EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – A complementary effort in all three phases paved the way for a 38-11 Rams victory over the New York Giants (1-5) on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
The win also helped L.A. (5-1) stay a perfect 3-0 on the road this season.
Three of the four takeaways created by the Rams defense – a sack-fumble by outside linebacker Ogbo Okoronkwo and an interception by safety Taylor Rapp – directly led to 21 of their 38 points. The Rams scored 28 of their 38 points and secured three of their four takeaways by halftime.
Rapp finished with two interceptions overall, snagging another late in the third quarter that led to a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford to wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Rookie Robert Rochell also notched the first interception of his NFL career.
Kupp caught his 30th and 31st career touchdowns, surpassing Rams legend Isaac Bruce's 29 for most such scores through a player's first 60 games in franchise history. Kupp finished with a team-high nine receptions for 130 yards overall in addition to the pair of touchdowns.
Running back Darrell Henderson Jr. tallied 107 yards from scrimmage and two total touchdowns in the win, while quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 22 of 28 passes for 251 yards and four touchdowns with one interception.
Additionally, all four of punter Johnny Hekker's punts landed inside the 20, while Matt Gay made his lone field goal attempt and all five of his extra point attempts.
Here is the complete game recap:
The Giants got on the board first with a 27-yard field goal by kicker Graham Gano for a 3-0 lead with 9:21 left in the first quarter.
Twice the Rams got into Giants territory on each of their first two drives, but each time they were forced to punt. The second punt attempt was initially a successful conversion on a 15-yard pass from punter Johnny Hekker to wide receiver Ben Skowronek, but offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties negated the play and forced the Rams to punt anyway.
Nonetheless, the Rams broke through on their third possession with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to wide receiver Robert Woods to take a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter. The scoring drive was set up by a 28-yard completion from Stafford to Kupp.
Okoronkwo's sack-fumble on Giants quarterback Daniel Jones set the Rams up at the Giants 12 following Floyd's recovery. The Rams elected to go for it on 4th and 1 from the Giants 3 and successfully converted with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Kupp, giving them a 14-3 lead.
A second takeaway – this time an interception by Rapp – led to Los Angeles' third score, as Henderson found the endzone four plays later via a 2-yard touchdown run by Henderson to go up 21-3. A 25-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Henderson expanded the Rams' lead to 28-3 by halftime.
Kicker Matt Gay's 31-yard field goal expanded the Rams' lead to 31-3 late in the third quarter, coming at the end of a 9 minute and 15 second drive, then Stafford threw his second touchdown pass to Kupp and fourth overall to give the Rams a 38-3 lead early in the fourth quarter. Stafford was replaced by John Wolford on the next offensive series.
The Giants added a 4-yard touchdown run by running back Elijah Penny and two-point conversion on a completion from Jones to tight end Kyle Rudolph, but with the Rams still up 27, it was too little, too late to make a difference with 6:21 left in the game.
