Rams vs. Saints score: Los Angeles keeps rolling, improves wild-card hopes with win vs. New Orleans on ‘TNF’

For a moment, it appeared that Thursday night’s game could be a reprise of the Titans’ shocking, come-from-behind win over the Dolphins in Week 14. But the Saints’ comeback ultimately came up short as the Rams hung on for a 30-22 win. 

Down 30-7, the Saints made things interesting when Derek Carr threw a pair of touchdown passes in a three-minute span. But the Rams didn’t allow the Saints to get any closer after Puka Nacua recovered an onside kick, then caught a key pass that set up a game-clinching first down. 

It was that kind of night for Nacua, the Rams’ rookie sensation who caught nine passes for 164 yards that included the game’s first touchdown.  The Rams received big nights from quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Kyren Williams, who helped Los Angeles improve to 8-7 while strengthening their position in the NFC playoff standings. 

The Saints fell to 7-8 and behind the 7-7 Buccaneers in the NFC South standings. While they made things interesting late, New Orleans was mostly outplayed by Los Angeles, especially on defense. Carr put up solid numbers with 319 yards passing, but he made several bad decisions and was not helped by a running game that gained just 35 yards on 16 carries. 

We’ll have a full breakdown of Thursday night’s game shortly, but in the meantime, check out our live blog below to relive the action in real time.