Rams’ defense shines, forces four turnovers in win over Raiders
The Los Angeles Rams defense, a unit that ranked fifth-last in the NFL heading into Week 5, forced four turnovers from the Las Vegas Raiders to earn a 20-15 win, their second victory of the season.
A Rams team that features one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Matthew Stafford relied on the strength of their defense to take the win at home.
The Rams defense first forced an interception of quarterback Gardner Minshew in the second quarter, with Cobie Durant coming up with the pick. The short field then led to the Rams first touchdown of the game, giving them a 7-0 lead.
Jaylen McCollough came up with the Rams’ second interception of Minshew in the third quarter in the third quarter, which led to another Rams’ touchdown.
All of the Rams’ 20 points came off of turnovers, as the offense struggled to get going without the assistance of turnovers forced by the defense. The Raiders even outgained the Rams 317 yards to 258, but managed the win thanks to the defense.
The Raiders had a chance to stage the comeback and upset late in the game after they scored two field goals in the fourth quarter. However, the Rams forced an interception on the Raiders’ offensive drive, with McCollough coming up with his second pick of the day.
The Rams held the Raiders out of the end zone the entire day, limiting them to five field goals.
The Rams best defensive performance did come against a struggling Raiders offense, but the injury-plagued team will still take a win and a strong performance from their young defense.
The Raiders stayed in the game in part of because of kicking woes from Rams kicker Joshua Karty, who missed both an extra point and field goal during the game. The sixth-round rookie has now missed two field goals and two extra points this season.
Next, the Rams will host the 5-1 Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football, who suffered their first loss against the Detroit Lions.
While this will certainly be a difficult game, the Rams remain optimistic with the likely return of star wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
