Jacksonville Jaguars

Don’t start planning any parades just yet. Hold off on those February plans to travel to Santa Clara.

The Rams still have a long way to go make the playoffs and try to advance to the Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium.

Their 34-10 victory Sunday over the struggling New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium was no revelation or landmark win. But the Rams did something important. Something championship-caliber teams are supposed to do: They convincingly dispatched of a weaker opponent before 72,055.

Matthew Stafford passed for four touchdowns, receiver Puka Nacua returned from an ankle injury in spectacular fashion, and the defense dominated again as the Rams won their third game in a row, improved to 6-2 and showed that the Dodgers might not be the only L.A. team hoisting a championship trophy.

“We’ll see if we can continue to do some good stuff like they did,” coach Sean McVay said of the World Series champions.

The Rams’ victory put them atop the NFC West heading into next Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.

“I like the fact that we’re getting better,” McVay said, adding, “There’s just a good vibe.”

On most fronts, anyway.

The Rams’ first victory over an NFC opponent did not come against the defending Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles or the rival 49ers, teams the Rams lost to in part because of kicking-game disasters.

Rams coach Sean McVay watches from the sideline during the first half Sunday against the Saints.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

And those issues remain: Joshua Karty missed a field goal and an extra point.

So McVay’s patience with the kicking game is wearing thin. And no team will win a title without a competent one.

McVay once again said he had confidence in Karty, but that was after he said “it can’t continue like this … it’s gone on for too long,” and “it’s not getting better,” among other things.

Can the Rams be a championship team without an adequate placekicking unit?

“No,” McVay said. “It’s going to cost us — it’s cost us already. It’s been a momentum killer. … The harsh truth of it is this is not sustainable.”

But if the Rams solve the kicking issue and stay healthy — Nacua said he would play against the 49ers after leaving the game in the second half because of a chest injury — and McVay can keep his team focused against division opponents and other playoff contenders, the Rams might earn their own parade.

Stafford is positioning himself to lead one.

Already a fixture on NFL career passing lists, the 17th-year pro is enjoying another sensational season.

As he did in 2021, when he passed for 41 touchdowns and led the Rams to a Super Bowl title, Stafford is playing at a level that should have him in the most-valuable-player discussion.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passes in front of Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan during the first quarter Sunday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

On Sunday his two touchdown passes to Davante Adams and one each to Nacua and tight end Tyler Higbee increased Stafford’s season total to 21, with only two interceptions.

Stafford, who passed for five touchdowns in an Oct. 19 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars, completed 24 of 32 passes for 281 yards and extended to five his streak of games without an interception.

Stafford’s wife and their daughters attended the game wearing No. 22 Dodgers jerseys, a salute to retiring pitcher Clayton Kershaw, Stafford’s high school teammate.

Now Stafford is chasing a second Super Bowl title.

“It’s not like we’ve got it all figured out,” he said, adding, “Got to keep continuing to find ways to put more points on the board.”

Nacua sat out against the Jaguars because of an ankle injury. But he said in the days leading up to the game that he was “feeling fantastic.”

Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, left, celebrates with wide receiver Davante Adams after catching a touchdown pass in the second quarter Sunday against the Saints.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

He looked like it at the outset, making two catches for first downs to start a drive that ended with Stafford’s touchdown pass to Higbee. The veteran tight end, in an apparent salute to the Dodgers, celebrated by taking an imaginary swing and then doing their post-hit celebration.

Adams then followed his breakout three-touchdown performance against the Jaguars with the first of two more red-zone touchdowns. The 12th-year pro is tied for eighth all time with 111 touchdown catches.

Early in the second quarter, Stafford and Nacua went for the home run, connecting on a 39-yard pass that Nacua hauled in for a touchdown and a 20-3 lead.

Stafford’s short strike to Adams in the third quarter put the game out of reach, and Kyren Williams’ short touchdown run early in the fourth quarter provided the finishing touch.

Williams rushed for 114 yards and Blake Corum ran for 58 on a day when the Rams once again utilized all four tight ends in the pass and run attacks.

Meanwhile, the Rams defense made it rough on Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough in his first start.

Several Rams defensive players tackle Saints quarterback Tyler Shough in the second quarter of the Rams’ 34-10 win Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Lineman Braden Fiske got his first sack of the season, linebacker Nate Landman forced another fumble, and cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. intercepted his first pass as a Ram.

“We’re growing at a great rate,” Landman said, “and we’re going to peak at the right time.”

The game against the Saints was the start of a stretch that includes two home games after the 49ers. Only two remaining nine games — a late November trip to play the Carolina Panthers and a late December trip to play the Atlanta Falcons — will require the Rams to travel farther east than Arizona.

A lot can happen between now and the start of the playoffs. But the Rams look like the Super Bowl contender they were built to be.

As a 12th-year pro, Davante Adams knows the value of rest during a bye week. So before the Rams played the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Oct. 19, Adams looked forward to days off that awaited.

Then Adams, flashing his three-time All-Pro form, caught three touchdown passes.

Was there any part of him that did not want a break?

“Oh, hell yeah,” Adams said this week, noting that he told coach Sean McVay, “‘I wish we could keep rolling at this point.’”

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Gary Klein breaks down what to expect from the Rams on Sunday when they face the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium.

So did McVay.

“He’s like, ‘Man, I don’t want to have a week off,’” McVay recalled. “I said, ‘Hey, just enjoy it.’”

Adams, rested and ready after spending part of last week in Mexico with family, intends to pick up where he left off two weeks ago when the Rams play host to the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium.

The game will mark the return of fellow star receiver Puka Nacua, who sat out against the Jaguars because of an ankle injury suffered Oct. 12 against the Baltimore Ravens.

But the Rams will be without speedy receiver Tutu Atwell, who will be sidelined for at least four games on injured reserve because of a hamstring injury.

McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford showed against the Jaguars that the Rams’ weapons go beyond Nacua and Adams. Four tight ends — Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen and rookie Terrance Ferguson — were among the 10 players who caught passes in the 35-7 victory that improved the Rams record to 5-2.

“The more people we can get involved in the game, the better we are,” said Stafford, who has passed for 17 touchdowns, with only two interceptions. “We have a couple of extremely talented players, quite a few that are difference-makers in this league. When we can spread the ball around and make everybody defend all the guys, all the eligibles, every blade of grass, that’s when we’re at our best.”

The Rams signed Adams aiming to capitalize on his experience and playmaking, his elite separation skills and the threat he poses near the goal line.

Stafford, 37, and Adams, 32, combined for a few highlight-reel plays in the first six games. But they acknowledged in the week leading up to the game against the Jaguars that they were still working to get completely in sync.

They found their rhythm against the Jaguars.

Adams made dynamic catches from inside the two-yard line for all of his touchdowns.

Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said the Rams “absolutely” envisioned those kinds of plays when they pursued Adams, who has 109 career touchdown catches, the most among active players.

“There’s a reason he has over a hundred touchdowns,” LaFleur said, adding, “It’s not shocking.”

Did the Rams find something they can build on?

“Yeah, we’ll see what the red-zone targets look like this week and then we’ll be able to fully tell you,” Adams said, chuckling. “But definitely it’s not a secret that I’ve been able to make plays in the red zone.

“I think a lot of it was just getting on the same page, us feeling each other out and coming up with a good plan. The coaches did that and we were able to connect.

“I think the more you make plays, the more you build that confidence and then you stop straining and pressing to make plays and you just be yourself and go out there and be natural.”

Adams has 31 catches for 431 yards and six touchdowns.

With Stafford and Adams continuing to solidify their connection, the offense is poised to remain productive as the Rams drive toward a playoff spot.

“Me being who I am and Matthew being who he is and just having the team that we do, my expectations are really high and standards are really high for what I should bring and what this team should be able to do,” Adams said. “I’m definitely not satisfied with what we’ve done, but happy with where we are.”

Puka Nacua sounded as if there was no doubt.

The Rams star receiver, who sat out the last game because of an ankle injury, said Thursday that he was “feeling great” and planned to play on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium.

“That’s the plan,” he said after practice. “I’m feeling fantastic. Feel ready to go.”

The Rams returned this week from an off week after defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

That enabled Nacua to rest and receive treatment for an injury suffered during an Oct. 12 victory against the Ravens in Baltimore.

Nacua had two catches for 28 yards before he and Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey leaped for a pass near the end zone. Both came down hard on the turf as the pass fell incomplete.

Nacua said he was intent on making sure that if he did not come down with the ball, neither would Humphrey.

“Really thought it was like just getting the wind knocked out of me, just of how I landed,” Nacua said. “Got up and I was like, ‘Oh, it’s definitely not my back.’”

The Rams defeated the Jaguars without Nacua to improve their record to 5-2 heading into the off week.

“Never a good time to be injured,” Nacua said, “but the bye did land at a great time to rest and recover.”

Nacua returns to a receiving corps that got a three-touchdown performance from Davante Adams against the Jaguars. The Rams, however, will be without Tutu Atwell, who is on injured reserve for at least four games because of a hamstring injury.

Nacua ranks third in the NFL with 54 catches and fourth with 616 yards receiving. He has two touchdown catches and also has rushed for a touchdown.

Nacua eclipsed 100 yards receiving three times this season, the last a month ago when he caught 13 passes for 170 yards in a 17-3 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

LONDON — With receiver Puka Nacua out for their game on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, the Rams are counting on Davante Adams, Tutu Atwell and Jordan Whittington.

Adams, a three-time All-Pro in his first season with the Rams, has been targeted 55 times. He has 26 catches for 396 yards and three touchdowns.

Adams and quarterback Matthew Stafford have connected on several dynamic plays, but their timing remains a work in progress.

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Gary Klein reports from Rams practice at Camden Yards in Baltimore as the team prepares for its London game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“It’s not how I drew it up as far as efficiency goes,” Adams said. “I think we both would’ve liked to be a little bit more efficient, but I know for myself over the last few [games], just based off how we started, [there’s been] a little bit of pressing.”

Stafford put the onus on himself.

“There’s been some good ones,” he said. “There’s been some missed ones. I would take the majority of the blame on a lot of those and just give him a better chance on a couple.”

Adams rose to stardom while playing eight seasons with Aaron Rodgers with the Green Bay Packers. But that connection also took time, Adams said.

“It definitely didn’t start off the first couple years, let alone the first couple of games the way that we got going,” Adams said. “Not that we have another 10 years to go, but it takes time. It’s not easy.

“Puka and Matthew have been playing together for years now and they have a little better understanding of where one another is going to be, what to expect, and just making it work. It’s been a few where there’s really no excuse for me or him. We just have to put it together.”

Atwell will be back after sitting out last Sunday’s victory over the Baltimore Ravens because of a hamstring injury. Atwell has four catches on nine targets, including one for a long touchdown.

But he said he was not concerned about targets as much as affecting the game in other ways. The speedy threat opens opportunities for Nacua, Adams and others.

“Every opportunity we’ve given him, he’s seized it,” Stafford said. “I don’t see anything different happening. If he gets more opportunities in this game, I have a ton of trust in him.”

Rams star receiver Puka Nacua will not play Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars because of an ankle injury he suffered in last Sunday’s victory over the Baltimore Ravens, coach Sean McVay told reporters Friday in Baltimore.

Nacua, who ranks among NFL leaders in catches and yards receiving, did not practice this week in Baltimore, where the Rams stayed before their scheduled departure to London on Friday.

The Rams (4-2) play the Jaguars (4-2) at Wembley Stadium.

Veteran receiver Davante Adams is expected to become quarterback Matthew Stafford’s primary target. Tutu Atwell, who sat out against the Ravens because of a hamstring injury, will return Sunday. Jordan Whittington also is expected to start.

Offensive lineman Rob Havenstein also was ruled out because of an ankle injury that has sidelined him for several games.

BALTIMORE — Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the home of the Baltimore Orioles, is located a short walk from M&T Bank Stadium, where the Rams began an extended road trip on Sunday with a 17-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

For much of this week, the baseball stadium will serve as the Rams’ home away from home as they prepare for Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London.

This is not the first time that the Rams have played an away game and then remained in the city before traveling abroad.

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Gary Klein breaks down what went right for the Rams in their 17-3 win over the Baltimore Ravens as they prepare to play the Jaguars in London on Sunday.

In 2017, coach Sean McVay’s first season, the Rams defeated the Jaguars in Jacksonville, Fla., and then stayed in town before traveling to defeat the Arizona Cardinals at Twickenham Stadium in London.

Two years later, the Rams beat the Falcons in Atlanta, and then remained there for a few days before traveling to London and defeating the Cincinnati Bengals at Wembley Stadium.

Several players said they would rely on the Rams’ training staff to help them modify weekly routines that include massage, acupuncture and other bodywork sessions with California providers outside of the organization.

Rams safety Quentin Lake noted that last season, the Rams stayed in Arizona for a few days before they played the Minnesota Vikings in an NFC wild-card game that was moved from SoFi Stadium because of wildfires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

“You’re in an unfamiliar environment and … it’s just the team and staff,” Lake said Sunday, adding, “Nothing truly is going to change in terms of our routine. … Honestly I love it because it’s fun.

“It’s fun for us to be in a different environment and really just lock in on football and focus on the task at hand.”

Last week, McVay and several players said that while adjustments were necessary for a long trip, none were too onerous.

The Rams are practicing this week at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore before heading to London.

(Terrance Williams / Associated Press)

During the Rams’ first two trips abroad, McVay was neither married nor a father. This time, McVay said that his wife, Veronika, who has roots in the region, and son, Jordan, would make the trip to Baltimore.

“I’ll keep it as normal as possible,” McVay said. “What I like about these things is you get a chance to be around the guys a little bit more because of the nature of what this trip entails. … I try to keep a normal rhythm and routine.

“You just might be in a different location, but we have the film, we have the field and most importantly, we have the players. We’ll be in good shape.”

For quarterback Matthew Stafford “the biggest thing is not being in your own house, not having your family around, all that kind of stuff,” he said.

“I won’t be sleeping in my own bed and I won’t be doing some of the things that I’m accustomed to doing,” he said. “I just change location, really. What I would do maybe at home I’ll do wherever our setup is when we stay there.”

Receiver Davante Adams, a 12th-year pro in his first season with the Rams, said that he once was part of an extended trip that included a game in New Orleans and then a stay in Sarasota, Fla., before playing in Jacksonville. But this will be the first time Adams will be on an extended trip that includes a game in London.

It will be different, Adams said, because he has “a lot of different checkpoints and things throughout the week that I do locally. It’s going to be different for me for sure.”

Especially being away from family.

“The main thing for me is just being away from my kids, honestly more than anything,” he said. “That’s a big part of my healing process and mentally throughout the week just resetting, going home, spending time with them and my wife. Not having that element. … I mean, we’ll get through it.”

This will be the first extended trip that will end in London for defensive lineman Kobie Turner and other young players. Turner said he and his wife grew up about an hour outside Baltimore, so they were looking forward to spending time this week with his wife’s family.

“It will be interesting to see how it all plays out,” he said.