“GAME OF THE WEEK Saints at Rams Overview In what could be the marquee matchup of the weekend, the 8-2 Saints will put their eight-game win streak on the line against the 7-3 Rams, who lost for the first time in five games last week. Both teams’ resurgences this season can be traced directly to their improvements in running the ball and playing defense. But the Rams’ potent offense hit the skids a bit last week while the Saints rallied late and tallied more than 500 yards of offense in their overtime comeback win over Washington. Matchup to watch Jared Goff has been very good this season, but he was held mostly in check against a stout Minnesota Vikings defense last week. After a successful and impressive opening drive, Goff and the Rams were stopped cold — they tallied 179 yards and scored zero points after that first series. The Saints’ pass defense has improved dramatically since a series of failures in the first two games, and they’re now ranked in the top 10 in passing yards allowed per play, QB sack percentage and interception percentage. But as Sunday’s win showed, there are still breakdowns here and there. Kirk Cousins beat some of their pressure packages, finding wide-open receivers in big spots. Check the status of rookie corner Marshon Lattimore, who left Sunday’s game with an injury. He’s one of the best young cover men in the game. By the numbers Drew Brees completed 11-of-11 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns on the Saints’ final two drives in regulation last week in helping the team overcome a 15-point deficit with less than three minutes remaining.”
