trademark dilution, false advertising, false association, and unfair competition.”
The Knicks and Mamdani have had beef that began last year when Mamdani’s mayoral campaign also used the Knicks logo in a similar fashion to Kawas. Mamdani was given a cease-and-desist letter, and the Knicks made it clear they were not endorsing anyone in the race, which Mamdani won.
The White House then used the Knicks logo in a post shortly after last year’s election to say, “Trump Is Your President.” The Knicks reached out to the White House, which then removed the post.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani gives New York Knicks player Jalen Brunson the keys to the city during the Knicks’ championship ticker tape parade in New York City on June 18, 2026. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
NYC CANCELS KNICKS NBA FINALS WATCH PARTY OVER TRUMP VISIT AS MSG FIRES BACK
Knicks owner James Dolan and Mamdani also had a back-and-forth earlier this month about Knicks watch parties during the team’s championship run. The two came face-to-face at the championship celebration last week at City Hall, when Mamdani name-dropped Knicks legend-turned-Dolan rival Charles Oakley during a reminiscent speech about the Knicks, while Dolan took one final parting shot at the mayor and stiffed him in a photo op.
“I don’t need your vote. I don’t need to quote to you what happened. If you’re real Knick fans you know it already,” Dolan said.
Dolan did announce that the Knicks would go to the White House to visit President Donald Trump, who attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals. The Knicks would be the first NBA team to visit Trump.
Kawas, the Muslim daughter of illegal immigrants, is now the Democrat nominee for New York’s Senate District 12 and is also a socialist. She recently came under fire for rejecting the notion that Muslim Americans need to apologize for 9/11, an attack “a couple of people did.”
Aber Kawas, a Palestinian American community organizer and democratic socialist running for New York State Assembly District 34, and Rep. Claire Valdez attend a demonstration in New York City demanding a rent freeze on rent-stabilized apartments in Long Island City on May 7, 2026. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu)
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“I’ve always been outspoken about the wrongful scapegoating of Muslim Americans, both before and after 9/11, and in this interview I was speaking about the harmful notion that Muslims should have to apologize for an act of violence they have nothing to do with,” Kawas told Fox News Digital Thursday morning.
Fox News’ Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
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