FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams gave up a field goal to see their lead cut to four points, then clanged a kick off the right upright as the first half expired.
It was 14-10. The three-win Patriots were moving the ball well. And the Rams were staring at a potential second straight loss.
Then Matthew Stafford connected with Cooper Kupp on the second play of the second half, and Kupp coasted to the end zone for a 69-yard score to help Los Angeles pull away and beat the Patriots 28-22 on Sunday.
“Cooper, obviously, he’s been doing it for a long time. He’s so steady; he maximizes his moments,” Rams coach Sean McVay said after Kupp caught six passes for 106 yards and two scores. “That’s what he’s been. That’s what makes him great.”
Stafford threw for four touchdowns to give him 370 in his career, passing Eli Manning for 10th on the NFL's all-time list. In addition to the long strike to Kupp to start the second half, he hit Puka Nacua on the first play after Drake Maye's fumble set the Rams (5-5) up at the New England 12.
“To be able to have two capable guys ... I think (Kupp's) influence has rubbed off on Puka," McVay said. “They were both great. They were instrumental in today’s win.”
Stafford threw for 295 yards, hitting Nacua seven times for 123 yards and a score. Kyren Williams ran for 86 yards, and Michael Hoecht blocked an extra-point attempt to keep the Patriots (3-8) from making it a one-score game after they cut the deficit to 28-19 early in the fourth quarter.
A false start on a fourth-and-1 with five minutes left hurt another chance to close the gap, and the Patriots settled for a field goal. New England got the ball back at its 10 with 2:14 left and one timeout, but Kamren Kinchens intercepted Maye to ice it.
“We have enough talent in our locker room to be a very good football team, we’ve just got to be able to put it together,” Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said. “We’ll grow into being able to finish and close out these games.”
Turning point
New England trailed 14-10 after Rams kicker Joshua Karty’s missed 26-yard field-goal attempt at the end of the first half. Los Angeles received the kick to start the third quarter, and on second down Stafford found Kupp near midfield; Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones dove for the pass and missed, leaving no one between Kupp and the end zone.
The Patriots drove into Los Angeles territory, with a first-and-goal from the Rams 5, but settled for a field goal. On the Rams’ next possession, Stafford found Colby Parkinson in the corner of the end zone to make it 28-13.
The Rams have won four of their past five games since starting the season 1-4. They have won three out of four since getting Kupp and Nacua back from injuries in Week 8.
“Props to Stafford and Puka and Kupp,” Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez said. “They came in and they did what they had to do.”
Maye threw for 282 yards and two TDs — one of them to offensive lineman Vederian Lowe — for New England (3-8), which has yet to win back-to-back games this season. The Patriots rookie also gave up a strip-sack at his 12; Stafford hit Nacua for a 12-yard touchdown on the next play to give the Rams a 14-7 lead, and they never trailed from there.
The Patriots fell to 1-3 at home after going 1-7 at Gillette Stadium last season. They ran 73 plays vs. the Rams' 51 and won the time of possession 37:20 to 22:40.
But a one-play touchdown drive and a two-play touchdown drive will make up for that.
“It was a strange game,” McVay said.
Injuries
Rams: Nacua needed attention after slamming into the ground on his second-quarter touchdown pass. He went to the blue medical tent briefly but remained on the sideline and took the field for the Rams’ next possession.
McVay said Nacua threw up when he landed on the ball. Nacua said he was just catching his breath.
“They were just being cautious with him,” the coach said.
Patriots: CB Marcus Jones was slow to get up in the first quarter but returned to the game. … On a kickoff after a Patriots field goal, LB Curtis Jacobs didn’t get up. He eventually walked off but had a head injury and did not return.
Up next
Rams: Host the Eagles on Sunday.
Patriots: Visit Miami on Sunday.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Jimmy Golen, The Associated Press
