NFL

Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints

· National Football League
6-6, 3-3 Away
Final
21 - 14
4-8, 3-4 Home

Matthew Stafford and Kyren Williams help the Rams grind out a 21-14 victory over the Saints

Taysom Hill catches air to move Saints into red zone

“We knew the second half was going to be ours,” said Williams, who rushed for a season-high 104 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown, in the Rams' 21-14 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

“It felt great. It felt like I was me, myself and I when I was out there playing like that," Williams said. "I was playing instinctive football and had great energy.”

Matthew Stafford passed for two fourth-quarter touchdowns as the Rams (6-6) stayed close in the NFC West race and handed interim Saints coach Darren Rizzi his first loss.

“All we could do is get one win this week, and we were able to,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “There was improvement for our team collectively, and that’s what I want to continue to see.”

The Saints (4-8) drove inside the Rams 10-yard line in the final minutes, but Derek Carr’s pass on fourth-and-3 was deflected from behind by edge rusher Jared Verse and fell incomplete.

“I realized the tight end was staying on me,” Verse said, referring to the Saints' Foster Moreau. “The No. 1 rule on the edge is you can’t be blocked by the tight end — you just can’t. I just walked him back and was able to peel off and affect the throw.”

That allowed the Rams to run out the clock on the Saints and Rizzi, who had won his first two games since taking over after the firing of Dennis Allen.

“We did a lot of things in the game that we set out to do and played the game in a lot of ways that we wanted to, but we didn’t execute in crunch time," Rizzi said. “We had a chance to win there. We had a guy open in the end zone and we can’t get the ball off. So, unfortunate.”

Stafford passed for 183 yards without a turnover. His scoring passes went for 3 yards to Demarcus Robinson and 7 yards to Puca Nacua, the latter putting the Rams up for good with 8:54 left.

“The first half was definitely frustrating, but we knew at the same time, every time we were handing it off we were getting good yards,” Stafford said. “You have to keep playing. Football is a game of ebbs and flows."

Versatile New Orleans tight end Taysom Hill, who powered the Saints to their previous victory with one of the best games of his career, injured his left knee and was carted off the field after converting a fourth-and-short run late in the fourth quarter.

The 34-year-old Hill, a fan favorite, waved from the cart as the Superdome crowd chanted his name. Rizzi did not provide an update on Hill after the game, saying he still needed to have imaging done before the full extent of his injury was understood.

The Saints narrowly outgained the Rams and possessed the ball for more time, but struggled to get in the end zone. New Orleans settled for three field-goal attempts in the first half, with Blake Grupe hitting two from 54 yards but missing one from 36.

That was enough to give New Orleans a 6-0 halftime lead before Williams' 10th TD of the season put the Rams up 7-6.

“Kyren’s energy was outstanding,” McVay said. “He was excellent in being really decisive. He was putting his foot in the ground, leveling off well and doing a great job on slash running to the second and third levels.”

Saints running back Alvin Kamara rushed for 112 yards on 23 carries.

New Orleans' lone touchdown came on Carr's Marquez Valdes-Scantling, his fourth TD reception in four games since being signed midseason. Dante Pettis hauled in Carr's pass in tight coverage in the right corner of the end zone for a 2-point conversion that tied it at 14.

Injuries Hill’s departure capped off a tough day for New Orleans on the injury front. Starting center Erik McCoy was unable to return from his re-aggravated groin injury despite two weeks' rest, so Shane Lemieux started in his place. The offensive line took another hit in the fourth quarter when guard Nick Saldiveri was carted off with a left knee injury. Safety Tyrann Mathieu appeared to hurt his shoulder making a second-half tackle on Williams. He remained on the sideline after receiving treatment and said after the game that he expected to recover quickly.

Up next Rams: Host Buffalo next Sunday.

Saints: At the New York Giants next Sunday.

How can I watch Rams vs. Saints?

  • TV Channel: Rams at Saints 2021-22 NFL, week 13 is broadcasted nationally on FOX and NFL Sunday Ticket.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
    In Canada, viewers can watch Rams vs. Saints on DAZN.

Matchup Prediction

Saints: 53.2%
Rams: 46.4%
*According to ESPN's Football Power Index

Scoring Summary

NO FG 1st Period 8:48 Blake Grupe 54 Yd Field Goal
NO FG 2nd Period 0:02 Blake Grupe 54 Yd Field Goal
LAR TD 3rd Period 8:50 Kyren Williams 4 Yd Rush (Joshua Karty Kick)
LAR TD 4th Period 14:57 Demarcus Robinson 3 Yd pass from Matthew Stafford (Joshua Karty Kick)
NO TD 4th Period 11:53 Marquez Valdes-Scantling 28 Yd pass from Derek Carr (Derek Carr Pass to Dante Pettis for Two-Point Conversion)
LAR TD 4th Period 8:54 Puka Nacua 7 Yd pass from Matthew Stafford (Joshua Karty Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/lar.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originLAR https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/no.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originNO
22 1st Downs 19
9 Passing 1st downs 11
12 Rushing 1st downs 7
1 1st downs from penalties 1
4-9 3rd down efficiency 5-15
1-2 4th down efficiency 2-3
55 Total Plays 68
322 Total Yards 327
5.9 Yards per Play 4.8
9 Total Drives 8
166 Passing 184
14/24 Comp/Att 24/37
6.4 Yards per pass 5.0
0 Interceptions thrown 0
2-17 Sacks-Yards Lost 0-0
156 Rushing 143
29 Rushing Attempts 31
5.4 Yards per rush 4.6
3-3 Red Zone (Made-Att) 0-2
3-30 Penalties 4-38
0 Turnovers 0
0 Fumbles lost 0
0 Interceptions thrown 0
0 Defensive / Special Teams TDs 0
27:23 Possession 32:37

Game Information

Caesars Superdome

Location: New Orleans, LA
Attendance: 70,006 · Capacity:

2024 NFC West Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Los Angeles 9 6 .600 0 329 347
Seattle 8 7 .533 0 339 340
Arizona 7 8 .467 0 344 342
San Francisco 6 9 .400 0 331 349

2024 NFC South Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Atlanta 8 7 .533 0 327 349
Tampa Bay 8 7 .533 0 427 352
New Orleans 5 10 .333 0 309 346
Carolina 4 11 .267 0 283 448
Full Standings

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