Chargers Give Rams Company as Threat to Make Super Bowl a Home Game
Chargers Give Rams Company as Threat to Make Super Bowl a Home Game
The Chargers deserve to be in the same talks as the Rams.Chris Roling|
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Los Angeles ChargersLos Angeles RamsThe Los Angeles Chargers are a Super Bowl threat.
Good timing, too: The Super Bowl in February of 2026 takes place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, meaning Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert could walk right into a home game with the Lombardi Trophy at stake.
That’s getting ahead of things, of course. Herbert needs to reach the next level with Mike McDaniel in town as offensive coordinator and an upgraded offensive line keeping him healthy. The defense needs to survive the transition away from elite coordinator Jesse Minter. And the franchise needs to shake its very rough history with the injury bug.
Much needs to go right, but that’s true for any team. And the current vibes make it seem like the Los Angeles Rams aren’t the only threat to make the Super Bowl a home game.
Chargers’ Super Bowl hype isn’t unrealistic
The national vibes are starting to pick up on what Chargers fans have been saying for a while now: There’s no reason to think of Harbaugh’s team as anything less than a serious contender. Any team with a top-five quarterback can be a contender. Adding McDaniel to Herbert is about as exciting of a move on offense as any team has pulled off this offseason.
And it certainly helps that McDaniel arrives with a new scheme and three new starters on the interior of the offensive line, headed up by new center Tyler Biadasz.
That’s enough to get major names like Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer suggesting in a simple takeaways column that the Chargers are a serious threat to go to the Super Bowl.
“Still, last year, they won 11 games, mostly without the two tackles that are the center of the team’s identity; they’re upgrading in a big way at tight end; they have young, rising talent at tailback and receiver; and the talent level on defense is really, really good,” Breer wrote. “I think Justin Herbert, with all this around him, should be an MVP candidate.”
Herbert forced the Chargers to 11 wins and the playoffs last year while playing through nagging injuries, including a game one week removed from hand surgery.
Not only is Herbert’s offense healthier, he’s going to get the ball out faster than ever, which should mean even better production while reducing the number of hits he needs to take.
And while the move away from Minter on defense is mildly scary, the theme of continuity for the unit is encouraging. Little is changing and core leadership blocks like Khalil Mack remain.
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Published 15 minutes ago
CHRIS ROLINGChris Roling has covered the NFL since 2010 with stints at Bleacher Report, USA TODAY Sports Media Group and others. Raised a Bengals fan in the '90s, the Andy Dalton era was smooth sailing by comparison. He graduated from the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University and remains in Athens.
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U.S. helicopter goes down in Arabian Sea, crew member missing, Navy says
WorldU.S. helicopter goes down in Arabian Sea, crew member missing, Navy says
By Mark OsborneUpdated on: July 1, 2026 / 2:01 PM EDT / CBS News
Add CBS News on GoogleThree members of a four-person MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter crew were rescued at sea after an "emergency water landing" in the Arabian Sea early Wednesday morning, according to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.
A search continues for the fourth and final crew member.
There is "no indication" the helicopter was shot down by hostile action, the military said. The helicopter is assigned to the USS George H.W. Bush.
"Three of the helicopter's four crew members have been recovered and are in stable condition aboard George H. W. Bush," U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said. "U.S. Navy assets in the region are currently searching for [the] other aircrewman still missing."
The incident happened at about 3:30 a.m. Eastern time, which would've been about 11 a.m. local time.
The USS George H.W. Bush has been in the Middle East since late April. It is one of two aircraft carriers remaining in the region. While the U.S. has rescinded its blockade of vessels traveling into and out of the Strait of Hormuz, it still has a sizable military presence.
The U.S. had lost 42 fixed-wing or rotor aircraft in Operation Epic Fury as of mid-May, the last time an update was given to Congress.
That does not include the U.S. Apache helicopter shot down by an Iranian drone in early June. The two crew members on that helicopter were able to be rescued. That incident precipitated the U.S. to undertake "self-defense strikes" against Iran.
Kaelen Culpepper Headed Back to Futures Game, Walker Jenkins Heating Up
Kaelen Culpepper Headed Back to Futures Game, Walker Jenkins Heating Up
Culpepper will represent the Twins at the All-Star Futures Game for the second straight year. Will Ragatz|
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Minnesota TwinsSt. Paul Saints shortstop Kaelen Culpepper, the Twins' No. 2 prospect, will represent the organization at the MLB All-Star Futures Game for the second straight year. He will once again be Minnesota's lone prospect participating.
Congrats to Kaelen Culpepper for being selected to the 2026 All-Star Futures Game🌟@Twins | #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/3dvAd3fWqZ
— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) July 1, 2026
Culpepper entered last year's game as a defensive substitution and lined out in his lone plate appearance. He's got a pretty good case to be a starter this time around.
The Twins' reigning minor league player of the year after a stellar season with High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita, Culpepper has continued to rake this year in his first taste of Triple-A action. Through 63 games with St. Paul, the 2024 first-round pick out of Kansas State has hit .272 with 14 homers, 15 steals, and an .868 OPS. If not for a recent stint on the IL with a hip strain, Culpepper may have already debuted with the Twins and been ineligible for the Futures Game.
Culpepper returned to the Saints' lineup on Sunday. He did then leave Tuesday's game early after being hit by a pitch, but the initial indications are that he avoided anything significant and is day to day, pending X-ray results.
If Culpepper continues to look good at the plate in the near future, it seems likely that he'll be called up by the Twins not long after the All-Star break. Tristan Gray, who is currently on the MLB roster, has a .631 OPS and has been atrocious on defense.
This year's Futures Game will take place at 11 a.m. central on Sunday, July 12.
Jenkins heating up
The Twins' top prospect, outfielder Walker Jenkins, also recently returned from a stint on the Triple-A injured list. He was sidelined on May 3 and wasn't back in the Saints' lineup until June 23. But Jenkins has picked up right where he left off.
Since his return, Jenkins has gone 7 for 20 with two doubles and two triples. He finished a home run shy of the cycle on Tuesday night and also stole a base.
Walker Jenkins, the Twins' top prospect, showcased his hitting prowess with a near-cycle performance for Triple-A St. Paul. pic.twitter.com/KSR5WQ5IY0
— Wes Hughes (@ProspectsOnWes) July 1, 2026
Jenkins, 21, was the fifth overall pick out of high school in 2023. He's delivered on that draft pedigree during his rise through the minors and currently has a .273 batting average and .830 OPS through 30 games with the Saints this year. Jenkins has hit two home runs and has 20 walks to 21 strikeouts.
If he had been healthy, Jenkins could've easily been a Futures Game selection as well. He's got a real chance to make his MLB debut at some point in the second half of this season.
Published 12 minutes ago
WILL RAGATZWill Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.
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Report: Julian Nagelsmann on the verge of being sacked as Germany coach
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Julian Nagelsmann oversaw a disastrous elimination from the 2026 World Cup at the hands of Paraguay. A disjointed side without ideas took to the field and were sent home by virtue of a penalty shootout, with the struggles going as far back as the 2-1 win over Ivory Coast.
After a cancelled press conference and an in-depth discussion with the folks from the DFB, the 38-year-old former Bayern Munich manager might be on the verge of getting the sack:
Jürgen Klopp, currently the head of global soccer for Red Bull, has long been the ideal manager to get Germany back to winning ways. Despite interest from the DFB and Real Madrid, the former Liverpool manager has ruled out managing in the immediate future but admitted that he is open to taking a job (much like Pep Guardiola’s sabbatical in 2012/13).
AdvertisementAdvertisementA coach alone won’t fix the issues with the German national football team, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.
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