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znModeratorCobie Durant takes over CB1 spot:
Emmanuel Forbes Jr. had been the top cornerback with Ahkello Witherspoon out and he was the starter in each of the first four games but he played just 61% of the snaps on Sunday, his lowest of the season. Durant, on the other hand, played 77% for the second week in a row, climbing the depth chart as the team’s top cornerback. Forbes struggled in this one, allowing a long catch to Adonai Mitchell and a touchdown to Michael Pittman Jr., so perhaps the Rams reduced his playing time as a result.
September 29, 2025 at 8:11 pm in reply to: The Stafford thread…update 12/31: huge S.I. article #158340znModeratorStu Jackson@StuJRams
Entering Week 5 (pre-MNF) of Year 17, Stafford’s 1,114 passing yards are 2nd-most in NFL, 8 passing TDs tied for 3rd-most, 106.1 QB rating 7th-highest in NFL.znModerator5 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
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.
znModeratorfrom Albert Breer, Week 4 NFL Takeaways: https://www.si.com/nfl/week-4-nfl-takeaways-chiefs-not-dead-rams-jaguars#_9umxd2i56
Los Angeles Rams
…the Rams already look battle-hardened. You know what happened to Sean McVay’s crew in Week 3, when a 26–7 third-quarter lead evaporated in Philly, with a barrage of 26 unanswered points punctuated by Jordan Davis rumbling the length of the field with a blocked field goal to clinch a 33–26 win.
That kind of loss can leave a mark with a team, and most coaches would do some sort of proverbial burial of any evidence of its existence.
In this case, Sean McVay went the other way with his players.
“That was the kind of game a lot of coaches would’ve been like, O.K., move on to next week, and not addressed it at all,” star edge rusher Jared Verse told me early Sunday night. “Sean takes that head on. We gave that team that win. Obviously, that’s a very good Philadelphia team, but we gave them that win. We started going away from our morals and changing up how we play. And Sean made sure to adjust with that. We can dominate any team in the league but we have to be us.”
On Sunday, against the upstart Colts, the Rams showed what that means.
This time around, though, the trouble wasn’t with how McVay’s group finished the game. It was with how they started it. The Colts came in 3–0, looking for a signature win behind red-hot and rejuvenated quarterback Daniel Jones. And the first 52 minutes or so seemed to validate the resurgence of both team and player as real.
Which was about where the lessons of the Philly game, and especially the need to play it all the way through at full intensity, came into focus for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
“We made mistakes [in Philly] and they were able to come back,” Verse said. “You sit down and say, All right, this was on us. How do I make sure that never happens again? I’m glad it happened against one of the top teams in the league instead of another team that wasn’t as talented. We realized, that’s what can happen if you don’t keep your foot on the gas, take your foot off their neck. This is what my dad always told me, he would say, I don’t care if you’re up 100, or you’re up three, you keep your foot on their damn neck.”
The Rams did keep their foot on Indy’s neck, but not until much later.
L.A. started to turn the heat up on the Colts midway through the fourth quarter, with the offense going on an 11-play, 83-yard drive to tie it at 20—one capped with a fourth-down touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Puka Nacua. Next came Verse’s strip sack of Daniel Jones on a second-and-15 from the Colts’ 42, with 2:10 left, just two plays after a 53-yard Jonathan Taylor touchdown run was called back on a holding call.
In the huddle, after the penalty, Verse told his teammates, to “calm down—don’t play outside yourself, do your one-of-11.” And on the sack, Verse’s one-of-11 came as a result of getting Jones’s cadence down, getting a jump off the snap and having left tackle Bernhard Raimann on his heels after bull rushing him all day. “When the game’s that way,” Verse said, “he’s going to sit back a little bit.” Which allowed for Verse, in turn, to run around him.
That forced a punt, which was immediately followed by an 88-yard touchdown from Stafford to Tutu Atwell. Three plays after that, a Kam Curl interception clinched it. “That boy, Kam, is just a dog,” Verse said. “Ball in the air, I saw Kam line it up and said, Yeah, he’s taking this one home.” And Curl, of course, did.
So that left Indy as the team leaving a visiting stadium with a lot of regret, in this case, over a blown lead, two devastating mistakes by receiver Adonai Mitchell (the holding penalty on Taylor’s would-be touchdown, and an unforced fumble on another would-be touchdown prompted by an attempt to celebrate early), and the fact that just 10 defenders were on the field for Atwell’s long touchdown.
Meanwhile, the Rams’ belief in where they are, clearly unshaken through last week’s meltdown, was only further cemented.
“You could’ve asked me this if we were 0–4. I would say the same thing. I 100% believe we have one of the best teams in the league,” Verse said.
The past two weeks would show that faith in his team, and the Rams’ faith in themselves, is real.
September 29, 2025 at 7:46 pm in reply to: The Stafford thread…update 12/31: huge S.I. article #158336znModeratorMatthew Stafford's impact as a passer in the 4th quarter so far this season is unmatched: https://t.co/Lt25zvuiwD pic.twitter.com/ZB3D7B1rvt
— Wyatt Miller (@wymill07) September 29, 2025
znModeratorAll-time Leaders | Game Winning Drives
1. Tom Brady: 58
2. Peyton Manning: 54
3. Drew Brees: 53
4. Ben Roethlisberger: 53
5. Matthew Stafford: 50 pic.twitter.com/6xjfcnKgsy— Rams Bros. (@RamsBrothers) September 29, 2025
znModeratorA couple of different angles.
Stafford throws a BOMB to TUTU to close out the Colts 🐏 #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/SegXxZmOT6
— Los KingPins (@Los_KingPins) September 28, 2025
What a sight lmaoooooooo pic.twitter.com/wf5qJ7Dpdl
— Sosa Kremenjas (@QBsMVP) September 29, 2025
znModeratorSosa Kremenjas@QBsMVP
Emmanuel Forbes among qualified CBs this season, per NGS:204 yards allowed (9th-most)
Perfect 158.3 passer rating allowed (worst)
3 TDs (2nd-worst)Allowed 12-of-14 targets to be completed.
Certainly worth the reclamation project, but so far, it hasn’t worked well at all.
His lack of strength is way too evident.
znModeratorByron Young collected his 5th sack of the season against Daniel Jones and the Colts.
BY leads the league in sacks and leads the NFC in Tackles for Loss.
Young hit a top speed of 20.5 MPH on this chase down sack on Jones. pic.twitter.com/aS1WDEoBoa
— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) September 29, 2025
znModeratorLos Angeles Rams PR@TheLARamsPR
Matthew Stafford finished yesterday’s game with 375 passing yards, three touchdowns and a 123.5 passer rating. It was the most passing yards in a game for Stafford since Week 13 of the 2020 season. He also passed Kurt Warner for the sixth-most passing TDs in franchise history (103).znModeratorJ.B. Long@JB_Long
Notable PFF grades from Rams 3rd win, and there were many:Curl 93.9*
Verse 93.6*
Puka 92.6*
Allen 84.6
Stafford 82.2
Turner 80.6^
Parkinson 79.5^
Ford 78.3
Tank McCollough 77.6^
Dedich 74.1**Career-high
^Season-highznModeratorIn terms of how the Rams are setting up for the season, I think this is an upgraded version of last year. Last year they started slow and then gelled. That meant they started off with losses. This year it’s a better team with a much stronger version of starting off slow. This year starting off slow means they look less dominant at times.
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This reply was modified 8 months, 3 weeks ago by
zn.
znModeratorthey do the Rams at 19:20
znModeratormissing (I think) a LBer … slot CB falls down — why no deep help on the two recevier side? If they wanted that, why? Adams and Tutu on that side and you go man on both? No help?
Colts did too many dumb things to win pic.twitter.com/TBlFdb12hk
— Jim Youngblood 53 (@53_jim70721) September 29, 2025
znModeratorIndy’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
znModeratorPackers take on Cowboys, that ought go exactly as we assume it will.
Well what I assumed was that the Packers would demolish Dallas.
So it did not go as I assumed.
40-40 tie in overtime.
znModeratorA postgame video recap from the Rams’ crazy 27-20 win over the Colts: pic.twitter.com/UKQXF9xLMF
— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) September 29, 2025
znModeratorRams’ Top Highlights In Week 4 Win vs. Colts: Tutu Atwell’s 88-Yard TD, Kam Curl’s 2 INTs & More
znModeratorThey do the Rams at about 32:07 in
…
znModeratorJim 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 PukaznModeratorA postgame video recap from the Rams’ crazy 27-20 win over the Colts: pic.twitter.com/UKQXF9xLMF
— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) September 29, 2025
znModeratorA 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
znModeratorfrom before the game:
J.B. Long@JB_Long
The Indianapolis Colts are the NFL’s last remaining team without a turnover, after Buffalo and Tampa both committed their first earlier today.***
Gary Klein@LATimesklein
Maybe the Rams should just always operate in 2-minute modeNFL+@NFLPlus
Jared Verse recorded a season-high six pressures in Week 4. Three of them came under 2.5 seconds after recording only four such pressures in the first three weeks, per @NextGenStatsStu Jackson@StuJRams
Kam Curl rightfully getting praised for his two INTs, but had a strong game/stat line overall, too:9 total tackles (tied for team-high)
3 passes defensed
2 INTsAdam Schefter@AdamSchefter
Rams WR Puka Nacua, who had 13 receptions for a career-high 170 yards and one TD today, now has 42 receptions this season, tied with Cooper Kupp in 2022 and Michael Thomas in 2018 for most receptions by a player in his team’s first four games of a season.Jim Youngblood 53@53_jim70721
Not just being a homer, but I think Rams just hitting stride. 49ers won’t be cakewalk, but Rams getting healthy on interior line … 49ers missing Bosa and all the others. I don’t think they have the horses anymore.Los Angeles Rams PR@TheLARamsPR
In today’s victory, WR Puka Nacua recorded a career-high with 170 receiving yards. The last Rams player to have 170 receiving yards in a single game was Isaac Bruce in 2004.Sarah Barshop@sarahbarshop
Puka Nacua said he injured his thumb when he “got rolled up on one of the run plays” early in the third quarter. He got x-rays during the game, but they came back clear, so he came back into the game.Nate Atkins@NateAtkins_
Puka Nacua through 4 games:50 targets
42 catches
84% catch rate (WTF!)
503 yards
91+ yards in every game
8+ catches in every game (1 of 3 players ever to do so)
2 TDs (1 receiving)
10.1 yards per targetAs consistent as the sun rising in L.A.
KyTheRamsGuy@kytheramsguy
#Rams Byron Young now leads the NFL with 5.0 sacks this season.KyTheRamsGuy@kytheramsguy
Jared Verse in the last two games:🔵2 Forced Fumbles (1st since Sept 21st)
🔵2 Sacks (4th since Sept 21st)
🔵13 total pressures (1st since Sep 21st)znModeratorSelective 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
znModeratorPUKA WITH THE CLUTCH TD 🫨
Watch live out-of-market games on #NFLPlus
Blackout restrictions may applypic.twitter.com/3qZPQu4PNo— NFL+ (@NFLPlus) September 28, 2025
znModeratorStu 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 TDsRAMS 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).znModeratorKyren 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
znModeratorKAM CURL WITH HIS 2ND INT OF THE GAME, THAT’S IT FOLKS.. WRAP IT UP‼️ pic.twitter.com/lvuQcjyFcI
— Rams Tapes 🇵🇷 (@RamsTapes) September 28, 2025
znModeratorAlbert 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
znModeratorThought there might be an opportunity for Verse and BY
there was Verse with SK/FF https://t.co/fRfeEy3BoH pic.twitter.com/NxKMbRINfP
— Jim Youngblood 53 (@53_jim70721) September 28, 2025
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