Matthew Stafford's Rams start strong, hold off Saints 30-22 to surge forward in NFC playoff race
Matthew Stafford passed for 328 yards and two touchdowns, rookie Puka Nacua had nine catches for a career-high 164 yards and a score, and the Los Angeles Rams surged forward in the NFC playoff race with a 30-22 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night.
Kyren Williams rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown, and Demarcus Robinson added 82 yards receiving and another score in the fifth victory in six games for the Rams (8-7), who are above .500 for the first time since Week 1.
With its second win in five days during a self-described remodeling season, 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 possible opening-round showdown with the Detroit Lions, Stafford's team for 12 seasons.
Los Angeles led 30-7 with 12:44 left in the fourth quarter after scoring on six of its first eight possessions, but allowed its opponent to make it interesting for the second straight week.
Derek Carr threw TD passes to Juwan Johnson and A.T. Perry on the Saints' next two drives, with a 2-point conversion trimming the Rams' lead to eight points with 3:53 to play.
But Nacua recovered an onside kick and then got a key first down on a 9-yard jet sweep, and the Rams ran out the clock on their fourth straight home victory.
Carr passed for 319 yards and hit Rashid Shaheed for an early 45-yard TD for the Saints (7-8), whose two-game winning streak ended with a painfully slow start and 458 yards allowed by their defense.
Although this loss hurts its chances, New Orleans is still in serious contention for a playoff spot and the NFC South title because it finishes the season with two games against division opponents, starting with Tampa Bay on New Year's Eve.
Stafford had yet another outstanding game down the stretch in his 15th NFL season. He has 14 touchdown passes and one interception in the Rams' last five games, and he has thrown multiple TD passes in five straight games for only the third time in his career.
Williams, who missed four games at midseason with a sprained ankle, still became the Rams' first 1,000-yard rusher since Todd Gurley in 2018 with his latest impressive burst. He has six 100-yard performances in his last eight games.
Nacua also had the most productive game in the last two months during his breakout rookie season, while Robinson caught a TD pass in his fourth straight game.
Los Angeles went 95 yards in 14 plays consuming more than half of the first quarter on its opening drive, which ended with a fourth-down TD pass from Stafford to Nacua. New Orleans had allowed just one touchdown in its previous 12 quarters of play.
Los Angeles led 17-7 at halftime when Stafford led a 35-second scoring drive ending in a short TD throw to Robinson in the final minute.
After Rams safety Jordan Fuller intercepted Carr's long pass on New Orleans' first drive of the second half, Stafford led another TD drive ending in three consecutive runs for 27 yards and a TD by Williams for a 27-7 lead.
The Saints had three drives end when they failed on fourth down in Rams territory. Chris Olave finished with nine receptions for 123 yards.
SHO'S HOUSE
Shohei Ohtani attended the game, greeting players on the sideline about an hour before kickoff and receiving a No. 17 Rams jersey. The two-way superstar and two-time AL MVP will now play his home games about 13 miles from SoFi Stadium after agreeing to a $700 million contract with the Dodgers this month. Ohtani was named The Associated Press' Male Athlete of the Year for the second time in three years earlier Thursday.
INJURIES
Saints: RT Ryan Ramczyk (knee) missed his second straight game. ... RB Kendre Miller (ankle) missed his sixth straight game.
Rams: Rookie DB Tre Tomlinson (hamstring) missed his first game of the season.
UP NEXT
Saints: At Tampa Bay on Dec. 31.
Rams: At the New York Giants on Dec. 31.
