The way the schedule fell for the Los Angeles Rams gave them every opportunity to be perfect through the first quarter of the season.
The real test for the Rams started on Sunday. They passed by overcoming more adversity than they could have expected.
“The toughness and the resolve of this football team was certainly tested today and guys delivered in a big way,” Rams coach Sean McVay said.
Photo: AFP
The Rams escaped from Seattle with a 33-31 win over the Seahawks that kept Los Angeles as one of two unbeaten teams in the league.
Los Angeles moved to 5-0 by leaning heavily on Todd Gurley and Jared Goff, making a key defensive stand in the fourth quarter and a gutsy fourth-down call to clinch the victory.
It was the kind of victory the Rams needed.
They were down two of their top offensive stars after Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp suffered concussions. They trailed in the fourth quarter and watched Goff respond, and they prevailed in a venue that has been exceedingly difficult for road teams.
“You need to know when these games come around, can you finish. That’s what we did today,” Gurley said. “Tough environment. Doesn’t matter which team it is. You’ve just got to be able to close out those close games.”
Gurley rushed for three touchdowns, despite being held to only 77 yards rushing.
He has got seven touchdowns in the past two games against Seattle, and even with Kupp and Cooks missing the entire second half, the Rams were still able to put up 468 yards and average 7.4 yards per play against a Seattle defense that, for the most part, played well.
For all the big yards the Rams racked up, it was the two yards Goff got on fourth-and-one with 1 minute, 39 seconds left that sealed the victory, as he plunged forward to convert the risky call by McVay.
For some longtime Rams, winning again in Seattle was a sweet feeling.
“This just continues the rivalry,” Rams guard Rodger Saffold III said. “A lot of these guys weren’t here, but I remember the days when Golden Tate used to taunt us before he got to the end zone. I remember the close games in the Edward Jones Dome. You could say that sways my decision about what I think about this team, but at the end of the day we knew it was going to be a tough, physical game.”
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