For the first time since the 2021 season, the Los Angeles Rams have won three games in a row. They took down the Cleveland Browns at home on Sunday afternoon, winning 36-19 at SoFi Stadium to finally get back to .500 at 6-6.
It was an impressive win over a team that was 7-4, and even though Cleveland started its fourth different quarterback of the season, the Browns’ defense is the top-ranked unit in the NFL.
Matthew Stafford had little trouble throwing against Cleveland’s secondary, while Kyren Williams put together another terrific performance with over 100 yards from scrimmage. Defensively, John Johnson III came away with his first interception of the season and Ernest Jones recorded 15 tackles.
Here’s a quick recap of the Rams’ statement win over the Browns on Sunday.
Final score: Rams 36, Browns 19
Game notes
- The Rams made Joe Flacco look very good on his first drive as the Browns’ quarterback, giving up a 75-yard touchdown drive, which included a blown coverage on Jerome Ford and a 24-yard score. After that, the defense buckled down and did a much better job.
- The Rams came back and scored three points on their next drive, followed by a 70-yard touchdown from Matthew Stafford to Puka Nacua on their second possession to take a 10-7 lead.
- Lucas Havrisik made his first field goal attempt, a 44-yarder, but he badly missed a 43-yarder in the second quarter. His job as the Rams’ kicker is far from secure after his recent struggles.
- Puka Nacua left the game in the second quarter with a rib injury, walking very gingerly off the field. It seemed like a significant injury, but he was able to return for the start of the second half, which was hard to believe.
- Russ Yeast played a good portion of the snaps at the star position, getting reps over Cobie Durant in that role. Quentin Lake had been playing the slot the majority of the time but he’s injured, so Yeast has stepped in.
- Flacco was surprisingly effective in his 2023 debut, throwing for the most yards by any Browns quarterback this season. He completed 23 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns, but Los Angeles made life more difficult for Flacco as the game went on.
- The defense came up huge in the fourth quarter with two critical stops. The first was an interception by John Johnson with the Rams leading by one point, which set up Cooper Kupp’s touchdown. The second was a fourth-down stop on the next drive, a pass breakup by Russ Yeast on a throw over the middle.
- The Rams led 20-19 with 8:49 left in the fourth quarter, but after that, they outscored the Browns 16-0 to pull away late.
It was over when…
…Williams scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown with 2 minutes left in the fourth quarter, putting the Rams up 34-19. Russ Yeast’s fourth-down pass breakup on the previous drive was a critical play that nearly sealed it, too, but Williams’ score was the icing on the cake for Los Angeles.
3 stars of the game
No. 3 star: John Johnson III — 6 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PBU
No. 2 star: Matthew Stafford — 22-for-37, 279 yards, 3 TDs
No. 1 star: Puka Nacua — 4 catches, 105 yards, 1 TD. 2 carries, 34 yards.
Play of the game
Nacua’s longest play of the season came in the first quarter, a 70-yard pass from Stafford for six points. He turned on the jets and blew by the defense for a touchdown, putting the Rams up 10-7 over the Browns.
What's next?
After facing the Browns at home, the Rams will take on another AFC North foe, this time on the road. They’ll visit the Baltimore Ravens next Sunday, a massive matchup against a 9-3 team that’s also coming off a bye. This will be one of the toughest games of the season for Los Angeles, especially being on the road on the East Coast.
