Rams fans were treated to an enjoyable game on Christmas Day, something that hasn’t happened very often in this frustrating 5-10 season. Los Angeles blew out the Broncos, 51-14, at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, the team’s highest-scoring game since 2018.
The Rams didn’t set any records or make any sort of history, but there were some pretty wild stats to come out of the 37-point win. Here’s a look at eight of the craziest stats from the Rams’ Week 16 win over Denver.
1
Rams’ first 50-point game since 2018
Scoring 50 points is not easy, but the Rams have done it twice in the last 5 seasons. This was their first time scoring 50 in a game since their 54-51 win over the Chiefs in 2018, which was a historic battle at the Coliseum. The Rams have topped 40 points a bunch under Sean McVay but putting up 50 against a good Broncos defense is quite impressive – especially given the players Los Angeles is currently missing. The Rams are just the second team this season to score 50 points, as well.
2
Matched season-high in points in first half alone
The Rams’ previous high in points scored this season was 31. In the first half against the Broncos, they matched that total, jumping out to a 31-6 lead over Denver in the first 30 minutes. It seemed unlikely that the Rams would score more than 30 points again this season, having fallen below 23 points in each of their last eight games, but they erupted against Denver and dominated on both sides of the ball.
3
LA scored one fewer point vs. Broncos than last 3 games combined
In their last three games against the Seahawks, Raiders and Packers, the Rams scored a total of 52 points: 23 against Seattle, 17 against Las Vegas and 12 in Green Bay. Their scoring output in Sunday’s game alone nearly matched their total in the previous three games combined, which is astounding. How many teams go from scoring 12 points one week to putting up 51 the next? Probably not many.
4
Rams and Saints are only 2 teams in NFL history to score 50 points on Christmas
The NFL doesn’t often schedule games on Christmas Day, realizing the NBA typically owns that holiday. However, with Christmas falling on a Sunday this year, there were three games. The Rams joined the Saints as the only two teams to score 50 points on Christmas in NFL history.
The Saints did it in 2020 when they poured 52 points on the Vikings in a 52-33 win at home on Christmas, totaling 583 yards of total offense – nearly 200 more yards than the 388 Los Angeles had on Sunday.
The Rams' 51-14 win over the Broncos is the largest victory by any NFL team on Christmas Day 🎁
The Rams and Saints (2020) are the only teams to score 50 points on Christmas. pic.twitter.com/U547tdnK15
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) December 26, 2022
5
Rams are 8th team since 2000 to score on each of their first 8 drives
A week ago, the Rams only scored points on three of their eight possessions against the Packers. On Sunday, Los Angeles scored on each of its first eight drives of the game, with five touchdowns and three field goals. That even included a drive with Bryce Perkins at quarterback after Baker Mayfield was pulled due to the score being so lopsided.
The Rams also accomplished this back in 2000 against the Chargers.
Rams are 8th team since 2000 to score on their first 8 drives of a game:
Lions vs Jags Week 13
Saints vs Bengals 11/11/2018
Pats vs Jags 9/27/2015
Bears vs Cowboys 12/9/2013
Falcons vs Chiefs 9/9/2012
Saints vs Colts 10/23/2011
Rams vs Chargers 10/1/2000— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) December 26, 2022
6
LA’s most first-quarter points since 2017
The Rams scored more points in the first quarter on Sunday than they had all game long against the Packers. It was also the Rams’ highest-scoring first quarter since Week 6 of the 2017 season when they put up 17 points in the first 15 minutes against the Jaguars.
Incredibly, the Rams scored 17 points or fewer in 9 of their first 14 games of the season, so this was a rare scoring outburst from Los Angeles.
The @RamsNFL scored 17 points in the first quarter.
This is the most points scored by the Rams in a first quarter this season and the most since Week 6 of the 2017 season against the Jaguars (17).#LARvsDen pic.twitter.com/YAEvvH0c99
— Los Angeles Rams PR (@TheLARamsPR) December 25, 2022
7
Cobie Durant now leads NFL in interception return yards
Durant came down with two interceptions against the Broncos, the second of which he returned 85 yards for a touchdown – his first pick-six since high school. In college, Durant had 12 interceptions but he didn’t have any return yards.
This season, he has three interceptions to lead the Rams, and his 151 return yards are the most in the NFL right now. In Week 2, he returned a pick 51 yards, and on Sunday, he totaled 100 return yards on his two interceptions. Leading the NFL in that category is pretty remarkable for a player who’s only played defense in five games.
8
Only 10th team since 2000 to score 50-plus with fewer than 390 yards
The Rams scored a ton, but they didn’t put up a huge number of yards on offense. That’s because the defense helped set them up with short fields thanks to the four turnovers they forced.
The Rams are just the 10th team since 2000 to score at least 50 points but finish with 390 or fewer yards of total offense. The Rams had 388 yards on Sunday, which is still the most they’ve gained in a single game this season.
