NEW ORLEANS – Matthew Stafford passed for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, Kyren Williams rushed for 104 yards and a score and the Los Angeles Rams beat New Orleans 21-14 on Sunday, handing Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi his first loss .

The Saints drove inside the Rams’ 10-yard line in the final minutes, but Derek Carr’s pass on fourth-and-3 was deflected behind by edge rusher Jared Verse and fell incomplete.

That allowed the Rams (6-6) to run out of time ahead of the Saints (4-8) and Rizzi, who had won his first two games since taking over after Dennis Allen was fired.

Stafford passed for 183 yards without a turnover. His scoring passes went 3 yards to Demarcus Robinson and 7 yards to Puca Nacua, giving the Rams the lead for good with 8:54 left.

Versatile tight end Taysom Hill, who had one of his best games for the Saints, injured his left knee and was carted off the field after converting a fourth-and-short run late in the fourth quarter.

Hill, a fan favorite in New Orleans, waved from the car as the crowd in the Superdome chanted his name.

The Saints narrowly edged out the Rams and had the ball longer, but struggled to get into the end zone. New Orleans settled for three field goal attempts in the first half, with Blake Grupe hitting two from 54 yards but missing one from 36 yards.

That was enough to give New Orleans a 6-0 halftime lead before Williams’ 10th TD of the season on a 4-yard run gave the Rams a 7-6 lead.

New Orleans’ only touchdown came on Carr’s 28-yard fourth-quarter pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, his fourth TD reception in four games since signing midseason. Dante Pettis delivered Carr’s pass in tight coverage to the right corner of the end zone, converting the ball into 2 points, making the score 14.

Injuries

Hill’s departure capped a tough day for New Orleans due to injuries. Starting center Erik McCoy was unable to return from another serious groin injury despite a two-week layoff, so Shane Lemieux started in his place. The offense suffered another blow in the fourth quarter when guard Nick Saldiveri was forced off the field with a left knee injury. Safety Tyrann Mathieu appeared to hurt his shoulder during a tackle on Williams in the second half. After treatment, he remained on the sidelines.

Next

Rams: Host Buffalo on Sunday.

Saints: At the New York Giants on Sunday.

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