INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The winless Los Angeles Rams were fresh off a 31-point loss and missing their top two receivers when they took the field Sunday against a rival that has dominated them for a half-decade. The Rams then fell behind San Francisco by 14 points in the second half, and they still trailed by double digits midway through the fourth quarter. Although Matthew Stafford has seen plenty of crazy stuff in his 16 years in pro football, the Rams’ thrilling 27-24 comeback victory ranks way up there — both for the way it happened, and for the heart his team showed in grim circumstances.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit a tying home run in the ninth inning and Mookie Betts followed with a game-ending drive as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a 6-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday to maintain their three-game lead in the National League West. Ohtani had four hits and added two stolen bases, giving him 53 home runs and 55 steals on the season. Leading off the ninth after the Dodgers rallied to within a run, Ohtani lifted Seth Halvorsen’s fourth offering, an 89-mph split-finger pitch, over the wall in right-center. Betts hit a walk-off homer to left field on a 101-mph sinker from Halvorsen (2-1) for his 19th on the season.
The Detroit Tigers were a seller at MLB’s trade deadline on July 30, and at the time, the pessimism was entirely understandable. They had a 52-57 record, were dealing with various injuries and going nowhere fast. So general manager Jeff Greenberg shipped pitcher Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers. Veteran outfielder Mark Canha went to the Giants. Reliever Andrew Chafin and catcher Carson Kelly were sent to the Rangers. And then, somehow, the Tigers got better. Young standouts like Riley Greene, Trey Sweeney, Kerry Carpenter and Colt Keith have gotten hot at the plate in September while lefty Tarik Skubal is among the leading candidates to win the AL Cy Young award. Detroit has won 11 of its past 14 games to leapfrog the Minnesota Twins for the final American League wild-card spot with six games remaining. It’s part of an exciting AL wild-card race that looked like an afterthought a few weeks ago. The Kansas City Royals (82-74) and Tigers (82-74) would be the final two teams in the AL bracket if the season ended Sunday. The Twins (81-75) are one game back while the Mariners (80-76) are two games behind. There are six games remaining for all four teams.
For two decades, Boise State has been the most reliably sucessful program outside major college football’s power conferences. The Broncos made at least one appearance in The Associated Press Top 25 in 19 straight seasons, from the program’s first appearance in 2001 through 2020. That’s tied for the 26th longest such streak in the 88-year history of the AP poll. Three seasons had gone by with Boise State of the Mountain West going unranked until Sunday when some volatility at the bottom of the rankings landed the Broncos at No. 25. The timing was odd for Boise State’s return. The Broncos were coming off an easy victory Saturday against Portland State. Not exactly the type of win that usually pushes teams into the rankings, but voters were searching for options at Nos. 24 and 25. Boise State, two weeks removed from a last-second loss at No. 8 Oregon, grabbed the final spot with just 69 points, two more than the Washington State team the Broncos play next Saturday. That sets up a game for a spot in the poll next week.
SUNDAY'S SCORES
National Football League
NY Giants 21, Cleveland 15
Minnesota 34, Houston 7
Philadelphia 15, New Orleans 12
Green Bay 30, Tennessee 14
Denver 26, Tampa Bay 7
Indianapolis 21, Chicago 16
Pittsburgh 20, LA Chargers 10
Carolina 36, Las Vegas 22
Seattle 24, Miami 3
Detroit 20, Arizona 13
Kansas City 22, Atlanta 17
LA Rams 27, San Francisco 24
Baltimore 28, Dallas 25