The Rams didn’t have receiver Puka Nacua on Monday night. It made Davante Adams the focal point of the passing game.
And it added up to Adams catching nine passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns.
“He’s wide receiver one to me,” coach Sean McVay told reporters after the game. “He ain’t a two. He was special and it showed all night. That’s what he’s consistently done and I’m really happy for him. I thought he made some great plays, but you could see there’s a lot of trust that he and Matthew [Stafford] have. They were able to get a lot of work together this offseason, and it’s only going to continue to build. I was really happy for him. He did his thing tonight.”
And the Giants didn’t seem to do anything to adjust to Adams doing his thing.
Giants coach John Harbaugh was asked whether the Rams did anything that made it hard to cover Adams.
“They didn’t do anything special,” Harbaugh said. “He just made plays.”
Should the Giants have assigned cornerback Greg Newsome II to cover Adams wherever he goes?
“We had a lot of ideas,” Harbaugh said, “a lot of things we tried to do.”
They apparently didn’t try to double Adams, or to rotate the safeties in his direction.
It couldn’t have hurt. Yes, it would have made it easier for others to get open. And while that may have meant more opportunities for the tight ends, the Rams got very little from other receivers. Tutu Atwell caught one pass for 19 yards, and Konata Mumpfield caught one pass for 12 yards.
So, yes, maybe the things the Giants tried should have included taking Adams away. On Sunday night, the Broncos presumably will.
Giants Clips
The first real sighting of Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on Monday night happened when ESPN cameras captured him giving his former head coach, Sean McVay, a post-game hug. During the game, OBJ made even less of a cameo appearance.
Beckham was on the field for only three snaps. Out of 58 total offensive plays.
By way of comparison, Malachi Fields had 47 snaps. Malik Nabers played 43. Darnell Mooney was on the field for 42.
Even Braxton Berrios — primarily a special-teamer — had five offensive snaps.
Making the lack of involvement from Beckham more surprising is the fact that starting quarterback Jaxson Dart made an early exit with a knee injury. Beckham and backup quarterback Jameis Winston have a strong rapport, and Winston struggled in relief of Dart, completing 11 of 27 throws. Why not give Beckham and Winston a chance to connect?
The other question is whether Beckham has frustrations regarding his lack of involvement. Yes, he’s apparently happy to simply be back in the NFL after a year out of football. But, with only three snaps in a prime-time game, is he really back?
In Week 1, Beckham was on the field for 11 of 69 snaps. He has been targeted zero times, through two games.
From the Giants’ perspective, it’s fair to wonder whether a game-day roster spot is being wasted on someone who isn’t contributing to the cause. As MDS points out, the Giants have receiver Dalen Cambre on the practice squad. He was second in the NCAA in special-teams tackles as a senior, and he blocked two punts at the college level.
Yes, the Giants bringing Beckham back to Big Blue is a good story. The fans love him. But the early-season trends aren’t encouraging. At some point, they’re going to need his roster spot.
Especially if they don’t put Dart on IR and add another quarterback (other than Berrios) to serve as the backup to Winston.
Giants pass rusher Brian Burns limped off the field in obvious pain on Monday night, but in the locker room after the game, Burns said the medical diagnosis showed that the damage to his ankle wasn’t as bad as it felt.
Burns said as he sat at his locker that he could feel his ankle getting stiff but the Giants’ medical staff had told him it’s a low ankle sprain that shouldn’t cause him to miss much time.
“It eases my mind to know it’s not nothing serious,” Burns said.
Burns said he’s had similar injuries and knows how to rehab them so he can get back on the field quickly.
“I’ve dealt with this before,” Burns said. “It all depends on how fast you can get the swelling and inflammation down. I’m going to do everything possible to get as tamed as I can.”
Burns said he would begin his rehab while on the flight from Los Angeles back to New York.
“The recovery process starts now, so it will be ice and compression until we get back to the facility and do more work on it, try to stay off it, keep it elevated,” Burns said. “That’s all you can do with sprains. I’ve dealt with it before.”
Burns is one of the Giants’ best defensive players, and on a night when quarterback Jaxson Dart, wide receiver Malik Nabers and left tackle Andrew Thomas all got hurt, a serious injury to Burns was the last thing the Giants needed. Fortunately, he’s going to be OK.
The Giants have gotten some good news, for now, regarding quarterback Jaxson Dart’s knee injury.
Via NFL Network, it’s believed that Dart suffered a sprained MCL.
The assessment is based on a preliminary exam. X-rays were negative, and an MRI will be conducted on Tuesday.
After the game, coach John Harbaugh was asked about the report. “We’ll know more tomorrow,” Harbaugh said. “That’s in the neighborhood of it, I would say. We’ll get an MRI tomorrow and have a really good feel for it, and give you more information then.”
The MCL can heal with rest and rehab, unless the tendon is completely torn.
If Dart misses time, Jameis Winston will continue to play in his place. On Monday night, Winston completed 11 of 27 passes for 111 yards and an interception.
The Giants host the Titans on Sunday, with the Cardinals next and a visit to the Commanders. So they could find a way to win some games, even if Dart is absent.
The Rams are back . . . and so is Aaron Donald.
Eleven days after a lackluster performance against the 49ers in Australia, the Rams rebounded with a dominant 28-6 victory over the Giants in Donald’s season debut. Both teams are 1-1.
The Rams might have won big anyway, but the Giants had no chance after Jaxson Dart injured his left knee on the first drive. The Giants had only 182 yards, and Jameis Winston was 11-of-27 for 111 yards and an interception.
The Giants crossed midfield six times, but punted six times, kicked two field goals, threw an interception and once turned it over on downs in their 10 possessions. It was as depressing as their season-opening win over the Cowboys was encouraging.
Donald, playing his first game in 981 days after unretiring Aug. 30, made three tackles, including a tackle for loss.
The Rams gained 481 yards despite playing without wide receiver Puka Nacua. Davante Adams more than made up for Nacua’s absence, catching eight passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns.
Matthew Stafford threw touchdown passes of 31 and 11 yards to Adams, 10 yards to running back Kyren Williams and 5 yards to tight end Terrance Ferguson. Stafford was 22-of-31 for 327 yards with an interception to go with the four touchdowns.
Williams ran for 85 yards on 12 carries, but he did lose a fumble. Blake Corum had 12 carries for 79 yards.
Giants safety Jevon Holland totaled eight tackles, an interception, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in an elite performance.
Monday night’s game can’t end soon enough for the Giants.
Not only are they getting blown out by the Rams, but they have had injuries to some of their biggest players. Quarterback Jaxson Dart injured his left knee on the first possession and is standing on the sideline in street clothes.
Wide receiver Malik Nabers left briefly with a shoulder injury.
Now, pass rusher Brian Burns and left tackle Andrew Thomas are injured.
Thomas limped off late in the fourth quarter and Burns followed soon after.
Burns’ injury looked serious as Rams center Coleman Shelton inadvertently rolled over Burns’ left ankle, pinning it to the ground. He needed the assistance of two athletic trainers to get off the field.
The Giants did not have an update on Burns or Thomas before the game ended.
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart left Monday night’s game early with a knee injury, and he didn’t return.
It apparently wasn’t his choice.
Via Jordan Raanan of ESPN, Dart wanted to return to the game. Obviously, the Giants wouldn’t allow it.
Laura Rutledge of ESPN has added that the Giants eventually took Dart’s uniform, preventing a return. She also said his limp is “very minor.”
The specific diagnosis remains to be seen. Lip readers have spotted an interaction between coach John Harbaugh and a staffer during which Harbaugh possibly is being told Dart will be out 4-6 weeks.
That timeframe could point to an MCL injury. Obviously, however, no one knows for now. And the official diagnosis presumably is coming on Tuesday, after Dart gets an MRI.
Davante Adams is having a career day.
The Rams receiver has eight catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown came on an 11-yard pass from Matthew Stafford and increased the Rams’ lead to 21-3 over the Giants.
Adams’ career-high for receiving yards is 206 on 11 catches while playing for the Packers against the Bengals in an overtime game in 2021.
It was Adams’ 119th career touchdown, ranking him seventh in NFL history. He is only two touchdown receptions behind Larry Fitzgerald, who is sixth on the list.
Stafford passed Philip Rivers for sixth on the all-time passing touchdowns list with his third of the night. He has 426 career passing touchdowns.
The Giants officially ruled out Jaxson Dart for the second half, but ESPN sideline reporter Laura Rutledge delivered a positive update from General Manager Joe Schoen.
The Giants are still evaluating the injury, with Dart getting an X-ray at SoFi Stadium, but Schoen told Rutledge that Dart is “going to be OK.”
That presumably means Dart did not tear a ligament in his left knee and will return this season.
Coach John Harbaugh did not provide any information to Rutledge about Dart’s injury in a halftime interview.
Dart was hurt on the Giants’ first possession on a third-down play when Rams defenders Josaiah Stewart and Byron Young pressured him. Young hit Dart high, pushing him into Stewart, and, with Dart airborne, his left knee jammed into Stewart’s quad.
Dart remained on the turf with 11:20 left in the first quarter.
He went 3-for-5 for 20 yards before leaving.
Jameis Winston has replaced Dart and is 5-of-13 for 71 yards and an interception.
The Rams are playing without wide receiver Puka Nacua and pass rusher Myles Garrett. They haven’t missed them so far tonight, with the Giants having lost quarterback Jaxson Dart on the first possession.
Stafford has thrown for 184 yards and two touchdowns, with Davante Adams catching five for 145 and a touchdown.
The Rams lead 14-3.
Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald has three tackles, including one for loss, in his first game action in 981 days. Donald retired after the 2023 season but officially unretired Aug. 30.
Adams, 31, has not had a better game since Dec. 15, 2024, against the Jaguars when he caught nine passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns.
Stafford has completed 11 of 15 passes and has thrown a pick. His touchdowns covered 31 yards to Adams and 10 yards to running back Kyren Williams.
The Rams should have had three more points to end the half, but kicker Harrison Mevis missed a 43-yard try wide left on the final play of the half.
Giants safety Jevon Holland has done everything he can to keep his team in it. Holland, who had an interception of Dak Prescott last week, has an interception, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble.
At the end of a 5-yard Kyren Williams run late in the first half, Holland punched the ball out and recovered it at the Los Angeles 11. It was Williams’ eighth career fumble.
The Giants had six possessions in the first half and four times crossed midfield with drives to the Los Angeles 43, 43, 18 and 3 without a touchdown. After Holland’s fumble recovery, the Giants settled for Dominic Zvada’s chip-shot, 24-yard field goal with 25 seconds left in the half.
Dart went 3-of-5 for 20 yards before injuring his left knee. Jameis Winston replaced him and was 4-of-12 for 58 yards and an interception, a throw straight to Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie in the end zone.
Cam Skattebo has only 18 yards on seven carries.
