The Los Angeles Rams will fly home 3-0 after surviving in Cleveland with a 20-13 victory on Sunday night.
With under a minute left, the Rams defense bailed out quarterback Jared Goff in the fourth quarter. Safety John Johnson III intercepted quarterback Baker Mayfield’s throw into the end zone on a fourth down attempt.
Goff threw for 269 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Goff’s struggles continued on the road as he finished with a passer rating of 79.8, but he was able to rally the team and score on two third-down attempts.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp recording his first touchdown since week nine of last season after suffering a torn ACL. Kupp scored two touchdowns on a career-high 11 receptions and 102 yards. The third year widout out of Eastern Washington has made a major impact since his return, and his presence on the field has allowed the Rams offense to spread the field and create opportunities.
“For Cooper to have 11 catches on 12 targets says as much as you need to know,” said Head Coach Sean McVay.
As for running back Todd Gurley, it was another quiet week after recording only 43 yards on 14 attempts. Gurley continues to split shares with fellow running back Malcolm Brown.
The Rams only attempted 17 rushes on Sunday night and logged a total of 50 yards rushing. The offense had a quite first half as the team struggled to get Gurley or Brown going with the run game. The Browns defense was without several key starters, but still managed to keep the Rams offense at bay.
As for the rest of the Rams’ offense, Brandin Cooks recorded 112 yards on 8 receptions and Robert Woods logged three catches for 40 yards. Tight end George Everett, who is playing more snaps while Tyler Higbee is out, recorded two catches for 15 yards.
Aaron Donald also broke through and recorded his first sack of the season. Donald, who led the league in sacks last season, swung Mayfield down in the fourth quarter and helped force the Cleveland offense to punt.
“It’s about finding a way to win the football game, we did that as a team and the beauty of it is that I think there is a lot of things we can continue to do better, and we have to do better. But
getting the win is what matters the most and to be 3-0 is a good thing right now,” said McVay.
After hanging on in Cleveland, the Rams are headed home where they will face off with quarterback Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
