The Los Angeles Rams saved their season with a last-minute comeback

After blowing a 16-0 lead to the Denver Broncos a week ago, the Los Angeles Rams — a preseason Super Bowl favorite — looked well on their way to another dispiriting loss Sunday. The Rams were trailing 20-10 and had the ball 98 yards away from the end zone with less than eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter on a day they had already committed several mistakes against an opponent they had not beaten since 2020. Staring a 1-3 record in the face, Los Angeles instead stepped up and saved its season. The Rams improved to 2-2 in Week 4, scoring two late touchdowns to beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-20. The win was Los Angeles coach Sean McVay’s first against Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, and absolved the Rams from a steep climb to make the playoffs. Los Angeles came alive in the final half of the fourth quarter. After a fourth-down stop by the defense, reigning MVP Matthew Stafford led a 10-play, 98-yard drive — during which he completed seven passes — to first cut the lead to 20-17. After a three-and-out by Philadelphia, the Rams once again went on a 10-play drive, this time covering 79 yards. The possession was capped by three Kyren Williams runs, the last of which Williams punched into the end zone after breaking a slew of tackles. “By any freaking means, get your butt in the end zone,” Williams told the FOX broadcast postgame of his mindset during his game-winning score. McVay said postgame Williams’ run was “gutsy.” “If you say you wouldn’t want that guy in your foxhole, then you’re in the wrong foxhole,” he added. Los Angeles’s late heroics made up for what was an otherwise sloppy effort. Stafford was uneven. He completed 32 of 51 passes for 317 yards, but he threw for no touchdowns and two interceptions. Stafford has now thrown at least one pick in every game this season, and has six interceptions after throwing only eight all last season. There were plenty of other miscues: A missed field goal, a pass interference penalty that led to a touchdown, a kickoff out of bounds, and a sideline interference penalty that derailed an offensive possession. The combination of errors led to a 10-point deficit entering the final quarter. “I’m so proud of this team and how we fought, and how we stayed connected with everything that went wrong,” Williams said. “Not every game is going to go exactly how you want it,” Stafford said. “Sometimes you’re going to have to find ways to win football games, that’s what we did today.” Stafford, Williams and the rest of the Rams’ offense certainly owes a debt of gratitude to the defense. Los Angeles was playing without legendary defensive linemen Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett, and still sacked Jalen Hurts four times. The Rams held the Eagles to only 172 total yards, including a prehistoric 68 passing yards. Philadelphia was additionally 0-for-12 on third-down attempts, and Los Angeles also held firm on fourth, turning the Eagles over on downs three separate times. “I think a lot of teams would have folded in those situations, but our defense kept giving us a reason to believe,” McVay said. “There’s no style points in this league, but I do think a lot of growth can come from this.” The Rams will certainly need to grow to reach the heights of their preseason expectations, as their season has been up and down so far. Los Angeles lost its season opener in Australia after a controversial travel plan, then came back to blow out the Giants in Week 2. But then the Rams crumbled in the second half of a 30-26 loss to the Broncos, all while the team has also dealt with injuries to key players. The tests won’t stop for Los Angeles, however, as next up on the schedule are the 3-1 Buffalo Bills. Said McVay about his team Sunday: “Tough times don’t last, tough people do.”