In a game where the passing game was as cold as the conditions on the field at MetLife Stadium, the Los Angeles Rams still found a way to win and beat the New York Jets. Thanks to a defense that held bent but didn’t break and a rushing attack that carried the offense, the Rams took down New York, 19-9.
Similar to last week’s 12-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers, the Rams didn’t play their best but they got the job done when they needed to most. The defense forced a key takeaway in the fourth quarter and Kyren Williams kept the offense on track with 122 yards rushing.
Though the Jets’ record is only 4-11 now, their offense is loaded with playmakers, which was very much evident on the field Sunday because the Rams struggled to contain New York’s pass catchers at times.
Here’s how it went down in frigid East Rutherford on Sunday afternoon.
Final score: Rams 19, Jets 9
Game notes
- In his season debut, Tyler Higbee got the start at tight end, though he wasn’t targeted on the opening drive (Colby Parkinson was).
- The Rams’ first possession was promising. They ran 11 plays but gained just 42 yards and had to punt from the Jets’ 37-yard line. Kyren Williams had 30 yards on six carries on that drive.
- After pinning the Jets at their own 1-yard line, the Rams gave up a 14-play, 99-yard touchdown drive to New York, which was capped off by an 11-yard score from Aaron Rodgers to Davante Adams.
- Matthew Stafford threw a bad interception on the Rams’ second drive, overthrowing Demarcus Robinson badly. Either it was a miscommunication or an inaccurate ball, which could’ve been because of the wind.
- On the ensuing drive, the Rams stuffed the Jets on fourth-and-1, taking over from New York’s 33-yard line. Three plays later, Kyren Williams was in the end zone with a touchdown.
- The Rams gave up a 15-play field goal drive to the Jets just before halftime, giving New York a 9-6 lead at the break. The drive went 67 yards but ended with the Jets adding only three points.
- On the opening drive of the third quarter, the Jets had the ball for 14 plays and gained 58 yards milking 9 minutes and 45 seconds off the clock, but Ahkello Witherspoon broke up a fourth-down pass in the end zone to prevent New York from scoring any points.
- The Rams went about 18 minutes of game time without touching the ball because of the Jets’ two long drives before and after halftime.
- When Los Angeles finally did get the ball back, the offense had a 13-play, 66-yard drive that ended with a field goal from 38 yards to tie the game at 9. A false start by Beaux Limmer on third-and-8 from inside the red zone killed the drive and led to a field goal.
- The defense came up big on the next drive, with Kam Curl getting home for the strip-sack on a blitz. Jared Verse recovered the ball and set up the offense on the Jets’ side of the field.
- A few plays later, Stafford hit Higbee for a touchdown on his first catch of the game. It was a special moment for Higbee, who was playing his first game since January.
- For the third time in the game, the Rams stopped the Jets on fourth down on New York’s next possession. It was an incomplete pass to Tyler Conklin over the middle on fourth-and-4, with Darious Williams breaking it up.
- Karty added to the Rams’ lead with a 45-yard field goal with 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, an all-important kick to make it a two-score game.
- On the Jets’ next drive, they missed a 49-yard field goal with about 2 minutes left in the game, ending any chance of a comeback. They actually got a stop on the Rams’ next drive but muffed the punt, allowing Los Angeles to kneel the ball out and kill the clock.
It was over when…
… Anders Carlson’s 49-yard field goal missed wide right with 1:57 left in the fourth quarter. The Rams led 19-9 at the time and the Jets had all three timeouts, so a field goal would’ve made it a one-score game with plenty of time remaining.
But with the miss, the Rams took over with a 10-point lead.
3 stars of the game
No. 3 star: Puka Nacua – 8 catches, 56 yards
No. 2 star: Kam Curl – 5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF
No. 1 star: Kyren Williams – 23 carries, 122 yards, 1 TD. 1 catch, 7 yards
Play of the game
It wasn’t the longest play of the game but it certainly was the coolest. In Higbee’s first game since January, Higbee hauled in an 11-yard touchdown catch from Stafford, diving into the end zone for the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter.
.@Ty_Higs19 dives in for the touchdown!
📺: @NFLonCBS | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/rX1po0ZKsg
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 22, 2024
What’s next?
The Rams will come off this win and face the Cardinals in Week 17, a home game at SoFi Stadium and the penultimate game of the regular season for Los Angeles. The Rams lost to the Cardinals once already this season but they’re much healthier now and rolling with their fourth straight win.
