Field Level Media
Sep 19, 2021
Matthew Stafford passed for 278 yards and two touchdowns as the Los Angeles Rams rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit for a 27-24 victory Sunday over the host Indianapolis Colts.
Cooper Kupp caught nine passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns and running back Darrell Henderson Jr. had 53 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown as the Rams (2-0) won despite blowing an 11-point second-half lead.
The Rams took the lead for good on a 38-yard field goal from Matt Gay with 2:27 remaining.
Carson Wentz passed for 247 yards with one touchdown for the Colts (0-2), but was not on the field for Indianapolis' final drive after he rolled his ankle following a fourth-quarter hit from Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
Backup Jacob Eason took over for Wentz. He was intercepted by Jalen Ramsey on his second pass attempt with 2:13 remaining.
The Rams jumped ahead 24-21 with 12:09 remaining on a Kupp 10-yard TD catch from Stafford to cap an easy four-play, 70-yard drive highlighted by a 44-yard Stafford-Kupp connection.
Stafford injured his thumb during the game but did not miss time. Henderson left the game in the second half with a rib injury and did not return with Sony Michel taking over in the fourth quarter.
The Colts tied the game 24-all with 7:25 remaining on a 35-yard field goal from Rodrigo Blankenship.
Los Angeles lost linebacker Kenny Young to an ejection in the third quarter after he bumped an official.
The Rams took the early 7-0 lead, going 90 yards on their opening drive, finishing it off on a 16-yard TD pass from Stafford to Kupp.
The Colts got two Blankenship field goals in the first half, while the Rams had a 34-yard field goal from Gay before halftime as Los Angeles took a 10-6 lead into the break.
The Rams opened the second half with a seven-play, 74-yard TD drive that ended on Henderson's 2-yard score for a 17-6 lead.
The Colts pulled within 17-14 in the third quarter when Wentz hit Zach Pascal on an 8-yard TD pass over the middle. Indianapolis took its first lead of the game at 21-17 with 14:17 remaining when Ashton Dulin recovered a botched Rams punt in the end zone.
The Colts were inside the Rams' 5-yard line twice in the first half and ran seven goal-to-go plays but did not score points on either drive as one ended on downs and the other ended on a goal-line interception from the Rams' Troy Reeder.
--Field Level Media