It has been 10 years since the St. Louis Rams last won a regular season game in Seattle. That streak has now expired thanks to the Rams winning their third straight game in a row, against division foe the Seattle Seahawks 23-17.
The Rams defense led the way. Defensive end William Hayes spent so much time in the Seahawks backfield, he could’ve paid rent. He paced the Rams defense with nine tackles with four of them for loss. His three sacks established a new career high for him. Fellow defensive lineman Eugene Simms chipped in five tackles and a half a sack. But what was most impressive about his tackles was that they were made downfield. He chased down the mobile Russell Wilson late in the game and laid a hit on him that made him give up the football, squashing a Seahawks opportunity.
Cornerback Trumaine Johnson recorded his fourth interception in as many games, and is gaining notice all around the league now. He is going to be an unrestricted free agent and the Rams need to make him a priority in the off-season. Linebacker Akeem Ayers had his best game as a Ram, contributing the first score of the football game with a 45-yard fumble recovery. He also racked up eight tackles.
The Rams did lose a couple of key players due to concussions in the road win in Seattle. DT Nick Fairley and SS/WLB Mark Barron left games with concussions, their status for last game of the season against the San Francisco 49ers has not been determined yet.
On offense, the Rams did enough to get by. QB Case Keenum has done a good job of managing the Rams offense. He barely threw for more than 100 yards in his 23 pass attempts. One of those passes went to a streaking Kenny Britt who laid out for a catch after beating Seahawks’ Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman. Again, the Rams didn’t put up as many yards as the Seahawks. Despite all of that, the Rams won some hustle points.
Center Tim Barnes recovered two fumbles on the same drive. That was something I’ve never witnessed before. I’ll tell you what, that’s pure effort on his part. That is 100-percent hustle. The two fumbles in the same series has been a microcosm of the Rams futility on the road in Seattle for years.
Another reason the Rams went so long without winning is the lack of a run game. Todd Gurley had a solid game rushing for 85 yards on 4.5 yards a carry and a touchdown in the win. Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett wasn’t impressed. After the Rams win, he said that Gurley is an average running back. Really? That is the most ridiculous thing that I’ve heard. Bennett is one to talk. That’s something he loves to do. However, with that being said, he must not have noticed the combined 21 rushing yards from Fred Jackson, Bryce Brown, Christine Michael, and Will Tukafu, who fumbled in the first quarter. Wilson led the team with 39 rush yards and that was primarily because the Rams pass rush had him running like a scalded dog.
The Rams are now 7-8 and, on paper, should win their last game of the season against the San Francisco 49ers. This month the Rams are 3-0. With the win against the Seahawks, they did improve their division record to 4-1. A win against the 49ers and the Rams will improve to 5-1 in the NFC West. That is something positive for the Rams looking forward.
With that being said even if the Rams finish 8-8 this season is still disappointing. That five-game losing streak really did them in. Moving forward I still have no clue who the Rams are. Regardless, the team needs to finish strong and let the should’ve/could’ve begin for 2016.
I’d like to thank all the readers and the Great Staff at the St.Louis American for all the support. Have a Happy Safe New Year! For more Rams Roundup please subscribe to youtube.com/stlamericanvideo. And you can also hear me on Charlie “Tuna” Edwards M-Th 6-8PM 590TheFan and my weekly podcast @NTheZone with Arlington Lane II.