August 27, 2026 - Inglewood - DJ Uiagalelei was sacked. The ball came out. Darryl Peterson III fell on it with 49 seconds left.
The Los Angeles Rams beat the Los Angeles Chargers 20-18 at SoFi Stadium and closed the preseason 3-0. Matthew Stafford and Justin Herbert were not the story. The backups were, and the last fumble was.
A week after blanking New Orleans 34-0, the Rams needed every late defensive snap against their stadium neighbors.
A 20-18 game that ended on a sack-fumble
The Athletic's Thursday live blog and PFF's recap both put the same ending on the card: Peterson's recovery off the Uiagalelei sack. The Rams had already beaten the Saints without their regulars. They beat the Chargers the same way, only closer.
Herbert did not need a long preseason tape. Neither did Stafford. SoFi still got a Battle of Los Angeles that came down to a backup quarterback hitting the ground and a Rams defender covering the ball.
The Chargers finished the night with a chance to take the lead and donated the football instead. The Rams finished 3-0. Los Angeles (the Chargers) did not.
Roster cuts land this weekend. Week 1 plans do not run through Uiagalelei. They still run through how a defense finishes a 20-18 game when the starters are already in street clothes.
AthX Engine, if this were a regular-season card
AthX Engine NFL scoring on Thursday's verified lines:
A sack-fumble recovery is IDP production (sack plus fumble recovery). The 20-18 box still has rushing and receiving scores that would print on a regular-season week. Preseason games are not stored as AthX Engine weekly lines yet, and the public recaps did not publish a full unofficial box before this file was written. The ending is verified. Individual yardage totals that were not in those recaps are omitted.
Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay when Stafford, Herbert, Puka Nacua, and Cooper Kupp are in September plans.
Track Stafford, Herbert, and the Rams and Chargers on the marketplace. San Francisco visits the Rams in Melbourne on Sept. 10.
*Sources: PFF recap, The Athletic live blog, NFL.com schedules. Information only; not financial advice.*
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