The Los Angeles Rams' 26-25 Week 17 victory over the New York Giants, which eventually clinched them a playoff spot, was a narrow and hard-fought one as visiting Los Angeles withstood the challenge of the inhabitants of the Meadowlands. And a microcosm of that took place in the grandstands, as the mother of Rams running back Kyren Williams had to make sure she secured a touchdown ball from her son.
After Williams scored his third touchdown of the day to put the Rams up 26-19 in the fourth quarter, he attempted to hand the ball to his mother, Taryn, in the stands -- but an overzealous Giants fan attempted to wrestle the ball away. The two tussled for the football -- with Kyren himself sizing up the situation and trying to get the Giants fan to shoo -- but Taryn ended up winning the battle and securing the football, much to the delight of former New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez on the Fox Sports broadcast.
Don’t mess with @Kyrenwilliams23’s mom 😤 pic.twitter.com/Sv8ZTyYYjm
— NFL (@NFL) December 31, 2023
"One-on-one matchup right here, looks like the Giants fan has it -- and that's a dip and rip, you see that?" Sanchez said on the call. "She used her momentum, got into his body, real tight and then yanked it out."
On a day in which quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Rams' vaunted passing attack had issues handling an aggressive Giants defense, Williams' three touchdowns wound up making the difference as L.A. withstood a ferocious fight from Big Blue, securing the win after Giants kicker Mason Crosby missed a 54-yard field goal in the closing seconds. The Rams would clinch a playoff spot later in the evening after the Pittsburgh Steelers' victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
