NFL Recap & Results | September 21, 2026
Los Angeles finally looked like the offense it was supposed to be, and it happened on the same night New York lost the quarterback whose breakout the preview was built around. Matthew Stafford threw four touchdowns to close out Week 2 with a 28-6 Rams win, but the story of the night was Jaxson Dart's exit with a knee injury just five plays into the Giants' first drive, the latest in a season already defined by the names lost to injury before Week 3 has even started. Here's how it went down, plus a look at how the preview prediction and season-to-date record held up.
Stafford and the Rams Roll as Dart's Night Ends Early
New York Giants 6, Los Angeles Rams 28
Los Angeles answered last week's touchdown-less performance in Melbourne emphatically. Stafford went 22-of-31 for 327 yards and four touchdowns with a 131.3 rating, spreading scores across three different receivers, including two to Davante Adams. The Rams piled up 481 total yards and controlled the clock for over 32 minutes, a complete reversal from the offense that managed a single field goal a week earlier.
New York's night turned on the opening series. Dart, coming off a career-best debut against Dallas, was sandwiched by Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart on third-and-8 and immediately grabbed his left knee; X-rays followed, and the team ruled him out in the third quarter, though general manager Joe Schoen said afterward that Dart "is going to be OK." Jameis Winston finished 14-of-32 for 131 yards with an interception in relief. Malik Nabers, playing just his second game back from last season's torn ACL, also left briefly with a shoulder injury after a first-quarter target but returned to the game. New York managed only 182 total yards and never found the end zone, its two field goals the only points on the board.
NYG 6 · LA 28
Rams Close Out Week 2.
Los Angeles moves to 2-0 behind its best offensive showing of the young season, while New York falls to 0-2 and now has to navigate the rest of the year without its rookie starter. Week 2's full 16-game slate is in the books; Week 3 begins Thursday.
Star of the Night: Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles
22-of-31 passing | 327 yards | 4 TD | 131.3 rating
Davante Adams's two-touchdown night was part of the story, but Stafford spreading four scores across three different receivers while controlling the clock for over 32 minutes is the clearer engine behind the rout.
Dud of the Night: Jameis Winston, QB, New York
14-of-32 passing | 131 yards | 0 TD | 1 INT
Winston was thrown into a difficult spot in relief of Dart, but a Giants offense that managed only 182 total yards and never found the end zone left little doubt about where the night went wrong.
How We Did: Checking the Preview Prediction
This one went 1-for-2, missing the side but clearing the total.
The preview leaned New York +7 with the under at 47.5, citing a Rams offense that had just scored seven points in Melbourne and a Giants team built to win by controlling the clock rather than scoring in bunches. Los Angeles won by 22, blowing well past the number, but the total came in at 34, comfortably under the line. The side missed as the Rams offense looked nothing like the one from a week earlier, helped along by a Giants offense that managed little pressure once Dart went down; the under call held up despite the lopsided final score.
Season Predictions Record
Tracking every graded pick against the spread and total from the preview articles this season, updated through September 21, the close of Week 2's full 16-game slate:
Spread / Side: 15-17
Total (Over/Under): 19-13
The side calls sit at 47%, while the totals are at 59%. We'll keep this tally updated through the rest of the season.
Two weeks in, the injury list keeps growing. Dart joins a Week 2 that already included Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Kyler Murray, and Sam Darnold among the quarterback starters sidelined, accounting for 15.6% of all teams two weeks into the young NFL season.
