USA TODAY International Edition
Rams win in return to Los Angeles
NFL back in L. A. for first time since 1994
When it was over, after Alec Ogletree raked the pigskin out of Christine Michael’s hands and pounced on it in the final minute to preserve a victory that was needed in the worst way, the Los Angeles Rams linebacker hoisted the football above his head as if it were a prized trophy. In a sense, it was. And the roaring crowd, more than 91,000 strong at the old haunt that is Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, loved it.
The Rams played their first regular- season game in greater Los Angeles in 22 years, their first in 13,427 days, dating to 1979, at the Coliseum, and for it not to turn out with a movie- script ending would have been so unHollywood- like.
OK, maybe it was a B- movie rather than a blockbuster. The Rams toppled the Seattle Seahawks without even scoring a touchdown, winning 9- 3.
If the Los Angeles fans forgot, or for the younger fans who never knew, it’s called winning ugly in the NFL.
But it’s winning nonetheless, which is all that matters.
And after the Rams’ disastrous opening act at the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1, when the offense was shut out and the defense was so frustrated its classy leader, Aaron Donald, had a late- game meltdown, they will take winning in any given package.
Ogletree’s strip and recovery to thwart a last- minute effort by Seattle to pull off a comeback win made for a fitting finish on a day that clearly belonged to the defense.
And in the end, after Ogletree ran off the field with the gameclinching turnover, he presented the football to his parents, Al and Allyson, as the ultimate souvenir from the franchise’s homecoming game.
“They deserved it,” Ogletree said. “I wouldn’t be here without them.”
Ogletree actually dropped a bit too deep in coverage on the pivotal play, he said. But after Russell Wilson dumped off a pass on third- and- long, he hustled to make contact as Mark Barron
corralled the running back. Right place, right time.
It was that type of day for the Rams and so fitting that it came down to the defense to make a play.
There was so much talk about Los Angeles’ sluggish offense leading into the game, but Seattle’s offense isn’t exactly the Greatest Show On Turf, either. The Seahawks have scored just one touchdown in eight quarters this season.
An omen, always good for movie scripts, surely came during the pregame festivities when the Rams introduced the defensive unit rather than Todd Gurley and the offense.
Great move. The people of Los Angeles need to learn, like ASAP, that if this team is going to be competitive, it will be because of its tough- as- nails defense.
Robert Quinn, the active defensive end, said he did not know the defense would be introduced until a couple of min- utes before showtime.
“I guess they wanted to show the defense some love,” he said.
And vice versa. At times, it seemed like the franchise’s storied Fearsome Foursome were back in uniform.
“We needed to turn it up,” defensive tackle Michael Brockers said.
That meant making life miserable for Wilson, the elusive quarterback who emerged from a season- opening win against the Miami Dolphins with a gimpy ankle. The foot could not have felt any better Sunday, when he was sacked twice and hit eight other times and generally badgered into hurried throws and uncomfortable decisions.
Still, the final math shows the Seahawks gained more yards than the home team, 306- 283, which illustrates that Rams coach Jeff Fisher and crew have much work to do with the offense.
But here’s why those offensive ( both meanings) numbers are not as bad as they would ordina- rily seem: The Rams didn’t commit a turnover, and they held on to the football just enough on a few drives to help keep the defense fresh on a hot, muggy day in the sun.
The Rams got three field goals from Greg Zuerlein, with each drive consuming nine plays.
“We made some plays when it counted,” said wideout Kenny Britt, who had a fabulous game with six catches for 94 yards. “We kept some drives alive.”
For a team that was looking at the prospects of 0- 2 as it tries to sell itself in a new market, that represents at least a small measure of hope.
They say defense wins championships.
That probably doesn’t apply to a realistic expectation right now for the Rams, but there’s no denying that defense can definitely win a homecoming game.