Sports
Rams take big step toward playoffs by winning field-goal battle and sweeping 49ers
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — It’s happening.
Again.
The Rams rebounded from a dismal first half of the season and they are making a run for the playoffs.
Again.
Despite a nebulous performance on offense against the San Francisco 49ers, coach Sean McVay’s team is now the one nobody in the NFL wants to play.
Again.
On Thursday night, the Rams defeated the 49ers 12-6 at Levi’s Stadium.
Joshua Karty kicked four field goals, Kyren Williams rushed for 108 yards, and cornerback Darious Williams intercepted a fourth-quarter pass as the Rams improved to 8-6.
The Rams’ Kyren Williams (23) finds running room against the 49ers.
(Jed Jacobsohn / Associated Press)
While it might have been painful to watch, it left the Rams feeling great.
“No style points,” McVay said, “We’ll take it. Proud of this group.”
With good reason. The Rams have won three games in a row for the first time in a season that began with a 1-4 start. They also swept the defending NFC champion 49ers for the first time since 2018, when McVay led the Rams to Super Bowl LIII in his second season.
“Being able to do that, knowing how good of a team they are and knowing the history with the two organizations, it’s huge,” Kyren Williams said, “and it shows that we’re the big brothers now.”
In September, the Rams needed a patented Matthew Stafford fourth-quarter comeback and a last-second field goal by Karty to beat the 49ers 27-24 at SoFi Stadium.
Rams safety Kamren Kinchens knocks away a pass intended for 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel.
(Jed Jacobsohn / Associated Press)
Stafford mostly struggled Thursday — he completed 16 of 27 passes for 160 yards — but Karty was perfect, making a kick from 48 yards in the second quarter and kicks from 23, 27 and 29 yards in the fourth.
“It’s funny because there may or may not be evidence of me saying they were my favorite team like a year ago,” Karty, who played at Stanford, said of the 49ers. “But not anymore. So it’s great to beat them and it’s huge for the team.”
The Rams were coming off Sunday’s 44-42 victory over the powerful Buffalo Bills, a win that showcased a seemingly consistent offense along with a defense that struggled in matchups against powerful offenses such as the Philadelphia Eagles and the Bills.
It rained for much of the game Thursday, and the Rams did not score a touchdown. Still, they won for the seventh time in their last nine games.
“Our team showed we can win football games kind of any way you want in about a four-day span,” Stafford said.
The Rams remain in second place in the NFC West. The Seattle Seahawks (8-5) are in first place, the Arizona Cardinals (6-7) in third, and the defending NFC-champion 49ers (6-8) are probably out of the playoff hunt.
With the victory, the Rams have a mini-bye of sorts this weekend before traveling to play the New York Jets the following Sunday. The Rams will finish with home games against the Cardinals and the Seahawks.
“You can just feel the momentum,” said tight end Colby Parkinson, who had a key third-down reception during the Rams’ final drive. “You can feel the team coming together each and every week a little bit more and we’re peaking at the right time.
“It’s exactly what we want.”
The Rams are getting almost all they need from an offensive line that cleared the way for Williams, who matched the career high he established against the Bills by carrying the ball 29 times. For the second game in a row, Stafford was not sacked.
Receiver Puka Nacua caught seven passes for 97 yards, including a 51-yard reception that set up Karty’s third field goal.
Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner records one of his two sacks of 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13).
(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)
A defense led by lineman Kobie Turner also got a good performance from cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, who started in place of injured Cobie Durant.
So Stafford was not sweating the lack of production in a game that qualified as a must-win.
“You score 44 four nights ago or whatever it was and come out here and score 12,” Stafford said. “They both count for one.”
For the first time in five games Stafford did not throw a touchdown pass, but the 16th-year pro extended his streak of games without an interception to a career-best five.
Stafford’s 11-yard scramble was the Rams’ longest of the game. He also sneaked for first downs and in the fourth quarter kept the ball on a read-option play from the four-yard line.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is tackled by 49ers linebacker Fred Warner in the second half.
(Jed Jacobsohn / Associated Press)
“At any point we get down that close, man, I’m doing anything we can to try and score,” said Stafford, who was stopped short on a play nullified by a holding penalty. “And if that means surprising everybody in the stadium that I’m still holding on to it, trying to get in, I’m all for it.”
The score was tied 3-3 at halftime as both offenses struggled to execute in rain that soaked the gray hoodies worn by McVay and his assistants.
The skies cleared after halftime, but the Rams’ offense remained in a fog.
The 49ers led 6-3 in the third quarter before Stafford directed a 17-play drive that consumed nearly 10 minutes. The Rams got to the four-yard line, but penalties killed the threat and forced them to settle for a field goal early in the fourth quarter.
After forcing the 49ers to punt, the Rams finally cut loose.
Sort of.
Stafford connected with Nacua for the 51-yard play, but the drive stalled and the Rams settled for Karty’s third field goal.
Rams cornerback Darious Williams (24) intercepts a pass intended for 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings (15) in the fourth quarter.
(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)
The 49ers then drove to the Rams’ 34-yard line, but Williams’ interception in the end zone quelled the threat.
The Rams got the ball with a little more than five minutes left and used nearly all of it during a drive that ended with Karty’s final field goal with 18 seconds left.
Not the most impressive showcase, but McVay was not complaining.
“It serves us well that there’s different ways we can win a football game,” he said. “Now we’d like to be able put it all together, but to be able to do that, that’s a real strength.”
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CM Punk appeared on “Friday Night SmackDown” ready to take on any challenger that was ready to step to him after winning the Undisputed WWE Championship against Sami Zayn.
Punk entered the ring in Oklahoma City and called back to the “Monday Night Raw” after WrestleMania 42 when he told Cody Rhodes he’d be ready to deliver if a championship opportunity fell “out of the sky.”
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Cody Rhodes and CM Punk face off during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)
“When championship opportunities fall out of the sky, CM Punk catches them,” he said.
Punk named potential SmackDown superstars he’d think might come for the title, including Gunther, Finn Balor, Royce Keys, Damian Priest and Trick Williams. He even said that Zayn could come back around and get his rematch if he wanted. He didn’t mention Rhodes’ name, but the “American Nightmare” came out uncalled and marched his way down to the ring.
“I don’t think you and I can run away from each other anymore,” Punk told Rhodes.
Cody Rhodes looks on during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on July 10, 2026. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)
Rhodes agreed and mentioned that Punk would want a match with him, just “say when.” It was a quick retort from Punk, who said, “when.” SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis, who was in the ring for the segment, booked the match for SummerSlam.
Punk will defend the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam, which takes place Aug. 1 and 2 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
First, however, Punk and Rhodes will be involved in a tag team match at Saturday Night’s Main Event in New York City next week. Aldis made the match after Gunther demanded that Aldis put him in a match against Punk. Gunther was hoping it would be for the championship. Instead, Gunther will tag with Zayn.
Gunther didn’t take too kindly to that and attacked Aldis. Rhodes came back out to break up the calamity. He wanted to take on Gunther after the show went off air but Gunther walked away.
Gunther makes his entrance during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on July 10, 2026. (Rich Wade/WWE via Getty Images)
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Punk definitely has his hands full as he moves to SmackDown to become a fighting champion.
World Cup tourists are coming to L.A. for the soccer, but they’re staying for the $21 smoothies and Double-Doubles.
As the last Los Angeles FIFA World Cup event ended Friday, soccer fans were eating like locals and famous chains from the region were cashing in.
In the weeks that L.A. has hosted the World Cup, international soccer enthusiasts have flocked to big brands from the area, often in large groups wearing their countries’ jerseys.
It is a phenomenon seen at many of the host cities. In Dallas, giant gas station Buc-ee’s is the main attraction. For people visiting New Jersey, deli shops have been a hot ticket. In L.A., the place to be between matches was Erewhon.
Thirsty international sports fans gathered for pictures outside different Erewhons, wandered their aisles smiling, and, of course, picked up pricey smoothies.
While Erewhon would not comment on its business, mobility data company Arity, which uses phone data to track consumers, said Erewhon visits at the outlets around SoFi Stadium were quadruple what they were a week earlier on June 12, the day of the U.S. national soccer team’s opening match there.
Arity looked at what stores people visited within a 10-mile radius of SoFi that day and also found surges in visitors to nearby El Pollo Loco and Trader Joe’s.
Locals have spotted groups of people in Korea jerseys huddled together, trying to decide what to order at In-N-Out.
Some complained on social media that international tourists at Trader Joe’s were buying up all the mini canvas tote bags.
Soon after the Belgium vs. Spain quarterfinal ended Friday, the In-N-Out near SoFi had a long line of soccer fans stretching out the door in bright red and yellow and black jerseys and matching striped hats and scarves.
One of the workers said he had to explain “spread” and “animal style” to foreign football fans.
“I didn’t know this place existed,” a fan from Romania said while waiting in line.
Los Angeles and other cities and states that have hosted the event need the soccer fans to spend money to make the event worth all the time, effort and money it requires.
A rosy 2024 report projected the World Cup could bring more than $800 million to the L.A. region as 180,000 people converge on the area to sleep, eat and spend.
There were early concerns people weren’t turning up for the event because of the high ticket prices and the difficulty of obtaining visas for citizens of some countries.
However, at least for some L.A. hotels, there was a surge of last-minute visitors which pushed up occupancy and room rates.
While sports fans are not in the region to shop, they do make time for it.
World Cup customer spending is also apparent in beer sales. Andrew Heritage, the chief economist at the Beer Institute said beer purchases at entertainment and attractions in L.A. – outside of World Cup spaces – were up around 10% from normal.
“That tells me that fans in the L.A. area have decided to extend their stay and take in all the other things that the area has to offer, rather than just the match itself,” he said.
On social media, the purpose of these shoppers is clear: grab a quick souvenir or local specialty and take a selfie.
The data from Arity suggests that fans are very efficient when they spend at local spots, diving in, getting what they want and getting out as soon as possible, said Jeff Schlitt, a director at the company.
“Normally you’re there for an hour. They’re going to be there for 15, 18 minutes,” he said. “Why is that? Because they were purpose-driven shoppers.”
For some travelers, the more popular American chains aren’t unfamiliar. But some of the native L.A. fare still comes as a surprise.
As one Belgium-Spain matchgoer from the Netherlands stood taking a picture of the In-N-Out sign after the game, he said he’d never had a burger like the one he’d just tried.
“We only have McDonald’s and Burger King,” he said. “It’s way better.”
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The face of baseball will not be at Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
Shohei Ohtani was scratched from his start on Friday as the Los Angeles Dodgers said he will also miss the Midsummer Classic with what the team called left knee irritation.
Ohtani, for obvious reasons, has become an All-Star Game fixture. He has earned the honor in each of the past five seasons and made his first start in 2021.
Starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers warms up before the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 03, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The two-way phenom is on his way to winning his fifth MVP award in his last six seasons as he is hitting .290 with a .939 OPS and pitching to a minuscule 1.79 ERA, the second-lowest in the sport among pitchers with 80-plus innings. His OPS is also the seventh-best mark in the league.
The Dodgers said Ohtani will be the team’s designated hitter up until the break, but he will “have some interventions on his knee to put him in the best position for the second half of the season.”
Ohtani dealt with knee issues earlier in the season.
It is certainly a big hit for the game as the other face of the sport, Aaron Judge, will miss the game due to a fractured rib that has kept him out since late May.
Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers gets ready in the on deck circle against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 01, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) (Norm Hall/Getty Images)
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Ohtani hit 99 home runs combined in 2024 and 2025, leading the National League with a 1.025 OPS in that span. Ohtani did not pitch in 2024 after elbow surgery but returned to the bump last year and owned a 2.87 ERA and 11.9 K/9, a figure he also put up in 2022 that led the American League.
The “Japanese Babe Ruth” is the only player in MLB history to have 300-plus plate appearances and 40-plus innings in six separate seasons (Ruth only did it twice and never stole 50 bases), and he has more than excelled at both.
Shohei Ohtani pitches for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on May 13, 2026. (Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)
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Ohtani is not hitting like he has in the past, but certainly the best pitching performance of his career will make up for it. He “only” has 20 homers and 56 RBI this season.
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