Colts game…tweets, plays, highlights, reporters

Wyatt Miller@wymill07
Rams win 27-20 over the Colts after being down late in the 4th quarter.

They advance to 3-1 ahead of next week’s Thursday Night Football game against the 49ers.

Nate Atkins@NateAtkins_
The Rams’ two roster weaknesses are showing up again:

Interior pass protection.
Perimeter pass defense.

This team rolls on offense and defense in the other areas. But…

Matthew Stafford hits a *wide open* Tutu Atwell for an 88-yard touchdown pass to put the Rams on top.

Tutu has been waiting for this moment and what a way to cash in.

Crazy fun game. Looks like two playoff teams.

But the Rams rose up in the passing game and pass rush for Matthew Stafford’s 39th career 4th-quarter comeback and 50th game-winning drive.

L.A. is 3-1 with a short week ahead.

Sarah Barshop@sarahbarshop
From ESPN Research: Tutu Atwell’s 88-yard touchdown was the longest go-ahead scrimmage touchdown in the final two minutes of a game this century.

Jim Youngblood 53@53_jim70721
1. Rams played well.
2. Rams benefitted from a huge bonehead play
3. Run defense was excellent
4. Curl caught a couple of poorly thrown balls, but they Count.

Colts
1. seemed snakebit-dumb errors
2. Daniel Jones didn’t throw with authority, seemed off-, nervous, scared

Cameron DaSilva@camdasilva
Jonathan Taylor’s 53-yard touchdown run was brought back by none other than Adonai Mitchell due to holding.

That’s two touchdowns he’s cost his team today

Los Angeles Rams PR@TheLARamsPR
OLB Byron Young recorded his fifth sack on the season in the first quarter and has showed up in the sack column in every game so far this season. His four-game sack streak matches his career-long set last season (Weeks 8-11.) He now has 20.5 sacks for his career.

PFF@PFF
Puka Nacua leads the NFL in:

🥇 Targets (49)
🥇 Catches (42)
🥇 Yards (503)
🥇 Explosive receptions (12)

TurfShowTimes@TurfShowTimes
Puka Nacua has 503 receiving yards. Puka is the first player in NFL history to gain 500+ yards in his team’s first 4 games of a season two different times in his career.

20 other players have done it once and only once. This is only Puka’s third year.

What a fantastic TD celebration. Very happy for Mitchell. 😉 pic.twitter.com/dRdyWXeMvL

— RAMS REPORT🗯 (@RamsNFLReport) September 28, 2025

Albert Breer@AlbertBreer
Colts are going to kick themselves over this one …

• AD Mitchell unforced fumble thru the end zone.
• Mitchell holding on the Taylor touchdown.
• 10 guys on the field for Rams’ go-ahead 88-yard TD.
• Penalty on the kick return before the final drive.

Brutal.

trey wingo@wingoz
The Colts today: 2 punts..and 2 Interceptions

***

me note: before this game, 1 punt and 0 INTs

Kyren Williams just did Cam Bynum dirty on this run. Started pointing at him after a stiff arm.pic.twitter.com/qRCyhpHNrX https://t.co/Bzg5Bi9axx

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 28, 2025

Stu Jackson@StuJRams
Sean McVay opening his postgame press conference deadpanning:

“We’re not a boring team to watch.”

Rams Bros.@RamsBrothers
Puka Nacua is the best WR in football right now. May not be the most athletic, fast, or polished route runner. But he’s the best football player at the position.

PFF@PFF
Matthew Stafford in the 4th quarter vs Indianapolis

🧊 9/10
🧊 172 passing yards
🧊 2 TDs

RAMS ON FILM@RamsOnFilm
Tutu Atwell with the longest reception of his career and also the longest pass of Matthew Staffords career as well.

88 yards and what a move to drop the Defensive Back. QB1 recognized and called game! Turbo!

Stafford9@LAR9MS
Matthew Stafford is now leading the NFL in Passing Yards with 1,114.

He is also tied for 2nd place in Passing Touchdowns with 8.

Stu Jackson@StuJRams
Matthew Stafford on Puka Nacua:

“I think his play style rubs off on everybody on our team, not just offense. I think our defense looks at him as like, ‘Sh–, we’ll ride with that guy all day.’ And I know that’s how we feel on offense.”

Sarah Barshop@sarahbarshop
According to ESPN Research, the Rams held Jonathan Taylor to 1.2 yards after first contact per rush. He averaged 2.6 yards after first contact per rush in the first three games of the season, the second-highest in the NFL (min. 15 Rush).

Selective outrage how ppl arent talking about the 45 yds he ran with the ball and didnt fumble pic.twitter.com/qkdgCcAFkX

— PFT Commenter (@PFTCommenter) September 28, 2025

A small thing not everyone notices but I think it's bad a$$

Josiah Stewart reads the long trap and takes on an All-Pro is Q Nelson

play went elsewhere, was not a run, but someday this pays off …

"John Madden, "Boom, he takes on that guard" pic.twitter.com/ujHBVZkVdZ

— Jim Youngblood 53 (@53_jim70721) September 29, 2025

Jim Youngblood 53@53_jim70721
If you’re a Colts fan, you gotta be bewildered
1. Couldn’t run ball
2. Gave away a TD on bonehead play
3. lost another on a hold
4. QB was inaccurate
5. You have a running QB and he never ran, never scrambled. Isn’t that what he’s for? Run it sometimes.
6. COuldn’t cover Puka

Rams’ Top Highlights In Week 4 Win vs. Colts: Tutu Atwell’s 88-Yard TD, Kam Curl’s 2 INTs & More

from https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6671468/2025/09/28/colts-rams-score-takeaways/?source=emp_shared_article

Indy’s secondary struggles

The first time Rams receiver Puka Nucua faced the Colts as a rookie in 2023, he totaled nine catches for 163 yards, highlighted by a game-winning reception in overtime. On Sunday, he picked up right where he left off as he finished with 13 catches for 170 yards and the game-tying TD in the fourth quarter. Colts cornerback Xavien Howard appeared to be the main culprit of Nacua’s big day as the Rams repeatedly targeted him in coverage, including on Nacua’s 9-yard touchdown. It’s becoming a weekly theme for teams to pick on Howard, who did not play in the NFL last season.

For as poorly as Howard played, the biggest mistake from the Colts’ secondary was from fellow cornerback Mekhi Blackmon. The third-year pro fell down in coverage and gave up the 88-yard game-winning touchdown to Atwell with 1:33 left in the game. That was Atwell’s only reception of the game. — James Boyd, Colts beat writer

Stafford shakes off rusty start for smooth, clutch day

Stafford lamented some “physical” misses last week in Philadelphia, and it seemed like a bit of that rust carried over into this week. He didn’t target Davante Adams until late in the half. He couldn’t find a rhythm with receivers other than Nacua. And the Rams were having a hard time holding up in pass protection.

But once he got the ball at the end of the first half, Stafford woke up. He led the Rams on a 13-play, 96-yard drive where he was in command by targeting Howard wherever he lined up on the field.

Stafford got back to spamming targets to Nacua and Adams, namely with Nacua often guarded by Howard. It paid off on a fourth-down play in the fourth quarter, when Stafford delivered a strike to Nacua for a 9-yard touchdown.

Stafford engineered his 50th career game-winning drive and 39th career fourth-quarter comeback. The next play after Nacua’s touchdown, Stafford launched the ball to a wide-open Atwell.

Stafford finished 29-of-41 for 375 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a rating of 123.5. It was the best game of his 17th season and shows exactly why the Rams are considered a strong contender in the NFC.

And Nacua continues to be a star. The NFL’s leading receiver has topped 91 yards in all four games to start the 2025 season and is catching more than 80 percent of his targets. — Nate Atkins, Rams beat writer

5 interesting stats from Rams’ Week 4 win over Colts: A perfect 4th quarter for Matthew ‘soul snatcher’ Stafford, two of the most impactful offensive plays of the NFL season lead Rams comeback

Wyatt Miller

https://www.therams.com/news/5-interesting-stats-from-rams-week-4-win-over-colts-a-perfect-4th-quarter-for-matthew-soul-snatcher-stafford-two-of-the-most-impactful-offensive-plays-of-the-nfl-season-lead-rams-comeback

When Rams head coach Sean McVay started his press conference by saying, “We’re not a boring team to watch, I guess,” that was an understatement. The Rams came away with an improbable comeback victory over the Colts in Week 4, 27-20, thanks to some big-time plays from quarterback Matthew Stafford, timely turnovers by the defense and an incredibly efficient run game.

Here are five interesting stats from the Rams’ comeback win over the Colts in Week 4:

Stafford had a perfect passer rating in the fourth quarter (158.3), the second person to achieve that this season

During the Rams’ fourth-quarter comeback, Stafford completed nine of 11 pass attempts for 172 yards (third-highest in the NFL this season) and two touchdowns, facilitating a 72.7% success rate on pass attempts, via nflverse data. That accounted for 45.9% of his 375 passing yards on the day and two-thirds of his touchdowns.

Stafford’s late touchdown pass to wide receiver Puka Nacua (who set a regular season career-high with 170 receiving yards) tied the game, and his 88-yard strike to wide receiver Tutu Atwell won it. The Rams’ win probability was as low as 15% early in the fourth quarter, according to Next Gen Stats, but that’s when Stafford worked his fourth-quarter voodoo magic to pull a victory from the jaws of defeat.

That was Stafford’s 50th career game-winning drive. He’s the active leader among quarterbacks in that stat, which is partially how he was dubbed the “soul snatcher.”

Atwell’s 88-yard touchdown was the longest go-ahead scrimmage touchdown in the final two minutes of a game this century, via ESPN Research

Atwell’s game-winning touchdown was the longest play of his career and just his second catch of the season, and he reached 21.7 miles per hour, the fifth-fastest ball-carrier speed so far this year, via Next Gen Stats.

Atwell told theRams.com that the play felt like a weight lifted off his shoulders after not producing as much as expected early in the season (he came into the day with one catch for four yards). Once Atwell made his defender fall down on the route and he was wide open with nothing but green grass in front of him, his only thought was, “I’m finna go get it.” And he did.

The Rams on Sunday had two of the top 15 most impactful offensive plays in the NFL this year based on win probability added, via nflverse data

Atwell’s touchdown raised the Rams’ win probability by 29%, from just over 60.8% to 89.8%, which was the eighth-highest boost from an offensive play so far this season. On the drive before that, Nacua’s game-tying touchdown on a must-have 4th-and-2 from the nine-yard line raised the Rams’ win probability 24.8% (ranking 13th this season), to just over 51%.

Daniel Jones’ passer rating was more than 100 points lower when he wasn’t pressured compared to when he was, via Pro Football Focus

This stat is definitely interesting, but it’s more so confounding. When Jones had a clean pocket, he went 12 of 19 for 81 yards and two interceptions and a 32.9 passer rating. When Jones was pressured, he completed 12 of 14 pass attempts for 181 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and a 142.6 passer rating. So, what exactly does this mean, and what’s the cause of it?

The Rams’ coverage seemingly lulled Jones into a false sense of security. His average depth of target was nearly three yards higher when he wasn’t pressured, prompting Jones to take shots down the field rather than throwing the easy check-downs. It resulted in errant passes, breakups and interceptions. The Rams’ front was the engine of the defense in the first three weeks, but the backend came through in the win over Indianapolis.

Jones entered Week 4 with no turnovers on the season, he left SoFi stadium with two, both courtesy of safety Kam Curl (the first multi-interception game of his career).

Kyren Williams’ 84.6% success rate on the ground was the best for any qualified running back in a game this season, via Next Gen Stats

Apart from the fumbled handoff, something McVay took responsibility for on Monday when speaking to reporters, Williams’ shortest run of the day went for three yards. He was constantly putting the Rams ahead of the sticks, and (for the second-straight week) most of that production came on outside zone runs.

47 of Williams’ 77 yards on the ground game on outside runs (61%), and he averaged 6.7 yards per carry on those attempts, via Next Gen Stats. L.A. did the same thing last week in Philadelphia, and the Colts presented a similar front that the Rams took advantage of.

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/rams/2025/10/01/rams-49ers-stats-facts-week-5-preview/86455625007/?taid=68dd4a479245a80001d4b02f&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter

Rams haven’t allowed rushing TD to RB, 49ers are only team without a TD on the ground

Even with McCaffrey carrying it 69 times, the 49ers don’t have a single rushing touchdown this season. They’re the only team without a touchdown on the ground, which is shocking considering how good San Francisco normally is at running the ball.

On the flip side, the Rams haven’t allowed any rushing touchdowns to running backs this season. The only two rushing scores they gave up were to Jalen Hurts and tight end Tyler Warren the last two weeks.

49ers are top 3 in third-down offense and defense

The 49ers have been excellent on third down this season, both offensively and defensively. They rank third offensively with a conversion rate of 48.1% and second in the NFL, allowing opponents to convert only 32% of the time.

Comparatively, the Rams are 13th in third-down offense and eighth in third-down defense, so this will be a battle for both teams on Thursday night.

San Francisco’s pass rush among worst in NFL

With Nick Bosa out for the year, the 49ers pass rush has been a major weakness. They have just five sacks, which is the fourth-fewest in the NFL, and their pressure rate of 12.3% is the second-lowest in football, according to Pro Football Reference.

Pro Football Focus has a brighter outlook on the 49ers by giving them a pass-rush grade of 70.6, which is 15th in the NFL, but ESPN’s pass-rush win rate metric ranks the 49ers 26th in the league.