BREAKING NEWS: Rams start strong, hold off Saints 30-22 to surge forward in NFC playoff race
Los Angeles Rams beat New Orleans Saints 30-22 on Thursday night to move ahead in the NFC playoff race. Matthew Stafford passed for 328 yards and two touchdowns, and rookie Puka Nacua caught nine passes for 164 yards and a touchdown.
Kyren Williams scrambled for 104 yards and a score, and Demarcus Robinson added 82 yards getting and one more score in the fifth triumph in six games for the Rams (8-7), who are over .500 interestingly since Week 1.
Los Angeles also jumped past Minnesota (7-7) and moved to sixth in the NFC standings in its bid to secure a wild card playoff spot and an increasingly likely first-round matchup with the Detroit Lions, Stafford’s team for 12 seasons, with its second win in five days during a self-described remodeling season.
After scoring on six of its first eight possessions and taking a 30-7 lead with 12:44 left in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles allowed its opponent to keep the game interesting for the second week in a row.
On the Saints’ subsequent two drives, Derek Carr completed touchdown passes to Juwan Johnson and A.T. Perry, and a 2-point conversion reduced the Rams’ lead to eight points with 3:53 remaining.
However, the Rams won their fourth consecutive game at home after Nacua recovered an onside kick and gained a crucial first down on a 9-yard jet sweep.
The Saints (7-8), whose two-game winning streak came to an end with a painfully slow start and 458 yards allowed by their defense, passed for 319 yards and hit Rashid Shaheed for an early 45-yard touchdown.
New Orleans is still in serious contention for a playoff spot and the NFC South title despite this loss because it has two games left in the season against teams in the division, starting with Tampa Bay on New Year’s Eve.
Stafford had one more extraordinary game down the stretch in his fifteenth NFL season. He has thrown for 14 touchdowns and one interception in the Rams’ last five games, making it only the third time in his career that he has done so in consecutive games.
With his most recent impressive burst, Williams became the Rams’ first 1,000-yard rusher since Todd Gurley in 2018. Williams missed four games at midseason with a sprained ankle. In his last eight games, he has recorded six 100-yard performances.
During his breakout rookie season, Nacua also had the most productive game in the last two months, and Robinson caught a touchdown pass for the fourth time in a row.
Los Angeles’ initial drive went 95 yards in 14 plays, taking up more than half of the first quarter. It ended with a TD pass from Stafford to Nacua on fourth down. In its previous 12 quarters, New Orleans had only given up one touchdown.
Stafford led a 35-second scoring drive that resulted in a short touchdown pass to Robinson in the final minute, giving Los Angeles a 17-7 halftime lead.
Stafford led another TD drive that resulted in three consecutive runs for 27 yards and a touchdown by Williams, giving the Rams a 27-7 lead after Rams safety Jordan Fuller intercepted Carr’s long pass on New Orleans’ first drive of the second half.
Los Angeles Rams beat New Orleans Saints 30-22 on Thursday night to move ahead in the NFC playoff race. Matthew Stafford passed for 328 yards and two touchdowns, and rookie Puka Nacua caught nine passes for 164 yards and a touchdown.
Kyren Williams scrambled for 104 yards and a score, and Demarcus Robinson added 82 yards getting and one more score in the fifth triumph in six games for the Rams (8-7), who are over .500 interestingly since Week 1.
Los Angeles also jumped past Minnesota (7-7) and moved to sixth in the NFC standings in its bid to secure a wild card playoff spot and an increasingly likely first-round matchup with the Detroit Lions, Stafford’s team for 12 seasons, with its second win in five days during a self-described remodeling season.
After scoring on six of its first eight possessions and taking a 30-7 lead with 12:44 left in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles allowed its opponent to keep the game interesting for the second week in a row.
On the Saints’ subsequent two drives, Derek Carr completed touchdown passes to Juwan Johnson and A.T. Perry, and a 2-point conversion reduced the Rams’ lead to eight points with 3:53 remaining.
However, the Rams won their fourth consecutive game at home after Nacua recovered an onside kick and gained a crucial first down on a 9-yard jet sweep.
The Saints (7-8), whose two-game winning streak came to an end with a painfully slow start and 458 yards allowed by their defense, passed for 319 yards and hit Rashid Shaheed for an early 45-yard touchdown.
New Orleans is still in serious contention for a playoff spot and the NFC South title despite this loss because it has two games left in the season against teams in the division, starting with Tampa Bay on New Year’s Eve.
Stafford had one more extraordinary game down the stretch in his fifteenth NFL season. He has thrown for 14 touchdowns and one interception in the Rams’ last five games, making it only the third time in his career that he has done so in consecutive games.
With his most recent impressive burst, Williams became the Rams’ first 1,000-yard rusher since Todd Gurley in 2018. Williams missed four games at midseason with a sprained ankle. In his last eight games, he has recorded six 100-yard performances.
During his breakout rookie season, Nacua also had the most productive game in the last two months, and Robinson caught a touchdown pass for the fourth time in a row.
Los Angeles’ initial drive went 95 yards in 14 plays, taking up more than half of the first quarter. It ended with a TD pass from Stafford to Nacua on fourth down. In its previous 12 quarters, New Orleans had only given up one touchdown.
Stafford led a 35-second scoring drive that resulted in a short touchdown pass to Robinson in the final minute, giving Los Angeles a 17-7 halftime lead.
Stafford led another TD drive that resulted in three consecutive runs for 27 yards and a touchdown by Williams, giving the Rams a 27-7 lead after Rams safety Jordan Fuller intercepted Carr’s long pass on New Orleans’ first drive of the second half.
When the Saints failed on fourth down in Rams territory, three drives ended. Chris Olave wrapped up with nine gatherings for 123 yards.