It wasn’t pretty, but the Los Angeles Rams notched their third straight victory to improve their record to 9-7 on the year. Despite having a much better roster on paper and the benefit of extra rest, the Rams struggled to take care of the New York Giants on the road Sunday.
The Rams held on to win, 26-25, after Mason Crosby missed a 54-yard field goal, which would’ve won the game for the Giants in the final seconds. Los Angeles turned it over three times and allowed a 94-yard touchdown on a punt return, while also missing two PATs that nearly cost the Rams a win.
Sean McVay’s group will look ahead to next week against the 49ers, but here are our studs and duds from Sunday’s victory over the Giants.
Stud: Byron Young
Young was everywhere in this one. He had a tackle for a loss on the Giants’ first drive, then he chased down Tyrod Taylor for his seventh sack of the season on the Giants’ second possession. He even dropped into coverage and followed Jalin Hyatt after a completion, running him out of bounds and limiting him to just an 8-yard gain. He finished with one sack, two tackles for a loss and three quarterback hits.
Stud: Kobie Turner
Turner has been a stud for the Rams this season, adding to his sack total with 2.5 more on Sunday against the Giants. He’s not only solid against the run, but his pass-rushing ability is outstanding for a rookie defensive tackle. He took full advantage of the Giants’ poor protection up front and dominated as a pass rusher from the interior with 2.5 sacks and three quarterback hits in the win.
Stud: Tyler Higbee
Higbee got involved early and often, picking up big yardage after the catch on checkdowns from Stafford. He gained 18 yards on a screen pass, which was a key play in the game, setting up Kyren Williams’ rushing touchdown on the very next snap. Higbee debuted a new neckroll under his pads so maybe that sparked one of his best games of the season. He finished with six catches for 62 yards.
Stud: Aaron Donald
Donald was a big part of the sack party on Sunday. He had two sacks after going six games in a row without a full sack, completely wreaking havoc on the Giants offensive line, which is not very good to begin with. Donald has been much better than his sack total indicates this year, but it was great to see him add two more sacks in a big game for the Rams.
Stud: Puka Nacua
Nacua made the play of the game when he caught an underneath pass and broke a tackle, going 80 yards down the right sideline for a massive gain to set up Kyren Williams' second touchdown of the day. He was also a huge part of the running game as a blocker, leading the way on Williams' first score of the game. There's nothing he can’t do as a receiver and his performance in a huge game like the one the Rams played on Sunday shows why he should be a legitimate Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate.
Stud: Kyren Williams
Williams added three more touchdowns to his total, giving him 15 on the year. It was his first three-touchdown game in the NFL, making a living in the end zone for the Rams on Sunday and all season. His best run of the afternoon was a 28-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, which proved to be the difference in the game. Prior to that, he didn't have much running room, but that put him over the 80-yard mark, and he finished with 87 yards on the ground with another 14 yards receiving.
Dud: Ahkello Witherspoon
Witherspoon had a really poor game in this one. He got burned a few times by Jalin Hyatt down the right sideline, with one of those deep passes going through the receiver's hands. His worst play came in the third quarter when he allowed an 80-yard touchdown reception to Darius Slayton deep down the field. Witherspoon couldn't keep up with Slayton and it was a walk-in touchdown by New York.
Dud: Lucas Havrisik
Two more missed extra points could be the last straw for Havrisik in Los Angeles. The Rams can't trust him to make one of the most automatic plays in football, and it's now time for them to find a new kicker. He's been inconsistent, inaccurate and seems to be losing confidence by the week -- both in himself and from the coaching staff.
Dud: Matthew Stafford
Stafford caught the turnover bug on Sunday after going four straight games without an interception. He threw two interceptions, both of which were ugly and just flat-out misses by the veteran quarterback. He still threw for more than 300 yards and completed 24 of 34 passes, but he's certainly had better performances than this one and never really looked comfortable in the pocket.
Dud: Offensive line
The entire offensive line had trouble with the Giants' blitz-heavy scheme under Wink Martindale, struggling to pick up stunts and linebacker blitzes. Bobby Okereke didn't have a sack all season, but he had 1.5 in this one thanks to a couple of blitzes. The Giants ended the day with four total sacks, seven quarterback hits and five tackles for a loss.
