Winning wasn’t going to be enough for the Rams on Sunday.
After all, everyone beats the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars.
To wash away that unpleasant feeling of a three-game losing streak, the Rams needed a decisive win, a real beating to start over in December.
It took a while – the offense wheezed like a pileup at first – but in the second half of the 37-7 beating, these looked like the Rams who were 7-1 at one point in the season.
“It feels good to be back on the winning side and now we have to be able to stay there,” coach Sean McVay said.
The Rams are in the middle of a fascinating experiment. They’ve built a roster of stars, including two great additions in the last month, and they’re confident that that will lift them into the stratosphere.
Many people are waiting for the franchise to fall apart.
Some can’t stand the idea of chasing and hiring stars.
Others do not have the opportunity to do so. And still others – and maybe most – just love to see a Los Angeles team put on a great performance.
But the Rams have a chance to straighten out. They did it on Sunday with a victory that spread throughout the squad. This was not one of those victories in which Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp had eye-catching numbers that no one could match, although they both played well. Lots of people contributed this time.
Brandon Powell, fresh off the practice squad, returned the kickoff 65 yards. Backup center Coleman Shelton came in and played a solid game after starter Bryan Allen went down with a knee injury on the first play since scrimmage.
Rookie catcher Ben Skowronek made a somersault catch down the middle, although he also had a knockdown and a penalty.
And with Darrell Henderson injured, Sony Michel stepped in for a 121-yard rush, the Rams’ first 100-yard rider this season.
The regulars also did their part. Aaron Donald got a fumble on Jacksonville’s second play. Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. had receptions of touchdown. Stafford ended up throwing for 295 yards in just over three quarters.
Kupp became the fourth player in NFL history to record 100 receptions in his team’s first 12 games, joining Michael Thomas, Julio Jones and Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison.
Rams inside linebacker Troy Reeder (51) chases Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) in the second half.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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“I mean, he does everything right, you know?” Stafford said of Kupp. “He’s 6-2, weighs 210, and runs very well. He has a great sense of the game. He is a great competitor. Understand the game. He does everything well ”.
Likewise, the Rams did a lot of good on Sunday in a lively SoFi stadium. Yes, the Jaguars are 2-10, but the Rams tied the season high in points against them, and the season low in points loaned to them.
The most important thing for the Rams, is that they have confidence again. That was irretrievably lost in November.
What does it really mean?
That is yet to be determined. Is it a franchise that beats down the NFL’s weaklings – Houston, the New York Giants, Jacksonville – or one that can consistently beat teams of good caliber.
The big test comes Monday night in Arizona, where the Cardinals (10-2) have the best record in the league and are in a prime position to win the NFC West.
The Rams are 1-2 in the division and the Cardinals are 4-0, so even a Rams win in Arizona won’t close that gap. But it would be a start.
The key for the Rams is to show they can play a meaningful game down the stretch, like Tampa Bay did last year when they were 7-5 on their bye week, got a break and never lost the rest of the way. That’s possible in this unpredictable and streak-filled league.
You just have to see the madness on Sunday. Minnesota, within two weeks of surprising Green Bay, lost to the Detroit Lions, who had not won.
Seattle, with four wins, swept San Francisco, which was on a three-game winning streak. The Seahawks own the 49ers like the 49ers own the Rams.
If the Rams get a win in Arizona, they are back to being the team they seemed to be at the beginning of the season.
That trip to the desert will tell the football world a lot about the Rams, if they are real or are they a mirage.
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