Studs and duds from Rams Week 10 win...

Studs and duds from the Rams' close win over Seattle

Cameron DaSilva

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

The Los Angeles Rams nabbed their ninth win of the season on Sunday, narrowly beating the Seattle Seahawks 36-31. It was a back-and-forth game that started with the Seahawks grabbing a 7-0 lead, but the Rams fought back in the second half to come away victorious.

Some players performed better than others, which we call studs and duds.


Studs

Aaron Donald

The Rams came into this game 14-0 in the past two seasons when Donald has a sack. That streak continued on Sunday with 2.5 more sacks and another win as the Seahawks had no answer for the All-Pro defensive tackle. He had three tackles for loss and five quarterback hits, constantly finding himself around Russell Wilson.

Donald now has 12.5 sacks on the year, which leads the NFL. He also set a single-season record by a Rams defensive tackle and posted a new career-high. He’s the front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year.

Jared Goff

Goff was excellent on Sunday against the Seahawks. He was 28-for-39 with 318 yards and two touchdowns, committing zero turnovers on the day. He made a couple of especially great throws to Cooper Kupp and Brandin Cooks, which the receivers made great plays on. He also scrambled when necessary and escaped a couple of potential sacks by leaving the pocket. Overall, it was a phenomenal game from the 2017 Pro Bowler, who seems to be well on his way to another selection.

Todd Gurley

Gurley was gashing the Seahawks defense left and right on the ground, ripping off big run after big run. His longest was just 17 yards, but he racked up 120 yards on only 16 carries, which goes to show how consistently he gained 5-plus yards. He also scored his 17th touchdown of the season and extended his scoring streak to 13 games, mixing in 40 yards on three receptions. He was a big reason for the Rams’ win on Sunday, hardly ever coming off the field, if at all.

Brandin Cooks

Cooks was targeted 12 times in this one, which was his season-high by three. He caught 10 passes (also a season-high) for 100 yards, including one play where he climbed the ladder to make a spectacular leaping grab. Cooks also added a rushing touchdown, which was the difference in the game.He always finds ways to get open, whether it’s sitting down in the zone or simply beating man coverage with his speed. That’s a huge benefit for Goff, who’s shown unquestionable trust in his new wide receiver.

Rams secondary

The secondary was shredded in recent weeks, namely Marcus Peters, but it was very good on Sunday. The Rams held Russell Wilson to just 176 yards on 26 attempts, which is fewer than 7 yards per attempt. Wilson did have three touchdown passes, but one was a perfect pass to Nick Vannett in tight coverage and the other was a 3-yard pass to running back Mike Davis. Peters was great in run support, too, while Troy Hill also made a fantastic tackle behind the line of scrimmage.

Honorable mention: Dante Fowler Jr.

Duds

Matt Longacre

Longacre may not even be deserving of a spot on the game day roster right now. He allowed Wilson to drag him for a near-first down and provided very little in the way of pressure on the quarterback. With Dante Fowler Jr. in the mix, there’s not much reason for Longacre to be playing many snaps. Don’t be surprised if the Rams make him inactive in favor of Ogbonnia Okoronkwo at some point this season.

Mark Barron

Barron didn’t put forth his best performance on Sunday. In a game where the Seahawks ran 44 times for 273 yards – 92 of which were by Wilson – Barro struggled in run support. He made six tackles but was blocked easily by tight ends and offensive linemen, opening up running lanes for Seattle’s backs. You can’t pin the big rushing numbers on one player, but Barron didn’t do much to help the cause.

Undisciplined play

This isn’t just one player, but all the careless plays the Rams made before and after the whistle. They committed five personal fouls and had 10 penalties for 102 yards, nearly costing themselves a win on numerous occasions. Fowler Jr. was flagged for 30 yards himself, while Cory Littleton’s roughing the passer penalty – as debatable as it was – kept the Seahawks’ first touchdown drive alive.