A matchup between a pair of NFC division leaders in Los Angeles has gone to halftime with the home team on top.
Jared Goff threw a pair of touchdowns and the Rams defense kept the Saints in check outside of two big plays by Alvin Kamara on their way to a 17-10 halftime lead. A pass to Sammy Watkins moved the Rams into Saints territory with just over 30 seconds left in the half, but Cam Jordan’s second sack of the game pushed them back and Greg Zuerlein’s 63-yard field goal try fell short at the whistle.
Goff is throwing a lot with the Saints missing both of their starting cornerbacks and ended the half 18-of-26 for 245 yards and those two scores.
Craig Robertson and Vonn Bell also had sacks for the Saints that helped keep the score manageable heading into the second half. In order to close the gap, they’ll need the offense to step things up. Drew Brees opened the game with eight straight completions, but the Rams did a good job of tackling and keeping players from breaking loose for big gains.
The exceptions were a 74-yard run and a 21-yard catch by Alvin Kamara. The former was a touchdown while the latter set up a Wil Lutz field goal. Kamara has accounted for 109 of the Saints’ 166 yards overall, so they’ll need more players to chip in the rest of the way if they’re going to make it nine wins in a row.