The Los Angeles Rams knew they were facing a big test with the Indianapolis Colts coming to town, taking on the AFC South leaders who were 3-0 entering Week 4. The Rams were looking to bounce back from last week’s heartbreaking loss to the Philadelphia Eagles,
It was a back-and-forth game all afternoon, with each team leading at one point or another, taking things right down to the wire in the fourth quarter when they were tied, 20-20. The Colts had two touchdowns taken off the board by Adonai Mitchell, who dropped the ball at the goal line before getting into the end zone and then was called for holding on Jonathan Taylor’s 53-yard touchdown.
The Rams tried to take advantage of those mistakes by coming away with the win at home and they got the job done. They beat the Colts, 27-20, thanks to a late touchdown by Tutu Atwell and a game-sealing interception by Kamren Curl, his second of the game.
The win moves the Rams to 3-1 on the year, giving them a much-needed bounce-back victory after last week’s disappointing defeat. Here’s a recap of the most important things to know from the win.
Final score: Rams 27, Colts 20
Numbers to know
3: Puka Nacua became the third player in NFL history with at least eight catches in each of his team’s first four games of the season, joining Eric Moulds (2002) and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (2007).
88: Tutu Atwell’s 88-yard touchdown catch was the longest of his career, proving to be the game-winner.
9: Kamren Curl and Quentin Lake tied for the team lead with 9 tackles each.
2: Curl intercepted Daniel Jones twice in this one, once on the opening drive and once on the Colts’ final possession.
170: Nacua led the team with 170 yards receiving, 82 more than any other player on the Rams. He caught 13 passes on 15 targets and had one touchdown.
375: Matthew Stafford threw for 375 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. It was his most passing yards in a game as a member of the Rams.
50: Stafford now has 50 career game-winning drives, putting him just three behind Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger for third all-time.
It was over when…
…Kyren Williams picked up a first down with a 4-yard run on second-and-3 with 48 seconds left, forcing the Colts to burn their second timeout. After that, there was no way for Indianapolis to get the ball back.
3 stars of the game
Play of the game
Tutu Atwell hadn’t gotten many opportunities this season but he got the ball in the biggest moment on Sunday. He hauled in an 88-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to give the Rams a 27-20 lead, which was the final score. Kamren Curl’s interception on the next drive all but sealed it.
What’s next?
The Rams have a quick turnaround for their Week 5 game as they’ll host the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night. They’ll waste no time preparing for their division rivals, who will enter this matchup as the division leaders. This is the Rams’ first NFC West game of the season so far and the 49ers will be just their second NFC opponent of the year through five games.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams come back to beat Colts, 27-20: Instant analysis of dramatic win
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
