Saints face Rams with potential playoff spot at stake

Los Angeles Rams: With four straight victories, the team has taken the final NFC wild-card playoff spot.

In addition to being a wild-card candidate, the New Orleans Saints have won two straight games and are tied for the best record in the NFC South. This Thursday night’s matchup between the two 7-7 clubs in Los Angeles has significant postseason implications.

The return of running back Kyren Williams from an ankle ailment has helped the Rams’ comeback.

He has averaged 124.3 rushing yards in the four games since his return. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp has matched his season high in catches (eight) in each of the last two games, finishing with 111 and 115 yards. He has a touchdown each of the last three games.

Coach Sean McVay is hoping the Rams can regain their offensive productivity inside the red zone. L.A. ranks 11th in the NFL in percentage of red-zone visits that have ended with touchdowns (60.5), but it’s only at 50 percent the last two games.

The Rams were 1-for-3 last week in a 28-20 home victory against Washington. Two weeks ago they were 3-for-5, which cost them in a 37-31 overtime loss at Baltimore, their only defeat in the last six weeks.

“We’ve been pretty good in the red zone overall,” McVay said. “There’s been a heightened awareness, especially the last couple of weeks, because of the way we went right down the field on our opening drive and had to settle for a field goal. “Ultimately you want to come away with touchdowns. I’ve got to be better (at calling plays).

” The Rams are looking to improve their red-zone performance in a manner similar to how New Orleans has improved its showing inside the 20. The Saints have been near the bottom of the NFL in red-zone efficiency for most of the season but have moved up to 21st after scoring nine touchdowns in 10 red-zone trips during the last three games.

The improvement coincides with coach Dennis Allen devoting more practice time to the red zone. The Saints were 2-for-2 in a 24-6 home victory against the New York Giants last Sunday, raising their touchdown rate for the season to 52 percent.

“You get what you emphasize,” Allen said, “and I think the extra amount of practice that we’ve spent on red zone has been good for us.” New Orleans had a season-high seven sacks in the victory against the Giants after a week in which Allen challenged the team’s veteran players to play better. “I think a lot of those guys took that as a personal challenge,” Allen said, “and I think you saw some of our veteran players really step up and play at an exceptionally high level.

Because both teams had walkthroughs on Tuesday, the amount of work that would have been involved in a complete practice was estimated in their practice reports. Starting wide receiver Chris Olave (ankle), who also missed the previous week’s game, was upgraded to limited action, while Saints starting lineman Ryan Ramczyk (knee) did not play.

Only offensive lineman Joseph Noteboom (foot) and backup cornerback Tre Tomlinson (hamstring) missed practice on Tuesday for the Rams. This season, Noteboom has participated in 12 games, starting seven of them.

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