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The Los Angeles Rams officially ended the Arizona Cardinals’ postseason dreams on Dec. 28. That was a first-world problem even at the time, but it feels particularly trivial in the wake of the devastating LA wildfires. Divisional rivalry ceases to exist when tragedy strikes.
The Cardinals are doing what they can to help the Rams ahead of their playoffs meeting with the Minnesota Vikings, sending two team planes to Los Angeles to pick up players, staff and family members, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Among those boarding the two 777 jets are six dogs and two cats.
The Rams’ Monday night NFC Wild Card matchup is being moved from SoFi Stadium to Arizona’s State Farm Stadium in light of all the destruction. It is encouraging to see other NFL teams offer their assistance to LA during this extremely difficult time. The Cardinals are also opening up their training facility for the Rams in the lead-up to the playoff game.
LA fires cause an unprecedented amount of damage
Southern California is in a state of historic upheaval, as several fires ravage what was one of the most recognizable cities in the country only a few days ago. At least 10 people have been killed and thousands of structures have burned to the ground. Flames blazed through more than 20,000 acres at time of print. Winds are expected to pick up Friday night, so the community can only pray that the worst is over.
Firefighters continue to work tirelessly to combat this disaster, despite the lack of water and resources. More than 150,000 residents are still under evacuation orders, per NBC News.
The sports world can seem like its own entity at times, but everyone is reminded that we are all connected in some way or another during crises such as these. It will obviously be challenging for the Rams to stay focused on the Vikings, but the Cardinals are doing their part to make the process as manageable as possible.
More must-reads:
- Chargers star's brutal injury shows why players should hold out with new contracts on line
- 'Clearly separated himself': Why one QB is winning Browns' competition
- The '2024-25 NFL passing-yard leaders' quiz
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Ranking the five worst NFL QB situations
Quarterback is the most important position in the NFL — possibly the most important position in sports. Teams with inferior quarterback rooms don't stand much of a chance to compete in 2025, so it could be a long year for these five organizations. (QB situations are ranked in inverse order.) 5. New York Jets QBs: Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor, Adrian Martinez, Brady Cook The Jets were happy to rid themselves of Aaron Rodgers this offseason, but Fields isn't much of an upgrade. The 2021 first-round pick has a completion percentage of 61.1 percent in the NFL, and he's thrown for only 45 touchdowns in 44 career starts (plus 31 interceptions). Fields, who went 4-2 with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, is reportedly struggling in training camp, which is nothing new based on his first four years in the NFL. New Jets coach Aaron Glenn recently was asked if he was concerned about Fields' play. "I don’t because it’s early," he said. Expect the Jets — who open at home Sept. 7 against Rodgers' Steelers — to be one of the most run-heavy offenses in the league this season. 4. Tennessee Titans QBs: Cam Ward, Brandon Allen, Tim Boyle, Will Levis (IR) The Titans are a tough team to rank heading into the season. Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, has the potential to become a top-10 quarterback in the NFL. But it's much more likely that the rookie struggles to adjust to NFL speed in the first few months of the season. The good news for Ward is that expectations are low for his first year in the NFL and he plays for a franchise off the radar. "You've probably seen that there's not enough focus on him being the first pick or whatever," Ward's father, Calvin, told Fox Sports' Ben Arthur in a story published Monday. "He honestly does not care. That's the honest truth. He doesn't care. "He just wants to work, get better, help his team improve." This season is more about getting Ward valuable reps and him improving with each start. The Titans better hope Ward stays healthy, because Allen and Boyle aren't NFL-caliber quarterbacks. 3. Indianapolis Colts QBs: Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones, Riley Leonard, Jason Bean The Richardson experiment is a catastrophe for the Colts. The fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft completed just 47.7 percent of his pass attempts last season and threw more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (eight). His rocket arm and athletic ability near the goal line are still tantalizing, but none of that will matter until he learns how to hit a five-yard slant consistently. Richardson suffered an ugly-looking finger injury during the first quarter of the Browns' preseason opener. If the backup plan for Richardson is Jones, who is 24-44-1 in his career, this offense could be a trainwreck. 2. Cleveland Browns QBs: Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, Tyler Huntley, Deshaun Watson (IR) Cleveland's quarterback room is a mess. Watson, who won't play this season because of a torn Achilles, carries a $35.9M cap hit in 2025 and an $80.7M cap hit in 2026. With Watson out, the Browns signed 40-year-old Flacco, traded for Pickett and added Sanders and Gabriel in the 2025 NFL Draft. As if that wasn't enough, the Browns recently signed Huntley to give themselves five active quarterbacks. Good luck predicting how the snaps shake out this season, but it won't be pretty. In May, an anonymous NFL executive said of Cleveland's QB situation: "I look at their (quarterback) room and I don’t know what they’re doing." 1. New Orleans Saints QBs: Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener, Hunter Dekkers With Derek Carr retiring, the Saints could start a 25-year-old, oft-injured rookie at quarterback this season. Or perhaps New Orleans will go with Rattler or Haener, who combined to go 148-for-267 (55.4 percent) with five touchdown passes and six interceptions last season. Rattler may have the upper hand now, but he's not going to excite New Orleans fans, who endured a 5-12 2024 season. Rookie head coach Kellen Moore, a former NFL backup QB, has his hands full with this uninspiring QB room.
Warriors, Josh Giddey Report Surfaces After Jonathan Kuminga Update
The Golden State Warriors have only continued their stalemate with Jonathan Kuminga. While they haven't gone out of their way to re-sign the young wing, they also have made it clear they won't let him go. On July 30, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the last offer Golden State made to Kuminga was promptly turned down. "The Golden State Warriors made another push to retain Jonathan Kuminga over the past several days, but the restricted free agent is continuing to decline their two-year, $45 million contract offer," Charania wrote. While not a cheap offer, Golden State could put more money on the table, but they won't. Since then, there have been reports about potential sign-and-trades, but nothing has materialized, leaving Kuminga and the Warriors in a holding pattern. Among everything going down between Kumigna and the Warriors, NBA Insider Jake Fischer revealed on Bleacher Report's Live Stream that they have interest in Chicago Bulls wing Josh Giddey and could use the Kuminga situation to get them the former lottery pick. "I can report that there have been multiple teams that have reached out to Josh Giddey's representation about having interest in Josh Giddey," Fischer said. "Golden State is one of them. Golden State would be interested, depending on how the machinations could go in some type of Josh Giddey-Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade, to my understanding." Kuminga Had Interest in Joining the Bulls On a live stream from July 16, Fischer revealed that Kuminga had interest in joining the Bulls via sign-and-trade, but it was to join forces with Giddey on theBulls. Fischer also revealed why it didn't come to fruition. “I do know that Kuminga’s representation was trying to figure out some sign and trade scenario that would’ve gotten both Josh Giddey and Jonathan Kuminga paid in Chicago,” Fischer said. “I think that was something that would’ve been more likely if the Bulls waited and had Lonzo Ball sent back to Golden State instead of that deal that they already made with Cleveland. I think that would’ve been something that Golden State would’ve liked.” It sounds like Kuminga is interested in joining the Bulls, and the Warriors want Giddey. The only other factors at play are whether the Bulls want Kuminga and are willing to part ways with Giddey for him and whether Giddey has a mutual interest in joining Golden State. Giddey would give the Warriors another ball handler and playmaker, while Kuminga would give the Bulls a young scoring wing. Both sides would benefit, but given the restrictions of restricted free agency, everyone from all sides would have to play ball to make this work.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce might be making major moves in Cleveland Heights
First Travis Kelce went Instagram official with Taylor Swift, and now this! The star couple might be looking to take another big step in their relationship. The New York Post reports that Swift and Kelce have "toured at least two homes in Cleveland’s Eastside suburbs in June." The outlet speculated that this area could "potentially boast the perfect home for a post-NFL retirement." The two were spotted having lunch together in Ohio this summer at JoJo's Bar in Chagrin Falls, with eagle-eyed fans noticing that the singer was even wearing her merchandise. The manager of JoJo's Bar spoke with PEOPLE at the time about Kelce and Swift's lunch date. "Taylor and Travis came in and had a wonderful time," John Ponyicky told the outlet. "They had a great lunch, enjoyed our food, and were really impressed with the team. Travis grew up in Cleveland Heights, so he decided to visit somewhere he was familiar with. He and Taylor were both really pleasant. They sat at the bar for a bit, but also had a private lunch in a private room." Kelce is very proud of his hometown, so it makes sense that he would always want to make sure he has a place to go back to there. However, including Swift in this decision proves that he is building a future with her.
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani reaches yet another incredible milestone
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani entered Wednesday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals on the precipice of another milestone. Ohtani had recorded 999 hits in his career, an impressive number considering he continued to hit while rehabbing after a pair of elbow surgeries and the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He notched his 1,000th career hit in the third inning, belting a two-run homer off Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore. While that home run temporarily gave his team a 2-1 lead, the Dodgers' bullpen failed to hold on in the 5-3 loss. Ohtani has put together an impressive season as he slowly works himself back as a starting pitcher. He has posted a .276/.381/.606 batting line in 521 plate appearances, hitting 39 homers and 15 doubles while stealing 16 bases. Ohtani also has a 2.37 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP over 19 innings, striking out 25 batters with just five walks. His 1,000th hit is another milestone in a career that is on track to end in Cooperstown. The 2018 American League Rookie of the Year, Ohtani is a five-time All-Star and three-time MVP, joining Hall of Fame outfielder Frank Robinson as the only players to win the MVP award in both leagues. He is one home run shy of his fourth season with 40 or more homers and is the only player in major league history to hit 50+ homers and steal 50+ bases in the same season. Ohtani's exploits on the mound have been equally impressive. He has reached the double-digit mark in wins twice and has struck out more than 150 batters in a season three times. Ohtani finished fourth in the 2022 AL Cy Young race after posting a 15-9 record with a 2.33 ERA and a 1.012 WHIP over 166 innings, striking out 219 batters with 44 walks. It is sure to be one of the many milestones Ohtani reaches as his career continues.
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