The Rams finally put together something they hadn’t managed all season: back-to-back wins. On Sunday, they handled the Chargers 24-9, leaned on a defense that kept the game in hand, and got just enough from an offense that woke up late in the first half. At 4-4, they’re back at .500 for the first time since Week 4.
It wasn’t a clean start. Matthew Stafford opened with a bad interception, and the offense needed six possessions just to move the chains.
But once the Rams found a spark on a two-minute drill touchdown drive, the game tilted their way and stayed there. The second half belonged to Los Angeles.
A few injury situations also broke the Rams’ way before kickoff. Trent McDuffie, Coleman Shelton and Jordan Whittington were all active after entering the day questionable. Colby Parkinson and Joe Cardona were out.
Here are the Rams who stood out most in the win - and a few who came out on the wrong side of the ledger.
Trent McDuffie was everywhere in his return from a groin injury. After missing the previous two games, he came back and immediately made his presence felt, finishing with a team-high nine tackles and picking off Justin Herbert for his second interception of the day. That takeaway set up a quick Rams touchdown and gave the defense exactly the kind of swing play it had been chasing.
There was a scare, though. McDuffie took a shot to the lower back while making a tackle in the backfield and spent part of the game on the sideline in a sweatshirt.
Jaylen Watson also left in the third quarter after reinjuring his shoulder. McDuffie is "feeling okay," per head coach Sean McVay from The Athletic's Nate Atkins.
Blake Corum earned another spot among the winners after following up last week’s season-best outing in Las Vegas with another productive day. Kyren Williams outcarried him 16 to 11, but Corum supplied the burst the ground game needed, piling up 73 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. His 23-yard scoring run was his longest of the season, and over the last two games he’s averaging nearly six yards per carry.
Josaiah Stewart and Wesley Bailey turned the pressure up front into game-changing moments. Stewart finished with six tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack that helped bury the Chargers’ final drive by putting them behind the sticks before the turnover on downs.
Bailey, the undrafted rookie from Louisville, delivered a strip-sack that nearly turned into a takeaway for Aaron Donald before the ball rolled out of bounds. Bailey’s length and speed caused problems all day.
Tutu Atwell also flashed in a way the Rams have been waiting to see. He drew multiple targets in a game for only the second time this season and finished with two catches for 52 yards.
The big play was a 40-yard grab near the end of the first half, the one that helped ignite the offense. With Terrance Ferguson and Davante Adams on injured reserve, the Rams need someone to threaten defenses downfield, and Atwell gave them a glimpse of that role.
The offense as a whole, though, belongs on the losing side. The Rams failed to pick up a first down on their first five possessions and managed only 10 rushing yards on five carries in the first half.
Stafford’s early interception set the tone for a sluggish opening stretch. The touchdown drive before halftime, sparked by Atwell’s deep catch, finally got them moving, and Corum and Williams combined for 119 rushing yards after the break.
Still, the passing game never really caught fire.
Joshua Karty’s kickoff work also left something to be desired. With both Karty and Brandon McManus active, McManus handled field goals and extra points, while Karty handled kickoffs.
His signature dirty ball kick, meant to keep returners from getting a clean shot, failed to reach the landing zone on back-to-back tries and gave the Chargers the ball at the 40. On his other three kickoffs, though, the Rams kept Los Angeles inside its own 30.
Aaron Donald had one of those games where the impact was obvious even when the stat sheet stayed quiet. The one moment that got away from him was a strip-sack chance on Bailey’s play.
Donald nearly scooped it up for what would have been the first defensive touchdown of his career, but the ball slipped away before he could secure it. The sideline reaction was immediate, and Myles Garrett was caught cracking up at the scene.
Donald still delivered another strong outing as the centerpiece of an injury-depleted front, even if that one play will linger.
In Other News...
Rams Rookie Suddenly Forced A Bigger Sean McVay Decision
The Rams found a little more offensive rhythm against the Chargers after leaning harder on rookie tight end Max Klare in the second half, and the usage jump came with a career-high snap count. For a team still sorting out how to distribute work around its young pieces, that kind of in-game adjustment matters, especially when it helps the offense settle in and keeps the matchup from feeling one-dimensional.
It also fits into a broader picture of how Sean McVay is managing the roster right now. Blake Corum and Kyren Williams continue to share the backfield, Puka Nacua remains the clear focal point at receiver, and the edge rotation has included Byron Young, Josaiah Stewart and Wesley Bailey. Klares expanded role adds another layer to those weekly decisions, and it leaves McVay with one more personnel question to answer as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Rams May Need To Make A Costly Call Around Puka Nacua
Davante Adams is expected to miss six to 10 weeks, and the Rams have already felt the ripple effect in a passing game that has leaned hard on Puka Nacua while waiting for more help to emerge. With Adams potentially back around Week 12 or 13, Los Angeles is staring at a stretch where the current receiving depth may not be enough to keep the offense on schedule, especially if defenses can continue to key on Nacua.
Josh Downs, Brian Thomas Jr. and Dontayvion Wicks are the kinds of names that naturally come up when a team starts shopping for relief, but each would come with a cost the Rams would have to weigh carefully. The issue is not just finding another target, it is deciding how much draft capital or other trade value Los Angeles is willing to spend for a short-term fix while Adams works his way back. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Just Handed Justin Herbert An Ugly Rivalry Milestone
The latest chapter in the Rams-Chargers rivalry left Justin Herbert with an unwanted place in the record book, and it came in a game that only added to the frustration around the Chargers season. After the Week 8 loss to the Rams, Herbert now has the most losses by an NFL quarterback since 2020, a grim marker for a player still trying to carry a team that has yet to find its footing.
Los Angeles is still winless at 0-7, and Herberts numbers against the Rams reflected the broader offensive problems that have followed the Chargers all season. He completed 24 of 32 passes for 257 yards, but the two interceptions and lack of a touchdown summed up another rough outing for a team that made offseason changes and still has not solved its issues. [Read more 🡒]