The Los Angeles Rams kept their winning streak alive on Sunday afternoon, beating the New York Jets, 19-9, on the road at MetLife Stadium. It was their eighth win in the last 10 games, taking full control of the NFC West with the Arizona Cardinals losing to the Carolina Panthers.
Though the job isn't finished yet, this was a massive win by the Rams with only two games left in the regular season. They improved their postseason odds and only now have to beat the Seattle Seahawks in the race to the division title.
Here are the best and worst performers from the Rams' win over New York.
Stud: Kyren Williams
For the third week in a row, Williams carried it at least 20 times, getting 23 carries in the win over the Jets. He was incredibly efficient, gaining 122 yards and scoring one touchdown - and his last three carries only went for five yards as the Rams attempted to kill the clock. He also caught one pass for 7 yards, giving him 129 yards from scrimmage with a score.
In a game where the Rams only had 110 yards passing, it was Williams who carried the offense on a freezing cold day in East Rutherford.
Stud: Tyler Higbee
Higbee only caught one pass for 11 yards, but it was an important one. It gave the Rams a 16-9 lead, which they never relinquished the rest of the way. Not only that, but it was Higbee's first touchdown since Week 12 of last season, coming in his season debut after missing the first 14 games of the year.
His teammates understandably went crazy when he scored, a massive moment for the veteran tight end who worked his way back from knee and shoulder surgeries in the offseason.
Stud: Kam Curl
Curl's strip-sack on Aaron Rodgers in the fourth quarter was a key moment in the game, giving the Rams the ball with excellent field position. Three plays later, they got into the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown. Curl has been decent as a blitzer this season and although he didn't get home right away on this play, he contained Rodgers and didn't let him escape the pocket.
Stud: Omar Speights
The Rams' defense had moments of looking outmatched by the Jets' playmakers, but when New York tried to run the ball, Speights was usually in perfect position. He came up with a big tackle on fourth-and-1 early in the game to force the turnover on downs, and he also had another pass breakup on a pass intended for Davante Adams just before halftime. He finished with five tackles and that pass breakup.
Dud: Ahkello Witherspoon
Cobie Durant was active but the Rams held him out and inserted Witherspoon into the starting lineup for the second straight week. He played well against the 49ers but Witherspoon was beat time and time again by the Jets' receivers. Davante Adams won frequently when one-on-one against Witherspoon, while Garrett Wilson ran some filthy routes against him to get open for Rodgers. Witherspoon also missed a tackle on Breece Hall on a key third-and-11 play, allowing him to pick up 15 yards and a first down.
Dud: Byron Young
Young barely had his name called in this one, finishing with only two tackles and no hits on the quarterback. Though he did have a decent game against the run, he was ineffective as a pass rusher and generated very little pressure on Rodgers - which was the case for just about every Rams defender in this one.
Dud: Beaux Limmer
The Rams' offensive line did a good job protecting Stafford and opening up running lanes for Williams, but Limmer had some penalty problems. He was called for a false start on third-and-8 from the Jets' 15-yard line in the fourth quarter, pushing the offense back to third-and-13; the next play was incomplete and led to a field goal.
Then on the Rams' next drive, he was called for holding on a play that picked up 10 yards. Two plays later, he committed another hold, though that penalty was declined because Williams was flagged for taunting after the play. Still, those two holds cost the Rams 18 yards on the ground.
Dud: Matthew Stafford
For the second week in a row, Stafford failed to throw for more than 160 yards. In this one, he threw for just 110 yards and a touchdown, also tossing a bad interception where he overthrew Demarcus Robinson by a lot. His 27-yard completion to Puka Nacua was big after escaping the pocket but he only completed 14 passes and most of them were within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage.