INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Taliese Fuaga limped off the field with an injured ankle in the closing minutes Sunday and did not return.
He left the field on a cart late in the fourth quarter with a towel covering his face. Coach Kellen Moore did not have any substantive updates on Fuaga's condition after the game, other than confirming it was an injured ankle for his starting right tackle.
Fuaga's injury occurred with 5:45 remaining in the fourth quarter after an incomplete pass on third down. Asim Richards replaced Fuaga in the lineup on the ensuing play, during which Tyler Shough threw an interception under duress from the Rams' pass rush.
Fuaga has dealt with several injuries this season.
He missed the fourth quarter of the Saints' season opener with a knee injury, then missed the Saints' Week 3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks with a back injury. In both cases, Richards filled in for him in the starting lineup.
Sluggish starts
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford entered Sunday’s game tied for the league lead with 17 touchdown passes, and he padded that total against the Saints.
Stafford connected on touchdowns of 1, 3 and 39 yards in the first half of Sunday’s game, helping push Los Angeles to a 20-10 halftime lead. He finished the game with four scoring strikes.
That isn’t an especially new phenomenon against this Saints defense. New Orleans has yielded 18 touchdown passes this season, and 15 of them have come in the first halves of games.
Stoll injured
Backup tight end Jack Stoll left the game with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter and did not return.
Stoll's injury occurred when the Saints unsuccessfully went for it with a Hill keeper on fourth and 2 from the Rams' 7-yard line. He left the game on a cart.
Odds and ends
New Orleans switched up its kick returners, with Hill and Rashid Shaheed handling return duties against the Rams. Los Angeles clearly had no desire to give Shaheed something to return, as five of its six kickoffs went for touchbacks. … Offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz left the game with an undisclosed injury on the Saints’ 10th play of the game, but he returned later in the drive. ... The Saints turned the ball over twice Sunday, giving them 10 turnovers in their last three games.