Dart's injury hinders Giants as Stafford, Rams pick up MNF win

• Sarah Barshop

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  Sarah Barshop

  ESPN Staff Writer

  Sarah Barshop covers the Los Angeles Rams for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Green Bay Packers for ESPN Milwaukee. She then moved to Houston to cover the Texans. She came to ESPN after working as a writer and editor for Sports Illustrated.
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• Jordan Raanan

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  Jordan Raanan

  ESPN Staff Writer

  Jordan Raanan covers the New York Giants for ESPN and can be heard hosting on ESPN Radio. Raanan joined ESPN in 2016.

Sep 21, 2026, 11:18 PM ET

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Rams' offense struggled to get into a rhythm in the season opener, but in the week after that game, wide receiver Davante Adams cautioned on overreacting to that small sample size.

"Everybody's freaking out, which I understand," Adams said last week. "We didn't put together the greatest showing out there. But you're a fool if you think that that's what it's going to look like every single week."

But on Monday night against the Giants, quarterback Matthew Stafford and Adams showed off the connection that flashed midway through last season, his first in Los Angeles. Adams had 8 catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-6 win in which the Rams were without wide receiver Puka Nacua.

Adams' performance sparked a return to the offense the Rams were expecting going into the season. The game was Adams' 29th career game with multiple receiving touchdowns, which is tied for the fourth most in NFL history.

Adams' 195 yards were the most receiving yards by any player in a game in this short season, and without Nacua, second-year tight end Terrance Ferguson was the Rams' second-leading receiver. Ferguson had six catches for 54 yards and a touchdown.

Here are the most important things to know for both teams:

Los Angeles Rams (1-1)

What to make of the QB performance: Stafford, who had a passer rating of 61.2 in Los Angeles' season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers, had a passer rating of 131.3 on Monday night. He completed 22 of 31 passes for 327 yards, with four touchdowns and an interception. Stafford had success passing 10 or more yards downfield, something he struggled with in Week 1. After going 3-for-10 for 74 yards with an interception on those throws in Week 1, Stafford went 9-for-13 for 219 yards in Week 2, with two touchdowns and an interception.

Trend to watch: What will Aaron Donald's workload look like going forward? On Monday night, he played 32 defensive snaps (58.2%) for the Rams. He was credited with three tackles, one run stuff and no quarterback pressures. The game was Donald's first in 981 days, as he initially retired following the 2023 season.

Stat to know: Adams' first-quarter touchdown was his first with the Rams that came on a pass not thrown into the end zone, according to ESPN Research. Each of Adams' 15 receiving touchdowns last season (14 in the regular season, one in the playoffs) was thrown into the end zone. -- Sarah Barshop

Next game: at Denver Broncos, 8:20 p.m. ET

New York Giants (1-1)

The New York Giants may have dodged disaster with injuries to star quarterback Jaxson Dart and wide receiver Malik Nabers. They still couldn't avoid a reality check in a 28-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at Sofi Stadium.

Their secondary couldn't hold up against wide receiver Davante Adams (8 catches on 10 targets for 195 yards with 2 TDs) and the offense didn't look the same without Dart.

Dart left after taking a hit to his left knee on the opening drive. While he didn't return to the game, he did appear on the sidelines in street clothes. Dart wanted to get back into the game but the Giants thought better of it, according to sources.

Nabers also had an injury scare in the first half when he hurt his shoulder. He later returned, but the Giants managed just 182 yards of offense in the contest and didn't look anything like the offense that dismantled the Cowboys in Week 1 once backup Jameis Winston entered the game.

What to make of the QB performance: Winston looked shaky. He struggled with his accuracy and threw a bad interception in the red zone. It didn't help that the Rams' pressure was relentless. In the first half alone, Los Angeles had 10 pressures in 18 dropbacks. Winston finished with 111 passing yards.

To make matters worse, left tackle Andrew Thomas and outside linebacker Brian Burns were also banged up in the fourth quarter of the blowout loss.

Most surprising performance: The Giants rushed for 165 yards and 4.5 yards per carry against the Cowboys. They were banking on their physical style to do the same against a Rams defense that was run over by the 49ers in the opener. It didn't turn out that way. New York rushed for just 52 yards and 2.5 yards per carry against the Rams.

Stat to know: Seven catches on 10 targets for 143 yards with a touchdown against safety Tyler Nubin, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. It was a rough game in coverage as the nearest defender for the third-year Giants safety. -- Jordan Raanan