Matthew Stafford and Rams beat Raiders to help revive their season
LAS VEGAS — What happened in Vegas cannot stay in Vegas.
Not if the Rams want to make a run to the playoffs.
Matthew Stafford must continue to flash his 2025 MVP form. Star receiver Puka Nacua and Rams tight ends must keep carrying a Davante Adams-less receiving corps. Kyren Williams and Blake Corum must build on an impressive combo rushing performance.
And the Rams’ defense must negate potential comebacks.
The Rams displayed all those attributes Sunday in a 35-21 victory over the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
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Gary Klein breaks down what went right for the Rams in a 35-21 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Stafford became the franchise’s all-time leader in touchdown passes by connecting with tight end Davis Allen for two and with Nacua for another in a victory that improved the Rams’ record to 3-4.
“A good step in the right direction,” coach Sean McVay said.
Williams and Corum each rushed for a touchdown as the Rams bounced back from consecutive defeats by the Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals to keep alive their turnaround from their third poor start in three seasons.
For the first time in the Rams’ last five games, the outcome did not come down to the final play.
“I like those,” said Stafford, who ranks fourth all-time in fourth-quarter comebacks. “It’s nice feeling a little bit more comfortable in the fourth quarter.”
It was not a perfect performance — Williams lost a fumble and penalties nullified two Corum touchdown runs.
But that did not matter against a Raiders team that served as a welcome antidote for the injury-depleted Rams.
The Raiders (3-4) went into the game having lost three in a row, and they showed no sign that their struggles against quality opponents will end anytime soon.
Next up for the Rams: The winless Chargers.
After that, trips to Washington (1-4-1) and Arizona (2-5) before a bye.
Rams running back Blake Corum tries to fend off Raiders safety Treydan Stukes during the fourth quarter Sunday.
(Candice Ward / Getty Images)
If the Rams keep playing the way they did Sunday, they could begin to round into a semblance of the team they were projected to be when they opened the season as Super Bowl favorites.
They certainly might be healthier.
Edge rusher Myles Garrett and tight end Terrance Ferguson are eligible to come off injured reserve. Cornerback Trent McDuffie, who sat out the last two games because of a groin injury, could make his way back.
Defensive lineman Kobie Turner will be out at least three more games but could possibly return for the matchup against the Green Bay Packers the night before Thanksgiving. Adams also will be back at some point.
In the meantime, McVay needs Stafford to play with the efficiency he showed Sunday.
The 18th-year pro completed 23 of 29 passes for 195 yards. A catchable fourth-quarter pass to tight end Colby Parkinson bounced off Parkinson and into the hands of Raiders linebacker Nakobe Dean. Stafford has passed for 14 touchdowns, with seven interceptions.
His second-quarter touchdown pass to Nacua was the 155th since he joined the Rams in 2021, moving him past Roman Gabriel into first on the team’s all-time list. Stafford is also the first player in NFL history to lead two different franchises in touchdown passes; he had 282 with the Detroit Lions.
Nacua was questionable for the game because of a calf injury he suffered during practice. But the fourth-year pro caught eight passes for 68 yards, including his catch-and-run for an 11-yard touchdown.
Williams rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown in 16 carries. Corum gained 93 yards and scored a touchdown in 17 carries. He would have amassed more than 100 yards rushing if a 43-yard touchdown had not been nullified by a penalty.
Rams running back Kyren Williams stiff-arms Raiders cornerback Hezekiah Masses in the second quarter Sunday.
(Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
“It feels great being able to have a partner back there like Kyren,” Corum said. “It just makes you want to go harder, seeing him do some of the things that he does on the field.
“You’re just like, ‘All right, it’s my time. Let me go do it.’ And so I feel like we just make each other proud and feed off each other’s energy.”
On a day when the NFC West-leading San Francisco 49ers lost for the first time, the Rams avoided falling further behind and appeared capable of possibly engineering turnarounds similar to the ones they produced in 2023 and 2024.
The Rams led 14-3 early in the second quarter on Stafford’s touchdown passes to Allen.
A few minutes before halftime, Nacua scored. Williams’ 17-yard touchdown run gave the Rams a comfortable 28-6 lead.
The Raiders threatened in the fourth quarter when Kirk Cousins connected with Tre Tucker for a 37-yard touchdown pass and, after Dean’s interception, found Ashton Jeanty for another.
But Corum sealed the victory with a four-yard touchdown run.
The Rams’ performance was more than enough against the Raiders.
Now they must build on it.