It took a comeback effort to beat the Kansas City Chiefs last week in the preseason opener, but the Los Angeles Rams were in complete control against the New Orleans Saints on Saturday. They jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the first half, asserting their dominance early on – both with an efficient offense and a stout defense that barely gave up any yardage to Zach Wilson and the Saints in the first 30 minutes.
And even when Spencer Rattler moved the ball in the second half, Alex Cook stepped in and picked off a pass at the goal line, returning it 100 yards for a Rams touchdown to go up 27-0.
Offensively, Stetson Bennett did it all, from layering passes over defenders to using his legs on his way to two rushing touchdowns, looking sharp in his second preseason game of the summer. Ty Simpson took over in the second half up 27 points, so he didn’t have to lead a fourth-quarter comeback like he did a week ago.
Jarquez Hunter put the exclamation point on things with a 12-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, padding the Rams’ lead and pushing it to 34-0. It was the only scoring drive led by Simpson, who attempted just 12 passes and had 73 yards through the air.
Final score: Rams 34, Saints 0
Numbers to know
0: For the second week in a row, the Rams allowed zero touchdowns by their opponent.
2: The Rams had two red zone takeaways in the win over the Saints, a pick-six and a forced fumble.
28: The Rams recorded 28 first downs to the Saints’ 13, more than doubling New Orleans’ total.
151: Los Angeles rushed for a total of 151 yards on 30 carries, an average of 5 yards per rush.
53.8: The Rams were 7-for-13 on third down, good for a conversion rate of 53.8%.
13: CJ Daniels saw 13 passes thrown his way, more than double every other player’s target share in the game.
It was over when…
… Alex Cook returned a Spencer Rattler interception 100 yards for a touchdown, putting the Rams up 27-0. There was no chance the Saints were going to come back from that deficit, especially after barely moving the ball on offense for the majority of the game.
3 stars of the game
What’s next?
It’ll be a quick turnaround for the Rams before their next preseason game. They’ll take on the Chargers this coming Thursday, Aug. 27, at SoFi Stadium, which will be their preseason finale. There are no joint practices scheduled this week, so it’ll be a few team practices before suiting up against the Chargers on Thursday night at 7 p.m. PT.
Then on Sunday, Aug. 30, the Rams will need to trim their roster to 53 players by 3 p.m. PT.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams roll vs. Saints, win 34-0: Instant analysis of preseason win
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire | USA TODAY Network
