Here’s what you need to know
It’s a final: Rams 38, Giants 11
The Rams scored 28 unanswered points in the second quarter and never looked back as they dominated the New York Giants in East Rutherford, N.J.
Final score: Rams 38, Giants 11
Giants score late to trim Rams’ lead
Rams 38, Giants 11, 6:21 left.
Fullback Eli Penny rushed for a four-yard touchdown and Daniel Jones completed a two-point conversion pass to tight end Kyle Rudolph.
The Giants began a 12-play, 53-yard scoring drive after they intercepted a pass by Rams back-up quarterback John Wolford.
Matthew Stafford completed 22 of 28 passes for 251 yards and four touchdowns, with an interception.
Matthew Stafford, Rams pouring it on Giants, up 38-3
Rams 38, Giants 3…11:55 left in the game
Matthew Stafford connected with receiver Cooper Kupp for a 13-yard touchdown to continue the rout.
Stafford has completed 22 of 28 passes for 251 yards and four touchdowns, with an interception.
Kupp has nine catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
Safety Taylor Rapp set up the nine-play, 49-yard scoring drive with his second interception of the game.
The Rams have forced four turnovers.
Matt Gay field goal puts Rams up 31-3
Rams 31, Giants 3,…5:45 left in the third quarter
Matt Gay kicked a 32-yard field goal to complete a long drive to open the second half.
The Rams used 9 minutes, 15 seconds during the 680-yard, 13-play drive.
Matthew Stafford has completed 20 of 26 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns, with an interception.
Cooper Kupp has eight catches for 117 yards and a touchdown.
Darrell Henderson has rushed for 55 yards in 14 carries and a touchdown. He also has a touchdown catch.
Rams first half numbers
The Rams are up 28-3 over the New York Giants at halftime. Here’s a look at the teams’ first half numbers.
Rams score another touchdown, up 28-3 at halftime
Rams 28, Giants 3… Halftime
Matthew Stafford’s 25-yard touchdown pass to running back Darrell Henderson with 33 seconds left in the second quarter started what has the makings of rout.
Stafford has completed 16 of 21 passes for 200 yards, with an interception. He connected with Henderson and receivers Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp for touchdowns.
Henderson has rushed for 22 yards and a touchdown in eight carries.
The defense forced three turnovers, two that helped the Rams take a commanding lead.
Outside linebacker Obo Okoronkwo gave Stafford a short field when he sacked Daniel Jones and forced a fumble that was recovered by Leonard Floyd.
Safety Taylor Rapp intercepted a pass to set up another touchdown.
Rookie cornerback Robert Rochell also intercepted a pass with 17 seconds left in the second quarter.
Kupp has six catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. Woods has two catches for 31 yards and a touchdown.
Rams take advantage of another Giants turnover to score another touchdown
Rams 21, Giants 3… 3:36 left in the second quarter
The defense sets up another touchdown for the Rams.
Safety Taylor Rapp’s interception and 13-yard return gave the Rams a first down at the Giants’ 14-yard line. Four plays later, Darrell Henderson rushed for a two-yard touchdown to put the Rams firmly in control.
Henderson has rushed for 20 yards in seven carries.
Matthew Stafford has completed 10 of 15 passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
Rams take advantage of Giants turnover to go up 14-3
Rams 14, Giants 3… 8:06 left in second quarter
Matthew Stafford’s three-yard touchdown pass to receiver Cooper Kupp gave the Rams some breathing room.
The defense came up big to set up the touchdown.
Outside linebacker Obo Okoronkwo sacked Giants quarterback Daniel Jones for a 14-yard loss and forced a fumble that was recovered by Leonard Floyd at the Giants’ 12-yard line.
On fourth-and-one from the three-yard line, Stafford fired the scoring pass to Kupp.
Stafford had completed eight of 12 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Kupp has four catches for 67 yards and a touchdown.
Rams take 7-3 lead with Matthew Stafford pass to Robert Woods
Rams 7, Giants 3…10:28 left in the second quarter
Matthew Stafford and the offense begin to find a rhythm.
Stafford led a six-play, 66-yard drive that ended when receiver Robert Woods caught a short pass and then ran a few yards into the end zone for a 15-yard scoring play.
Stafford completed a 20-yard pass to Cooper Kupp and a 10-yard pass to tight end Tyler Higbee during the drive. Sony Michel also broke off a 15-yard run.
Stafford has completed six of nine passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.
Kupp has three receptions for 64 yards, Woods two catches for 31 yards.
Rams down 3-0 at end of first quarter
Giants 3, Rams 0…end of first quarter
Not much offense for the Rams.
They had only two possessions and both ended with Matthew Stafford being sacked. This from a team that went into he game having allowed an NFL-low four sacks.
The Rams appeared to find a spark when punter Johnny Hekker completed a 10-yard pass to Ben Skowronek, but the play was nullified because of offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
Stafford has completed three of six passes for 52 yards.
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has completed eight of 14 passes for 73 yards.
Rams injury updates
Rams wide receiver Van Jefferson and running back Jake Funk both on the sideline and being evaluated for injuries.
Giants take a 3-0 lead over Rams on opening drive
Giants 3, Rams 0… 9:21 left in first quarter
The Rams appeared off to a great start when edge rusher Leonard Floyd sacked Giants quarterback Daniel Jones and forced him to fumble.
But the Giants recovered the ball, and Jones led them on a 73-yard, 14-play scoring drive that culminated with Graham Gano’s 27-yard field goal.
The Rams are without injured cornerback Darious Williams, so the Giants went after rookie cornerback Robert Rochell several times during the drive.
Inactives for Rams and Giants
Here are the inactives for the Rams and New York Giants ahead of Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Rams plan to give running backs Darrell Henderson and Sony Michel equal billing again
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Rams’ offense features one of the NFL’s most savvy and strong-armed quarterbacks, a talented, deep and diverse receiver corps, and an offensive line that has given up the fewest sacks in the league.
Now the question is whether the Rams can elevate the offense by consistently running the ball.
Darrell Henderson and Sony Michel will attempt to show they can do it at least two games in a row when the Rams (4-1) play the New York Giants (1-4) at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
In a 26-17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, Henderson and Michel each carried the ball at least 11 times and scored a touchdown. They combined for 119 yards rushing.
It marked the first time coach Sean McVay and running backs coach Thomas Brown deployed the two backs in semi-equal measure.
Pregame notes: Rams, Giants trending in opposite directions
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It’s about 90 minutes before kickoff at MetLife Stadium, where the Rams (4-1) will play the New York Giants (1-4) in a game between teams seemingly going in opposite directions.
It’s sunny and about 61 degrees as players go through pregame warmups.
The Giants are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their 2011 season Super Bowl champions. But at this point, the Giants are fighting for respectability, while the Rams are regarded among contenders to play in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.
This is the Rams’ first game since a 26-17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 7.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford sustained a minor finger injury in that game but played through it and said this week that he was fine.
The Rams are without cornerback Darious Williams, who is on injured reserve because of an ankle injury. Rookie Robert Rochell, David Long, Terrell Burgess and Dont’e Deayon are expected to help fill the void.
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a concussion in last Sunday’s 44-20 defeat by the Dallas Cowboys, but he is expected to start. Running back Saquon Barkley (ankle) and receiver Kenny Golladay (knee) are out.
The Giants also feature two former USC stars — defensive lineman Leonard Williams and cornerback Adoree’ Jackson.
Rams’ Jalen Ramsey leads revamped secondary off and on field
He earns his living at SoFi Stadium, but Jalen Ramsey as of late has frequented other Los Angeles sports venues.
The Rams’ star cornerback attended two NLDS playoff games at Dodger Stadium — one with other Rams defensive backs — and said Thursday that he and teammates planned to attend the Kings’ hockey game against the Las Vegas Golden Knights at Staples Center on Thursday night.
Ramsey, a sixth-year pro, said he always wanted to organize position group outings to pro sports events. He found opportunities scarce early in his career in Jacksonville, however, and the COVID-19 pandemic eliminated any chance in Los Angeles in 2020.
“This year, let’s live a little bit,” he said. “Be careful, mask up, but live a little bit, have a little fun and build a little team chemistry.”
Rams vs. Giants matchups: Look for Matthew Stafford to spread ball around
Breaking down how the Rams (4-1) and the New York Giants (1-4) match up heading into their game at 10 a.m. (Pacific) on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The game will be carried on Fox (Channel 11).
When Rams have the ball: Rams receivers have enjoyed individual big games. The question is: When will all of them be involved? In a 26-17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks last week, Robert Woods was the focus, and he responded with 12 catches for 150 yards. Look for quarterback Matthew Stafford to attempt to spread the ball among Woods, Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, DeSean Jackson and tight end Tyler Higbee. Stafford has passed for 12 touchdowns, with three interceptions. He has been sacked an NFL-low four times, a credit to coach Sean McVay’s play calls and an offensive line that includes center Brian Allen, guards Austin Corbett and David Edwards, and tackles Andrew Whitworth and Rob Havenstein. The line has paved the way for running backs Darrell Henderson and Sony Michel. Against the Seahawks, the two each carried at least 11 times and scored a touchdown. The Giants’ defensive front features tackle Leonard Williams, the former USC star who was chosen sixth overall by the New York Jets in the 2015 NFL draft. Williams has 1½ sacks and tackle Austin Johnson has three. Cornerback James Bradberry has two interceptions for a secondary that includes former USC star Adoree’ Jackson.
Rams vs. New York Giants: NFL betting odds, predictions and analysis
Los Angeles Rams (-9.5, 49) at New York Giants
The Rams were an even bigger favorite in this game Wednesday morning, but then Daniel Jones was in full pads and “on track” to play after suffering a concussion last Sunday against the Cowboys. The status of Jones could be in doubt into the weekend, as the final step in the concussion protocol is to be cleared by an independent neurologist. That bumped the line down from -11 to -9.5.
The Rams should win whether Jones or backup Mike Glennon starts. The quarterback that gets the call will lead an offense missing Saquon Barkley and Kenny Golladay. The Giants offense will get a boost from the return of Sterling Shepard, but Shepard will draw a ton of attention from the Rams and likely will be shadowed around the field by Jalen Ramsey.
Matthew Stafford and the Rams offense should be cause for optimism as well. The early-season dependence on Cooper Kupp may be a thing of the past after a huge breakout game from Robert Woods last week with 12 catches for 150 yards in the win over the Seahawks. Defenses had keyed on Kupp and the onus was on either Woods or Van Jefferson to get more involved. It was Jefferson against the Cardinals and Woods against the Seahawks.
