EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – In below-freezing temperatures, the Rams picked up a huge win to remain in control of their own playoff destiny by beating the Jets 19-9 on Sunday.
Running back Kyren Williams rushed for a season-high 122 yards on 23 carries to lead the way offensively and tight end Tyler Higbee scored a touchdown on his first catch of the 2024 season. The game went by in a flash and was the first early game to finish.
After the game, head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford spoke with the media about the Rams' gritty win on the road. Here are the top quotes and talking points from those press conferences.
"It's as excited as I've ever seen a team, for a guy to be able to do what (Higbee) did, and it's been a really long journey back, there was a lot of guys that were so excited for him because of what he means to them as a teammate, and more importantly, as a human being." - McVay
Higbee's touchdown to pit the Rams up in the fourth quarter featured an acrobatic leap from the veteran tight end on his first catch since last season. McVay said that Higbee is "the guy that has really made that play really good for our offense over the last hand full of years," so, it was only fitting that it was his welcome back moment.
McVay said "there really weren't any explosive plays on either side, and I think that's where the game sped up." That showed the team, once again, that they can find ways to win all sorts of games. Whether it's a shootout with Buffalo or a run-heavy game in the cold, the Rams have found a way to win. They are 8-2 since the bye week with two games remaining in the regular season.
The defense allowed just 75 rushing yards but 246 net passing yards, and that made the game-sealing muffed punt that much more significant: "I love the response from our special teams," McVay said. "I thought it was really cool for (Jordan Whittington) to be able to kind of force where he's at coverage. They muff the punt, he ends up recovering, and so we don't even have to get back out there in a two-minute defense."
"This is what it's all about, finding ways to win football games. (Are there) things to clean up? Absolutely. Don't want to turn the ball over, some missed opportunities, we went backwards a couple times (when) we had some good field position. But, overall, really good team win. Thought our defense played outstanding." - Stafford
Williams had more rushing attempts than Stafford had passes, and he said "he's great, every time he steps on the grass, he's a guy that loves to compete." And he did that on Sunday behind another strong performance from the offensive line, who didn't allow a single tackle for loss or sack against the Jets.
Stafford said he was "so happy for" Higbee to get back out there and the team was ecstatic when he scored. He added that he "didn't know if he was gonna score (because it was) kind of a long way out when he first caught it, but did a hell of a job of getting in."
