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Matthew Stafford gets Rams off on right foot with convincing win
Matthew Stafford gets Rams off on right foot with convincing win over Seahawks
SEATTLE — The venue was the same, but the Rams’ feeling as they left Lumen Field was markedly different.
Last January, this is where the Rams disastrous 2022 season mercifully ended; where it was closing time for their historic Super Bowl hangover.
On Sunday, the Rams played their first game since. And they showed that oddsmakers’ and pundits’ low expectations might need to be adjusted.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford passed for more than 300 yards, Kyren Williams rushed for two touchdowns and — with star receiver Cooper Kupp on injured reserve — Tutu Atwell and rookie receiver Puka Nacua broke out with big performances as the Rams defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 30-13, in the season opener before a crowd of 68,683.
Rams open season with a stunning victory over Seahawks
🏈 Rams 30, Seahawks 13 — FINAL
Behind a stellar defensive effort and great individual performances by Puka Nacua, Tutu Atwell and Kyren Williams, the Rams pulled off a stunner in a season-opening road win in Seattle.
Back-to-back sacks by Kobie Turner and Aaron Donald on Seattle quarterback Geno Smith late in the fourth quarter essentially ended the Seahawks’ hopes of mounting a comeback.
Brett Maher kicked a 45-yard field goal in the closing seconds as the Rams outscored Seattle 23-0 in the second half.
The Rams held Seattle to six consecutive three-and-outs to end the game, holding Seattle to three yards of offense in the second half.
Rams extend lead on Brett Maher’s 54-yard field goal
🏈 Rams 27, Seahawks 13 — 4:57 left in the fourth quarter
Brett Maher kicked a 54-yard field goal to give the Rams a two-score lead heading into the final minutes.
A spectacular catch by Puka Nacua for 21 yards helped fuel the drive. Nacua just missed out on making a diving catch in the end zone that would have put the game away from the Rams.
Rams extend lead on Cam Akers’ fourth-down TD run
🏈 Rams 24, Seahawks 13 — 9:45 left in the fourth quarter
Rams running back Cam Akers trotted into the end zone on fourth down for a one-yard touchdown, capping off a gutsy, 14-play, 79-yard drive.
Passes of 15, 21 and 14 yards from Matthew Stafford to Tutu Atwell helped fuel the drive.
Rams lead 17-13 heading into the fourth quarter
🏈 Rams 17, Seahawks 13 — End of the third quarter
The Rams defense continues to thwart Geno Smith at the Seattle offense, putting the Rams one quarter away from pulling off a would-be upset on the road to open the season.
Matthew Stafford has completed 18 of 28 passes for 256 yards and Kyren Williams has 36 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Puka Nacua has 97 yards on eight catches.
The Rams have held Smith to 102 yards and a touchdown on 14-of-22 passing.
Rams extend their lead on Brett Maher field goal
🏈 Rams 17, Seahawks 13 — 2:39 left in the third quarter
Brett Maher kicked a 38-yard field goal to extend the Rams lead after a nine-play, 60-yard drive fizzled in Seattle’s red zone.
Matthew Stafford connected on a 30-yard pass to Tyler Higbee for the bulk of the yards on the drive.
Rams take the lead on Kyren Williams’ second TD of game
🏈 Rams 14, Seahawks 13 — 8:56 left in the third quarter
Kyren Williams scored his second touchdown today on a seven-yard run, capping off an impressive, 10-play, 76-yard drive by the Rams to start the second half.
The bulk of the yards on the drive came off a 44-yard pass from Matthew Stafford to receiver Tutu Atwell.
Rams come up short on a pair of field-goal attempts, trail at halftime
🏈 Seahawks 13, Rams 7 — HALFTIME
Rams kicker Brett Maher, who had a 57-yard field goal attempt blocked, missed a 56-yard attempt as time expired, leaving the Rams behind by six points.
The Rams caught a break near the end of the second quarter.
After the Seahawks blocked Maher’s 57-yard attempt, the Seahawks appeared primed to extend their lead in the final seconds. But Jason Myers’ 39-yard field goal attempt hit the right upright and bounced away.
Matthew Stafford drove the Rams to the Seahawks’ 38-yard line in the final 30 seconds before Maher’s miss.
Stafford has completed 11 of 18 passes for 134 yards.
Kyren Williams rushed for 25 yards and a touchdown in eight carries.
Rookie receiver Puka Nacua has five receptions for 71 yards.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith has completed 13 of 18 passes for 103 yards and touchdown.
Kenneth Walker III has rushed for 53 yards in nine carries.
DK Metcalf has three catches for 47 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown.
Seahawks extend their lead on another field goal
🏈 Seahawks 13, Rams 7 — 4:18 left in second quarter
Pro Bowl kicker Jason Myers kicked his second field goal, this one from 42 yards as the Seahawks extended their lead.
The Rams gave the Seahawks the opportunity after a personal foul penalty against left tackle Alaric Jackson and a delay of game penalty against Matthew Stafford put the Rams in a hole and forced a punt from deep in their own territory.
DeeJay Dallas’ 20-yard return gave the Seahawks the ball at their 49-yard line.
Kenneth Walker III’s 15-yard run moved the ball to the Rams’ 29-yard line, but Geno Smith’s third-down pass fell incomplete, bringing on Myers.
DK Metcalf touchdown catch pushes Seahawks into the lead
🏈 Seahawks 10, Rams 7 — 9:16 left in the second quarter
Geno Smith connected with receiver DK Metcalf for a 10-yard touchdown as the Seahawks reclaimed the lead.
The Seahawks drove 75 yards in 12 plays as Smith connected with Metcalf, tight end Noah Fant, running back Kenneth Walker III and rookie receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba for key gains.
Walker has rushed for 33 yards in seven carries.
Smith has completed 11 of 14 passes for 82 yards.
Rams take lead on Kyren Williams touchdown
🏈 Rams 7, Seahawks 3 — 39 seconds left in the first quarter
Matthew Stafford engineered a 16-play, 75-yard drive that ended with running back Kyren Williams’ one-yard touchdown run.
Stafford, playing for the first time since suffering a spinal injury last season against the New Orleans Saints, completed key third-down passes to tight end Tyler Higbee and receiver Van Jefferson during the drive, which consumed 9 minutes 13 seconds. Rookie receiver Puka Nacua set up the touchdown with a 16-yard catch.
Stafford completed five of seven passes for 55 yards.
Williams gained 20 yards in four carries, Cam Akers 10 yards in four carries.
Seahawks take early lead on field goal in first quarter
🏈 Seahawks 3, Rams 0 — 9:52 left in the first quarter
The Seahawks got the ball first, and they drove to the Rams’ 18-yard line before Jason Myers kicked a 36-yard field goal.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith completed four of six passes for 32 yards during the 12-play drive.
Smith’s 28-yard completion to receiver DK Metcalf was the key play for the Seahawks.
Rams cornerback Derion Kendrick broke up a pass intended for receiver Tyler Lockett in the end zone to force the field-goal attempt.
Freddy Falcon, Sir Purr and a bunch of huge-headed dudes: A definitive guide to NFL mascots
A streaking cat.
A zipping wolf.
Lots of dudes with big heads — and even bigger chins.
A walking dolphin.
A butt-bouncing bear.
An elf.
There’s all kinds of wacky characters in the fraternity of NFL mascots, each with their own personality, quirks and charm. One thing every one of those anthropomorphic animals and fake humans have in common is their undying passion and devotion to the teams they represent.
Ultimate SoCal NFL sports bar guide: Find out where to watch your team
It’s easy to find Rams, Chargers and even Raiders fans in Southern California, but where can Packers, Cowboys, Patriots or Dolphins fans go to watch games in the Los Angeles area with other fans who share their passion?
Look no further than the Los Angeles Times’ ultimate SoCal NFL sports bar guide.
If you’re a fan of one of 29 out of the 32 NFL teams in the league (sorry Cardinals, Lions and Titans fans, we couldn’t find a bar for you at the moment), then use this guide to find your tribe. You don’t need to be the only fan cheering when the Vikings score a touchdown or walk into a bar wearing a Jets jersey and see only others decked out in Giants gear. Cheer with fellow Chiefs and jeer with fellow Eagles.
Aaron Donald set to hit field for first time since November: ‘I got the jitters’
It’s been 10 months since Aaron Donald played a game for the Rams.
Last November against the Kansas City Chiefs, the seven-time All-Pro defensive lineman suffered a season-ending ankle injury that required surgery.
On Sunday, Donald finally will play again when the Rams open the season against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle.
“It’s been a while for me,” Donald said Thursday. “I’m excited. I got the jitters.”
OK Zoomer: How Millennial NFL quarterbacks can connect with their Gen Z teammates
The wife of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford made some waves on her podcast recently when she disclosed her husband was having a difficult time connecting with some of his younger teammates, a 35-year-old NFL star looking to find commonalities with phone-obsessed players fresh out of college.
It’s both an age-old issue and — relatively speaking — an old-age issue.
“It’s kind of crazy,” she said on her podcast, “The Morning After with Kelly Stafford.”
“So Matthew’s been in the league a long time. He’s like, `The difference in the locker room has changed so significantly.’ They have a lot of rookies on their team, they’re very young. But he’s like, `I feel like I can’t connect.’ ”
Rams-Seahawks matchups: Who will fill the void left by Cooper Kupp?
Breaking down how the Rams and the Seattle Seahawks match up heading into their season opener 1:25 p.m. PDT Sunday at Lumen Field in Seattle. The game will be shown on Fox.
When Rams have the ball
Star wide receiver Cooper Kupp was placed on injured reserve Saturday because of a hamstring injury that has lingered since he suffered it during training camp. The Rams’ offense without the 2021 NFL offensive player of the year is nowhere near as potent. So quarterback Matthew Stafford will begin his 15th NFL season without his top target.
Receivers Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, rookie Puka Nacua and Ben Skowronek will try to fill the void, but look for coach Sean McVay to make veteran tight end Tyler Higbee the go-to receiver for Stafford.
Will the Rams crash for Caleb or finish 9-8? Don’t bet on either outcome
The Rams would like to forget last season’s 5-12 finish, the worst season-after performance by a Super Bowl champion in history.
But it might not be much better this season.
The Rams’ decision to trade or cut high-priced players, and not replace them with additions with similar or better profiles, makes this a season of low expectations.
On the eve of their opener on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field, FanDuel sportsbook has the Rams over-under win total at 6½ games.
Predictably, Rams players say they think otherwise.