Rams face new kind of test against Giants

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Rams faced a trial implicit the past 3 weeks, and earned a passing people by going 2-1.

They look a antithetic benignant of trial successful the adjacent three, and this clip thing abbreviated of cleanable volition suffice.

By beating the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and NFC West champion Seattle Seahawks – connected either broadside of a nonaccomplishment to the hot-starting part rival Arizona Cardinals – the Rams established themselves arsenic league rubric contenders.

Now they play the New York Giants connected Sunday astatine MetLife Stadium, followed by the arsenic overmatched Detroit Lions astatine location and Houston Texans connected the road, and indispensable amusement they’re ruthless capable to heap up wins for the playoff chase.

The Rams (4-1) are 8½-point favorites implicit the Giants (1-4). Giants starring rusher Saquon Barkley and starring yardage receiver Kenny Golladay are retired with injuries, and backmost Daniel Jones is coming disconnected a concussion. The biggest menace to the Rams mightiness beryllium the hazard of a letdown.

Coach Sean McVay talks arsenic if that’s unthinkable.

“Let’s enactment it this way. We’ve got the incorrect guys if I person to person them that they request to beryllium acceptable to amusement up successful this three-hour model of time,” McVay said this week. “There’s guys that get paid that are acceptable to measurement up if they’re (the Giants) missing immoderate of their cardinal players.

“We’re not the squad that I deliberation we are if we’re not capable to grip them with that maturity, and fto that impact our process and our quality to absorption and concentrate.

“That’s the furthest happening from my mind.”

McVay doesn’t deliberation it was a letdown, much similar a reminder of however competitory the NFL is, erstwhile the Rams mislaid to the New York Jets arsenic 17½-point favorites past December.

Nor did McVay spot it arsenic a deficiency of effort oregon attraction erstwhile the Rams needed a precocious antiaircraft basal to squeak retired a low-scoring triumph implicit these Giants past October.

But immoderate it was, the Rams’ occupation successful gimme games successful 2020 outgo them successful the playoff seedings, and the adjacent 3 games volition beryllium a trial of whether they’ve fixed that property problem.

“We conscionable got to instrumentality to a crippled plan, bash our jobs,” Rams antiaircraft tackle Aaron Donald said. “You can’t spell successful determination saying, ‘We got a amended record,’ oregon this and that. That’s however you thin not to play bully games and extremity up losing to teams.”

Instead of simply guarding against a letdown, the Rams should look astatine the accidental successful beforehand of them.

If they bushed the Giants, bushed Jared Goff and the Lions astatine SoFi Stadium, and bushed the Texans connected the road, the Rams volition beryllium 7-1 earlier a Sunday nighttime location crippled against the Tennessee Titans and person a accidental to beryllium 8-1 going into their adjacent NFC West crippled against the San Francisco 49ers successful Santa Clara.

With the 5-0 Cardinals having to look the Cleveland Browns (away) and Green Bay Packers successful their adjacent 3 games, the Rams could propulsion into a first-place necktie connected wins and losses by the extremity of October, oregon adjacent pb the part outright.

“The biggest happening for america is ever trying to strive to play that game, that afloat game. No substance who our hostile is, it doesn’t matter,” Rams backmost Matthew Stafford said. “You flip the portion on, you ticker New York play. I’m watching their defense, and their defence flies around.”

Nevertheless, the Giants fertile 26th successful points allowed and 29th successful yards allowed.

The Giants’ discourtesy has been better, but aft the injuries, it volition request different large crippled from rookie wide receiver Kadarius Toney, who caught 10 passes for 189 yards successful a nonaccomplishment to the Dallas Cowboys past Sunday.

That’s not impossible, with the Rams’ secondary facing astatine slightest 3 weeks without cornerback Darious Williams (ankle), whose interception sealed their triumph implicit the Giants past season.

In shot terms, the Rams’ quality has changed since that 17-9 win. They had the NFL’s starring defence then, making up for Goff’s inconsistent offense. The defence is giving up yardage successful chunks now, but Stafford leads an improved offense.

“In presumption of the quality successful the quarterbacks, you know, they had a batch of occurrence with who they had successful the past,” Giants manager Joe Judge said of the Rams during a Zoom telephone with L.A. bushed writers. “Obviously, Stafford’s having a batch of occurrence this year, and he’s a huge-armed quarterback. There’s truly not a propulsion helium can’t make. He tin ever compression it in.

“You’ve got to beryllium alert. This feline loves the 50-50 balls down the field. A feline with limb spot similar that, he’s got a batch of assurance to zip it successful determination and instrumentality a accidental of completing it. Their receivers person done a truly bully occupation this twelvemonth of making those contested catches, making a batch of large plays close there.”

They’ve done it against the Super Bowl and NFC West champs. Now, tin they bash it against an NFC doormat? It’s a accidental they can’t fto get away.

“We’ll person a large situation (in) going connected the roadworthy to a pugnacious environment,” Stafford said. “We’re excited astir the accidental to conscionable spell retired determination and effort and get a win.”