Football is a game of inches, and honestly, the Los Angeles Rams vs Giants showdown at the tail end of the 2023 season was a messy, beautiful, and heart-stopping reminder of that. Most people look back at that New Year’s Eve matchup and just see a win for LA. But if you were actually watching, you know it was a total circus. It was a game that almost ended the Rams' playoff hopes before they even started.
Imagine this: a 94-yard punt return touchdown, a missed 54-yard field goal at the buzzer, and a failed two-point conversion that felt like it took ten years to unfold.
The Rams escaped MetLife Stadium with a 26-25 victory. Barely.
The Kyren Williams Show and Why the Giants Kept Hanging Around
Going into that game, everyone expected the Rams to just steamroll New York. The Giants were sitting at 5-11. They were playing Tyrod Taylor. It should have been a blowout. Instead, the Giants turned it into a street fight.
Kyren Williams was basically the only reason the Rams stayed afloat. He punched in three touchdowns. Three! He finished with 87 yards on 20 carries, and every single one of those yards felt earned against a Giants defense that was playing like their lives depended on it.
Stafford's Rollercoaster Afternoon
Matthew Stafford threw for 317 yards, which looks great on paper. But he also tossed two picks to Dane Belton. It was weird. He hadn’t thrown an interception in 170 passes before that day. Suddenly, he was seeing ghosts in the secondary.
Then you had Puka Nacua. This was the game where Puka was chasing history. He caught five balls for 118 yards, including a monster 80-yard catch-and-run that set the tone for the second half. Watching him play is kind of like watching a veteran who’s somehow trapped in a rookie's body. He just doesn't make mistakes.
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That Absurd Fourth Quarter
If you want to talk about the Los Angeles Rams vs Giants history, this fourth quarter belongs in a time capsule.
Gunner Olszewski—who the Giants basically found off the scrap heap mid-season—took a punt 94 yards to the house. The stadium went nuts. At that point, the score was 26-25. Giants coach Brian Daboll decided to go for the win right then and there.
He called for a two-point conversion.
Tyrod Taylor rolled out to his right. He had Saquon Barkley wide open. Like, "nobody within five yards of him" open. And he just... missed him. Taylor later admitted he was caught between running it in himself and throwing the ball. That split-second hesitation probably cost the Giants the game.
But wait, it gets crazier.
The Giants got the ball back again with no timeouts and about a minute left. Tyrod Taylor scrambled for 31 yards to put them in field goal range. Mason Crosby, a guy who has made a career out of clutch kicks, stepped up for a 54-yarder.
It sailed wide left.
The Rams walked off the field with a win they probably didn't deserve, but a win is a win in the NFL. That victory, combined with a Seahawks loss later that day, officially punched the Rams' ticket to the playoffs.
By the Numbers: Los Angeles Rams vs Giants History
The rivalry isn't a traditional "hate-filled" divisional feud, but it's deep. They’ve played each other since the late 1930s when the Rams were still in Cleveland.
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- All-time Record: The Rams lead the series 61-47-2.
- Postseason: The Rams are a perfect 2-0 against the Giants in the playoffs.
- Recent Trends: LA has taken four out of the last five meetings. The Giants haven't beaten the Rams since 2016.
It’s a lopsided history recently, but the games are usually closer than the experts predict. The Giants have this weird habit of playing up to the level of the Rams, especially in the cold Jersey air.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Matchup
There’s this idea that the Rams always have the offensive advantage. Sure, Sean McVay is a genius. But if you look at the 2023 game, the Giants actually out-gained the Rams in several categories. The Giants' defense forced three turnovers.
The difference is usually just one or two elite playmakers. For the Rams, it's Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. For the Giants, losing Saquon Barkley to the Eagles in the 2024 offseason changed the entire dynamic of how they approach these big-game matchups.
Looking Ahead to 2026 and Beyond
As we look at the landscape in 2026, both teams are in very different spots. The Rams have leaned heavily into the Stafford-McVay era, while the Giants are still trying to find that consistent identity under the Mara family's leadership.
When these two teams meet, you have to ignore the records. Seriously. Don't look at the betting line. The Los Angeles Rams vs Giants games are almost always dictated by special teams and red zone efficiency rather than raw yardage.
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How to Analyze the Next Matchup
If you're looking at a future game between these two, keep an eye on these specific factors:
- The Turnover Margin: The Giants' only path to victory against LA's high-powered offense is usually through takeaways.
- Special Teams Impact: Between blocked field goals and 94-yard returns, this matchup is historically haunted by "third phase" chaos.
- The Nacua Factor: Until a team proves they can jam Puka Nacua at the line, he is going to continue to feast on the Giants' secondary.
The next time the schedule makers put these two together, don't expect a blowout. Expect a mess. Expect a game where a backup quarterback almost ruins a playoff run, and where the winning team feels like they just escaped a burning building.
To get a better sense of how the Rams are trending, you should check out the latest NFC West standings and compare the defensive sack rates. The Rams' pass rush, led by guys like Kobie Turner, is the real barometer for how they handle veteran quarterbacks like the ones New York tends to field.