5 Takeaways From Los Angeles Rams Week 2 Win Over Seattle Seahawks

After winning the defensive battle against the Seattle Seahawks, here’s a look at five takeaways for the Los Angeles Rams

Sep 18, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) looses the ball as he is sacked by Los Angeles Rams defensive end Robert Quinn (94) during the first half of a NFL game against the Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

In what turned out to be a defensive battle between two NFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Rams didn’t disappoint their fans in the home opener after earning a 9-3 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

By recording three field goals in the win, the Rams have officially gone two games without scoring a single touchdown, but the most important factor is they head into Week 3 with a 1-1 record to be part of a four-way tie in the division. The issues on offense will eventually fix themselves, but for now, Los Angeles is going to enjoy this victory over Seattle for the fourth time in five games.

It’s never easy to contain an offense as talented as the Seahawks, and the Rams deserve all of the credit in the world for keeping Russell Wilson out of the end zone. After coming up big in a thrilling defensive battle, here’s a look at five takeaways from the win by Los Angeles over Seattle.

Sep 18, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) runs for a short gain in the second half of the game against the Seattle Seahawks at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Todd Gurley Quiet Again

Todd Gurley made a bold statement in the offseason by claiming fantasy football owners should consider last year’s Rookie of the Year for the top overall pick. While there’s no reason to hit the panic button just yet, Gurley isn’t making his fantasy owners who used a first-round pick on the running back confident about their selection.

After rushing for just 47 yards against the San Francisco 49ers in the opener, Gurley finished with only 51 rushing yards on 19 carries against the Seahawks on Sunday. While the running back deserves a little slack when considering Seattle knew stacking the box was the best way to prevent Los Angeles from moving down the field, the fact that Gurley only has 98 rushing yards in two games is one of the biggest surprises in the early season.

Gurley was the lone star of the Rams’ offense that ranked near the bottom of the league in 2015, and with a weak receiving corps, the team is going to need all of the help they can get from the running back moving forward. If Gurley doesn’t find a way to begin producing big numbers soon, this offense is going to be even worse than a year ago–which doesn’t even seem possible.

Robert Quinn Shines on Defense

During his six seasons with the Rams, Robert Quinn has always been one of the key factors behind the success of the defense. Even though he only recorded five sacks in 2015, Los Angeles realized they would need a big season from the defensive end.

After Sunday’s game against Seattle, all signs point to Quinn being a big part of this defense once again.

Los Angeles couldn’t have asked for a better performance from Quinn after he recorded a sack and forced fumble on Russell Wilson towards the end of the first half. If Quinn can find a way to stay consistent with performances like this one, there’s every reason to believe the defensive end will record double-digit sacks for the fourth time in his career.

With all of the concerns on offense, the defense was the main reason behind the Rams finishing with a 7-9 record last year, and whether this team manages to compete in the division will be determined by them. Quinn taking advantage of Seattle’s weak offensive line along with a quarterback in Wilson dealing with an ankle injury is just what Los Angeles needed to see from their defensive star.

Sep 18, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Kenny Britt (18) runs the ball past Seattle Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) during the second half of a NFL game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Kenny Britt Carries the Passing Game

As good as it was to see Tavon Austin catch five passes for 50 yards against the Seahawks after a disappointing Week 1 performance, it was Kenny Britt that came up big for the Rams’ offense in the passing game once again.

Britt led all wide receivers with six catches for 94 yards on 10 targets as the wideout helped take the pressure off Case Keenum at quarterback. For a team in desperate need of a 1,000-yard receiver, Britt seems like the perfect candidate to be the first player to do so for the Rams since 1997 with the way he’s played to start off the season.

Even though he’s never recorded a 1,000-yard season in his career, Britt will have every opportunity to reach that milestone in 2016 with the amount of passes he’s going to receive on offense. Plus, it doesn’t hurt Britt to see defenses focusing most of their attention on his speedy teammate in Austin.

Sep 18, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams tight end Lance Kendricks (88) is tackled by Seattle Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) during the first half of a NFL game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Emergence of Lance Kendricks

With Jared Cook officially out of the picture after joining the Green Bay Packers in the offseason, Lance Kendricks entered the 2016 season knowing this would be the perfect opportunity to prove what he’s capable of in the passing game. Kendricks has always been known for his blocking skills, but after taking advantage of a favorable matchup against the Seahawks, don’t be surprised if the Rams try using their tight end in the passing game even more.

Kendricks came up big against Seattle after catching four passes for 61 yards–including a key 44-yard catch. The tight end is coming off a 2015 season in which he only recorded 25 catches for 245 yards with two touchdowns, but Sunday’s performance is the perfect example of what he can contribute on offense.

For a team that has faced all sorts of criticism for their lack of receiving corps, Kendricks finds himself in the perfect opportunity when it comes to proving he can be an effective weapon for Keenum when needed.

zSep 18, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Case Keenum (17) rushes against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half of a NFL game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Los Angeles won 9-3. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

For Now, Case Keenum’s Job is Safe

Forget everything about the Rams failing to score a single touchdown over their first two games and focus on the fact that Keenum did everything he could against a very tough Seahawks’ defense.

Keenum may have only completed 18 of 30 passes for 239 yards against Seattle, but the most important factor was the veteran quarterback didn’t record a single turnover. Los Angeles knew their offense would face plenty of challenges against Seattle, and while it wasn’t the most impressive performance, Keenum deserves credit for the way he managed this offense in the win.

After Jared Goff was promoted to backup, many wondered if the rookie would earn playing time against the Seahawks if Keenum struggled like he did in Week 1. For now, Keenum gets to keep his job for at least one more week after making his case for the starting job with with the way he played against Seattle.