Rams, Giants looking to build on disparate Week 1 showings when they meet on Monday night

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams could not have looked worse, while the New York Giants could not have looked better in their respective season openers.

Both sides recognize the response to those performances when they meet on Monday night will be just as important as their Week 1 showings.

“They understand, they understood going into the game that it was the first game of a 17-game season, no matter what the outcome is going to be, and that the Rams are going to be next up regardless of what the outcome is,” Giants coach John Harbaugh said. “So, our job is to get better, keep improving, because you have to.”

The Rams (0-1) have plenty to address following their 27-7 flop to the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia. They were outplayed against their NFC West rivals after an offseason spent adding big names and amassing bigger expectations.

“That wasn’t a day that really any of us liked,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “But, hey, it’s not final, and we’re looking to move forward.”

Among the priorities for McVay is getting his offense on track after quarterback Matthew Stafford looked nothing like the form that won him the Most Valuable Player award last season, completing 60% of his throws for 155 yards and one interception.

McVay cited a lack of consistency for those struggles, compounded because the Rams possessed the ball twice in the first quarter and once in the third quarter.

“How do we string together positive plays, both in the run and the pass together?,” McVay said. “And that’s what good offenses do, and that’s what we’re striving to do.”

The Giants (1-0) had no such problems, possessing the ball for 21:33 in the second half as they kept the high-powered Dallas Cowboys’ offense on the sideline in a 28-20 victory.

It is a game plan they want to repeat on a regular basis, ideally making New York punter Jordan Stout a viewer instead of an active participant.

“We want to be on the field as long as we can, eating up the clock, getting points after every drive,” fullback Patrick Ricard said.

“I told Jordan Stout, ‘You’re not punting this game.’ I was just trying to set the tone early for the season, and we punted once. So, this game and every game moving forward, we’re going to try (to have the) punter not punt.”

Need to know

New York Giants (1-0) at Los Angeles Rams (0-1)

When/where to watch: Monday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN/ABC

Latest odds: Rams by 7

Against the spread: Giants 1-0; Rams 0-1.

Last week: Giants beat the Cowboys 28-20; Rams lost to the 49ers 27-7.

Last meeting: Rams beat the Giants 26-25 on Dec. 31, 2023, in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Series record: Rams lead 30-17.

Matchup to watch

Giants QB Jaxson Dart vs. Rams edge rushers Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart. Dart kept the Cowboys off balance, throwing for 230 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 54 yards. And while he was sacked twice, they resulted in a 1-yard loss. Los Angeles doesn’t have Myles Garrett for the next four weeks following knee surgery, putting Stewart into the starting lineup opposite Young. The Rams couldn’t generate meaningful pressure on Niners QB Brock Purdy, so they have to be disruptive while also accounting for Dart’s ability to create outside of structure.

Stats and stuff

— McVay is 4-0 versus the Giants and can join George Allen, Chuck Knox, Dan Quinn and Dick Vermeil as coaches to win his first five games against them.

— Stafford failed to lead the Rams to at least 10 points for the second time as a starter, with both games coming against San Francisco (24-9 loss on Oct. 3, 2022).

— Dart’s three touchdown passes versus Dallas tied his career high (Oct. 19, 2025, against Denver).

— The Giants lost their only previous road game against the Rams at SoFi Stadium 17-9 on Oct. 4, 2020, with no fans in attendance because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

— This has been a series of streaks lately, with the Rams winning five in a row from 1994-2001, then the Giants taking the next seven from 2002-2016, and the Rams taking the past four going back to 2017.

— Harbaugh lost his first road game as coach of the Baltimore Ravens, 23-20 in overtime at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 29, 2008. That game was played on a Monday night.

— Giants RB Cam Skattebo had 81 yards rushing and a touchdown on 18 carries against the Cowboys, the second-best outing of his brief NFL career. He ran for 98 yards and three scores against Philadelphia on Oct. 9, 2025.

— The Giants went 1-7 on the road last season, defeating the Raiders in Las Vegas on Dec. 28, 2025, to kickstart their current three-game winning streak.

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AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno in New York contributed to this report.

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