The Rams needed a response on Monday night, and they got one in emphatic style. With Puka Nacua unavailable and Myles Garrett also out, Los Angeles rolled past the New York Giants 28-6 at home, using a big night from Matthew Stafford and Davante Adams to put Week 1 behind them.
Stafford looked like a quarterback in full command after a rough opener. He finished 22-for-31 for 327 yards and four touchdowns, and he also moved past Philip Rivers for sixth all-time in NFL history in touchdown passes. Adams was the centerpiece of the passing game, catching eight balls for 195 yards and two scores, finishing just 11 yards short of his career high.
The Rams’ offense took a little time to get moving, but once it found its rhythm, it looked far more like the group people expected heading into the season. Blake Corum and Adams helped create explosive plays that pushed Los Angeles into scoring position, and Stafford finally broke through with a 31-yard touchdown strike to Adams over the middle.
The connection didn’t stop there. On the next possession, Stafford went right back to Adams for a 61-yard gain that set up a touchdown pass to Kyren Williams. By that point, the Rams had built a 14-0 lead and were starting to separate.
The passing game spread the ball around early, too. Out of Stafford’s first 10 completions, four went to Adams, three to Terrance Ferguson, two to Williams, and one to Colby Parkinson. No Rams receiver other than Adams had a catch in the first half.
On defense, Los Angeles answered the criticism that followed last week’s performance against the San Francisco 49ers with a much sharper showing. With Aaron Donald making his debut after two years away, defensive coordinator Chris Shula leaned into a more aggressive approach, bringing more blitzes on third down and tightening things up across the board. The Giants’ run game was contained, and the pass rush showed up in a way it hadn’t the week before.
Undrafted free agent Wesley Bailey notched his first career sack, and Byron Young added another. The Giants’ quarterback situation also changed early, when Jaxson Dart left on the first drive with a knee injury and did not return.
Jameis Winston took over and had a rough night, completing just four of his first 12 passes and throwing an interception in the red zone to Trent McDuffie. Winston finished 11-for-27 for 111 yards.
Even with the Rams in control, the first half wasn’t clean. Stafford threw an interception after forcing the ball downfield to Adams, and later Kyren Williams fumbled at the Rams’ own 11-yard line, giving New York a chance to stay in it. After the Giants kicked a field goal, Harrison Mevis missed a 43-yard attempt, leaving Los Angeles up 14-3 instead of pulling away further.
The Rams kept pushing after halftime. Stafford and Adams stayed locked in, with Adams catching three passes for 50 yards and a touchdown in the third quarter to stretch the lead to 21-3.
In the fourth, Stafford added one more scoring strike, finding Ferguson in the back of the end zone to make it 28-6. Ferguson finished with six receptions, a career high.
It wasn’t spotless, but it was the kind of win Los Angeles badly needed after Week 1. The Rams still have work to do, and nobody is handing them any Super Bowl labels yet.
But they also showed they weren’t dead after one loss, and in a game they had to have, they took care of business. They were dominant on defense, efficient enough on offense, and did it without their best playmaker.
Now the Rams turn quickly to Week 3, with a short week before heading to Denver to face the Broncos on Sunday Night Football.
In Other News...
Rams Win Got Overshadowed By A Strange Giants Sideshow
The Rams Monday night win was supposed to be the main talking point, but one strange sideline sight line quickly pulled attention away from the scoreboard. Giants running back Cam Skattebo was seen shaking his head repeatedly on the field and along the sideline, and the visual was unusual enough to trigger plenty of viewer chatter during a game that was already being closely watched.
Skattebo has already addressed the habit on social media, explaining that sweat can make his helmet pads stick to his face, turning the movement into a practical fix rather than a medical concern. He is back this season after missing last year with a season-ending injury, and against the Rams he handled 12 carries for 36 yards, even if the night ended up producing more curiosity about his routine than his stat line. [Read more 🡒]
OBJ And Stafford Just Revived A Familiar Rams Storyline
After Monday nights win over the Giants, the Rams had more than one reason to feel good about where things are headed. Matthew Stafford was sharp again, throwing for 327 yards and four touchdowns, and the postgame scene quickly turned familiar when he was seen interacting with Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham did not record any statistics in the game, but his presence around the Rams always brings back memories of the connection he built with Stafford during the teams Super Bowl run.
For Los Angeles, it was the kind of night that can keep old possibilities alive in the background while the current team keeps producing on the field. The Giants also left the game dealing with a bigger concern after rookie starter Jaxson Dart went down with a knee injury and did not return, adding another layer to a matchup that already had plenty of attention. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Finally Looked Complete But One Familiar Problem Still Hurt
The Rams win over the Giants on Monday Night Football had the feel of a team starting to put the pieces together. Davante Adams delivered the kind of impact performance Los Angeles had been waiting for, piling up eight catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns, while Chris Shulas defense looked sharper and more connected than it had earlier in the season. Trent McDuffie also gave the unit a boost with his first interception as a Ram, another sign the group was trending in the right direction.
Still, the game also served as a reminder that one old issue can sour an otherwise clean night. Special teams again created problems, and Kyren Williams added to the frustration with a costly fumble. For a team trying to turn a convincing prime-time victory into something more lasting, those lapses stood out because they were the kind that can undo all the good work around them. [Read more 🡒]