Sports
Rams more concerned with Saquon Barkley and Eagles' versatile offense than bad weather
The Rams weathered a soggy downpour and won in Santa Clara. They played in a freezing windchill and won in New Jersey.
On Sunday in Philadelphia, the forecast calls for temperatures in the low 30s and a chance of snow for the NFC divisional-round game between the Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
Rams coach Sean McVay is not concerned.
“If it does snow or if it does rain, we have to be mindful of what we need to do to adjust and adapt,” McVay said this week, “but there’s no way it can be as cold as it was at the Jets game.”
But are the Rams well suited for a game in the snow?
“We can’t simulate what that weather is like out here,” McVay said Friday after practice, “but that’s not going to be an excuse for us to not be locked in.”
When it comes to adjustments, the biggest will be how the Rams attempt to slow Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.
On Nov. 24, Barkley rushed for 255 yards and two long touchdowns in a 37-20 victory over the Rams at SoFi Stadium.
First-year defensive coordinator Chris Shula, echoing McVay, described it Friday as a “humbling” night.
The Eagles’ Saquon Barkley evades a tackle attempt by the Rams’ Quentin Lake in November.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
So Shula must devise a scheme to keep Barkley under control, while also taking into account quarterback Jalen Hurts, receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert.
Shula showed an ability to adapt in last Monday’s wild-card victory over the Minnesota Vikings, scheming a blitzing pass-rush plan that netted nine sacks. One caused a fumble that edge rusher Jared Verse returned for a touchdown.
Is there an equivalent schematic adjustment to slow Barkley?
“There’s no perfect defense,” Shula said, adding, “so if you want to devote a lot of resources to the run, they obviously have some really good receivers and a really good quarterback.”
Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore also has the benefit of one of the NFL’s biggest and best offensive lines.
But the Rams showed against the Vikings that they are “playing as well as any defense in the league right now,” Moore said.
“You could tell just every phase of that defense is tied together, and the front is doing an excellent job getting pressure,” Moore told reporters in Philadelphia. “The challenge when you get in obvious passing situations, those guys are as good as it gets in this league collectively .”
The Eagles’ defense, under coordinator Vic Fangio, once again offers McVay one of his greatest challenges.
Fangio was the architect of the 2018 Chicago Bears’ defense that limited a high-powered Rams offense to six points. Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick borrowed heavily from that scheme and limited the Rams to three points in Super Bowl LIII.
In the November loss to the Eagles, the Rams totaled 290 yards and failed to convert all eight third-down opportunities.
Fangio’s defenses reveal “an identity and a philosophy, but I think there’s a flexibility” that enables him to adapt to his personnel, McVay said.
“They’re obviously at the top of the charts in every single metric that really matters,” McVay said, adding, “We know what a great challenge it’s going to be, and how little margin for error you have if you expect to consistently move the ball and ultimately finish drives.”
Fangio also respects McVay.
“He’s got a great offense that he has great command of,” Fangio told Philadelphia reporters this week. “And he’s a really good play-caller.
“During the game he can change gears on you at a moment’s notice. He’s one of the top play-callers in this league, for sure, without a doubt.”
Etc.
Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (thigh) was limited and defensive lineman Bobby Brown III (shoulder) and offensive linemen tackle Alaric Jackson (chest/knee) and Justin Dedich (illness) did not practice. All are listed as questionable, but McVay said he expected all would be available to play against the Eagles. Inside linebacker Troy Reeder and defensive lineman Larrell Murchison, who returned Thursday from injured reserve to practice, are out.
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After a slow first round at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia on Thursday, pace of play was a point of emphasis at the PGA Championship on Friday.
However, when an official approached Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley, they became animated.
Thomas, a longtime Team USA Ryder Cup member, and Bradley, last year’s United States captain, were on the fourth hole when they were approached by an official in a cart, and the conversation quickly turned into finger-pointing.
Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley watch from the tenth green during the second round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Thomas said after the round that he, Bradley and fellow USA Ryder Cupper Cameron Young, who won the Cadillac Championship earlier this month, were put on the clock, with the official telling them to pick up the pace. However, both Bradley and Thomas appeared to point at the group in front of them.
“We just didn’t really agree with it,” Thomas said, citing course conditions, high winds and tough pins. “We were behind. That wasn’t our issue… It’s just the fact that we weren’t holding up the group behind us.”
Thomas said they were caught up with the pace on the very next hole.
Justin Thomas plays his shot on the 15th tee during the second round of the PGA Championship in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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Thomas had a lengthy conversation with the official, while Bradley appeared to make his point short and sweet — though he was definitely not happy with the call.
It is a large PGA Championship field, with 156 golfers at the course and groups even starting their rounds on the back nine. The scores have also been rather high, with just 25 players below par at the time of publishing.
Aronimink also features a shared tee box on 1 and 10, holes 9 and 17 crossing paths, and a lengthy par-3 eighth hole that’s causing problems. Three par-3s are over 200 yards on the course, and there is also a 457-yard par 4 on the fourth.
Keegan Bradley prepares to putt on the 14th green during the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 14, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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As Chris Gotterup put it on Friday, “You’re not going to get any four-and-a-half hour rounds out here.”
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The Sparks are finally in the win column, but the outcome was in doubt late Friday night.
Behind double-digit scoring from all five starters, the Sparks had by far their best offensive showing of the season, shooting 63.8% during a 99-95 win over the expansion Toronto Tempo.
The Tempo didn’t make things easy, cutting the deficit to two points late and later trailing by just three with 31 seconds remaining and possession of the ball. Marina Mabrey missed a three-point attempt before late Tempo fouls gave the Sparks enough of a cushion to win.
Kelsey Plum nearly claimed a double-double with 27 points and nine assists, while Dearica Hamby had 19 points with seven rebounds and Nneka Ogwumike scored 20 points.
Erica Wheeler, who started in place of Ariel Atkins (concussion), scored 10 points with seven assists and was a plus-16 as the primary ball handler after starting the season two for 16 from the field. That freed up Plum to be in position to score, setting up a much more efficient Sparks offense.
Toronto was shorthanded in the frontcourt without starting center Temi Fagbenle (right shoulder), and the Sparks trio of bigs had a field day with 54 points in the paint.
The Sparks came out firing on Friday, opening with a 17-2 run.
The Tempo went on a 10-0 burst heading into the second quarter but the Sparks countered to maintain momentum and led 46-38 at halftime.
A Wheeler three-pointer early in the third quarter gave the Sparks a 20-point lead. The Tempo cut it to three midway through the fourth while Brittany Sykes (27 points, seven assists) sparked Toronto’s rally. The Tempo put up more shots than the Sparks, 70-58, largely because of a 10-2 offensive-rebounding gap.
Cameron Brink’s 10 points were the only ones provided by the Sparks’ bench, while the Tempo got 42 points from reserves.
Toronto was coming off its first win in franchise history on Wednesday when it defeated Seattle but struggled against a more complete offensive team in the Sparks.
In her return to Los Angeles after winning a national championship with UCLA this spring, Tempo rookie Kiki Rice netted 11 points.
Kate Martin made her Sparks debut as a developmental player with Atkins and Sania Feagin (lower left leg) unavailable and picked up one rebound in six minutes.
The Sparks will face Toronto again on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.
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The WNBA season has been in session for about a week, so it is far too early to make assumptions about teams. That doesn’t mean we won’t make them; it’s just too early to really believe it. I lost my first WNBA bet this season, so I’m hoping to avenge that loss here as the Sky take on the Mercury.
The Chicago Sky are one of the most poorly run franchises in basketball. They have had some great names on their team and only one championship to show for it.
Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner shoots over Indiana Fever guard Aerial Powers in the first half at PHX Arena. (Rick Scuteri/Imagn Images)
There really isn’t a clear indication of what is wrong with the franchise, but they’ve never been able to retain their talent. Aside from Kamilla Cardoso, I can’t name a player on this team that they’ve actually drafted. They just seem to get good players and then show them the door.
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Even though they’ve had questionable front office decisions, they seem to have put together a solid team for this season – something I didn’t expect before the season started.
They are 2-0, which is too early to really say they are a good team. I also want to reserve judgment until they face a team with a longer history than last year. The Portland Tempo played their first-ever game against the Sky, and Golden State was good last year, but still is in just their second season of existence.
The Phoenix Mercury are actually considered one of the best franchises in the league. I’m sure there are issues that people have reported, but for the most part, they have good facilities, and people want to play for their team. They made it all the way to the WNBA Finals last season before falling to the Las Vegas Aces. This year, they are looking to restart that journey and see if they can win the last game of the year.
Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper dribbles the ball in the second half at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., on July 27, 2025. (Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images)
It will need to come with some better play than they’ve shown through three games this year. They are just 1-2 for the year with a 0-1 home record. The lone win was a blowout victory over the Aces (a clear revenge game if we’ve ever seen one). Then they lost the next two games against Golden State and Minnesota. Losing to the Lynx wouldn’t be a problem, but they didn’t have Napheesa Collier, who still has an ankle injury.
I expect the Mercury to make some adjustments for this game. They haven’t looked very crisp to begin the year, but they’ve been strong on offense, averaging 87 points per game.
The Sky are going to keep relying on their offense to do just enough and their defense to lock in. The Sky do have an edge on the interior, so they can get buckets fairly easily down low. I like the over 166.5 in this game.
Chicago Sky guard Skylar Diggins chases the ball during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on May 13, 2026. (Bob Kupbens/Imagn Images)
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I also think it is worth betting on Kahleah Copper to go over her point total. Copper had two rough games before she broke out in the last game. Now she has the same sight lines and can attack the bigs from the Sky with her athleticism. Since going to Phoenix, she has scored 29, 7, 16, 25 and 28 points in five games against them.
For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
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