Rams will have a chance to clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Giants and some help
LOS ANGELES RAMS (8-7) at NEW YORK GIANTS (5-10)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, FOX
OPENING LINE: Rams by 6 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: L.A. Rams 9-5-1; New York 6-8-1.
SERIES RECORD: Rams lead 29-17.
LAST MEETING: Rams beat Giants 38-11 at East Rutherford, N.J. on Oct. 17, 2021, a season they won the Super Bowl.
LAST WEEK: Rams beat Saints 30-22 on Dec. 21; Giants lost 33-25 to the Eagles in Philadelphia on Monday.
RAMS OFFENSE: OVERALL (7), RUSH (10), PASS (10), SCORING (7).
RAMS DEFENSE: OVERALL (18), RUSH (13), PASS (22), SCORING (21-T).
GIANTS OFFENSE: OVERALL (31), RUSH (15), PASS (32), SCORING (31).
GIANTS DEFENSE: OVERALL (28), RUSH (29), PASS (20), SCORING (27).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: L.A. Rams minus-1; Giants plus-7.
RAMS PLAYER TO WATCH: Wide receiver Puka Nacua needs nine receptions to break the NFL single-season record for rookies. Jaylen Waddle of the Dolphins set the record of 104 in 2021. Nacua (1,327) needs 147 more yards receiving to pass Bill Groman (1,473) for the most receiving yards in a single season by a rookie in franchise history.
GIANTS PLAYER TO WATCH: Tyrod Taylor. The 34-year-old veteran was announced as the starting quarterback on Wednesday, replacing Tommy DeVito, who has started the past six games. Taylor came off the bench in the second half and was 7 of 16 for 133 yards, highlighted by a 69-yard TD pass to Darius Slayton. If he struggles, the question is will the Giants put DeVito back in.
KEY MATCHUP: Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux vs Rams OTs Alaric Jackson and Rob Havenstein. Thibodeaux is a Los Angeles native whose 11 1/2 sacks are good for 12th in the NFL despite the New York defense’s overall struggles. Jackson and Havenstein will both be tested as the Rams attempt to keep Matthew Stafford upright and healthy — the key to their hopes against the Giants.
KEY INJURIES: The Rams are almost completely healthy after their extra-long break. … Backup OT Joe Noteboom is nursing a foot injury, and rookie backup CB Tre Tomlinson has a hamstring injury. … Giants P Jamie Gillan had a groin injury last week and hurt his knee against the Eagles. He practiced Thursday along with NT Rakeem Nunez-Roches, who sat out the game on Christmas with a knee problem. … RB Gary Brightwell (hamstring) is in the second week of his 21-day window to return from injured reserve.
SERIES NOTES: The Rams have won the past three meetings. The Giants most recently won at home in 2011, beating a St. Louis Rams team that went on to finish 2-14.
STATS AND STUFF: The Rams, who missed the playoffs last season, can clinch a postseason berth with a win plus either a loss by Seattle against Pittsburgh or a tie between the Vikings and Packers. … Los Angeles is 5-1 since its bye week, losing only to Baltimore in overtime on the road. … The Rams haven’t played in 10 days since beating New Orleans in a Thursday night matchup. … RB Kyren Williams ran for 104 yards last week and is second in the NFL with 1,057 yards rushing. He has run for nine TDs. … DT Aaron Donald needs two tackles for loss to pass Julius Peppers (175) for third most all time in NFL history. … LB Ernest Jones needs 11 combined tackles to pass James Laurinaitis (142) and break the single-season franchise record. … WR Cooper Kupp had two TD catches in the previous game against the Giants. … WR Demarcus Robinson has caught a touchdown pass in four straight games. … DB Jordan Fuller has his second interception in the Saints’ game. … The Giants were eliminated from playoff contention with the loss in Philadelphia. … RB Saquon Barkley is 123 yards shy of a second straight 1,000-yard rushing season. … Slayton’s 69-yard touchdown was the longest play of his career and the Giants longest offensive play of the season. … The team’s longest overall play was a 102-yard interception return by safety Jason Pinnock against Miami. … ILB Bobby Okereke and S Xavier McKinney have played every defensive down this season. They each had 10 tackles against Philadelphia. Okereke has 132 tackles and McKinney 104. … CB Adoree Jackson had his first career pick-6 Monday, a 76-yarder. … PK Mason Crosby made his Giants debut with a 52-yard field goal and two PATs. He is the fourth player to kick a field goal for New York this season, a franchise record. … Thibodeaux has 7 1/2 sacks at MetLife Stadium. … ILB McFadden has a career-high 12 tackles for loss this season.
FANTASY TIP: The previous time the Rams and Giants played, Matthew Stafford completed 22 of 28 passes for 251 yards and four touchdowns with a quarterback rating of 128.7. He has at least two TD passes and rating of at least 115 in four of his past five games against New York.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl