Rams still feeling OK after first loss

Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald stood calmly in front of his locker, sounding disappointed but not discouraged.

“This is just one game. We will fix it,” Donald said Sunday after the Rams yielded a season-high 487 yards in their first loss, 45-35 at New Orleans. “We’re not worried.”

The Rams hoped their defensive front could pressure Drew Brees and slow the Saints’ prolific offense. It didn’t happen. Los Angeles (8-1) went without a sack — another first this season.

Michael Thomas finished with a New Orleans-record 211 yards receiving, including a 72-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that put the game out of reach. Alvin Kamara had 82 yards and two TDs on the ground to go with 34 yards receiving and another score. And Brees went 25 of 36 for 346 yards and four touchdowns.

“When you play against a quarterback like that, you’ve got to try to get as much pressure as you can on him,” Donald said. “At times we did, but we’ve just got to be more consistent.”

Rams RB Todd Gurley had an 8-yard score, giving the ex-Georgia Bulldog a TD in a Rams-record 12 straight games, passing Hall of Famer Elroy Hirsch. But Brees and Thomas stepped up when the Saints (7-1) needed a big play.

Broncos: GM John Elway said he’s going to “stay the course” with Vance Joseph despite the coach’s 8-17 record.

Redskins: Washington lost more than a quarter of its starting offense in one fell swoop Monday, with receiver Paul Richardson and guards Brandon Scherff and Shawn Lauvao all going on injured reserve because they need season-ending surgery. A 38-14 loss to the Falcons on Sunday ended a three-game winning streak for the NFC East-leading Redskins, who brought in several offensive linemen for tryouts Monday and signed tackle Austin Howard and guards Jonathan Cooper and Luke Bowanko.

Jaguars: RB Leonard Fournette practiced for the first time in more than a month, but coach Doug Marrone stopped short of proclaiming him ready to return Sunday at Indianapolis.

Bills: Rookie QB Josh Allen resumed practicing for the first time since spraining his throwing elbow on Oct. 14, but coach Sean McDermott said it’s too early to determine whether he can play against the Jets this weekend.

Bengals: Will likely be missing their best receiver heading into a game Sunday against the Saints. A.J. Green hurt his right foot during a win over Tampa Bay heading into the bye. Also, the Bengals put defensive end Carl Lawson on injured reserve with a torn ACL.

Chargers: Released kicker Caleb Sturgis and promoted Michael Badgley from the practice squad. Sturgis’ release came after he missed two extra points and a field goal in Sunday’s 25-17 win over Seattle, becoming the first kicker since Jim Breech in 1979 to miss a PAT and field goal in three straight games.