FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — A short week of preparation, a long cross-country flight and an early kickoff for West Coast body clocks presented the Rams with a challenge Sunday.
And coach Sean McVay’s team looked drowsy in the early stages against the New England Patriots.
But the Rams woke up in time to put away the Patriots, riding Matthew Stafford’s four touchdown passes, 100-yard receiving efforts from Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua and stout when-it-needed-to-be defense to a 28-22 victory in front of 64,628 at Gillette Stadium.
McVay alternately described it as “a strange game” and “a weird day.”
Regardless, the victory improved the Rams’ record to 5-5. After starting the season 1-4, they have gone 4-1.
So was Sunday’s performance proof of a real awakening? Or are the Rams destined to be a .500 team that will miss the playoffs?
“I fully believe that we are capable of continuing to trend in the right direction and continue to improve,” McVay said. “What that looks like? I’m excited for us to be able and go swing.”
Sunday’s game was the first in what could be termed the third quarter of the season, a stretch that includes next Sunday night’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, a trip to New Orleans to play the Saints, and a home game against the Buffalo Bills.
The Rams conclude the season with a Thursday night game against the San Francisco 49ers, a final trip to the East Coast to play the New York Jets and home division games against the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks.
“You gotta string wins together, that’s what you got to do,” Stafford said when asked what the Rams must do to make a run to the playoffs. “Each game is a different one, and it’s going to have a different flow to it.”
Stafford was feeling it Sunday.
Ten years after experiencing one of the worst passing performances of his career in his only previous game at Gillette Stadium against the Patriots, Stafford did not miss chances to continue leaving his mark on the NFL record book.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw four touchdown passes against the Patriots and had a quarterback rating of 142.7.
(Steven Senne / Associated Press)
He tossed two touchdown passes to Kupp and one each to Nacua and tight end Colby Parkinson.
“Obviously,” he said of his performance in the venue, “better today than we had in the past.”
Stafford, a 16th-year pro, has 370 career touchdown passes, putting him in sole possession of 10th place on the league’s all-time list.
Kupp continues to play a major role in Stafford’s ascent. His five-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter tied the score, 7-7.
Then, one play after rookie defensive lineman Braden Fiske sacked Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and forced a fumble, Stafford connected with Nacua for a 12-yard touchdown that gave the Rams a lead they never relinquished.
Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner (91) recovers a fumble against the New England Patriots. Turner finished with seven tackles, a pass broken up, a quarterback hit and a tackle for lost yardage.
(Greg M. Cooper / Associated Press)
Stafford and Kupp combined for the play of the game shortly after halftime.
On the second play of the third quarter, Stafford read a blitz and found Kupp on a mid-range route in the middle of the field. Patriot cornerback Jonathan Jones dived while trying to break up the pass, and Kupp ran untouched for a 69-yard touchdown and a 21-10 lead.
The Patriots pulled within six points with about five minutes left, but rookie safety Kam Kinchens sealed the victory with an interception.
Kupp caught six passes for 106 yards. Nacua, who was assisted off the field after his touchdown catch but remained in the game, had seven catches for 123 yards.
“It helps everybody, the vibe, the mojo,” Nacua said of how his and Kupp’s performances impact the team. “I mean that’s our leader, that’s our guy. So when No. 10 is feeling great, it bleeds into everybody else.”
Rams players said they were confident they could finish the second half of the season strong.
There is no secret, according to Kupp.
“Trust that what we’re doing is the right thing,” Kupp said. “We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel or anything like that.”
The Rams must find ways to eliminate teams, “instead of just going into dogfights,” said cornerback Cobie Durant, who had two pass breakups.
“We need to figure out how we can go ahead and just cancel teams out early,” Durant said. “Once we figure that out, we’ll be all right.”
Stafford agrees.
“When those opportunities arise in games to finish people off,” he said, “we have to do a good job of finishing people off.”
The Rams get their next opportunity against an Eagles team that is 8-2.
“We got a super hot team coming to town,” McVay said. “This is what you love — it’s a great challenge.”
