EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It could not have been a sweeter way to come back.
Rams tight end Tyler Higbee played Sunday for the first time since suffering a major knee injury in last season’s NFC wild-card playoff game.
He endured 11 months of rehabilitation from knee and shoulder surgeries.
So Higbee enjoyed himself after he caught a pass and then dived across the goal-line for the go-ahead touchdown in the Rams’ 19-9 victory over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.
Kyren Williams rushed for 122 yards, Kam Curl forced a fumble and the Rams defense kept Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers mostly at bay as the Rams extended their winning streak to four games.
The Rams are 9-6 and remain atop the NFC West heading into Saturday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium.
After a 1-4 start, the Rams are on the verge of making the playoffs for the sixth time in coach Sean McVay’s eight seasons. And they are healthier than they have been all season.
Higbee’s return was notable for a team that went into the game without one player listed as questionable on the injury report.
Rams linebacker Jared Verse (8) celebrates his fumble recovery against the Jets with teammates. The turnover set up the deciding touchdown.
(Seth Wenig / Associated Press)
The Rams stayed hot on a day when the temperature was 17 degrees during warmups.
Rams outside linebacker Michael Hoecht came out shirtless, and about 15 minutes later, the rest of his position group did the same.
They were sending a message that nothing, be it freezing temperatures or future Hall of Famer Rodgers, could keep the Rams from continuing their hot streak and drive to the playoffs.
It was so cold, McVay donned a beanie, covering his trademark gelled spike.
Williams, who carried the ball 29 times in each of the previous two games, carried it 23 times on Sunday, and scored on a short touchdown run in the first quarter.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 14 of 19 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown, with an interception. The turnover ended at five Stafford’s streak of games without an interception.
Rodgers completed 28 of 42 passes for 256 yards and a touchdown. Early in the fourth quarter, Curl sacked him and forced him to fumble. Edge rusher Jared Verse recovered the fumble, and three plays later Stafford completed his pass to Higbee, who celebrated his touchdown by spiking the ball and pumping his right fist.
Linebacker Omar Speights and cornerbacks Ahkello Witherspoon and Darious Williams also made huge plays that foiled fourth-down attempts by the Jets.
In the second quarter, Speights stopped Breece Hall for no gain, setting up Williams’ touchdown run.
In the third quarter, Witherspoon broke up a pass intended for Davante Adams in the end zone, giving the Rams the ball for a drive that ended with Joshua Karty’s tying field goal. And in the fourth, Darious Williams broke up a pass that set up another Karty field goal.