The Los Angeles Rams can finally move past the regular season after losing to the Seattle Seahawks at home on Sunday. While the game may not have been very important, it still was a learning tool for many of the Rams' young players.
Michael Baca of NFL.com analyzed the Rams' loss to the Seahawks on Sunday. Baca credited Rams field goal kicker Joshua Karty with an impressive outing against a division foe.
"The Rams might also be rest assured knowing their rookie kicker has a hot foot entering the postseason," Baca said. Joshua Karty made all four of his field goal attempts in the loss, the longest one coming from 57 yards in the third quarter and his last from 38 yards out, securing a fourth-quarter lead. The rookie sixth-rounder extended his streak of made FGs to 13 straight as the Rams enter the playoffs."
Baca acknowledged the 57-yard field goal Karty made, but Karty made all four of his field goal attempts, including the aforementioned 57-yard field goal and another field goal from 58 yards out. McVay praised his kicker with a productive outing that helped give the Rams a chance to win on Sunday.
“He was awesome," McVay said. "You talk about just how pure he struck the football today. I thought the last field goal that we had to be able to go up 25-24 was an excellent hold by [P] Ethan Evans and really good timing by [K] Joshua [Karty]. But to hit two longer 50-yard field goals the way that he did, I think he's peaking at the right time. He's just been so steady. I'm really proud of Josh, but I'm not surprised just based on the things that go on behind the scenes and how he's just been so steady throughout this journey that we've been on.”
“Not really. It ended up working out that way but I do think it was beneficial. He is so steady. I think he's got a lot of confidence right now, and I never really sensed the change in his demeanor, regardless of when we've had to overcome some different circumstances. I think he's been outstanding as of late, and that's really a credit to our operation as a whole and give [Special Teams Coordinator] Chase [Blackburn] and [Special Teams Assistant] Coach Aukerman a ton of credit as well.”
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The Pittsburgh Steelers know that it will take quite a while to get strong chemistry on the offensive side of the ball with new quarterback Aaron Rodgers, as he is in a brand-new system with a bunch of players that he has never played with before. Luckily, it's just the beginning of training camp, so there is still some time to get the kinks worked out and get everyone on the same page. Pittsburgh's new passer, historically, likes to find a couple players and target them specifically, so many weapons have to compete for that attention. Rodgers may have already found one of his favorite targets. So far in training camp, fans and analysts have noticed that he has paid a lot of attention to tight end Darnell Washington all throughout practice. In Arthur Smith's tight end-heavy offense, Washington is expected to see plenty of playing time. The big 6'7" mountain of a man has primarily been a blocker in his two seasons in the NFL, but he has had a few moments as a receiver, including lining up wide and catching the Steelers' first touchdown of the 2024 season. There is definitely potential there, especially since he towers over almost every defensive back in the NFL. Rodgers has connected with Washington multiple times early on in training camp, including during a critical part in Saturday's "Seven Shots" drill. The big tight end may not be much of a route runner, but he can still be useful over the middle as a safety valve, as well as an option out wide to simply out-reach the defensive back. Either way, "Mount" Washington could easily set career highs in pretty much every statistical category. On top of that, Rodgers has thrived in multi-tight end sets in recent years, which perfectly fits with Smith's scheme. Even with Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith already on the roster, the former third-round pick should see an increase in snap count and targets. His frame is perfect for red zone routes, where Pittsburgh struggled in during the 2024 season. Him receiving a handful of touchdowns in 2025 is not out of the question. One man's fortune is another man's misfortune. Jonnu Smith was acquired to be a versatile receiver for Rodgers, but he missed the first two days of training camp for undisclosed reasons. That gave Washington and Freiermuth more time to work with the 41-year-old passer. Freiermuth has seen some attention from his new quarterback as well, but the supposed blocking tight end of the group has been especially highlighted during team drills. Everything is set up for Rodgers and his tight ends to thrive. Even with Washington being the main player at that position receiving targets, there is still over a month of practices and preseason games to go for the whole group to develop that chemistry. Arthur Smith may love the multi-tight end personnel groups, but he may be forced to go to that more than even he is used to just to give Rodgers the best chance to thrive with his targets. Steelers' Game Plan Could Slow Down Top Offenses Obviously, when the tight end group is a featured part of the offense, the plan is not to get splash play after splash play and score in five plays. DK Metcalf may make that happen occasionally, but the plan is to wear out opposing defenses with 10+ play drives. That will also keep opposing offenses off the field. The Cincinnati Bengals will have a tough time putting up 38 points if they only have six offensive possessions.
The New York Rangers are adding to their forward depth ahead of their upcoming training camp. The Rangers are entering a new chapter of their organization under new head coach Mike Sullivan. After missing the postseason last year, the organization is trying to rebound and respond accordingly in 2025 and 2026. Former Stanley Cup champion forward Conor Sheary is the latest player to join the new-look Rangers. The veteran forward agreed to a professional tryout agreement (PTO) with the club and will look to earn an NHL deal with his performance in training camp and the preseason. Sheary is a veteran of 593 NHL games. Originally an undrafted free agent, he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins after completing his collegiate career. Following a year with the Penguins' AHL affiliate, he forced his way onto the NHL squad after posting 36 points in his first 30 games of the 2015-2016 season at the AHL level. His debut NHL season went better than ever expected, and he was a key part of the Penguins' lineup that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Sheary's coach at the time, both at the AHL and NHL levels, was Mike Sullivan. Now, he'll get the chance to reunite with the coach under whom he won two championships. In addition to playing for the Penguins, Sheary has played for three other NHL franchises. The Pens dealt him to the Buffalo Sabres before the 2018-2019 campaign, but he would return to Pittsburgh the following season at the trade deadline. After his second stint with the Penguins, he joined the Washington Capitals. He played three seasons in Washington, D.C. before landing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he spent the past two years. Over his 593 career games, he's compiled 124 goals and 143 assists for 267 points. His best NHL season came during the 2016-2017 campaign, his second in the league. He scored 23 goals and added 30 assists for 53 points in 61 regular-season games.
Jonathan Kuminga doesn’t have a good relationship with Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, according to NBA insider Sam Amico of Hoops Wire. Kuminga is a restricted free agent. He doesn’t want to return to the Warriors. Kerr benched Kuminga for the final regular-season game of last season versus the Los Angeles Clippers and the play-in game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Kuminga played in Games 2 and 3 of the Warriors-Houston Rockets first-round postseason series, but that was only because Jimmy Butler was injured. Golden State beat Houston in seven games. Kuminga played in every game of the Warriors-Minnesota Timberwolves second-round playoff series, but that was only because Stephen Curry got injured in Game 1 and missed the rest of the series. Golden State lost to Minnesota in five games. The seventh overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Kuminga played in 47 games for the Warriors last season. He averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 45.4% from the field, 30.5% from beyond the arc and 66.8% from the free-throw line. The Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings are interested in Kuminga, who has career averages of 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists. The forward, though, hasn’t gotten an offer sheet from the Suns or Kings. As a restricted free agent, Kuminga has three options: re-sign with the Warriors on a new deal, play next season on his $7.9 million qualifying offer with Golden State and enter unrestricted free agency next offseason or sign an offer sheet with a new team. If Kuminga signs an offer sheet with a new team, the Warriors can either match the offer sheet or let the 2022 NBA champion leave and work on a sign-and-trade deal. “We’re trying to be responsible,” a Warriors front office executive told NBA reporter Keith Smith of Spotrac. “With the aprons and hard caps and all of that, you can’t just throw money around. We still love Jonathan. We’re hopeful we can figure out a way to strike a balance that works for him and for us. “But we’re not going to compromise our roster-building ability now, or in the future. We have to be responsible in the way we build our team.”
If the New York Yankees are looking to add in the coming days, they may have to part ways with some of the young talent rising through the ranks of their farm system. The New York Post's Jon Heyman reported Thursday afternoon that catcher Rafael Flores was one Yankees prospect who has been coveted by trade partners. Flores was promoted from Double-A Somerset to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last Saturday. Flores hit .287 with 15 home runs, 23 doubles, 48 runs, 56 RBIs, six stolen bases and an .841 OPS across 87 games in Double-A. Through six Triple-A contests, the 24-year-old catcher is batting .208 with one home runs, three runs, three RBIs and a .720 OPS. MLB Pipeline has Flores ranked as the Yankees' No. 8 prospect, making him the only catcher in the organization's top 25. The Yankees already swung a blockbuster deal with the Colorado Rockies on Friday, acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon, parting ways with pitching prospects Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz in order to complete the trade. The following day, superstar outfielder Aaron Judge hit the 10-day injured list with a flexor strain. Those two moves could change New York's plans for the coming days, including their willingness to move Flores. The future of second-year first baseman Ben Rice, who has spent roughly one-seventh of his time at catcher this season, could also play a part in determining Flores' availability. The trade deadline is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on Thursday.
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