The Los Angeles Rams are peaking at just the right time.
The Rams scored a 30-22 win over the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California in a pivotal Thursday Night Football matchup for their second straight victory. Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua were absolutely brilliant as the veteran quarterback completed 24 of 34 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns, while the rookie wide receiver hauled in nine receptions for 164 yards and a TD. Running back Kyren Williams racked up 104 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground for the Rams.
With the victory, the Rams (8-7) move into the sixth spot in the NFC playoff picture as they control their own postseason destiny, visiting the New York Giants next weekend.
On the Thursday Night Football national stage, the Rams made a major statement with their high-powered offense.
The Rams never looked back from Stafford authoring a 14-play, 95-yard opening drive, which chewed up nearly eight minutes of the clock and ended via a 2-yard touchdown pass to Nacua on a 4th & Goal.
The Rams would take a 17-7 lead into halftime, on the strength of a Stafford-Demarcus Robinson touchdown hookup in the second quarter.
Since the Rams won the coin toss and deferred to the Saints, they got the ball first during the second half and responded with a drive ending in a field goal to make it 20-7. That lead would bubble to 27-7 following an interception of Derek Carr and subsequent Rams' touchdown drive, ending in a hurdling Williams punching in the score. And the Rams would extend that lead to as much as 30-7.
Though the Saints (7-8) would make it a one-possession game due to back-to-back touchdown drives from Carr in the fourth quarter to pull within 30-22 with under four minutes remaining, that's as close as their late rally would get.
Stafford would hand it off to Nacua for a key first down rush with 3:09 left and the Rams would proceed to hang onto the big victory.
Puka to the rescue. BIG first down.#NOvsLAR on Prime Video
Here's how the entire Rams-Saints' game went.