December 22 (UPI) — In the NFL’s Week 16 opener, Matthew Stafford passed for 328 yards and two touchdowns, and the Los Angeles Rams defense fended off a late comeback to defeat the New Orleans Saints 30-22.
In the victory on Thursday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, the Rams outgained the Saints 458 to 339 in total yardage. The Rams (8-7) moved above.500 for the first time since Week 1 with the victory. They are still in the running for a wild card spot in the playoffs.
“I thought there were a lot of points left on the board,” Stafford stated to the press. “There is a lot of improvement, but I’m proud of our guys with the way we came back and finished the game at the end.”
Puka Nacua, a wide receiver with the Rams, caught nine passes for 164 yards and a touchdown. On 22 carries, running back Kyren Williams gained 104 yards and a touchdown.
With a 2-yard touchdown throw from Stafford to Nacua, the Rams ended a 14-play, 95-yard drive with a score on their opening possession. Five minutes into the second quarter, kicker Lucas Havrisik extended their advantage with a 20-yard field goal.
With 2:34 left in the second quarter, quarterback Derek Carr found Rashid Shaheed for a 45-yard touchdown throw, and the Saints were finally on the scoreboard.
About two minutes later, Stafford responded with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson, giving the Rams a 17-7 advantage at halftime.
The Rams used ten plays and 72 yards of driving to start the second half. Havrisik made a 22-yard field goal to conclude the drive.
On the following drive, Carr was intercepted by Rams safety Jordan Fuller. With a 10-yard rush, Williams hit the end zone in less than three minutes.
With around 12:44 left, Havrisik kicked a 32-yard field goal to give the Rams their last points of the game.
On the Saints’ following two drives, Carr found touchdown throws for A.T. Perry and Juwan Johnson. Following the second touchdown, he also successfully delivered a pass to Chris Olave for a two-point conversion, bringing the deficit to eight points.
The Rams were able to use the remaining time on the clock because the Saints were unable to recover an onside kick.
Carr gained 319 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception on 27 of 40 passes completed. Olave caught nine passes for 123 yards in the defeat.
The Rams and the 5-9 New York Giants will play on December 31 at East Rutherford, New Jersey, at 1 p.m. EST. On December 31 at Tampa, Florida, the Saints (7-8) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7) will play in the afternoon.