The defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams traveled to the Big Easy the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Both teams have underperformed and are desperate for wins. The Black and Gold came out victorious with a 27-20 win over the Rams.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The first three drives of the game all resulted in punts as the first possession for both the Rams and Saints were three-and-outs.
New Orleans took the early lead on their second drive. Quarterback Andy Dalton found the tight end, Juwan Johnson, across the middle for a 26-yard pickup on 3rd & 1. The offense drove down to the red zone of the Rams with an eight-yard run by Alvin Kamara for the first down. Dalton and Taysom Hill got sacked on second and third down. Those losses of yardage would bring out kicker Wil Lutz as the 46-yard attempt was good.
Brandon Powell had a big kick return to the 38-yard line of the Rams. It took one play for Los Angeles to take their first lead of the game. Matthew Stafford’s pass was completed to wide receiver Tutu Atwell down the left sideline for the 62-yard touchdown.
The Black and Gold would retake the league with 12:11 left in the second quarter. On the seven-play possession, Kamara and Hill were the focus as they combined for five rush attempts. Johnson scored from eight yards out as he caught Dalton’s pass. New Orleans was up 10-7.
On the final drive of the first half, Stafford completed eight out of nine passes to five different receivers for 78 yards. Los Angeles went into the intermission with a 14-10 lead courtesy of a six-yard touchdown catch by Allen Robinson with 19 seconds to go.
New Orleans received the football to begin the second half and reclaimed advantage on the scoreboard as Dalton and the offense drove down the field for 75 yards in nine plays. Jarvis Landry got involved in the passing game on the tail end as he recorded a couple of catches, including the seven-yard score.
Chris Olave made his presence known with his third catch of the game for the 53-yard touchdown deep on the post route. New Orleans led 24-14 with 5:47 left to go in the third quarter.
Stafford was ruled out for the remainder of the game with a concussion. Third-string quarterback Bryce Perkins check into the game and orchestrated a scoring drive as the Rams settled for the 33-yard Matt Gay field goal.
Lutz gave the Saints the two-score lead with the chip shot 25-yarder. Hill completed his first pass of the game on his third attempt to Olave for a 14-yard gain.
The defense stood strong and only gave up a 58-yard field goal with six seconds left in the contest as the Saints secured the 27-20 win over the Rams.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Andy Dalton
The Red Rifle stepped up today as he completed 21 out of 25 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns.
BIG NUMBER: 2
The New Orleans Saints played very clean football on Sunday. They committed just two penalties for 15 yards and didn’t turn the ball over as they defeated the Los Angeles Rams 27-20.
UP NEXT: The New Orleans Saints (4-7) will travel to Santa Clara, California to play the San Francisco 49ers (5-4). Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday, November 27th at 3:25 p.m.