running back Todd Gurley shows off his potential as an Olympic Hurdler Not once, but twice against the Redskins. ?
— Marathonbet (@marathonbet)
By Asha Doucet
The Los Angeles Rams were on a high after their Week 1 blowout of the Indianapolis Colts, but their Week 2 loss to the Washington Redskins brings them back down to earth.
Although the Rams beat a Colts team without , their offense completely demolished Indianapolis’ defense. That Week 1 performance made L.A.’s offense look ready to take the league by storm.
However, it’s important to note a couple of the Rams’ scores from Week 1 came on behalf of their defense. So in actuality, L.A.’s offense was good but not great.
Week 2 proved to be a more accurate measure of where the Rams are compared to other teams in the league. L.A. lost to the Redskins, 27-20, in a close game that challenged the Rams offensively and defensively.
L.A. started off slow getting down 13-0 early but the combination of , and helped get the Rams back in it offensively. By halftime the Rams were trailing 20-10, and they struck first in the third quarter bringing them within 3, 20-17.
L.A.’s defense held Washington scoreless in the third and the Rams were able to tie the game 20-20 deep in the fourth.
However, Washington would seal the game with a late touchdown to go up 27-20, the final score.
In their loss, the young Rams showed resilience and promise of good things to come but ultimately the more experienced team got the edge.
Goff went 15-of-25 and threw for 224 yards including a TD and an INT. Gurley ran for 88 yards on 16 carries and notched a rushing TD as well as a receiving TD, and Kupp gained 33 yards on just 3 receptions.
L.A.’s young core is certainly capable of putting up enough points to win games and so far they are outperforming metrics–which had the Rams’ offense as the worst in the NFL.
In the end, it was the Rams’ defense that couldn’t make enough stops to hold on for the win, a defense that’s headed by Wade Philips and just got back.
If L.A.’s offense continues to impress and their defense plays to its potential the Rams will actually be a team the rest of the league has to take seriously. But now they know what to expect for the rest of the season. Week 1 was a gift that they likely won’t receive again.
