When Rams head coach Sean McVay started his press conference by saying, "We're not a boring team to watch, I guess," that was an understatement. The Rams came away with an improbable comeback victory over the Colts in Week 4, 27-20, thanks to some big-time plays from quarterback Matthew Stafford, timely turnovers by the defense and an incredibly efficient run game.
Here are five interesting stats from the Rams' comeback win over the Colts in Week 4:
Stafford had a perfect passer rating in the fourth quarter (158.3), the second person to achieve that this season
During the Rams' fourth-quarter comeback, Stafford completed nine of 11 pass attempts for 172 yards (third-highest in the NFL this season) and two touchdowns, facilitating a 72.7% success rate on pass attempts, via nflverse data. That accounted for 45.9% of his 375 passing yards on the day and two-thirds of his touchdowns.
Stafford's late touchdown pass to wide receiver Puka Nacua (who set a regular season career-high with 170 receiving yards) tied the game, and his 88-yard strike to wide receiver Tutu Atwell won it. The Rams' win probability was as low as 15% early in the fourth quarter, according to Next Gen Stats, but that's when Stafford worked his fourth-quarter voodoo magic to pull a victory from the jaws of defeat.
That was Stafford's 50th career game-winning drive. He's the active leader among quarterbacks in that stat, which is partially how he was dubbed the "soul snatcher."
Atwell's 88-yard touchdown was the longest go-ahead scrimmage touchdown in the final two minutes of a game this century, via ESPN Research
Atwell's game-winning touchdown was the longest play of his career and just his second catch of the season, and he reached 21.7 miles per hour, the fifth-fastest ball-carrier speed so far this year, via Next Gen Stats.
Atwell told theRams.com that the play felt like a weight lifted off his shoulders after not producing as much as expected early in the season (he came into the day with one catch for four yards). Once Atwell made his defender fall down on the route and he was wide open with nothing but green grass in front of him, his only thought was, "I'm finna go get it." And he did.
The Rams on Sunday had two of the top 15 most impactful offensive plays in the NFL this year based on win probability added, via nflverse data
Atwell's touchdown raised the Rams' win probability by 29%, from just over 60.8% to 89.8%, which was the eighth-highest boost from an offensive play so far this season. On the drive before that, Nacua's game-tying touchdown on a must-have 4th-and-2 from the nine-yard line raised the Rams' win probability 24.8% (ranking 13th this season), to just over 51%.
Daniel Jones' passer rating was more than 100 points lower when he wasn't pressured compared to when he was, via Pro Football Focus
This stat is definitely interesting, but it's more so confounding. When Jones had a clean pocket, he went 12 of 19 for 81 yards and two interceptions and a 32.9 passer rating. When Jones was pressured, he completed 12 of 14 pass attempts for 181 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and a 142.6 passer rating. So, what exactly does this mean, and what's the cause of it?
The Rams' coverage seemingly lulled Jones into a false sense of security. His average depth of target was nearly three yards higher when he wasn't pressured, prompting Jones to take shots down the field rather than throwing the easy check-downs. It resulted in errant passes, breakups and interceptions. The Rams' front was the engine of the defense in the first three weeks, but the backend came through in the win over Indianapolis.
Jones entered Week 4 with no turnovers on the season, he left SoFi stadium with two, both courtesy of safety Kam Curl (the first multi-interception game of his career).
Kyren Williams' 84.6% success rate on the ground was the best for any qualified running back in a game this season, via Next Gen Stats
Apart from the fumbled handoff, something McVay took responsibility for on Monday when speaking to reporters, Williams' shortest run of the day went for three yards. He was constantly putting the Rams ahead of the sticks, and (for the second-straight week) most of that production came on outside zone runs.
47 of Williams' 77 yards on the ground game on outside runs (61%), and he averaged 6.7 yards per carry on those attempts, via Next Gen Stats. L.A. did the same thing last week in Philadelphia, and the Colts presented a similar front that the Rams took advantage of.