2021 Giants Opponent Preview: Los Angeles Rams

The New York Giants played the Los Angeles Rams surprisingly tough last season. Can the Giants finally get the better of Aaron Donald and company this year?

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Jul 17, 2021 10:00 AM EDT

Last year, the New York Giants weren't given much of a chance to stand toe-to-toe with the Los Angeles Rams.

But, to quote the fictitious Gomer Pyle, "Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!" as the Giants not only stood up to the Rams, the game might have actually turned out differently were it not for two turning points in that 17-9 loss.

The first was the Giants' blown coverage on a 55-yard touchdown pass from then quarterback Jared Goff to receiver Cooper Kupp, the score turning a 10-9 Rams lead into a 17-9 advantage with 6:56 left in the game.

The other instance came at the end when the Giants offense, as led by Daniel Jones, couldn't get the ball into the endzone after getting it with 2:05 left in the game.

With 57 seconds left, Jones, on a pass intended for receiver Damion Ratley, was intercepted by cornerback Darious Williams at the Rams' 5-yard line, the pick pretty much ending the game right there.

So while the Giants gave it their all and surprised a lot of people by keeping things close with the Rams, as the great Bill Parcells once said, "There are no medals for trying."

Ah, but the Giants will try again this year to best the Rams, who this time will visit MetLife Stadium in Week 6 (October 17). Los Angeles, who last year finished with a 10-6 record good enough for second place in the NFC West, lead the regular-season series 27-16, with the postseason series between the two teams tied 1-1.

The last time the Rams visited the Giants' home turf was on November 5, 2017, when the Rams throttled the Giants 51-17, ending a Giants’ seven-game winning streak in the series that spanned from 2002-2016.

The Rams will have a new quarterback this year running their offense, Matthew Stafford, whom they obtained from the Lions in a trade that involved Goff. What other storyline and names do Giants fans need to be aware of?

On a recent LockedOn Giants podcast, Sosa Kremenjas, host of the LockedOn Rams podcast, checked in to provide the lowdown on several topics, including.

How the offense changes with Stafford running it as opposed to Goff.
Has the confidence in Sean McVay taken a hit among the fan base/media?
What will the defense look like under new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris?
Who are some under-the-radar players to watch for on defense?
What are the more intriguing matchups developing between both teams for this season?

You can hear the lowdown from Sosa below.

We have a new opponent preview every day (but only one preview for each of the NFC East teams) until we get to the last one (Chicago), with each preview featuring insight from a beat reporter who covers the team. So be sure to check out the previews as they come out!

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