Rams-Seahawks Post Game Coverage

[RamBill]

Rams Sweep Seattle, Move to 4-1 in NFC West

By Myles Simmons

View: http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Rams-Sweep-Seattle-Move-to-4-1-in-NFC-West/3a31b78b-8494-42bb-a24a-9cd2f5371970


SEATTLE -- Starting a two-game road swing to finish off the season on Sunday, St. Louis had strong contributions from all three phases to beat the Seahawks, 23-17, at CenturyLink Field. The win marked the first time St. Louis beat Seattle at home since the team’s playoff victory in early 2005.

The Rams took an early lead on a 42-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein on their second drive, and then got right back on the board with a defensive score.


On 3rd-and-1 from midfield, fullback Will Tukuafu took a handoff up the middle and got hit hard by a mob of defenders, which jarred the ball out. Linebacker Akeem Ayers picked the ball up on the ground, but wasn’t touched. The linebacker popped upright and raced down the field, getting a few good blocks in the process to end up in the end zone. The scoop and score put the Rams up 10-0.

Then in the second quarter, the defense recorded another turnover when Trumaine Johnson recorded his seventh interception of the season. On 3rd-and-19, Russell Wilson fired off a deep pass down the right sideline intended for Tyler Lockett. But Johnson and safety Cody Davis were both there to defend the jump ball, with the cornerback high pointing the ball and coming down with it on the St. Louis 11.

With the pick, Johnson has now recorded an interception in four consecutive games. He’s up to 15 for his career, which leads all members of the 2012 draft class. It was Wilson's first interception since Nov. 15. He had 19 touchdowns and no picks over his previous five games.

While the Rams could not capitalize on that turnover, they did take advantage of strong field position later in the period. Ayers and defensive end William Hayes split a third-down sack for a 13-yard loss, forcing Seattle to punt out of its own end zone. Tavon Austin then returned the kick 21 yards to the home team’s 28-yard line.


The visitors wasted no time in taking a shot to get back on the board, as quarterback Case Keenum fired a deep ball to Kenny Britt down the right sideline. The wide receiver beat cornerback Richard Sherman on his route and dove to make the catch in the end zone. Though St. Louis missed the extra point, the visitors still extended their lead to 16-0.

A field goal late in the second quarter got the Seahawks on the board, and then the home team came right back to get on the board to start the second half. Though St. Louis had Seattle in a pair of 3rd-and-long situations, the defense couldn’t get off the field. Wilson eventually hit wide receiver Doug Baldwin in the end zone with a 25-yard pass for a touchdown to cap the 11-play drive, cutting the Rams’ lead to 16-10.

In the fourth quarter, the Rams moved down the field with a few fortunate bounces and heady play by the St. Louis center. On 3rd-and-1 from the Seattle 40, running back Benny Cunningham took a handoff up the middle, but fumbled as he made his way through the first wave of defenders. The ball ended up at the Seattle 35-yard line, where Tim Barnes fell on it for a first down. There was some initial confusion as to whom had made the recovery, but Seattle was already out of challenges and thus the play was not reviewed.

A play later, running back Todd Gurley broke through for a 20-yard gain, but toward the end of his run he fumbled while hurdling a defender. And once again, Barnes was down the field to fall on the football, this time making the recovery on the Seattle two-yard line. On 3rd-and-goal from that spot, Gurley finished the drive with his 10th rushing touchdown of the season, increasing St. Louis' lead to 23-10.

Just when it looked like Seattle may score again, the Rams forced another turnover to halt the opportunity. Wilson scrambled for a 20-yard gain, but defensive end Eugene Sims caught up to him and jarred the ball loose with a big hit. Ayers was right there to pick up his second fumble recovery of the day, giving the offense the ball at the St. Louis eight-yard line.

Seattle forced St. Louis to go three-and-out, but had no timeouts and only 1:07 on the clock when they regained possession. Before the final whistle blew, Wilson connected with Jermaine Kearse for an 18-yard touchdown. But, the onside kick went out of bounds, and Keenum took a knee to secure the road win.

With the victory, the Rams have now won three in a row and improve their record to 7-8. They’ll finish the season next Sunday against the 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif.

 

[RamBill]

Tim Barnes at the center of Rams' upset win in Seattle
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...es-at-the-center-of-rams-upset-win-in-seattle

Just like you never expected, it took the center to break the streak.

As the St. Louis Rams' fourth-quarter lead bounced awkwardly around the CenturyLink Field turf, it was center Tim Barnes who came to the rescue. Barnes recovered two fumbles in a span of three plays, extending the fourth-quarter drive that ultimately allowed running back Todd Gurley to put Sunday's game away with a 2-yard touchdown run.

And with each Barnes recovery, the Rams took a step closer to doing what they hadn't done in Seattle since Jan. 8, 2005: beat the division rival Seattle Seahawks on their home field and sweep the season series.

As it turned out, that's exactly what the Rams did as they produced a dominant defensive performance and just enough offense to close out a 23-17 victory. That ended Seattle's streak of 10 consecutive home wins against the Rams.

For Barnes, it was the culmination of an interesting year in which he was non-tendered as a restricted free agent, re-signed at a cheaper rate, won the starting job and held on to it throughout the year despite some rough outings.

Tim Barnes
Tim Barnes' hustle helped the Rams earn their first win in Seattle since 2005.
Barnes' first fumble recovery came after back Benny Cunningham appeared to convert a third-and-1 but fumbled it forward before Barnes wrestled it from safety Earl Thomas. The second came after Gurley burst to Seattle's 9, but coughed it up only for Barnes to fall on it at Seattle's 2.

Three plays later, Gurley scored from 2 yards out to seal the win and give the Rams one of their most impressive victories of the season. Entering this game, it seemed the Rams would need something unexpected to pull out a victory. That something turned out to be the St. Louis center.

What it means: The Rams improved to 7-8 on the season, allowing them to match their highest win total since coach Jeff Fisher arrived in 2012. It also gives them a three-game winning streak for only the second time under Fisher and gives them a chance to get to 8-8 for the first time since 2006 if they can get a win next week in San Francisco. It also ensured the Rams a winning record in the NFC West division, where they improved to 4-1.

What were they thinking: On Seattle's opening drive of the third quarter, the Rams couldn't seem to grasp the concept of covering Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin, the same wideout who has been the league's most productive player at his position in recent weeks. Baldwin torched the Rams for two catches and 53 yards with one coming on third-and-31 and the other on third-and-18. The first set up a fourth-and-3 conversion and the second went for a touchdown.

One reason to be excited: The Rams will face many tough decisions in free agency this offseason, but perhaps none will be more difficult than how to divvy up the money at cornerback. Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson have both played like No. 1 corners this season, with Johnson coming on especially strong in the season's second half. The good news for the Rams is there might not be a bad choice to make if they can't keep both. And if they can, they have one of the best young groups of corners in the league moving forward.

Fantasy watch: Running room was hard to come by for all parties in this one, especially early on. But for those who rolled the dice on Gurley, it turned out much better than expected. He finished with 85 yards on 19 carries and found his way into the end zone for the touchdown that iced the win.

Ouch: It was not a good day for the Rams and head injuries. Defensive tackle Nick Fairley, cornerback Johnson, linebacker Mark Barron and defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks all departed to be evaluated for concussions. Johnson returned to the game but the others did not.

What's next: The Rams will spend the week on the West Coast, traveling to Napa, California, to practice before wrapping up the 2015 season with a game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara.

 

[RamBill]

William Hayes, Akeem Ayers up; Greg Zuerlein down in Rams' win
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...akeem-ayers-up-greg-zuerlein-down-in-rams-win

A look at St. Louis Rams players who were "up" and those who were "down" in Sunday's 23-17 win over the Seattle Seahawks:

UP

DE William Hayes: This season, the always steady Hayes has been his usual productive self but without many of the glamour statistics to go with it. Well, Hayes turned that around Sunday with a full-blown dominant performance. He finished with nine tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks and five quarterback hits. He's headed for free agency with plenty of gas in the tank and should be a valued commodity for the Rams and others this offseason.

LB Akeem Ayers: Ayers has been a disappointment since the Rams signed him to a free-agent deal in the offseason, in part because he's rarely been used in the blitzing situations that were expected upon his addition. But Ayers stepped forward on Sunday and finally produced some big plays, coming up with a 45-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown in the first half. He also had eight tackles, a half sack, two quarterback hits and a pass defended.

C Tim Barnes: In many ways, it's been a rough first season as the starter for Barnes but he came up with two huge fumble recoveries in the span of three plays during the team's fourth-quarter scoring drive. The first one came on a third down to keep a drive alive and the next came near the goal line to help set up Todd Gurley's touchdown.

CB Trumaine Johnson: Johnson left briefly to be evaluated for a concussion in the second half, but when he was on the field, he was the main operator of a no-fly zone. Johnson had four tackles, two passes defended and an interception on the day as the Rams defense limited Seattle to just 313 total yards.

DOWN

K Greg Zuerlein: The Rams didn't have many players who obviously struggled in this one, but Zuerlein missed an early extra point that very nearly came back to bite the Rams at the end. Ultimately, it didn't matter but if Seattle had scored on some late drives, that missing point could have been the difference.

 

[RamBill]

Rams coach Jeff Fishes praises his team on both sides of the ball in the Rams’ upset win at Seattle. He talks to Steve Savard and D’Marco Farr right after the game.

Listen to Fisher's Post Game Comments

 

[Roman Snow]

Up: Benny Cunningham came up with some great efforts.
Up: Aaron Donald. His usual stud self.
Up: Brockers. Great effort and pressure all night.
Up: Britt. His one big catch mainly but a good effort overall.

 

[RamBill]

Check out the top plays from Rams victory over Seattle.

Watch Game Highlights

 

[RamBill]

Head coach Jeff Fisher met with reporters after Sunday’s 23-17 victory over Seattle.

Watch Fisher's Presser

 

[RamBill]

Case Keenum: Our Guys Fought Hard Across the Board

Quarterback Case Keenum met with reporters after Sunday’s 23-17 win over the Seahawks.

Watch Keenum's Presser

 

[RamBill]

Tim Barnes: I Thought the O-Line Played Really Well Today

Center Tim Barnes met with reporters after Sunday’s 23-17 win over the Seahawks.

Watch Barnes Presser

 

[RamBill]

McGrath: At least the playoff road won’t include St. Louis

BY JOHN MCGRATH

http://www.theolympian.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/john-mcgrath/article51840040.html#storylink=cpy

The quarterback cut to the chase Sunday after his team lost a game it had no business winning.

“We just really don’t have a clear-cut direction,” he said. “We weren’t very effective. We had less than 300 yards and had a terrible first half.”

On an afternoon he was hurried, harassed, hammered and hurt by a pass rush that resembled the Fearsome Foursome of the once-and-maybe-future Los Angeles Rams, Russell Wilson could have shared those opinions about the Seahawks lacking a clear-cut direction and their sloppy first half.

But the words weren’t Wilson’s. The words were spoken by Aaron Rodgers, quarterback for the playoff-bound Green Bay Packers, and they’re worth a question: Is not a first-round game against the out-of-synch Packers preferable to facing the resurgent Washington Redskins?

Although the Hawks have a history at Lambeau Field so despairing it suggests a curse, the ‘Skins are 6-2 at Fed Ex Field, where cult-hero quarterback Kirk Cousins has been dominant in a Comeback-of-the-Year campaign.

Flip a coin, I say.

Here’s what’s for certain: Whatever team the Seahawks draw for a road date, the opponent won’t be as nasty on them as the St. Louis Rams were Sunday at CenturyLink Field.

The Seahawks never really got untracked after their first possession began with an incomplete pass thrown by an under-siege Wilson. Their next play — a handoff to running back Christine Michael — lost four yards — preceded by a false-start penalty called on right tackle Alvin Bailey.

Before walking off the field as 23-17 losers in their home finale, the Seahawks would commit 10 penalties, lose two of five fumbles and botch two snaps, mistakes that explain why, for the first time in a game this season, they never led.

“I’m not going to take anything away from them, they had a nice win,” coach Pete Carroll said of the Rams. “However, we snapped the ball crazy, we turned it over three times, and we had the penalties. I think it was very much our doing it to ourselves.”

Perhaps, but the fumbles and penalties — and even the crazy snaps — had much to do with the Rams’ defensive front owning a decisive matchup advantage against a Seattle offensive line that has improved over the course of the season but is not immune to regression.

Nearly four months after the Rams opened the season by beating the two-time defending NFC champions in an offensive shootout at St. Louis, they showed up in Seattle and won a rematch better described as a cage match.

“The Rams play good football against us,” said Hawks defensive end Michael Bennett. “They just don’t play good football against anybody else.”

Actually, the 7-8 Rams, who’ve got a chance to finish 5-1 in the division, have played their best against the rest of the NFC West. Moves to replace quarterback Jeff Foles with Case Keenum, and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti with Rob Boras, seem to have paid off with a three-game winning streak.

And yet it’s the Rams who’ve been shut out of the playoffs for the 11th consecutive year, and the Seahawks who are pondering what destination awaits them when the seedings are settled this coming weekend.

Washington? Green Bay? Minnesota?

Each poses challenges for a team traveling from Seattle. All are preferable to a home game against the St. Louis Rams.

 

[RamBill]

Hochman: Fun victory over Seahawks means little for Rams
• By Benjamin Hochman

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_b9e492fd-7a08-5caa-810d-3c5e169744d3.html

SEATTLE • The Rams’ rain-soaked ransack of a win did indeed rouse — but really, it was a ruse.

They’ll win at San Francisco next Sunday and finish 8-8, but is this really a team on the cusp?

The Rams have too many issues, notably under center, to think Sunday’s win at Seattle was a harbinger. Instead, it was what it was — a fun, funky and wacky win against the hottest team in football, a random outcome thanks to the most-random of standouts.

Akeem Ayers. William Hayes. Tim Barnes.

I mean, Tim Barnes got the game ball!

But this season is just like all the others under fourth-year coach Jeff Fisher, who has finished 7-8-1, 7-9 and 6-10 for the Rams. They’re stuck. And Sunday’s win, and the $7 million on Fisher’s contract next season, probably means it’ll be deja vu for the Rams come August, regardless of where they spend August.

So let’s look at Sunday in a vacuum. It really was a fun one. Case Keenum, the admirable backup quarterback, has surely earned a chance to win that job next season. And Rob Boras, the hard-working offensive coordinator, makes one wonder why Fisher didn’t fire the old dude faster (though, to be fair, the Rams had only 207 total yards).

And Barnes, for a day, made us remember why this game is so fun: because in a league with omnipotent, omnipresent superstars, sometimes it’s some random guy who makes a game-saving play (or two).

On the most-important drive of the game, the St. Louis center recovered a pair of fumbles, the first on a third-and-1 from the Seattle 40-yard line, the second all the way down on the 2-yard line.

Seriously, what are the odds of this?

“Luckily I had just enough left in me to keep a hold of it,” said the burly, bearded Barnes, a Mizzou alum. “You know what happens in the bottom of the pile.”

And two plays later, Todd Gurley scored a touchdown, giving St. Louis a 23-10 fourth-quarter lead. Alas, Barnes didn’t recover the spiked football to put in his living room.

“What can you say about Tim Barnes? That was great effort, great effort,” Fisher said. “You don’t want to see balls on the ground, but we got some bounces and Tim made two big plays. That’s the way they’re coached — (linemen run) down field, in case that happens.”

After the game, Barnes was a media darling in the winning locker room, explaining that he already had 117 text messages on his phone. In the losing locker room, Seattle center Patrick Lewis was on the verge of tears, taking the blame for fumbled snaps for the now 9-6 Seahawks.

Also, the rambunctious Rams defense sacked the slippery Russell Wilson four times, three by Hayes, and they intercepted the first Wilson pass since Week 10 against Arizona. And there was Ayers, who scooped up a fumble and rumbled 45 yards for a first-quarter score.

“I made a few people miss,” Ayers said of his scamper. “I don’t know how long it took me to get there — they say it took me a while.

The win “just shows the type of team that we have, when we’re hitting on all cylinders. This is the type of football I think we’re capable of playing, and even better than this. Tough, physical, smart football. We just need to do that on a regular basis.”

Surely, Rams players have been saying this after wins for, oh, a decade. Most teams look good after wins. But good teams don’t lose five consecutive games, a reality that will sadly be glossed over by some, who will look at the Rams, probable winners of their final four, as a hot team heading into 2016.

You know where I stand: The Rams need a new starting quarterback.

They haven’t had a Pro Bowl quarterback since Marc Bulger.

And in fact, the Rams hadn’t won in Seattle since Bulger was under center. It was during the 2004 season, when the Rams won a playoff game against the Seahawks on Jan. 8, 2005. They’d lose the next week against Atlanta. The Rams haven’t been back to the playoffs since.

In the Jan. 8, 2005 win, much like Sunday’s win, it took some magic from the most random of Rams. Tight end Cam Cleeland had only seven catches that season, none for a score, but with 2:11 left against Seattle, Bulger threw a 17-yard pass to the tight end, sealing the 27-20 playoff victory.

Cleeland is now 40. He is, coincidentally, from the state of Washington. I texted him Sunday night, and sure enough, he’d watched the whole game.

“Being apart of a great NFC West rivalry in the early 2000s, and a Rams memorable playoff win, I never thought it would be 10 years since the Rams could win in Seattle,” Cleeland said. “The Rams defense line is very impressive, Gurley is a superstar, Feels like they are just a quarterback away.”

That would be a start, but there are many more question marks with the Rams, who could have a somewhat respectable record, yet again, but won’t be in the playoffs, yet again.

 

[RamBill]

The streak ends here: Rams topple Seahawks
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_696af47e-f05c-57e0-87a2-adecabe9c160.html

SEATTLE • For the first time ever, Chris Long and James Laurinaitis were beaming in the visitors’ locker room at CenturyLink Field.

The place has been nothing short of a house of horrors for the Rams over the past decade. Long and Laurinaitis have been around for much of the carnage, a string of 10 consecutive losses in Seattle dating back to the end of the 2004 season.

But not Sunday. Center Tim Barnes, hereafter known as Mr. Recovery, left with a game ball tucked under his arm.

Wide receiver Kenny Britt got the best of the great Richard Sherman on a key second quarter touchdown, diving on his bum shoulder to make the grab.

Cornerback Trumaine Johnson got his seventh interception, the first pick thrown by quarterback Russell Wilson since mid-November.

Defensive end William Hayes might still be piling up sacks. As for linebacker Akeem Ayers, well, the former New England Patriot is used to beating Seattle. See: Super Bowl 49.

Once again, the Rams won’t be going to the playoffs this season. But they got the closest thing to a consolation prize Sunday, a 23-17 victory over a playoff-bound Seattle squad that had been one of the NFL’s hottest teams over the past month and a half.

“To sweep Seattle is not easy,” Laurinaitis said. “You talk about a tough place to play. My first NFL game was here, the opener back when I was a rookie (in 2009). ... To come in here and get a W, it can really turn an organization around.”

Long, who came into the league as a Ram one year earlier, in 2008, had been 0-7 in Seattle.

“Better late than never,” he chuckled. “It was awesome. It was a great team win.”

Listing badly at 4-8 and in the midst of a five-game losing streak, the Rams were heading south. Way south. But the Rams have now won three games in a row for just the second time under coach Jeff Fisher.

A victory in the season finale at San Francisco would put the Rams at 8-8 and end their streak of eight consecutive losing seasons. Given the expectations entering the season, it’s still a disappointment. But it could’ve been worse — a lot worse.

“They’re not giving participation trophies for us not quitting,” Long said. “But this team, that’s not what we do. It starts with Coach Fish. Coach Fish preaches we’re gonna come to work and fight every day.

“Even when the chips are down, I think you find out what people are made of. And I think we’ve got the right kind of guys in this locker room.”

During the game, the Rams lost linebacker-safety Mark Barron and defensive linemen Nick Fairley and Ethan Westbrooks to concussions. Johnson missed some time to get checked for a concussion before returning. Long left briefly with a stinger.

“We had to overcome some difficult things,” Fisher said. “Defensively, we lost four guys out of the rotation. That’s not easy. Those guys that played, stepped up and played hard and played well.”

Ayers’ first NFL touchdown, a 45-yard return of a recovered fumble, made it a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. Britt’s 28-yard TD pass, beating press coverage from Sherman with a double move, made it 16-0. (Greg Zuerlein’s extra point sailed wide left.)

But the game stayed the Rams’ way in large part because of the effort and resourcefulness of the unassuming Barnes, the bearded product of the University of Missouri.

“Tim was like the MVP,” Long said.

Pretty much. In 2013, starting in place of the injured Scott Wells, Barnes played against Seattle’s mammoth and menacing defensive tackle Brandon Mebane for the first time. It wasn’t pretty. This time around, Barnes held his own. And that was when he wasn’t recovering fumbles.

Seattle was threatening to eclipse that 16-0 Rams lead, pulling to within 16-10 on a third-quarter touchdown catch by Doug Baldwin, his 11th TD reception in five games. After which, the Rams were trying to scrape together a drive when Benny Cunningham fumbled carrying up the middle on third-and-1 from the Seattle 40.

The ball squirted high in the air and appeared to be recovered by Seattle. But Barnes somehow worked his way into the scrum — and came out with the football.

“You get to the bottom of the pile, and you’re just trying to do whatever you can to get the ball,” Barnes. “Luckily, I had just enough left in me to keep a hold of it.”

Two plays later, Todd Gurley burst off left tackle, hell-bent for the end zone. But the ball popped out after contact by Seattle cornerback DeShawn Shead and rolled down field. There was Barnes again, rumbling down field to recover the loose ball at Seattle 2.

“Right after that second one, I wanted to go out there and give him a big kiss,” Laurinaitis said. “Hard work and effort like that pays off. It’s phenomenal.”

By Barnes’ reckoning, it was the first time he had touched the ball twice in a game since his days as the “emergency” running back for Pettis County (Mo.) Northwest High.

From there, the Rams shrugged off a holding penalty and got into the end zone on a 2-yard run by Gurley. On third-and-goal from the 2, everyone in the stadium-record crowd of 69,080 knew Gurley would get the handoff.

“They knew what was coming. They knew we were gonna run the ball,” said Gurley, who went over 1,100 yards for the season with 85 yards on 19 carries Sunday. “But the offensive linemen did a great job. I was just trying to do some tough running out there.”

That he did, churning up the middle for his 10th touchdown of the season and a 23-10 Rams lead with 10:34 to play in the game.

But as long as Wilson is out there, the Seahawks always have a chance. An 18-yard TD pass from Wilson to Jermaine Kearse trimmed the Rams’ lead to 23-17 with 17 seconds to play.

An onside kick was next, and if the Seahawks recovered, they’d at least have a chance to throw a Hail Mary for the win. This time, Barnes wasn’t on the field to recover Steven Hauschka’s onside kick. (Not too many 300-pounders are on the “hands” team.)

Barnes’ presence wasn’t needed this time. The ball bounced out of bounds, the Rams took over, and for the third game in a row, quarterback Case Keenum and the offense lined up in the victory formation.

The December turnaround has been nice, Fisher said. “We made some difficult changes with respect to the quarterback and the coordinator change. Some of those things are paying off for us right now.”

 

[RamBill]

Rams notes: Fisher pays his respects to Joe Strauss
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_c58ceb8f-458f-5db2-9153-d44884b0c094.html

SEATTLE • After perhaps his best victory in four seasons with the Rams, coach Jeff Fisher’s thoughts were with Post-Dispatch columnist Joe Strauss, who died of complications from leukemia Sunday morning.

“I feel the need to start this on a somber note,” Fisher said following the Rams’ 23-17 victory over Seattle at CenturyLink Field. “I was informed just prior to the game that we lost one of our own in Joe Strauss.

“I want to offer our condolences to his family and all his friends, and to you (reporters). He was really great to be around for the last couple years. He was very fair and very intelligent. He’ll be missed.”

Strauss became a regular around Rams Park after switching from the Cardinals baseball beat to columnist duties at the Post-Dispatch.

Many Rams, from executive vice president Kevin Demoff to general manager Les Snead to linebacker James Laurinaitis, offered their condolences either before or after the game.
AYERS’ TD

Linebacker Akeem Ayers couldn’t have picked a better time for his first NFL touchdown, scooping up a fumble by Seattle fullback Will Tufuaka and darting 45 yards for a score with 6 minutes, 34 seconds to play in the first quarter. The Rams’ third defensive TD of the season gave them a 10-0 lead. Teammate Mark Barron forced the fumble on a third-and-1 play.

“It was a great hit by Mark Barron,” Ayers said. “He came through, hit the fullback, and forced the ball out. The ball came right to me, so I was able to scoop it, make a few guys miss, have some good blocks down the field, and get to the end zone.”

A fifth-year pro out of UCLA, Ayers came to the Rams via free agency this past offseason from New England. He had his most productive game of the season Sunday, finishing with eight tackles, a half sack, two quarterback hits and a pass breakup, according to unofficial press box stats.

He also came up with a second fumble recovery when teammate Eugene Sims forced a Russell Wilson fumble following a 21-yard scramble to the St. Louis 10. Wilson originally was ruled down by contact, but the Rams challenged the ruling, and the call was reversed via instant replay.

It marked only the third time Wilson has lost a fumble since the end of the 2013 season.
ANOTHER “PICK” FOR JOHNSON

Cornerback Trumaine Johnson intercepted his team-high seventh pass of the season, outwrestling Seattle wide receiver Tyler Lockett for the ball at the St. Louis 11 early in the second quarter. Wilson had gone five games without an interception until Sunday.

“He’s getting his hands on the ball and he is making plays,” Fisher said. “In addition to the interceptions, he’s breaking up a lot of passes, which is good. I think you could also agree that he is tackling very well.”

For Johnson, it’s his fourth consecutive game with an interception. For the season, he’s tied for second in the NFL behind Cincinnati’s Reggie Nelson, who has eight INTs entering the Bengals’ Monday night game at Denver.
RAM-BLINGS

The Rams lost Barron as well as defensive linemen Nick Fairley and Ethan Westbrooks to concussions during the game. “Nick seems to be OK. We’ll see how that goes,” Fisher said.

• There were no surprises among the Rams’ inactives. QB Sean Mannion, CB Eric Patterson (ankle), DT Louis Trinca-Pasat, G/T Andrew Donnal (knee), C/G Brian Folkerts, T Isaiah Battle and DE Matt Longacre were pregame scratches.

• Among the Seahawks’ inactives were a pair of Pro Bowlers: LT Russell Okung (calf) and S Kam Chancellor (pelvis, tailbone). Chancellor thus missed both games against the Rams this season. He was in the midst of a contract holdout and missed the season opener, a 34-31 Rams overtime victory.

• With four sacks Sunday, including three by defensive end William Hayes, the Rams have sacked Wilson 36 times in eight games.

• Following the Seattle contest, the Rams headed to the Napa Valley area of California near San Francisco. They will spend the week there practicing at the Oakland Raiders’ training camp facility in preparation for next Sunday’s season finale in Santa Clara against the 49ers.

 

[RamBill]

Monday Wrap-Up: Finishing the Season Strong
By Myles Simmons

View: http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Monday-Wrap-Up-Finishing-the-Season-Strong/dbd368ea-856a-4301-b889-8e5bad6205bc


NAPA, Calif. -- The Rams’ 23-17 victory over the Seahawks on Sunday was significant for a number of reasons, starting with St. Louis breaking a long losing streak in the pacific northwest.

But it also brought the Rams to 7-8 with a week to play, meaning there is still an opportunity to finish at .500. While that isn’t satisfying for a team that had much higher expectations for itself at the season’s outset, it still would be a significant accomplishment. St. Louis hasn’t reached the .500 mark since 2006, when the club last went 8-8.

“I’m certainly by no means satisfied with it. But 8-8 is better than 7-9,” head coach Jeff Fisher said on Monday. “We’re certainly not satisfied with being 8-8, but we don’t have any options right now. Probably more [important] to be able to win four straight, finish the year with four-straight wins, and get a little momentum into the offseason.”

“Right now, I think the goal is 8-8 to be honest with you. To get to the point where I’ve never been, and that’s just 8-8 -- .500, ”linebacker James Laurinaitis said after the game Sunday.

Getting to the brink of that step has not been the smoothest process, particularly during a five-game stretch that saw the Rams’ record fall from 4-3 to 4-8. But the players remained focused and motivated, and over the last three weeks, that perseverance has paid off.


“We’re prideful. We’ll fight no matter the situation,” defensive lineman William Hayes said. “That’s why I can really appreciate this team. We go to work every day. We’re really hustling, and we put our best foot forward. We were 4-8, those eight losses, there was great effort in those eight losses. You couldn’t be but so upset about it. The goal is to just to continue to grow and try to get better day in and day out.”

“They’re not giving participation trophies for us not quitting, but this team, that’s not what we do,” defensive lineman Chris Long said. “It starts with coach Fish. Coach Fish preaches we’re going to come to work and we’re going to fight every day. Even when the chips are down, I think that’s when you find out what people are made of. And I think we’ve got the right kind of guys in this locker room.”

Fisher said maintaining an environment that stresses week-by-week improvement is key to keeping a team together that can eventually make this kind of run.

“It’s a one-week-at-a-time process. And that’s the key and you have to be consistent every week,” Fisher said. “At the same time, you can’t dwell on the wins. You can’t get over-worked over the losses. You just keep going and get them to trust what we’re doing and the way we’re doing it is the right way.”

There have, however, been adjustments that have worked out -- namely inserting Case Keenum as the starting quarterback and Rob Boras as the offensive playcaller.

“We’ve made a couple changes -- difficult changes -- one to go with Case and then gave the offense over to Rob,” Fisher said, “and it appears after three weeks that those were good decisions.”


The results -- a three-game winning streak -- are hard to argue. Plus, the Rams were able to go into CenturyLink Field, notoriously one of the most difficult places to play, and leave without a false start or a sack. Fisher had plenty of praise to go around for that aspect of Sunday’s performance, from coaches, to the quarterback, to the offensive line.

“I don’t think there’s many teams that can say they came in and out of there without either one of those two things,” Fisher said.

Those are the kinds of elements a team often needs to beat the Seahawks in Seattle. And according to Laurinaitis, a victory like Sunday’s can have long-term positive effects.

“For this organization, this is a big step. It really was a big step,” Laurinaitis said. “I feel like when the Cardinals won up here a couple years ago, I think it really gave them a belief that they could go anywhere and get a W. It’s the same thing for this team. If you can win up here, to me, there’s no excuse for why you can’t win on the road.”

Now the challenge will be for St. Louis to close out the season the way they want to -- by sweeping a second divisional opponent.

“We treated this like a playoff game. We’ll treat next week at San Fran the same way,” Laurinaitis said. “Our goal, like I said three weeks ago, was to go 4-0 in the last four. And we’re 3-0 right now and hope we can keep it going.”

 

[RamBill]

Go inside the locker room for head coach Jeff Fisher’s postgame speech after the Week 16 win at Seattle.

Watch Fisher's Post Game Speech

 

[RamBill]

Nick Wagoner on the win in Seattle and what the Rams can take away from it. He talks with Randy K. and D’Marco Farr.

Listen to Wagoner Talk Rams Win