Stafford, Rams hold off Saints to stay in NFC playoff race

Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Matthew Stafford threw for 328 yards and two scores and the Los Angeles Rams defense held off a late rally to secure a 30-22 victory over the New Orleans Saints in the NFL's Week 16 opener.

The Rams out-gained the Saints 458 to 339 in total yardage in the triumph Thursday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. With the win, the Rams (8-7) climbed over .500 for the first time since Week 1. They remain locked into a playoff race for a wild card slot.

"There were a lot of points left on the board, in my opinion," Stafford told reporters. "There is a lot of improvement, but I'm proud of our guys with the way we came back and finished the game at the end."

Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua logged 164 yards and a score on nine catches. Running back Kyren Williams ran for 104 yards and a score on 22 carries.

The Rams scored on their first possession, ending a 14-play, 95-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Nacua. They added to their lead when kicker Lucas Havrisik made a 20-yard field goal about five minutes into the second quarter.

The Saints finally got on the scoreboard when quarterback Derek Carr threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Rashid Shaheed with 2:34 remaining in the second quarter.

Stafford answered with a 4-yard touchdown toss to Demarcus Robinson about two minutes later, giving the Rams a 17-7 lead at the break.

The Rams opened the second half with a 10-play, 72-yard drive. Havrisik ended the possession with a 22-yard field goal.

Rams safety Jordan Fuller intercepted Carr on the next drive. Williams found the end zone less than three minutes later with a 10-yard run.

Havrisik made a 32-yard field goal with about 12:44 remaining for the Rams' final points of the night.

Carr went on to throw touchdown passes to Juwan Johnson and A.T. Perry on the Saints' next two drives. He also completed a pass to Chris Olave for a two-point conversion after the second score, cutting the deficit to eight points.

The Saints then failed to recover an onside kick and allowed the Rams to run out the remaining time on the clock.

Carr completed 27 of 40 passes for 319 yards, three scores and an interception. Olave totaled 123 yards on nine catches in the loss.

The Rams will battle the New York Giants (5-9) at 1 p.m. EST Dec. 31 in East Rutherford, N.J. The Saints (7-8) will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7) at 1 p.m. Dec. 31 in Tampa, Fla.