Rams Come Out on Top in a Thrilling Win That Hands the Colts Their First Loss of the Season
After a loss last week that left a bad taste in their mouth the Los Angeles Rams regrouped at SoFi Stadium with a thrilling 27-20 win over the unbeaten Indianapolis Colts, moving back to the win column and improving to 3-1 on the season. Behind Matthew Stafford’s accurate passing and an impressive performance from wide receiver Puka Nacua, Los Angeles weathered the storm of costly turnovers and second-half drama to pull out a win. It was a statement win that not only reignited their strong start. Plus, it also displayed their ability to respond under pressure in big moments on both sides of the ball.
The opening quarter set the tone for the back-and-forth showdown. Safety Kam Curl intercepted Daniel Jones at the 21-yard line, making it the Colts’ first turnover of the year and Curl’s first interception since 2020. Joshua Karty then converted a 42-yard field goal to put Los Angeles on the board, but the Colts quickly answered with a field goal of their own from Spencer Shrader. Stafford’s failed fourth-down conversion gave Indianapolis favorable field position, and capitalized off of it with a touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Warren to take an early lead.
The Rams offense started slow in the second quarter, struggling to find the end zone despite encouraging drives. Stafford finally connected with Nacua for a 31-yard gain that moved the ball inside the 15, though the drive ultimately ended and resulted in a short Karty field goal. With less than a minute left in the half, Stafford finally put together an efficient 96-yard drive, sealed with a touchdown pass to Davante Adams with just seven seconds on the clock. That drive gave the Rams a 13-10 halftime lead and put some energy back into SoFi Stadium.
The third quarter was a defensive standoff as neither team managed to score, and both sides went back and forth unable to put drives together. The highlight of the third quarter for the Rams came when Adonai Mitchell appeared to break free for what looked like a 75-yard touchdown, only to lose the ball at the goal line. While this was a defensive slip from the Rams it really turned things around for the defense. Instead of the Colts taking the lead, it gave the possession back to the Rams on a touchback, keeping the margin close heading into the fourth quarter.
The final quarter delivered all that it needed to give the fans what they were waiting for, as both of the teams were looking to pull off a win. To start off, Daniel Jones connected with Michael Pittman Jr. giving the Colts the lead, and moments later disaster struck for the Rams as a handoff to Kyren Williams led to an immediate fumble on his first carry of the quarter that was recovered by Colts defensive end Adetomiwa Adebawore. The turnover led to a Shrader field goal that extended Indianapolis’ lead. With the Rams trailing, they really stepped up and let the undefeated Colts know that there's levels to this as Stafford delivered in key moments, connecting with Nacua for a nine-yard touchdown on fourth-and-two to tie the game in the final minutes of the quarter. Indianapolis nearly reclaimed momentum, but a costly penalty on Mitchell erased a touchdown and ended their drive. The Rams immediately capitalized, as Stafford launched a pass to Tutu Atwell who took it to the house with an 88-yard touchdown play that gave Los Angeles the lead.
The defense wasn’t done, specifically Kam Curl as he sealed the victory for the Rams with a second interception of the day, finishing off with a strong defensive performance. Stafford finished the game 29-of-41 with 375 yards and three touchdowns, while Nacua was nearly unguardable with 13 receptions, 170 yards and a touchdown. This Rams’ win marked their first 3-1 start since their Super Bowl season, and handed the Colts their first loss of the season. It was the kind of, high-energy, resilient performance that showed just how dangerous this Rams team can be moving forward. They try to continue that momentum as they play division rival San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football.
