Los Angeles Rams defense roughs up Drew Brees Saints in win

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Los Angeles Rams' defense roughs up Drew Brees, Saints in win Published: Nov 26, 2017 at 06:09 PM Michael Silver LOS ANGELES -- rolled into Tinseltown with 68,894 career pa sing yards, an eight-game winning streak and perhaps the most well-rounded team since the one he led to the franchise's only championship eight years ago. Yet by the time he jogged off the L.A. Memorial Coliseum gra s late Sunday afternoon, the future quarterback felt like he was running on empty. "That was not good," Brees said after the ' to the . "We just couldn't get in a rhythm." More accurately: The refused to let that happen. In a storyline very few of the 62,006 fans at the Coliseum could have predicted, the home team's decidedly devoid-of-hype defense was the dominant force in a late-November showdown between surprising NFC division leaders. And while L.A. quarterback continued his splendid second-year breakout tour with a 28-for-43, 354-yard performance, even he acknowledged that the ' 'D' deserved the bulk of the Javonte Williams Jersey credit. "What they did was so impre sive," Goff said as he stood at his locker shortly after the game. "To go up against , and two stud running backs, and basically hold them to 13 points until the very end of the game ... that's huge. The best thing was the pa s rush -- they got to Drew early and kept the pre sure on. "When there are guys in your face, it's really, really tough -- even for a Hall of Famer." Someday Brees, 38, will partake in a stirring enshrinement ceremony in Canton, Ohio -- but right now he's very much living in the present. And with good reason: After starting 0-2, the (8-3) seemed headed for a fourth consecutive losing season, only to emerge as an out-of-nowhere succe s story that caught virtually the entire NFL off guard. With an imposing defense, led by menacing and versatile lineman Cam Jordan (who had two sacks and two pa ses defensed on Sunday), and a balanced offensive attack fueled by the running back tandem of veteran and rookie , New Orleans looks built for succe s in January. As Brees said after Sunday's game, "We've had some rough seasons to get to this point." Having such a balanced operation has eased the burden on Brees, who entered Sunday's game in a good place: He was fresh off an epic late-game comeback victory over Washington and was directing a attack averaging 32.9 points per game over the course of its winning streak. His numbers (22 for 32, 246 yards) on Sunday were respectable, but Brees was never in command of this game. Hara sed early and often, he was sacked three times, hit repeatedly throughout the afternoon and was unable to extricate New Orleans from an early 10-0 hole. Were it not for the individual brilliance of Kamara, the third-round draft pick who'd probably be a top-10 overall selection if there were a re-draft today, the might not have found the end zone at all. Kamara brought New Orleans to within three points on a 74-yard scoring burst late in the first quarter and caught a 15-yard touchdown pa s from Brees with 1:45 remaining in the game to set up a last-gasp onside kick -- and did a whole lot of damage in between, finishing with 188 yards from scrimmage on 11 touches. "Wowwwwwww," coach Sean McVay said of Kamara. "When that guy has the ball in his hands -- yikes. They're a really dangerous team, and we knew we had to come out and be aggre sive." That the (8-3) forced the i sue on offense was not a surprise; defensively, L.A. was equally proactive, which was not nearly as predictable against such an accomplished foe Mike Ford Jersey . "We just started off on a roll," said defensive tackle (five tackles, one sack, two tackles for lo s), who is simply one of the NFL's best players. "We did a great job of not letting Brees get comfortable. Yes, definitely, he was frustrated . We had a lot of guys putting pre sure on him and hitting him." To be fair, fast starts have been a recurring theme for the ' defense under 70-year-old coordinator Wade Phillips, who joined McVay's staff after a highly succe sful stint with the that included a . "Our first play of the season, against the (a 46-9 victory), we intercepted a pa s and took it to the house," Phillips reminded me after Sunday's game. "Our third game ( , we got an interception on the first play and scored on the next play. So yeah, we've gotten after it and we've had our moments." The didn't force any turnovers Sunday, but they did hold the to 14 first downs and kept them from converting 10 of 13 third downs, with standout efforts from linebacker (seven tackles, one pa s defensed), cornerback (six tackles, one pa s defensed), linebacker (five tackles) and pa s rusher (five tackles, one sack, one forced fumble). "I think , who had four tackles and two pa ses defensed. "We came out and did what we practiced, and Wade put us in great positions, and we frustrated , the set a tone on the ' first po se sion, forcing a punt after back-to-back sacks by Donald and Quinn. As the game progre sed, L.A. had succe s in stopping Ingram (11 carries, 31 yards). Kamara, however, proved to be a much tougher proposition. "He's a special player," Quinn said of Kamara. "I wasn't sure how good he really was, but he caught my attention, that's for sure." After taking a 26-10 lead on 's fourth field goal with 2:27 left in the game, Brees launched a furious six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, culminating in a short throw to Kamara, who rambled 15 yards for the score. With the out of timeouts and only 1:45 remaining, their only hope was to recover an onside kick -- but Watkins (four catches, 82 yards) ended the suspense by snatching 's wobbler out of the sky. "I'm really mad we gave up all those yards at the end," Barron said afterward. "We made it look better than it was." From a big-picture perspective, however, things were looking up for the , who rebounded from last week's 24-7 defeat to the NFC North-leading and remained a game ahead of the (7-4) in the NFC West. With games against the (10-1) and coming up in the first half of December, the will Mike Boone Jersey be right in the thick of an exciting NFC playoff chase. Meanwhile, the must now fend off challenges in the NFC South from the (with whom they're tied for first place at 8-3) and the defending conference champion (7-4). "This was so big," Goff said. "Everyone else in the NFC won, so if we had lost, we might have been on the outside looking in. And I feel like we can really build on this." Thanks to a defense that disrupted the rhythm of a future Hall of Famer, the are in the mix -- and looking like more of a complete team than anyone could have envisioned. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
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