Titans at Rams live updates: Sunday Night Football score, time, channel, news, stats, highlights and more – The Athletic
The Athletic NFL staff
November 7, 2021 at 10:42 PM ESTBrought to you by
Between franchise relocations, lead backs who are out with injuries and one of the most memorable finishes in Super Bowl history, the Titans and Rams have an unusual number of connections for two teams in different conferences and geographies.
But here they are, leading their divisions — the Titans are 6-2 and the Rams 7-1 — and expecting more as they meet at SoFi Stadium on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football”. There are two notable players missing from this game: Midseason All-Pro Derrick Henry (IR with broken foot) for the Titans and new Rams acquisition Von Miller (inactive with sprained ankle).
Follow along here for updates, including from The Athletic‘s Joe Rexrode and Jourdan Rodrigue at the stadium.
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Titans 21, Rams 9, fourth quarter | Box score
(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)
November 7, 2021 at 10:41 PM EST
Titans’ D giving off some Belichick vibes
OK, slow down. I didn’t hand them a title. But Tennessee has, through three quarters, put together a master class in keeping an explosive offense in front of them. Where are the explosive plays?
And don’t tell me the Rams and Sean McVay haven’t seen it before, even if the QB is a better, more mobile version. It’s not that there aren’t yards to be found, but everything is front of this defense so far, and you see a quarterback who has never truly found a rhythm.
Chris Sprow·
Editorial Director
November 7, 2021 at 10:26 PM EST
Let us stop to praise the red zone camera angles at SoFi Stadium
The camera angle gets down to a line-of-scrimmage look you typically only get between the 30-yard-lines. It’s glorious.
Chris Sprow·
Editorial Director
November 7, 2021 at 10:23 PM EST
Tyler Higbee stepped out of bounds before that TD catch
Maybe more than once.
The officials overturned their call of a TD, leaving the Rams with fourth and goal. They settle for a field goal after their best drive of the game, one that saw Matthew Stafford almost double his in-game QB rating.
Los Angeles averaged more than eight yards per play on that drive, more than double their average for the game so far, as Matthew Stafford got on the move and moved the Rams downfield.
The Athletic NFL Staff
November 7, 2021 at 10:11 PM EST
A.J. Brown has two drops to kill drives
As we noted earlier, his hands haven’t exactly been a problem. But that’s twice tonight the superstar-lite wide receiver has dropped a ball that wouldn’t just create an obvious first down, but would have continued a Titans drive in Rams territory. Will it matter? Pro tip: They tend to.
Chris Sprow·
Editorial Director
November 7, 2021 at 9:59 PM EST
Crude NFL counting stats often lie. Count on it.
The Rams averaged 406 yards per game headed into this one, easily one of the top numbers in the NFL. They have just 94 at the half. The Rams defense has allowed jut 94 yards to the Titans, who average 377 per game coming in.
Small Sample Size Theatre, for the win. 21-3, Titans at the half.
Chris Sprow·
Editorial Director
November 7, 2021 at 9:55 PM EST
The first half was dominated by defense
The Titans’ and even the Rams’ defenses were so strong in that half, let’s look at some combined numbers:
First downs: 15 (Titans 8, Rams 7)
Total yards: 188 (Titans 94, Rams 94)
Third down conversions: 3-14 (Titans 2-7, Rams 1-7)
Yards per play: 2.98 (Titans 3.0, Rams 2.9)
Punts: 6 (Titans 2, Rams 4)
Turnovers: 3 (Titans 1, Rams 3)
So how do you account for that 18-point Titans lead? Fourteen of them came off passes by Matthew Stafford and the Rams offense.
Dan Uthman·
Senior Managing Editor, NFL
November 7, 2021 at 9:44 PM EST
Stafford Sack-o-Meter Update
The Titans are up to four sacks. The Rams have allowed eight on the season coming into tonight. It’s almost halftime. :grimacing:
Chris Sprow·
Editorial Director
November 7, 2021 at 9:43 PM EST
The Titans D continues to dominate
Los Angeles has three punts and two interceptions on its past five possessions. They’ve run 16 plays on their past five possessions, for a rate of 3.2 snaps per possession. Total yardage in that time: 14. That’s not good.
Dan Uthman·
Senior Managing Editor, NFL
November 7, 2021 at 9:40 PM EST
Matthew Stafford returned to the field, and the first person he met was Jeffery Simmons
Simmons has three sacks on 30 Rams offensive snaps.
Dan Uthman·
Senior Managing Editor, NFL
November 7, 2021 at 9:38 PM EST
The help you needed to stop Aaron Donald
That’s just assignment football from the Titans.
Chris Sprow·
Editorial Director
November 7, 2021 at 9:37 PM EST
Ryan Tannehill … college wide receiver!
This is just your annual drafthead PSA that Tannehill was once a college wide receiver and can run fast. This is required by NFL Draft Law when Tannehill does something athletic.
This is only for public draft service. Box checked. Carry on.
(Photo: Peter G. Aiken / Getty Images)
Chris Sprow·
Editorial Director
November 7, 2021 at 9:33 PM EST
Ryan Tannehill keeps for a three-possession Titans lead
Tennessee finally converted on third down and actually did it three times on a 14-play, 64-yard drive.
Tannehill capped it on fourth and goal, taking it untouched to the right side for a TD.
Dan Uthman·
Senior Managing Editor, NFL
November 7, 2021 at 9:26 PM EST
Another stat that shows how bad this start is for the Rams
The Titans have 56 total net yards. The Rams have been penalized six times for 60 yards.
Dan Uthman·
Senior Managing Editor, NFL
November 7, 2021 at 9:21 PM EST
Rams taking sacks like we haven’t seen
The Rams had allowed a league-low 8 total sacks headed into this one. Matthew Stafford has been sacked three times inside the first 21 minutes of play, and that number could be higher if he hadn’t tossed the desperation INT to set up Tennessee’s first TD.
Yikes.
Chris Sprow·
Editorial Director
November 7, 2021 at 9:18 PM EST
Jeffery Simmons has two sacks and an interception, and it’s not even halftime
So many Titans are trying to be the defensive player of the game. The Rams are forced to punt for the third time. In six possessions, they have gone punt, field goal, punt interception, interception, punt.
Dan Uthman·
Senior Managing Editor, NFL
November 7, 2021 at 9:16 PM EST
A quick reminder on where the money is
The Rams were consensus 5.5-point favorites coming into this one. According to The Action Network, 68 percent of the money going in was on the Rams’ cover. We shall see …
Chris Sprow·
Editorial Director
November 7, 2021 at 9:14 PM EST
Quantifying Matthew Stafford’s rough start
As the Rams take over possession coming off two consecutive drives (if you can call them that) that ended in turnover, Stafford has a 50-percent completion percentage and a 19.8 rating, with two interceptions.
Dan Uthman·
Senior Managing Editor, NFL
November 7, 2021 at 9:13 PM EST
Kevin Byard extends the Titans’ lead
Matthew Stafford has thrown interceptions on consecutive plays, as Titans star safety Kevin Byard, the AFC Defensive Player of the Month, picked him off at the Rams’ 24 and returned it for a TD.
Byard now has a TD in his past three road games and four out of his past five games overall.
The Athletic NFL Staff
November 7, 2021 at 9:07 PM EST
Stafford is facing heat he hasn’t seen
Matthew Stafford barely avoided a sack (and safety) early in the second quarter only to carelessly throw an INT that immediately turned into a TD that got the Titans the lead on the next play. Stafford has been sacked just seven times in eight games coming into tonight, and has already been sacked twice before what probably should have been No. 3.
Can Tennessee keep this up?
Chris Sprow·
Editorial Director
November 7, 2021 at 9:06 PM EST
The Titans get on the board after a game-shifting INT
One play, two yards, a four-point lead. Tannehill to Geoff Swaim gives the Titans a turnover conversion.
The Athletic NFL Staff
