Wink Martindale’s blitz-happy defense feasted on Rams turnovers, led by safety Dane Belton’s three takeaways.
Tyrod Taylor launched another bomb touchdown to Darius Slayton, bouncing back from turnovers that had some fans chanting “Tommy! Tommy!” for backup Tommy DeVito early on.
Gunner Olszewski returned a punt 94 yards for a touchdown.
But it wasn’t enough. The Giants lost to the Rams, 26-25, as Mason Crosby’s 54-yard field goal attempt sailed short and left at the end.
Taylor had scrambled 31 yards down to the Rams’ 34-yard line and spiked the ball with 43 seconds remaining, seemingly setting up a likely victory.
But Brian Daboll, who had used his final timeout with 3:49 remaining, went with a Saquon Barkley run for -2 yards and an incomplete pass to Wan’Dale Robinson to settle for a long-distance field goal for a 39-year-old kicker the team just signed last week.
So the Giants (5-11) fell to the Rams (9-7) and now have just one game remaining against the Philadelphia Eagles before this forgettable season wraps.
Taylor, in his first game reinstated as the Giants’ starting quarterback, missed a golden opportunity to take the lead late.
Trailing by seven points, 26-19, Olszewski broke a tackle and raced 94 yards for the punt return touchdown with 3:27 remaining in the fourth quarter.
But when the Rams jumped offsides on the extra point try, Brian Daboll decided to go for two points and the lead from the 1-yard line. And although Saquon Barkley was open, Taylor missed a wide-open flip to Barkley incomplete for the failed conversion.
Mistakes bit the Giants on a day when they also made a lot of plays.
A holding penalty by tight end Daniel Bellinger killed the Giants’ first chance of tying the game late with the Rams up, 26-19.
Taylor, who had already hit Slayton for an 80-yard TD pass in the third quarter, launched a 47-bomb to rookie wideout Jalin Hyatt down inside the Rams’ 30-yard line. But it was called back because of Bellinger’s second hold of the game.
The Giants then ended up turning the ball over on downs on a completion from Taylor to Hyatt way short of the sticks. The defense got two stops to give the offense the ball back, though, until Olszewski got loose on his big return.
The Rams had broken the game open on an 80-yard pass from Matthew Stafford to rookie receiver Puka Nacua in the third quarter. Giants corner Adoree Jackson missed a tackle on a short completion to Nacua, and he raced down to the 2-yard line.
Rams running back Kyren Williams then scored his second of three rushing touchdowns from the 2-yard line to give L.A. a 20-10 lead with 10:17 to play.
The game looked like it was slipping away after a poor decision by punt returner Gunner Olszewski gave the Giants offense poor field position late in the third.
But Taylor launched his second deep TD to Slayton in two games, an 80-yard TD with his pass covering 61 yards in the air. He had hit Slayton for a 69-yard score in Philadelphia on Christmas Day, too.
That drew the Giants within 20-16 despite Mason Crosby’s missed extra point. And Belton’s second interception of the day, and third takeaway of the game, set up a Crosby field goal to bring the home team within 20-19 with 13:24 left in the fourth quarter.
But McVay answered with a 3-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. It included a 37-yard pass to Demarcus Robinson and a 23-yard TD run by Williams for a 26-19 Rams lead with 12:03 to play after L.A.’s second missed extra point of the game.
That set the stage for the wild finish.
The Giants only trailed the Rams, 14-10, at halftime thanks to Belton’s first two takeaways in replacement of an injured Jason Pinnock (foot) in the first quarter.
Belton got both of his turnovers in the second quarter, evening out two giveaways by Taylor and the Giants’ offense in the same frame.
Belton intercepted Stafford on an overthrow at the Giants’ 38-yard line with the score tied, 7-7, with 6:33 to play in the half. Then he recovered a Demarcus Robinson fumble forced by Jackson with 58 seconds left, down 14-7, to set up a 31-yard Mason Crosby field goal.
The fumble recovery was critical because Taylor had thrown a deep interception to Rams safety Jordan Fuller with 1:07 remaining, and Jackson and Belton stole the ball back on the very next play.
The first half still belonged to the Rams, though. Stafford’s offense moved the ball easily outside of the turnovers and got to third down only twice all half.
Williams, the hard-nosed Rams running back, opened the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown run with 3:07 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.
The Giants’ Wan’Dale Robinson tied it at seven apiece with 13:03 left in the second quarter on a 24-yard end-around TD run.
But Taylor fumbled the snap on 4th and 1 at the Giants’ 47-yard line and turned it over on downs with 5:02 to play. And the Rams cashed in another touchdown on the short field: a 5-yard TD pass from Stafford to Cooper Kupp with 1:44 remaining for a 14-7 lead.
