The Rams defense came through in clutch situations including a fumble recovery by Alec Ogletree with Seattle marching in the last minute to secure the game.
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Wilson found Tyler Lockett to move 53 yards up to the Los Angeles 35-yard line, but a crucial fumble by running back Christine Michael gave possession back to the home team and allowed them to run down the clock and give the new LA Rams their first victory.
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, right, pushes Los Angeles Rams cornerback Lamarcus Joyner away as he runs the ball during the second half of an NFL football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Sunday, Sept. 1.
Fans packed into the rows of seats near the famed Coliseum tunnel, cheering wildly for the first Rams to take the field for pregame warmups in those familiar uniforms.
Highlights were scarce while both teams failed to reach the end zones of the Coliseum, which welcomed back the National Football League after a 21-season absence.
“It was just a great play by those guys”, Michael said.
“It is an unbelievable feeling, a historical moment for us”, Ogletree said. “It was an incredible historical moment to be here and I am glad we were able to come out with the win”. “Glad to be a part of it”. After the Chili Peppers’ show, six Hall of Famers Dickerson, Jack Youngblood, Orlando Pace, Marshall Faulk, Jackie Slater and Tom Mack gathered on the famed peristyle end of the Coliseum for a ceremonial lighting of the Olympic torch. They lost easily in San Francisco last week and it was a awful showing for Fisher’s squad.
Hobbling QB Russell Wilson passed for 254 yards, but the Seahawks reached the red zone once all day.
What it lacked in style – all of the Rams’ points came on Greg Zuerlein field goals – it made up for in substance, at least for a Rams team that was shut out 28-0 last week.
They played Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” at halftime, which everyone knows just doesn’t fit. However, good defensive coverage by the Seahawks contained the Rams, who had to settle for another field goal. Their problems seem clearly linked to a suspect offensive line with a slew of new starters, but nobody was proud of his effort afterward.
“We need to score some touchdowns, but we’ll keep working on that”, Fisher said. “That’s all I’m looking for is a chance to win the game”.
He completed 18 of 30 passes for 239 yards, connecting with receiver Kenny Britt for several big gains after play-action fakes. That’s a victory song, to be played only after one of the local teams win.
“I was just saying, let’s go, forget about everything that happened”, he said.
It may not be the prettiest win for the Rams, but they appear to have their division rivals figured out, having beaten them in four of their past five games. The next meeting isn’t until December 16 in Seattle. “We just have to get him some more touches”, Fisher said.
But the guess here is he was too busy trying to figure out how a team that used to shove Marshawn Lynch down the throat of the opposition no longer can run the ball. “He’ll be fine. He’ll just be fresh at the end of the season”. They go on the road play at Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Sunday, September 25.
Asked whether he was at all concerned that the Rams would struggle in Los Angeles after posting nine straight losing seasons in St. Louis, Gonzalez replied: “I don’t care”.
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But if nostalgia is a big part of the draw for these Rams, they’re in the flawless stadium for it now: The packed Coliseum was their home for their first 34 years on the West Coast – and the venerable home of the first Super Bowl was rocking once again.
