Coming off of a Sunday Night Football loss to the Eagles, the Rams are quickly flipping the page to this week's road game against the Saints in New Orleans. Kickoff from the Caesars Superdome this Sunday is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. PT on FOX.
Ahead of the contest, here is your First Look at Rams-Saints:
Notable Saints additions
- Signed WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling on Oct. 22: Valdes-Scantling has made the most of his opportunities and emerged as an explosive downfield threat since arriving in New Orleans. He had three receptions for 109 yards (long of 67) and two touchdowns in Week 10 against the Falcons, then followed it up with four receptions for 87 yards (long of 71) and one touchdown against the Browns in Week 11.
- Hired Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator on Feb. 14: Most recently the 49ers' passing game coordinator in 2023, Kubiak has the Saints 11th in total offense and 11th in scoring offense entering Week 13.
Top performers in Week 11 (Saints had bye week in Week 12)
QB Derek Carr completed 21 of 27 pass attempts for 248 yards and 2 touchdowns in New Orleans' 35-14 home win over the Browns.
QB/TE Taysom Hill led the Saints in rushing with 7 carries for 138 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Valdes-Scantling's 87 receiving yards and 1 touchdown led New Orleans' receivers.
LB Demario Davis' 13 total tackles paced the Saints defense.
On special teams, K Blake Grupe made all five of his extra point attempts, while P Lou Hedley averaged 36.7 yards per punt across three punts, with all three landing inside the opponents' 20-yard line.
Early storylines to watch, and what they mean for the Rams
Since relieving head coach Dennis Allen of his duties, the Saints have won two-straight under interim head coach Darren Rizzi, their assistant head coach/special teams coordinator. For that and other reasons, this is a different-looking New Orleans team than Los Angeles likely anticipated it would be facing compared to when the schedule came out, and really the beginning of the season.
Two of the Saints' top receivers, Chris Olave and Bub Means, are on Injured Reserve. The interior of their offensive line has dealt with its fair share of injuries as well, including starting center Erik McCoy missing seven games with a groin injury before returning in Week 11 against the Browns. Carr missed three games with an oblique injury.
A healthy Carr, McCoy, Hill and Alvin Kamara – not to mention Valdes-Scantling's performances – have been enough to have functional offensive performances. So, from the perspective of the Rams defense, that unit should still have its attention, even with Olave sidelined and the overall ups and downs experienced by New Orleans' offense this season.
