“I’m proud of our boys”
Veteran Stafford throws Rams towards NFL playoffs
December 22, 2023, 9:33 a.m
The Rams are in strong form and get an important home win against the Saints. Heading into the playoffs, the NFL team is the only one in the NFC to have a quarterback with crucial experience. The dream is still alive for the Saints. But he’s hanging by a thread.
The Los Angeles Rams won the important home game against the New Orleans Saints and massively increased their chances of taking part in the NFL playoffs. At 30:22, the Rams have eight wins and seven defeats, while the Saints have the opposite record and suffered their eighth defeat of the season. The Rams moved to sixth place in the NFC, at least until Sunday. Seven teams qualify for the playoffs. In the NFC West, the Rams are in second place behind the 49ers from San Francisco, who are already division winners.
Matthew Stafford, the only quarterback in the NFC to win the Super Bowl, had another strong game. He threw for 328 yards and led the Rams to success with two touchdown passes. “It was a win for the whole team,” Stafford said. “It was fun today. I felt like no matter what the defense does, I’ll have an answer. In my opinion, we could have scored 40 points tonight. There’s still a lot of room for improvement. But I’m proud on our boys.”
The match was evenly balanced up to 10:7, but the hosts scored their second touchdown before halftime. In the meantime, LA led 30:7 in the last quarter, two late touchdowns by the Saints were merely cosmetic results.
In the two remaining games, the Rams will face the New York Giants on New Year’s Eve and at the end of the main round they will face the strong San Francisco 49ers. The Saints, who have lost four of the last six games, still have to play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and finally meet the Atlanta Falcons. Both teams are direct competitors in the NFC South. Before the direct duel, the Saints are only just behind the Buccaneers, who can look back on seven wins and seven defeats so far.