Los Angeles Rams vs New Orleans Saints Match Player Stats On Nov 27, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Nov 27, 2016

NEW ORLEANS -- Drew Brees shredded one of the NFL's best defenses and humbled former New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams with four touchdown passes and 310 yards to power the Saints to a 49-21 rout of the Los Angeles Rams Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

It was a game that clearly was personal for Saints coach Sean Payton, who has had little love for Williams, who ran a cash-for-hits program that got Payton suspended by the NFL for the entire 2012 season.

After two of Brees' touchdown passes, Payton pounded his fist as though he were throwing down a bottle rocket, stared across the field at Williams and shouted some interesting taunts.

The signal that this was something out of the ordinary came midway through the fourth quarter with the Saints leading 42-21. On third-and-3 from midfield, Brees threw a backwards lateral to wide receiver Willie Snead, who then wheeled and threw a 50-yard strike across the field to wide open running back Tim Hightower.

That made it 49-21 with 1:15 left, and the Saints were on their way back into the NFC playoff picture with a 5-6 record.

Brees completed 28 of 36 passes and his four scoring passes gave him 30 on the season -- the ninth time in his career he has reached that mark. Brees also has thrown at least four TD passes in 30 games, joining Peyton Mannng (35) as the only NFL quarterback to surpass the four-TD mark in 30 games.

The Rams (4-7) entered the game allowing just 18.7 points and 318.3 yards in total offense per game. The Saints rolled up 49 points and 555 yards, including 209 on the ground.

By the time Brees threw a 21-yard screen pass to Mark Ingram -- a play on which Ingram scored untouched against a Rams' blitz -- the Saints led 35-21.

Rams quarterback Jared Goff, making only his second NFL start, showed poise and accuracy in throwing for three first-half touchdowns -- 24 yards to Tavon Austin, 6 yards to Kenny Britt and 15 yards to Lance Kendricks -- but the Rams still trailed 28-21 at halftime. Goff finished 20 of 32 for 214 yards and one interception.

The Rams' offense was so anemic entering the game that they had scored just 13 touchdowns in 40 quarters, but Goff engineered three touchdown drives in the first two quarters.

The Saints gave the Rams great field position for one of Goff's TD passes when guard Andrus Peat was beaten for a sack-fumble by defensive tackle Aaron Donald. The Rams recovered at the Saints 6-yard line, and Goff got the payoff on the next play with his slant throw to Britt, which put Los Angeles up 14-7.

However, Brees was masterful in carving up the Rams' suffocating defense on the first half despite being hit repeatedly after the throw.

Brees completed 19 of 24 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns -- a 3-yard flip in the back of the end zone to Brandon Coleman and a 6-yard toss to Michael Thomas that gave the Saints a 28-14 lead at the time.

The Saints also scored two of their touchdowns on fourth-down plays -- a 10-yard pitch to Mark Ingram and a 1-yard leap by Brees on which he extended the ball quickly over the goal-line before cradling it safely.

NOTES: The Saints are the first team to score two fourth-down touchdowns in the same game this year. ... The 49 points were the most a Gregg Williams-run Rams' defense has allowed. ... The Rams had not allowed this many points since yielding 45 to New England on Oct. 28, 2012. ... This appeared to be the first time this season Sean Payton has called the plays for the Saints' offense, another sign of his enmity toward Williams.