Baker cooks: Newcomer Mayfield rallies Rams past Vegas 17-16
Baker Mayfield threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Van Jefferson with 10 seconds to play to cap a 98-yard drive, and the Los Angeles Ramsโ brand-new quarterback led two TD drives late in the fourth quarter of a shocking 17-16 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
McCaffrey throws, catches, rushes for TDs, Niners rout Rams
Christian McCaffrey became the 11th player in NFL history with a rushing touchdown, a passing touchdown and a receiving touchdown in one game, and the San Francisco 49ers extended their regular-season mastery over the Rams to four full years with a 31-14 victory over Los Angeles.
Defending Super Bowl champion Rams open season as underdogs
Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald and the Los Angeles Rams will raise their Super Bowl banner Thursday night before kicking off the NFL season at home where they became the second straight team to hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy in their own stadium.
Stafford throws 3 TD passes, Rams edge Goff's Lions 28-19
Matthew Stafford passed for 334 yards and three touchdowns against his former team, and Jalen Ramsey made an end zone interception on his 27th birthday with five minutes left in the Los Angeles Ramsโ 28-19 victory over Jared Goff and the winless Detroit Lions.
Rams sign speedy veteran WR DeSean Jackson for LA homecoming
Veteran receiver DeSean Jackson has signed with the Los Angeles Rams, returning to his native Southern California after 13 NFL seasons on the East Coast. The Rams announced the deal for Jackson on Sunday, March 21, 2021 adding him to the targets for new quarterback Matthew Stafford. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth, File)LOS ANGELES โ Veteran receiver DeSean Jackson agreed to a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, returning to his native Southern California after 13 NFL seasons on the East Coast. โThe difficult part of the equation is finding those players who can actually threaten NFL defenders, because most players that come into this league are fast,โ Snead added. Weโd all love to identify those guys that can even threaten NFL defenders.โ___More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
AP sources: Lions trade Stafford to LA for Goff, draft picks
ESPN first reported the swap, which will include the Rams' first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 along with their third-round pick this year. 1 overall draft picks will provide a fresh start for two durable starting quarterbacks who probably need a change of scenery. Stafford asked to be traded shortly after the current season ended with the Lions' third straight campaign with at least 10 losses. Los Angeles likely had to pay a premium in draft picks to persuade the Lions to take on Goff's deal. Shortly after last season, Stafford asked to be traded and spared from another rebuilding project.
Chargers hire Rams DC Brandon Staley as head coach
The 37-year-old Staley's name is prominent in NFL circles this month as the league's less successful teams plot their next head coaching hire. (AP Photo/Doug Murray, File)COSTA MESA, Calif. โ Brandon Staley won't have to move that far for his first head coaching opportunity. Staley agreed to become the Los Angeles Chargers' coach on Sunday night after one season as the defensive coordinator for the crosstown Rams. โItโs not just that Brandon possesses a tremendous football mind that makes him the ideal head coach to lead our team forward,โ general manager Tom Telesco said in a statement. He is the third assistant under Rams coach Sean McVay to get an NFL head coaching job, joining Green Bay's Matt LaFleur and Cincinnati's Zac Taylor.
Rams' defense struggles with injury hindering Donald
Without Donald in peak form, the NFLโs top defense simply couldnโt slow down the leagueโs highest-scoring offense. The Green Bay Packers scored on their first five series and beat the Rams 32-18 in the NFC divisional playoffs. โI love Aaron Donald,โ Rams coach Sean McVay said. Yet this heavyweight matchup between the Packersโ offense and the Ramsโ defense was more like a mismatch for much of the day. You have to defend every inch as far as laterally.โThe Rams also had some uncharacteristic mistakes on defense to help Green Bay out.
Jared Goff to start for Rams in Green Bay; Wolford inactive
They're in complete accord this week, however: Goff is the best choice to lead the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs. Goff will start the Rams' postseason game at Green Bay on Saturday, while John Wolford will be inactive one week after incurring a neck injury, McVay announced Thursday. After Goff had surgery on his broken right thumb Dec. 28, Wolford got the Rams' last two starts โ even though Goff thought he was ready to play last week. McVay instead decided early in the week that Wolford would start, although he didn't announce his decision until shortly before kickoff. โI was extremely excited to have that chance in a big game up in Seattle,โ Wolford said.
Friends as playoff foes: Packers' LaFleur faces Rams' McVay
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur and Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay say their friendship and shared history shouldn't have much of an impact on their teamsโ upcoming NFC divisional playoff matchup. The top-seeded Packers (13-3) host the Rams (11-6) on Saturday with an NFC championship game berth at stake. San Franciscoโs head coach is Kyle Shanahan, who worked at Washington with Matt LaFleur and McVay from 2010-13. LaFleur was the quarterbacks coach on Quinnโs Atlanta staff from 2015-16 and worked for Mike Vrabel at Tennessee in 2018. They reunited in 2017 when McVay became the Ramsโ head coach and hired LaFleur.
McVay: Rams expect Aaron Donald to play vs Packers
(AP Photo/Scott Eklund)LOS ANGELES โ All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald is expected to play for the Rams on Saturday in Green Bay after injuring his ribs in Los Angeles' playoff victory at Seattle. McVay said he doesn't expect to name a starting quarterback this week for the Rams' showdown with the top-seeded Packers (12-4), preferring to wait until game day for the second straight week. Donald left the game and went to the locker room, but eventually returned to watch the Rams' win from the sideline. โWe'll be smart with him throughout the week,โ McVay said. Rams left guard David Edwards also left with Achilles tendinitis.
Browns advance, Brees to meet Brady, Lamar Jackson a winner
The AFC matchups, meanwhile, will include the Cleveland Browns for the first time since they re-entered the NFL in 1999, and Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. The Browns not only snapped a 17-game skid at Heinz Field, they manhandled the mistake-prone archrival Steelers 48-37 Sunday night. After two postseason flops, Jackson was his usual dynamic and decisive self in leading the Ravens to a 20-13 wild-card victory at Tennessee. Browns 48, Steelers 37In their first playoff road victory since 1969, the Browns (12-5) overcame all sorts of problems and history. Baker Mayfield threw for three touchdowns and the Browns got their first playoff win in 26 years.
Rams get better of division rivals, toppling Seahawks 30-20
They watched less than two weeks ago as the Seattle Seahawks loudly celebrated a division title the Rams felt they gave away. No team was better at limiting yards or points than the Rams (11-6) and they continued to torment Wilson and the Seahawks (12-5). The victory sent the Rams into next weekโs divisional playoff round, likely at top-seeded Green Bay unless Chicago upsets New Orleans. His heart, his passion for the game is special,โ Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth said. Seahawks: will head into an offseason filled with questions after winning the division but experiencing another early playoff exit.
Aaron Donald, Travis Kelce unanimous AP All-Pro Team choices
Donald was selected Friday, Jan. 8, 2021, to The Associated Press All-Pro Team. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear, File)Dynamic defensive star Aaron Donald and unstoppable tight end Travis Kelce are unanimous choices Friday for The Associated Press NFL All-Pro Team. It is the sixth All-Pro selection for Donald, who has helped the Los Angeles Rams to the top-ranked defense in the NFL, and the third for Kansas City's record-setting Kelce. Rounding out the offense are Cleveland right tackle Jack Conklin (second selection), and Washington right guard Brandon Scherff (first). The long snapper position is new to the All-Pro Team in 2020, and Baltimore's Morgan Cox is the choice.
Rodgers leads Pack to top of NFC after draft disappointment
(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)The NFC playoff field features the usual cast of quarterbacks in Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Russell Wilson. Last Lombardi: Super Bowl 45, 31-25 over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Feb. 6, 2011, at Arlington, Texas. Last Lombardi: Super Bowl 48, 43-8 over the Denver Broncos on Feb. 2, 2014, at East Rutherford, N.J. Last year: No. The Bearsโ leading tackler left in the first quarter of the Green Bay game with an elbow injury. DBs Buster Skrine, rookie Jaylon Johnson and Deon Bush missed the loss to Green Bay.
LA Rams' top-ranked defense still rolling as playoffs loom
He might find a moment after the Rams (10-6) finish their playoff run, which begins Saturday at Seattle. But Rams fans already appreciate a defense that topped the NFL in several important categories and excelled at nearly everything during a remarkable season. 1 in total yards allowed, yards passing allowed, passing TDs allowed, first downs allowed and points allowed while becoming the Rams' first top-ranked NFL defense in decades. โWe're proud of the way we've competed,โ Staley said Tuesday as the Rams began preparations for their trip to Seattle. ... LT Andrew Whitworth has a shot to return this week after tearing ligaments in his knee during the Rams' first meeting with Seattle in November.
Wolford, defense lead Rams past Arizona 18-7, into playoffs
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Robert Woods, left, catches a pass against Arizona Cardinals middle linebacker Jordan Hicks (58) during the first half of an NFL football game in Inglewood, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021. It ended with the inexperienced quarterback fearlessly leading the Los Angeles Rams back to the playoffs. And though Wolford capably did his part, everybody in the Rams' jubilant locker room realized they owed this achievement to a dominant defense that scored as many points as the Rams' offense โ and a couple more than the Arizona Cardinals โ in Los Angeles' 18-7 victory Sunday. Wolford passed for 231 yards and rushed for 56 more, producing many moments of excitement in place of injured Jared Goff. Wolford racked up 47 yards rushing in the first half โ more than Goff managed in any game of his five-year career.
NFL races go down to the wire in AFC South and NFC East
โWe win this game, find a way to win, win the division. He's assured of repeating as NFL rushing champ, the first since Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006-07. Henry has a career-high 1,777 yards rushing and ran for 212 yards in his most recent game against the Texans. Ezekiel Elliott, despite a mediocre performance in 2020, needs 63 yards rushing for 1,000 this season, his fourth such output in five seasons. Baltimore (10-5) at Cincinnati (4-10-1)During their four-game winning streak, the Ravens have averaged 37 points and 233.3 yards rushing per game.
Cashing in: Rams QB Wolford to make high-profile NFL debut
FILE - In this Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019 file photo, Los Angeles Rams quarterback John Wolford (9) gestures during an NFL preseason football game against the Denver Broncos in Los Angeles. Wolford will make his NFL debut for the Rams on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021 against Arizona after nearly two full seasons as a backup in which he never took a snap. โIt's a lot of hard work, and I'm confident in the time I've spent that has gotten me here. โI'm confident in John, but I'm also confident in the other 10 players around him. ... Los Angeles also activated LB Micah Kiser from injured reserve, but he won't play this week, McVay said.