Running back Kyren Williams had a career-high three touchdowns and the Los Angeles Rams He clinched a playoff berth on Sunday, just a year after missing the cut following a Super Bowl victory.
But the real star of the show was Williams’ mother in the stands at MetLife Stadium.
Kyren Williams #23 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates after a rushing touchdown during the first quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on December 31, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, leading the New York Giants for one point, Matthew Stafford handed the ball to Williams, who ran 28 yards for the third time in the end zone.
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Williams saw her mother, Taryn Williams, in the stands and jumped to hand her the ball. But one enthusiastic Giants fan took the opportunity to try to grab the game ball.
After some pushing and shoving between the two, it was Taryn who ended up with the prize.
Like Williams’ mother, the Rams took control of the game and their future with the 26-25 victory.
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In addition to winning their third straight and sixth in seven games, the Rams clinched a playoff berth with the Seattle Seahawks‘ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers a few hours later.
“There’s a lot of things that can happen, but I love what this team has done,” coach Sean McVay said after the game.
Matthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams and Kyren Williams #23 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrate after Williams’ touchdown during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium on December 31, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
“This team has physical and mental toughness and sometimes you have to be able to get wins like that. There are no style points… so we’ll take it and like I said, I’m looking forward to playing.” to be able to clean this stuff up, move forward and have our eyes up and have a great week of preparation for the Niners.”
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Williams, the The NFL’s second leading rusher Entering the contest, he rushed for 87 yards and received praise from Stafford.
“Kyren was patient. It wasn’t like every run was eight, nine, ten yards. Obviously, [he] I had the big one. I thought he did a great job just picking his spots, and when we got to the red zone, man, he just put it in for us.”
Kyren Williams #23 of the Los Angeles Rams passes by Dane Belton #24 of the New York Giants as he scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium on December 31, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
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The Rams improved to 9-7 after a disappointing 5-12 finish the year before.
“We will never take it for granted that we can get wins,” McVay said. “We tried to do a lot of things to not win this game today, but our guys found a way. Sometimes you need to be able to have these types of games to increase your sense of urgency. We were a little off. We had our opportunities, but they They stayed together.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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