INGLEWOOD, CA — In a league dominated by offense, defense is still the recipe for success.
The 8-2 Los Angeles Rams defense had Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold playing as if he was seeing ghosts in a 21-19 win. The Rams victory gave them sole possession of first place in the NFC West, with Seattle trailing at 7-3.
“I feel like we did our thing. The D-line was able to get after him (and) our DBs was able to make the plays that came their way,” Rams outside linebacker Jared Verse said.
Darnold threw an interception on the Seahawks’ third offensive play. The pick typified the entire performance for the quarterback, as Darnold tossed four interceptions during Seattle’s loss. It marked Darnold’s third four-interception game and the first time he’d thrown four picks since the 2019 season.
“That’s our main goal, taking the ball away. Defense wins championships. I feel like we got that mentality,” Rams cornerback Cobie Durant, who had one of the team’s four interceptions, said postgame.
Even with Darnold’s interception issues, the Seahawks stayed within striking distance thanks to a solid performance from their defensive unit. Darnold and the Seahawks had an opportunity for a game-winning drive on their final possession. Seattle drove the football up to Los Angeles’ 43-yard line with one second remaining, but Seahawks kicker Jason Myers was unable to connect on a desperation 61-yard field goal.
In addition to the Rams’ four takeaways, the defensive unit held Seattle to 1-for-4 in the red zone, 7-of-16 on third downs, five field goal attempts and gave up only one touchdown despite the Seahawks possessing the football for nearly 38 minutes.
Coming into Sunday’s contest, Seattle was averaging 30 points per game.
“I can’t say enough about what a great job our defense did to be able to get four interceptions,” Rams coach Sean McVay. “This is a resilient group. Love what I saw from our defense.”
With MVP candidate Stafford held in check, Rams bank on stops
The Rams came into Week 11 with one of the top offenses in the league. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is an MVP candidate. Yet Stafford and the Rams offense were largely contained.
Stafford passed for 130 yards and two touchdowns. One of Stafford’s touchdown passes went to wide receiver Davante Adams, who recorded his league-leading 10th touchdown reception on his 1,000th career catch. He became the fifth wide receiver in NFL history with 1,000 receptions in their first 12 seasons on the play.
But there were few highlights from a Rams offense that punted six times and went 2-11 on third downs.
“Total team effort. Our defense played outstanding. Turning the ball over a bunch of times. Great in the red zone. I thought our special teams was great,” Stafford said. “There are definitely things we can clean up here and there, but we battled … We found a way to win without playing perfect football against a really good football team.”
The victory should give the Rams a jolt of confidence. Not only are they in first place in the division, but they defeated a good Seahawks club without playing their best brand off football offensively.
Adams only had one catch. Wide receiver Puka Nacua registered seven catches for 75 yards – an average game by his standards. And Stafford was contained.
Yet, the Rams found a way to win behind a suburb defensive performance. Good teams find ways to win even if they don’t perform at their peak.
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.