Good morning! We were at Mile High on Sunday night and watched the Rams go from a 16-0 halftime lead to a 30-26 loss. It was a big weekend across our markets as well. A’ja Wilson scored 38 in the Aces’ playoff opener. The Raiders are 3-0. The Angels finished with 100 losses for the first time in franchise history. And the Golden Knights are about to start their 10th season. Baseball’s postseason starts this week, and the Padres are in it. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
🏈 16-0, then 30-26. The Rams let a halftime shutout lead get away in Denver — Eric Lambkins II at Empower Field at Mile High.
🏀 38 and 16. A’ja Wilson opened the playoffs with a career-postseason high as the Aces beat the Fever 102-85 — Derek Hegna at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
🏈 3-0. Brock Bowers returned with 10 catches and the winning touchdown in the Raiders’ 35-27 win at New Orleans — Steve Carp at Caesars Superdome.
⚾ 100. The Angels lost Game 162 in Seattle and finished 62-100 — Jack Haslett at T-Mobile Park.
🏒 Year 10. The Golden Knights have set a standard no expansion team has matched — Steve Carp at T-Mobile Arena.
🏈 First loss. Oregon beat USC 41-27, handing the Trojans their first loss — TST Images at the Coliseum.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — SUNDAY
🏈 NFL: Raiders 35, Saints 27 · Broncos 30, Rams 26 · Bills 24, Chargers 16
🏈 College: Oregon 41, USC 27 · UCLA / San Diego State [VERIFY]
🏀 WNBA Playoffs: Aces 102, Fever 85 (Aces lead 1-0)
⚾ MLB: Mariners 7, Angels 3 · Dodgers 5, Giants 1 · Padres 9, Diamondbacks 4
🏈 SUPER TEAM, INTERRUPTED
Three weeks ago, people were calling the Rams a super team. There was talk of an undefeated season and of the most talented roster in franchise history.
Now they are 1-2. They had a 16-0 lead at halftime in Denver and were still shutting out the Broncos midway through the third quarter. Then Denver outscored them 30-10.
Eric Lambkins II lays out how it happened. The Rams scored on four of their first five possessions, then only twice on seven second-half drives. Denver’s pressure rate jumped from 23.5% in the first half to 57.7% in the second. Stafford completed a career-high 32 passes in the first half. Under pressure after the break, he went 5-of-18 for 61 yards, took four sacks and threw a pick-six. Talanoa Hufanga returned that interception 66 yards with 4:49 left.
Stafford answered right away with a 48-yard touchdown to Konata Mumpfield for a 26-23 lead. Then Bo Nix drove Denver the length of the field, helped by a pass interference call on Josh Wallace that McVay said looked like “a good competitive play” to him. Nix went over the pile from inches out with 47 seconds left. Hufanga intercepted Stafford again in the end zone as time expired.
“Obviously I got to be better, and I will be,” Stafford said.
A team that leads by 16 in the third quarter shouldn’t need a favorable whistle to finish the job. The Rams kicked field goals when they needed touchdowns, committed penalties that pushed them backward and let Denver convert the two-point tries that erased the lead.
This isn’t a reason to panic. The Rams have climbed out of worse starts under McVay: 3-6 in 2023, 1-4 in 2024, and last year’s team reached the NFC Championship Game. They also aren’t fully healthy. Puka Nacua and Myles Garrett have missed two straight games. Nacua could be back Sunday in Philadelphia. Garrett’s return is further away. Aaron Donald said he’s “still getting there.”
But getting those players back won’t fix the penalties, the turnovers or the red-zone problems. The players already on the field have to do that.
“There’s no moral victories,” said Davante Adams, who had 137 receiving yards. “So we’re definitely disappointed to not finish it out.”
GO DEEPER
› Arash Markazi: Rams have been here before but this year was supposed to be different (The Sporting Tribune)
› Eric Lambkins II: How the Rams let a 16-0 lead slip through their fingers (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Broncos defeat Rams, 30-26, at Empower Field (The Sporting Tribune)
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🏀 A CLINIC IN GAME 1
A’ja Wilson had 30 points and 14 rebounds after three quarters. She finished with 38 points, 16 rebounds, four blocks and two steals on 15-of-19 shooting. Arion Armeniakos notes she is the first player to put up at least 35 points and 15 rebounds while shooting 75% in a playoff game.
Her 38 points were four shy of the WNBA’s single-game playoff record. The Aces beat the Fever 102-85 and turned 17 Indiana turnovers into 28 points. Jackie Young had 21 points and 10 assists. Caitlin Clark had 15 points and 10 assists but shot 6-of-17 and turned it over six times.
“She was a clinic tonight,” Becky Hammon said. “She was just all over the court everywhere.”
Chelsea Gray made the bigger point: “You can’t wait until a person retires to appreciate greatness.”
Game 2 is Tuesday in Indiana. A win there ends the series.
GO DEEPER
› Derek Hegna: A’ja Wilson begins playoffs in dominant fashion as Aces take Game One (The Sporting Tribune)
› Arion Armeniakos: A’ja Wilson doesn’t have time to appreciate her own legend, so we have to (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Aces defeat Fever, 102-85, in Las Vegas (The Sporting Tribune)
🍔 THE DEALS BOARD
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🌮 El Portal, Pasadena — $12 combination plates and $7 house margaritas. Order online for pickup.
📌 AROUND THE MARKETS
Bowers is back. Steve Carp was at the Superdome as Brock Bowers returned from a knee injury with 10 catches, 116 yards and the winning 4-yard touchdown. Mike Washington Jr. scored his first NFL touchdown on a 36-yard run, and the Raiders forced four turnovers in the fourth quarter. “You have to just keep kind of playing through the smoke,” Klint Kubiak said. Kansas City is next.
One hundred. Jack Haslett was in Seattle as the Angels lost Game 162, 7-3, and finished 62-100 — the first 100-loss season in the franchise’s 66 years and the last season under Arte Moreno before Kroenke Sports & Entertainment takes majority control.
A decade of Vegas. Steve Carp looks back at 10 years of the Golden Knights: a Stanley Cup in 2023, three trips to the Final and eight playoff appearances in nine seasons. Shea Theodore, William Karlsson and Brayden McNabb are the only players left from the original roster. “We decided to be very bold, very unconventional,” George McPhee said, “and needless to say, it’s gone very well.”
Trojans stumble. Oregon beat USC 41-27 at the Coliseum on Saturday. Robert Talamantes’ gallery includes Kayden Dixon-Wyatt’s catch over a defender.
Also on the board. The Galaxy beat the Rapids 3-2 at Dignity Health Sports Park, and the Sharks beat the Golden Knights 4-2 in a preseason game at T-Mobile Arena.
GO DEEPER
› Steve Carp: Undefeated Raiders proving they’re for real this season (The Sporting Tribune)
› Jack Haslett: Angels lose 100 games in a season for the first time in franchise history (The Sporting Tribune)
› Steve Carp: Ten years later, the Golden Knights’ standard of excellence remains high (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Oregon defeats USC, 41-27, in Los Angeles (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Galaxy defeat Rapids, 3-2, at Dignity Health Sports Park (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Sharks defeat Golden Knights, 4-2, at T-Mobile Arena (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
🏀 NBA: Clippers Media Day — 11:00 a.m. — NBA TV
🏀 NBA: Lakers Media Day — 12:00 p.m. — Spectrum
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?
Get-in prices across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii — brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.
⚾ Cubs at Padres Wild Card Series, Game 1 — Petco Park — $100
🏒 Kings at Avalanche, Opening Night — Ball Arena (Wednesday) — $50
🏈 Chiefs at Raiders — Allegiant Stadium (Sunday) — $300
🌴 TST TRIVIA
A’ja Wilson scored 38 points in Game 1, four shy of the WNBA’s single-game playoff scoring record. What is the record?
Answer at the bottom.
🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY
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Trivia answer: 42, shared by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, among others.
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