The New Orleans Saints were in Los Angeles on Sunday to take on the Rams in rookie quarterback Tyler Shough’s first NFL start. Here’s a quick recap of all that went down.
First Quarter
The black and gold had a fruitless
first possession, with a quick three-and-out giving the ball to the hosts.
Matt Stafford and the Rams offense took no time at all to get going, with his first four throws complete for a combined 55 yards.
Kyren Williams would then do some work on the ground before Stafford eventually found Tyler Higbee in the end zone to give LA a 7-0 lead.
The Saints then went three-and-out again as Shough was sacked, but the defense was able to return the favor and get the ball back. Again, though, the offense couldn’t find a first down, punting after a three-and-out for a third consecutive time to begin the game.
Chase Young sacked Stafford on the final play of the opening frame as the Rams drove into Saints territory.
Second Quarter
A pass interference against Kool-Aid McKinstry helped keep the LA drive alive, before it continued into the red zone as Stafford found Higbee twice more.
Davante Adams hauled in a 3-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead, but a missed extra point kept the score 13-0.
The visitors were then finally able to get something going with a 29-yard run from Taysom Hill. Shough connected on a 3rd-and-9 with Brandin Cooks to extend the possession, and the Saints soon looked to convert a 4th-and-1 in the red zone. But a false start against Kelvin Banks Jr meant a field goal attempt from Blake Grupe instead, who was good from 39 yards.
The Rams responded with a quick touchdown, as a 21-yard run from Blake Corum set up a 39-yard pass from Stafford to Puka Nacua for six.
The Saints were unable to respond as they went three-and-out once more.
Kyren Williams had a few productive runs to begin the Rams’ next drive before Stafford found Terrance Ferguson for 36 yards. Davis Allen thought he had a touchdown, but he was called for a facemask penalty, and the Rams eventually had to settle for a field goal attempt.
But having missed an extra point early, Joshua Karty failed to convert the 39-yarder, and the score remained 20-3.
With less than a minute to work with, Shough was able to find some momentum to carry into the half. He found Rashid Shaheed, Juwan Johnson, and then Chris Olave on a 27-yard pass before eventually finding Johnson again for an 11-yard touchdown.
Grupe made the extra point to put the halftime score at 20-10.
Third Quarter
The Rams began the second half with a prolonged drive that spanned almost 10 minutes. Corum and Adams were responsible for the bulk of the yards on a 16-play, 80-yard scoring drive capped off by a touchdown pass to Adams.
With the Rams holding a commanding lead once again, the Saints failed to find the response they needed as Alvin Kamara fumbled.
LA went back to Kyren Williams on the ensuing drive after Corum had dominated the previous one, and he broke off a number of big runs to put his team on the edge of the red zone as the quarter ended, the lead 27-10.
Fourth Quarter
A 13-yard pass to Allen set up 1st-and-goal, and Williams eventually punched it in for another Rams touchdown.
Shough responded with deep throws to Shaheed and Olave to begin the next drive for a combined 50 yards. But soon after, facing 4th-and-2 in the red zone, Hill couldn’t find the yards on the ground and the Saints turned the ball over on downs.
The Rams went three-and-out, and Shough began the next drive positively before throwing an interception to Emmanuel Forbes Jr.
The Saints wouldn’t see the ball again, as the Rams ran out the clock from there to secure a 34-10 victory over New Orleans.
The black and gold will now travel to Carolina to take on the Panthers in an NFC South clash in Week 10.
