Matthew Stafford’s Rams start strong, hold off Saints 30-22 to surge forward in NFC playoff race

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Matthew Stafford passed for 328 yards and two touchdowns, rookie Puka Nacua had nine catches for a career-high 164 yards and a score, and the Los Angeles Rams surged forward in the NFC playoff race with a 30-22 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night.

Kyren Williams rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown, and Demarcus Robinson added 82 yards receiving and another score in the fifth victory in six games for the Rams (8-7), who are above .500 for the first time since Week 1.

With its second win in five days during a self-described remodeling season, Los Angeles also jumped past Minnesota (7-7) and moved to sixth in the NFC standings in its bid to secure a wild card playoff spot — and an increasingly possible opening-round showdown with the Detroit Lions, Stafford’s team for 12 seasons.

Los Angeles led 30-7 with 12:44 left in the fourth quarter after scoring on six of its first eight possessions, but allowed its opponent to make it interesting for the second straight week.

Derek Carr threw TD passes to Juwan Johnson and A.T. Perry on the Saints’ next two drives, with a 2-point conversion trimming the Rams’ lead to eight points with 3:53 to play.

But Nacua recovered an onside kick and then got a key first down on a 9-yard jet sweep, and the Rams ran out the clock on their fourth straight home victory.

Carr passed for 319 yards and hit Rashid Shaheed for an early 45-yard TD for the Saints (7-8), whose two-game winning streak ended with a painfully slow start and 458 yards allowed by their defense.

Although this loss hurts its chances, New Orleans is still in serious contention for a playoff spot and the NFC South title because it finishes the season with two games against division opponents, starting with Tampa Bay on New Year’s Eve.

Stafford had yet another outstanding game down the stretch in his 15th NFL season. He has 14 touchdown passes and one interception in the Rams’ last five games, and he has thrown multiple TD passes in five straight games for only the third time in his career.