Freeman finds little traction in loss to Rams
DENVER — NFL fans in the Imperial Valley who might be partial to their home state Rams while also hoping for a good day for a running back on the opposing team had half of their wishes granted Sunday.
The Los Angeles Rams did in fact win Sunday over the Denver Broncos by a score of 23-20 to preserve their perfect record. Unfortunately, that Denver running back, who counts Rams, Raiders, 49ers and Chargers fans alike in his cheering section, had his quietest day so far as a pro.
Imperial High alumnus Royce Freeman finished the day with nine rushes for only 22 yards and no touchdowns. His per-carry average of 2.4 yards was less than half of what he had been collecting on his touches coming into Sunday’s game.
Meanwhile, Rams running back Todd Gurley heated up his team’s offense on a chilly day to basically carry them to victory.
Gurley gained 208 yards and scored two touchdowns on 28 carries in the win.
“I wouldn’t be able to do it without those guys up front,” said Gurley, whose previous high was 159 yards at Green Bay in 2015. “It was kind of easy for me, honestly, because those guys did such a great job.”
The 25 degrees at kickoff marked the second-coldest at home for the Broncos during a contest held in September or October. The coldest for this time of year was 22 degrees on Oct. 12, 1969, against Oakland.
And Denver’s defense succumbed again.
A week after allowing 323 yards rushing in a loss to the Jets, including 219 by Isaiah Crowell, the Broncos were gashed for 270 yards on the ground.
“We knew we were going to be a little bit leaky in the run today because the pass was our focus,” Von Miller said. “But 270 yards is just, you know, ridiculous.”
“We didn’t tackle well. We didn’t fit well,” Broncos coach Vance Joseph said. “That’s two weeks in a row — unacceptable.”
The Rams, who had surrendered 31 points in back-to-back games, improved to 6-0 in sending the Broncos (2-4) to their fourth straight loss.
The Broncos pulled to 23-20 on Case Keenum’s 1-yard dart to Demaryius Thomas with 1:22 remaining, but Rams receiver Robert Woods knocked Brandon McManus’ onside kick out of bounds, and the Rams ran out the clock with Keenum’s one-time understudy Jared Goff (14 of 28 for 201 yards on his 24th birthday) twice taking a knee.
The Broncos have a short week before going to Arizona on Thursday.
“So, we can’t get caught up on this game, as much as I want to,” Miller said. “I hate losing more than I love winning . ... The only good thing about this is we’re back in the lab tomorrow and we’ve got a game on Thursday.”
The Rams will wrap up three-game road swing Sunday with a visit to San Francisco.