This season’s penultimate edition of “Thursday Night Football” could prove critical in helping determine two NFC teams’ postseason fortunes.
The Los Angeles Rams currently stand at 7-7 and in the last wild-card spot thanks to tiebreakers. Once a playoff afterthought after a 3-6 start, Sean McVay’s crew has now won four of its last five games to make a serious postseason push. But with a crowded field clawing for two spots, there’s little room for error down the stretch.
The New Orleans Saints, meanwhile, head to Los Angeles still tied for first in the NFC South but behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a tiebreaker. The Saints have won consecutive games against the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants to resuscitate their playoff hopes after a three-game skid, but larger tests await down the stretch, as New Orleans will finish with divisional contests against the Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons.
USA TODAY Sports will provide the latest updates, scores, highlights, wild plays, analysis and more from the Saints-Rams game. Follow along.
Rams 10, Saints 0: Lucas Havrisik field goal extends Rams’ lead
The Rams wasted little time taking advantage of great field position and building upon their lead.
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On the first play of the drive, Matthew Stafford found Puka Nacua for a 28-yard gain. The Rams advanced the ball to the New Orleans two-yard line but Sean McVay opted to send the field-goal unit out on fourth-and-goal this time. Lucas Havrisik made the 20-yard field goal to make it a 10-0 game with 10:23 left in the second quarter. — Chris Bumbaca
Saints turn ball over on downs
The Saints’ decision to go for it on fourth down backfired.
On fourth-and-5, Saints quarterback Derek Carr was sacked in the pocket by Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner for a 9-yard loss. The Rams took over possession of the football on their own 48-yard line as a result of the sack.
Carr has been sacked twice in two possessions. — Tyler Dragon
Rams lead Saints after first quarter
The first quarter featured only one complete drive by each team on Thursday night.
The Saints started with the ball and Derek Carr threw passes of 11 and 16 yards, but a sack by
Ernest Jones IV forced them to punt.
The Rams scored the first, and only, points of the game so far with a2-yard pass from Matthew Stafford to rookie sensation Puka Nacua. The drive ate up nearly eight minutes of clock.
Los Angeles is up 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. — Victoria Hernandez
Rams 7, Saints 0: Puka Nacua scores on fourth-and-goal play
The Rams’ 14-play drive end in seven points.
Rams coach Sean McVay elected to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line. Matthew Stafford retrieved the football in shotgun formation and threw a short pass to rookie Puka Nacua for a touchdown.
The touchdown concluded a first drive that was over eight minutes for the Rams.
Nacua had two receptions in the Rams first possession. The touchdown was Nacua’s fifth of the season. — Tyler Dragon
What time does Saints vs. Rams begin?
Saints vs. Rams is set to kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 21.
How can I watch Saints vs. Rams?
Saints vs. Rams: Picks, predictions and odds
The Rams are favorites to defeat the Saints, according to BetMGM NFL odds.
- Spread: Rams (-12)
- Moneyline: Rams (-210); Saints (+170)
- Over/under: 45.5
USA TODAY Sports’ staff picks for this game:
- Lorenzo Reyes: Rams 24, Saints 18 — In what’s a crucial game for the NFC wild-card picture, the Saints are weak against the run, ranking 24th in the league in rushing defense. Rams running back Kyren Williams has been ultra-productive over the last month and L.A. wins when he does well. The recipe here is clear.
- Tyler Dragon: Rams 23, Saints 20 — This primetime game has playoff implications. Both these 7-7 teams are fighting for wild-card spots in the NFC. Derek Carr is coming off a three-touchdown game, but he’s struggled with consistency in a New Orleans uniform. Rams WR Puka Nacua (1,163) needs 311 more receiving yards to set the NFL’s single-season receiving yards record by a rookie. Cooper Kupp, Nacua and the Rams offense should be able to outscore the Saints in what is an important game for both clubs.
- Safid Deen: Rams 24, Saints 18 — It’s a shame the Rams are just 7-7, but their major players – Matt Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Kyren Williams and Puka Nucua – are finally healthy. The Rams will make the playoffs if they can stay that way and should beat the Saints at home on Thursday night.
- Victoria Hernandez: Rams 24, Saints 19 — The Saints were impressive last week with a three-touchdown performance from Derek Carr. But the Rams, boosted by back-to-back 100-yard games from Cooper Kupp, are playing strong as they clamor for a playoff spot and should notch this home win.
- Jordan Mendoza: Rams 20, Saints 17 — This is going to be one of the better matchups of the week, as the Saints’ defense has made life tough for offenses while the Rams’ offense has been clicking in recent weeks. It won’t be as big of a performance, but Los Angeles has too many weapons at its disposal to be limited, as the Rams win another win and keep their playoff spot.
Shohei Ohtani at SoFi Stadium for Rams-Saints game
Shohei Ohtani might be on a new team, but he is embracing the City of Angels.
The baseball superstar, who is now a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, was in attendance at SoFi Stadium for the Rams-Saints game.
Ohtani was on the field before kickoff and the Rams gifted him a custom jersey with the No. 17, the two-way star’s number. Not Baker Mayfield’s. — Victoria Hernandez
Good company for Kyren Williams
The only player in the NFL who averages more scrimmage yards per game than Rams second-year running back Kyren Williams? MVP contender and Niners running back Christian McCaffrey (128.6 yards per game)
Williams has had five straight games with more than 100 yards from scrimmage and is up to 114.5 in 10 games this year. He suffered an ankle injury in a Week 6 game against the Arizona Cardinals and missed the Rams’ next four. Williams has averaged 5.6 yards per carry since his return. — Chris Bumbaca
Detroit dreamin’
But the Lions can secure their spot in the playoffs depending on the outcome of this game, as a Rams loss would secure Detroit’s spot in the NFC’s field of seven. — Chris Bumbaca
Saints vs. Rams inactives: Chris Olave in, Ryan Ramczyk out for New Orleans
Wide receiver Chris Olave (ankle) is active after missing the Saints’ Week 15 win over the Giants. Olave — who is 82 yards away from posting a second consecutive 1,00-yard receiving season — was updated to full practice participant on Wednesday after missing Monday’s practice and being limited on Tuesday. However, the Saints will be without offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk (knee). The 2019 All-Pro will miss a second straight game and third game this season.
Saints’ inactive players:
- CB Cameron Dantzler Sr.
- QB Jake Haener
- DE Isaiah Foskey
- RB Kendre Miller
- OT Ryan Ramczyk
- LB Monty Rice
Rams’ inactive players:
- DB Tre Tomlinson
- RB Zach Evans
- LB Ochaun Mathis
- OL Warren McClendon Jr.
- DE Desjuan Johnson
The “Thursday Night Football” matchup between the Saints and Rams has massive ramifications for the wild-card portion of the NFC playoff field … and possibly the NFC South. — Nate Davis
Saints vs. Rams history lesson: Two famous playoff encounters
The Saints and Rams head-to-head series dates back to New Orleans’ expansion season of 1967. The Saints’ inaugural game came against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 17, 1967. The Rams went on to win that game, but the Saints’ John Gilliam ran the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown to punctuate the milestone day for New Orleans.
In total, the two teams have met 78 times (including playoffs), with the Rams holding a 43-35 series edge.
The two teams were part of the old NFC West division from 1970 through 2001, facing off twice a season.
The Saints and Rams also have met twice in the playoffs, and both games were memorably encounters.
Of course, the most famous of which was the 2018 NFC championship game. The Rams rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to win the game, 26-23, and advance to Super Bowl 53. However, we’re burying the lead here. The game was marred by a controversial no-call on Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman, who appeared to commit pass interference on Tommylee Lewis late in the fourth quarter. The NFL later admitted there was an officiating error on play.
During the 2000 NFL playoffs, the Saints — who had never won a postseason game to that point — hosted the “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams for what was a thrilling wild-card game at the Superdome. The Saints stormed out to a 31-7 fourth-quarter lead, but the high-octane Rams rallied to within three points. The then-St. Louis Rams could not complete the comeback as the Saints won their first-ever playoff game. — Jim Reineking
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