INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Los Angeles Rams faced their biggest deficit in more than two months when they fell 10 points behind with 30 seconds left in the first half Sunday at SoFi Stadium. Even worse, both their offense and their defense felt they were letting each other down.
That’s when their veteran quarterback reminded those on the home sideline that a big comeback must start small.
“Let’s go steal three (points),” Matthew Stafford told his teammates before he led a brisk five-play drive for a field goal as time expired.
The Rams rode that momentum into a phenomenal second half on both sides of the ball that ended with the club assured of returning to the playoffs for the third straight year since missing out in the 2022 season when they failed to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
Matthew Stafford passed for 368 yards and hit Colby Parkinson for two touchdowns, and the NFC-leading Rams became the first team to clinch a playoff berth in the NFL’s 2025 season with a 41-34 victory against the Detroit Lions.
Kyren Williams rushed for two scores and Blake Corum added another touchdown for the Rams (11-3), who put up 20 consecutive points while seizing control on the way to their eighth victory in nine games.
“When we’re firing on all cylinders … man,” said nose tackle Kobie Turner, who had a key sack of Jared Goff. “You put your foot on the gas, and you leave everybody behind.”
Puka Nacua had nine catches for 181 yards for Los Angeles, which is headed to the playoffs for the seventh time in Sean McVay’s nine seasons as head coach. They’re also chasing a second straight NFC West Division title and third overall under McVay.
After throwing his fifth interception of the season in the first half, Stafford ruthlessly led the Rams to victory in the second. He heard chants of “M-V-P! M-V-P!” from the home fans after hitting Parkinson for an 11-yard score with 4:49 to play.
Amon-Ra St. Brown scorched his hometown team for 163 yards and two touchdowns on 13 receptions for the Lions (8-6), who were held to 125 yards in the second half. Goff passed for 338 yards and three TDs, but Detroit has alternated wins and losses since the fifth week of the regular season, endangering its hopes for a third straight playoff berth.
“We’re resilient,” Goff said. “We really are, and I expect us to bounce back from this, and we still have plenty of stuff in front of us. We’ve got a great group that can win a championship here.”
Broncos on track for AFC’s top seed
DENVER — The Denver Broncos were slogging their way through a rare clunker against the Green Bay Packers when cornerback Pat Surtain II delivered the game-saving takeaway for the home team at Empower Field at Mile High.
The reigning NFL defensive player of the year laid out for Jordan Love’s deep throw to Christian Watson and secured his first interception of an injury-marred season, a pick that sparked the Broncos to a 34-26 comeback win that has them headed to the playoffs for the second season in a row after a seven-year drought for the franchise since winning Super Bowl 50.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, a second-year pro, tied his career high with four touchdown passes — connecting with Michael Bandy, Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin and Lil’Jordan Humphrey — to lead the Broncos (12-2) to their 11th consecutive victory.
In addition to clinching a playoff berth, the Broncos moved a game ahead of the New England Patriots for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Denver stayed two games ahead of the second-place Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC West Division standings.
The AFC East’s Patriots entered Sunday with the chance to clinch a playoff berth but lost 35-31 at home to division rival Buffalo. The Bills ended a 10-game winning streak for New England, which fell to 11-3 but remains a game ahead of second-place Buffalo in the AFC East. The Bills are the division’s five-time reigning champion.
Meanwhile, Green Bay lost star lost star pass rusher Micah Parsons, who went down with a noncontact knee injury while chasing down Nix. Parsons, who had energized the green and gold ever since his stunning trade from the Dallas Cowboys a week before the season opener, is believed to have suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, a person with knowledge of the injury told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the severity of the injury hadn’t been confirmed by tests.
“I’m sickened,” Parsons, who forced a fumble on Denver’s opening drive, wrote to the AP in a text message.
Parsons’ injury is a devastating blow to the Packers (9-4-1), who fell a half-game behind the first-place Chicago Bears ahead of their NFC North showdown next weekend at Soldier Field.
Parsons was steps away from a sack when he suddenly pulled up and fell to the ground, grabbing at his left knee.