INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) The Los Angeles Rams’ dismal season opener in Australia and their proliferating injury woes were nothing Davante Adams and Matthew Stafford couldn’t overcome back home with a vintage performance against the New York Giants.
And after New York lost Jaxson Dart on the opening drive, it didn’t stand a chance.
Adams made eight catches for 195 yards and hauled in two of Stafford’s four touchdown passes, and the Rams welcomed Aaron Donald back to the NFL with a 28-6 victory Monday night.
Stafford passed for 327 yards for the Rams (1-1), who capitalized after the Giants (1-1) lost Dart to a left knee injury on their seventh snap. Los Angeles outgained New York with 481 yards to 182, even overcoming two turnovers in a swagger-restoring blowout.
“This team, we got to the confidence level that we’re at because of the work we put in, and we’re not going to put any governors on what we can do here,” said Adams, who had the fourth-highest yardage total of his 13-year career. “If you’re trying to be great, be a Super Bowl-caliber team, you’ve got to hold yourself to a high standard. We can do even a little bit better than what we did, but this is on track with what we’re capable of.”
The Rams played without injured All-Pros Puka Nacua and Myles Garrett, but Stafford and Adams were in top form while the preseason Super Bowl favorites rebounded competently from last week’s 27-7 debacle of a Week 1 loss to the 49ers.
Adams’ catches and yards receiving were both his best performances in a Rams uniform, while league MVP Stafford moved into sixth in NFL history with his 426th career TD pass, topping Philip Rivers when Adams adroitly tracked down an 11-yard fade in the third quarter.
Adams was extraordinary in the second game of his 13th NFL season. He made a two-handed grab high above his head before taking it for a 31-yard touchdown on the Rams’ second possession, and he made a 64-yard catch on their third drive to set up Kyren Williams’ 10-yard TD catch.
“(Adams) was special, and it showed all night,” coach Sean McVay said. “I thought he made some great plays, but you can see there’s a lot of trust he and Matthew have. It’s only going to continue to build, and I was really happy for him.”
Jameis Winston went 11 of 27 for 111 yards with an interception in place of Dart, who left the field shakily after taking a huge hit from Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart. The second-year quarterback, who looked great in last week’s win over Dallas, watched the second half in a track suit.
After his first loss with the Giants, coach John Harbaugh wouldn’t confirm Dart’s injury is a sprained knee ligament, but said it’s “in the neighborhood of it.”
“It’s tough to come in, (but Winston) executed and he operated well,” Harbaugh said. “But as a group, as a team, we just didn’t do what we needed to do to even have a chance to win the game. We didn’t play up to that level across the board.”
Winston and the Giants’ offense couldn’t get much going after Dart’s exit. Winston threw an end-zone interception to Trent McDuffie in the second quarter, and New York managed only a field goal after Jevon Holland forced and recovered a fumble at the Los Angeles 11 right before halftime, with Donald stuffing Najee Harris on a classic third-down tackle.
“No excuses,” said running back Cam Skattebo, who managed only 36 yards on 12 carries. “They outperformed us, they out-executed us, and we just need to go back to the film room and fix some things.”
Stafford put it away on a scoring pass to Terrance Ferguson with 8:57 to play.
The night was also a milestone for Donald, who had three tackles for the Rams while completing his comeback with his first NFL game action in 32 months. The three-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year, who skipped the Week 1 trip to Melbourne, got wild cheers from Rams fans at every opportunity at SoFi Stadium.
“It felt really good to be back, coming out, being embraced how I was,” Donald said. “I think the defense played great. Felt like we played how we’re supposed to play.”
Giants pass rusher Brian Burns went down with what looked like a serious left ankle injury in the fourth quarter, but he turned down a cart ride postgame, saying he felt surprisingly good. … WR Malik Nabers missed time in the first half while popping his dislocated shoulder back into place, but returned to play. He’ll have an X-ray Tuesday, as will Dart. … Rams RB Ronnie Rivers injured his calf.
Giants: Host Tennessee on Sunday.
Rams: At Denver on Sunday night.
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