Chargers' new-look defense generates turnovers and pressure during joint practice against Rams

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The new-look Los Angeles Chargers defense passed an important early training camp test on Sunday.

Jesse Minter's unit had an impressive showing during a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams. That included five turnovers — three interceptions, two fumbles — forced by the first team against Matthew Stafford and the Rams offense.

“The ball was like a volleyball today. It was tipping up everywhere,” safety Derwin James said. “You can see it, it’s real and we felt that from our guys getting off the ball today, they did a great job.”

Stafford was picked off three times, with two by cornerbacks Asante Samuel and Kristian Fulton. Samuel intercepted a pass in the back of the end zone during a red zone drill and Fulton picked off Stafford after the ball was tipped at the line by linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu when the teams were working on two-minute situations.

Fulton, signed during the offseason after four years with Tennessee, has been one of the defensive standouts during the first two weeks of practices.

Minter, who was Michigan's defensive coordinator for two seasons before coming with coach Jim Harbaugh to the Chargers, was encouraged by what he saw.

“Results build confidence. It has started to stack up maybe the last three or four days where the guys are playing with a lot of confidence, trusting each other, starting to really understand fits of routes and things like that,” Minter said. “Then, when you get an opportunity to kind of test it against a different opponent and different schemes, it’s certainly great when you get the results.”

The defense was able to generate pressure against the Rams most of the practice. Three of the interceptions on the day resulted from the ball originally being tipped at the line of scrimmage.

“They got their hands up at the line of scrimmage a couple times and tipped balls in this league don’t hit the ground," Stafford said. "They have a really talented roster on the defensive side of the ball that we went up against today. It was good for us to see where we’re at.”

Linebacker Joey Bosa also had a strip-sack of Stafford before leaving late in practice with what appeared to be an injury to his left arm or wrist.

“We don’t want to be too high on ourselves. There’s more work to be done, but it definitely felt good to go get the ball. That’s definitely momentum going forward,” James said.

Generating turnovers though was a welcome sight. In the three years under former coach Brandon Staley, the Chargers tied for the fifth-fewest interceptions (34) and allowed the sixth-most yards (356.4 per game) from 2021 through 2023.

Rams receiver Puka Nacua was sidelined midway through the two-hour session and had a bag of ice around his right knee. Coach Sean McVay said he wasn't sure what happened to Nacua.

The Chargers' offense, which is missing quarterback Justin Herbert for at least the next two weeks due to a foot injury, struggled with Easton Stick leading the first team. Tre’Davious White and Kamren Curl each had interceptions of Stick while Florida State rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske each had pressures of Stick that would have been sacks in a game.

Offensive coordinator Greg Roman said that even though Herbert is not practicing, he is still lending plenty of ideas in meetings about tweaking some things with the playbook.

“We’re not hitting the pause button at all. When he’s ready to roll here, pretty soon, everybody’s gonna be ready for him,” Roman said.

The Chargers open the preseason on Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks while the Rams host the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 11. The Chargers and Rams have another joint practice on Aug. 14 before their annual preseason showdown on Aug. 17.

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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Casey Bauman runs with the ball during NFL football practice at The Bolt in El Segundo, Calif., on Sunday, August 4, 2024. The Rams and Chargers are having joint practices. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) catches a pass during NFL football practice at The Bolt in El Segundo, Calif., on Sunday, August 4, 2024. The Rams and Chargers are having joint practices. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) looks to pass the ball during NFL football practice at The Bolt in El Segundo, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. The Rams and the Chargers are having joint practices. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Los Angeles Chargers running back Jaret Patterson (34) runs with the ball during NFL football practice at The Bolt in El Segundo, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. The Rams and the Chargers are having joint practices. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, center front, runs with the ball during NFL football practice at The Bolt in El Segundo, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Scott Matlock (99) defends. The Rams and the Chargers are having joint practices. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are clawing back some of the losses from their worst week in nearly a year and a half. The S&P 500 was 0.8% higher in early trading Monday. The index is coming off a four-day losing streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 264 points, and the Nasdaq composite was up 1%. Boeing climbed 3.9% after reaching a deal with its largest union on a new contract. Yields held steady in the bond market after swinging sharpliy last week, when a highly anticipated update on the job market came in weak enough to worsen worries about the economy.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

Coming off the worst trading week in close to a year-and-a-half, markets on Wall Street are poised to rebound at the opening bell Monday.

Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.7% in premarket trading.

Boeing rose 4.1% after the aerospace company and its largest union reached agreement on a new contract that, if ratified, will avoid a strike that threatened to shut down aircraft production by the end of the week.

Boeing said 33,000 workers represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers would get pay raises of 25% over the four-year contract.

Discount retailer Big Lots has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and plans to sell its assets and ongoing business operations to private equity firm Nexus Capital Management. Its shares jumped more than 9% on Friday after the company said it would postponed the release of its second-quarter earnings. Trading of Big Lots shares was suspended before markets opened Monday.

Later Monday, Apple will unveil its highly-anticipated iPhone 16. The new phone is the first model to be tailored specifically for artificial intelligence, with expected improvements to its often dim-witted virtual assistant, Siri. Apple shares were basically unchanged before the bell Monday.

The final government inflation report arrives this week before the Federal Reserve's next policy meeting. Most expect the U.S. central bank to issue its first interest rate cut in more than four years when it meets next week. The Fed cranked up rates beginning in March of 2022 in a bid to stymie the four-decade high inflation that bloomed as the U.S. economy rebounded from the brief but sharp pandemic recession.

In Europe at midday, France’s CAC 40 rose 0.7%, while Germany’s DAX and Britain’s FTSE 100 each added 0.6%.

The Nikkei 225 index was hovering around its lowest level in almost a month during morning trading, and it slipped 0.5% to close at 36,215.75. Japan's gross domestic product grew by an annualized 2.9% in the second quarter, according to revised data from the Cabinet Office released on Monday. This was below expectations.

“Any broader risk aversion may have an amplified effect on Japanese equities, with safe-haven flows potentially supporting the yen, which is looked upon as negative for the country’s exporters,” Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG, said in a commentary.

The U.S. dollar was trading at 143.57 Japanese yen Monday morning. The euro cost $1.1044, down from $1.1083.

Stocks in Chinese markets also racked up losses after worse-than-expected inflation data disappointed investors. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday showed deflationary pressure continues to loom large, as the consumer price index grew by 0.6% year-on-year in August, while the producer price index, which measures costs for manufacturing, was down 1.8% compared to August last year.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index declined 1.4% to 17,196.96 and the Shanghai Composite index was down 1.1%, at 2,736.49.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.3% to 7,988.10. South Korea’s Kospi lost 0.3% to 2,535.93.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude rose 91 cents to $68.58 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added 86 cents to $71.92 a barrel.

On Friday, the S&P 500 dropped 1.7% and ended at 5,408.42 to close out its worst week since March 2023. Broadcom, Nvidia and other tech companies drove the market lower amid ongoing concerns that their prices soared too high in the boom around artificial intelligence, and they dragged the Nasdaq composite down by a market-leading 2.6% to 16,690.83.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1% to 40,345.41.

FILE - People pass the New York Stock Exchange on Aug. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

A person walks near an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person stands in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

People stand near an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)