After a humbling loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at SoFi Stadium, the Los Angeles Rams are back on the road for an important matchup with the New Orleans Saints in Week 13.
Even though they are back under .500 with a 5-6 record, the Rams enter only one game behind the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West.
L.A. badly needs a win against the struggling Saints to stay in the playoff picture, as a loss would virtually eliminate them from contention.
Fortunately for the Rams, they are getting back starting right tackle Rob Havenstein, who has missed the last three games due to an ankle injury. With the 32-year-old back in the lineup, the Rams’ offensive line is at full strength for the first time this season.
L.A. will also have wide receiver Demarcus Robinson for their game against the Saints despite initial concerns that he would be suspended after getting arrested on suspicion of DUI last week.
Robinson apologized to the Rams and hopes his teammates can learn from his mistakes.
Meanwhile, tight end Tyler Higbee was designated to return to practice, but he will be sidelined for at least one more week. Higbee hasn’t played since tearing his ACL and MCL during the Rams’ playoff loss to the Detroit Lions last January.
The Saints are dealing with a multitude of injuries themselves as they’ve already lost wide receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed for the rest of the 2024 season.
The Saints enter with a 4-7 record but have won two consecutive games since firing Dennis Allen and naming Darren Rizzi their interim head coach. New Orleans is also holding on to slim playoff hopes and essentially need to win out to keep their season alive.
The Rams picked up a 30-22 win against the Saints in their last meeting during the 2023 season.
Rams’ keys to victory
Can Rams stop Saints’ rushing attack?
After getting torched by Saquon Barkley in their loss to the Eagles, the Rams will have their hands full with Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill.
L.A. will need to contain the Saints’ rushing attack if they want any chance of leaving the Caesars Superdome with a win.
Can Kyren Williams bounce back?
Kyren Williams had a solid game on paper against the Eagles as he rushed for 72 yards and scored a touchdown. However, he fumbled twice and lost one of them in the red zone on the Rams’ opening drive.
Williams is in another good spot against a Saints defense that struggles against the run, but he will need to do a better job of holding on to the ball.
