Sports
Rams hire special teams coach Bubba Ventrone
Cleveland Browns special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone watches the team warmup before an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field, Sept. 21, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio. The Los Angeles Rams hired two coaches to help fix the team’s issues on special teams which proved costly this past season, including in their NFC Championship Game loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Head coach Sean McVay confirmed Monday that Bubba Ventrone will take over as Rams’ special teams coordinator, while Kyle Hoke will be an assistant coach on special teams.
Ventrone, 43, was a former NFL safety and special teams standout who spent the last three seasons as the Cleveland Browns’ assistant head coach and special teams coordinator. He has been an NFL coach since 2015.
“There is an energy, there is a toughness mentally and physically that he provides,” McVay said of Ventrone. “There is a style of play philosophically with how he believes in coaching, what his units have looked like, where he foundationally learned what he knows about this game.”
Hoke worked under Ventrone with the Browns last season after 13 seasons as a college assistant.
The Rams fired special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn in December and replaced him with assistant special teams coach Ben Kotwica. It was McVay’s first in-season coaching change in nine seasons with Los Angeles.
Kotwica will not return to the Rams’ staff.
Special teams issues against the Seahawks, in particular, cost the Rams a possible appearance in the Super Bowl. The Rams lost to the Seahawks in a key December game when Seattle returned a punt for a touchdown and Harrison Mevis missed a 48-yard field goal in a 38-37 overtime loss.
The defeat proved costly in the Rams’ quest for the NFC title and they were on the road for the NFC Championship game against the Seahawks. In that game, returner Xavier Smith muffed a punt in the third quarter, leading to a 17-yard Seahawks TD pass one play later in a 31-27 defeat.
Mevis was the second Rams kicker this past season after Joshua Karty struggled. Karty’s potential game-winning kick in a September game against the Philadelphia Eagles was blocked and returned for a touchdown on the final play of the game.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Flyers take down Sharks as road win streak hits 8
Mar 21, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Matvei Michkov (39) reacts to a goal scored by center Christian Dvorak (not pictured) against San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (33) during the third period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images Christian Dvorak scored a power-play goal early in the third period, helping the Philadelphia Flyers extend their season-high road winning streak to seven games with a 4-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
Philadelphia’s road winning streak is tied for the second-longest in franchise history (1985-86, 2017-18 seasons), one shy of the eight-game run from 1982-83.
Owen Tippett scored in the second period and defenseman Travis Sanheim and Noah Cates each found the empty net 36 seconds apart in the third.
Dan Vladar made 24 saves for the Flyers (34-23-12, 80 points), who completed a sweep of their three-game California road trip and improved to 5-0-1 in their last six games overall. Philadelphia also finished off a season sweep of San Jose after posting a 4-1 home victory on Dec. 9.
Macklin Celebrini notched an assist on defenseman Dmitry Orlov’s power-play goal, boosting the former’s career total to 99. Celebrini (19 years, 281 days) is one assist shy of becoming the second-youngest player in NHL history to reach that milestone behind only Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (19 years, 134 days on Dec. 19, 2006).
Alex Nedeljkovic turned aside 24 shots for the Sharks (32-30-6, 70 points), who have lost four in a row and seven of their last nine (2-5-2).
Philadelphia fourth-liner Garnet Hathaway unloaded on Celebrini, prompting San Jose defenseman Mario Ferraro to come to his teammate’s defense and earn a roughing penalty to boot. The Flyers made the Sharks pay, as Dvorak one-timed Travis Konecny’s cross-slot feed past Nedeljkovic for a 2-1 lead at 1:47 of the third period.
Tippett reeled in a diagonal pass from Trevor Zegras, maneuvered around San Jose defenseman Nick Leddy and wired a shot past Nedeljkovic to open the scoring 2:26 into the second period. The goal was Tippett’s 24th of the season and fifth in his last eight games.
Celebrini worked along the left-wing boards before advancing the puck to William Eklund, who skated in from the left circle. Eklund alertly delivered a centering feed to an unmarked Orlov, who made no mistake from the slot to forge a 1-1 tie with 6:48 remaining in the second period.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Fire earns road win as Union stays in Eastern Conference basement
Mar 21, 2026; Chester, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Union forward Bruno Damiani (9) is tripped up by Chicago Fire defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi (4) while going for the ball during the first half at Subaru Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Jonathan Bamba scored his second goal early in the second half and the visiting Chicago Fire earned a 2-1 victory on Saturday against struggling Philadelphia Union.
Hugo Cuypers added his fourth goal late in the first half for the Fire (2-2-1, 7 points) who earned their first away victory of the season after leading the Eastern Conference with nine in 2025.
Chris Brady made three saves as Chicago avenged its elimination by Philadelphia in last year’s first-round playoff series and snapped a four-match winless run against the Union in all competitions.
Milan Iloski scored his first goal for Philadelphia just before halftime. But the Union (0-5-0, 0 points) extended the worst start for a reigning Supporters’ Shield holder, less than 72 hours after their elimination from the CONCACAF Champions Cup with a 1-1 draw at Mexico City’s Club America and a 2-1 aggregate defeat.
Bamba put Chicago in front in the 58th minute.
From near midfield, Cuypers spotted Robin Lod down the right. Lod eventually dribbled into the right edge of the penalty area on his right foot, before cutting back onto his left to cross.
With Cuyper in the center of the box, the cross sailed beyond just him, where Bamba connected with an excellent side-footed volley to beat Andre Blake inside the left post.
Philadelphia pressured for an equalizer, but Chicago came closest to scoring the game’s fourth goal. Maren Haile-Selassie missed narrowly wide on the break in the 63rd minute, then Lod rattled the crossbar from a similar attack in the 82nd.
Both teams scored during the more than seven minutes of first-half stoppage time.
First, it was Chicago through Cuypers.
Lod’s initial pass was deflected out wide, where Andrew Gutman reached it on the left flank.
Gutman drove forward and curled in an outswinging, left-footed cross. Cuypers ran between Philadelphia’s center backs to meet it with a powerful header past Blake from six yards out.
Philadelphia leveled from a long throw-in four minutes later. Alejandro Bedoya flicked on Frankie Westfield’s throw from the right, then Iloski won the second ball as he somehow generated enough power to loop his header over Brady and under the crossbar from near the penalty spot.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mason Jones takes decision in bloody win over Axel Sola at UFC London
Mar 20, 2026; London, UNITED KINGDOM; Axel Sola of France and Mason Jones of Wales at weigh-ins for UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. Mandatory Credit: Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images Fireworks erupted early between lightweights Mason Jones and previously unbeaten Axel Sola in the fight of the night at UFC London on Saturday.
Jones, a winner by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28), improved to 18-2 and both fighters left the octagon bloodied.
Jones was knocked down with a spinning elbow in the first round and absorbed multiple direct blows. He had a cut above his right eye and under his nose when his hand was raised, but Sola (11-1-1) had at least three cuts and was covered in blood at the final bell.
“I just like fighting people. Axel wanted to fight. I took it to him,” Jones said. “I opened him up. There was fear in his eyes at the end of the first round. There was fear in his eyes in the end.”
In a featherweight match, Nathaniel Wood (11-3) got his fourth consecutive win and dealt Losene Keita his first loss in a split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28). Keita was 5-0 in the past three years and now has a 16-2 record overall in mixed martial arts.
Michael Page (25-3), who questioned whether he’d upset UFC officials because of the low-level spot on the card and his relatively anonymous opponent, defeated Sam Patterson (14-3-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) in a welterweight match. “MVP” had more to say post-fight about a bout that drew plenty of pro fighting critics on social media for a lack of action.
“It’s getting more and more difficult when nobody really wants to engage. Everyone’s on the back foot,” Page said. “He knew how to frustrate me by not wanting to engage. It’s more difficult to fight somebody that doesn’t want to fight than fight someone difficult that wants to fight.”
Light heavyweight Iwo Baraniewski (8-0) struck Austen Lane, a former NFL defensive lineman, with a quick left hook and then landed repeated right hands to win in just 28 seconds. Lane (13-8) was dazed and rocked back before ever throwing a punch or kick as the referee stopped the fight with Lane planted on his back taking cover.
Baraniewski, a graduate from the Contender Series, could be in line for a marquee opponent in his next bout. He’s been buzzworthy since the December action-packed duel with Ibo Aslan at UFC 323.
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady (16-4) scored his first UFC win with a 30-27 unanimous decision over Shem Rock (12-3-1). Al-Selwady dropped Rock with an overhand right in the first round, but he rebounded off the mat quickly with an attempt to lock up Al-Selwady. Rock kept moving toward Al-Selwady and made contact after the ball, narrowly ducking a haymaker in retaliation before being led to his corner.
–Field Level Media
