Jared Goff realized the upstart Los Angeles Rams faced a test of their playoff worthiness when the New Orleans Saints entered the Coliseum on an eight-game winning streak.
Sure, the Rams have been one of the NFL’s most pleasant surprises under rookie coach Sean McVay, but starting with last week’s loss at Minnesota, they are in a stretch of difficult games against fellow National Football Conference contenders that should prove whether the remarkable turnaround in Los Angeles is for real.
Faced with the daunting challenge presented by Drew Brees, Sean Payton and the Saints, the Rams on Sunday did not flinch in a 26-20 victory.
Photo: AFP
“It was a big win for us,” said Goff, who passed for 354 yards and two touchdowns. “There’s a difference between going 7-4 and 8-3, especially against a team like this. Not necessarily a must-win, but a game that’s going to give us a lot moving forward.”
For the first time since 2006, the Rams (8-3) are guaranteed to finish the regular season without a losing record. With five wins in their past six games, they have already doubled their win total from their relocation season last year.
Those are big-picture achievements by a team that prefers to stay focused on the incremental improvement demonstrated by an all-around solid effort against the New Orleans Saints (8-3), who had not lost since Sept. 17.
New Orleans have a longer history of success and the advantage of the tested Brees, but Goff more than held his own while under pressure from Cameron Jordan and the Saints’ tough defense.
“There were some games this year where we realized we could play with anybody,” Goff said. “This was, for sure, one of them.”
Sammy Watkins and rookie Josh Reynolds caught scoring passes from Goff in an offense that responded well to the absence of leading receiver Robert Woods, who has a shoulder injury.
Todd Gurley had 74 yards rushing and 54 yards receiving, even while McVay’s play-calling kept the ball out of his hands for long stretches.
Coordinator Wade Phillips’ defense was largely excellent, despite failing to force a turnover.
The Saints got 157 of their 346 yards in the fourth quarter, while Los Angeles held Brees to 246 yards passing — just 96 in the first three quarters.
Everything about the game bore scant resemblance to the clubs’ meeting last season, when the Saints embarrassed the Rams with a 49-21 blowout in New Orleans.
“You know the good thing about last year? It’s last year,” Rams linebacker Robert Quinn said. “We don’t think about it. We have a whole new coaching staff and a whole new team. We don’t look in the past to what they did to a different team.”
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