Fresh off their Week 8 bye, the Rams (5-2) are set to take on the Saints (1-7) at SoFi Stadium. Kickoff this Sunday from Inglewood, Calif. is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. pacific time on FOX.
In advance of the contest, here is your First Look at Rams-Saints, presented by Verizon.
Notable Saints additions
- Selected former Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough in the second round of this year's draft. Shough arrived in New Orleans a seasoned college player, having spent seven years at that level, but so far Spencer Rattler has been QB1. After Rattler was benched midway through their Week 8 loss to the Bucs, Saints head coach Kellen Moore named Shough the starter for this week's game agains the Rams.
- Hired Moore as their new head coach in February. A first-time NFL head coach, Moore took that leap after spending last season as the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles' offensive coordinator.
Top performers in Week 8
Rattler completed 15 of 21 pass attempts for 136 yards with an interception in the Saints' 23-3 home loss to the Bucs.
Running back Alvin Kamara led New Orleans' backfield with six carries for 21 yards.
Wide receiver Rashid Shaheed led all Saints receivers with nine catches for 75 yards.
Defensive end Chase Young paced New Orleans' defense with 1.5 sacks and four total tackles; safety Justin Reid added seven total tackles and half a sack and linebacker Demario Davis added a team-high 11 total tackles.
On special teams, kicker Blake Grupe made his lone field goal attempt (48 yards), while punter Kai Kroeger averaged 40.3 yards per punt across three punts.
Early storylines to watch, and what they mean for the Rams
Shough will get the nod as the Saints' new starting quarterback after taking over late in last Sunday's game against the Bucs. That was his most extensive action of season outside a brief appearance against Seattle earlier, so the Rams have essentially half a game's worth of tape to study.
Moore told New Orleans reporters postgame Week 8 that it was "a pure full offensive evaluation point" in terms of making a QB change, hoping to spark the Saints' offense. Shough entered the game with the Saints already trailing 17-3, and the three Shough-led drives – excluding the end of the game – ended with an interception and consecutive turnovers on downs.
That challenge will only get tougher against a Rams pass rush that has the second-most sacks (26) and is tied for the fifth-highest pressure rate (38.4%, Next Gen Stats) entering Week 9.
