Rams Defy Underdog Label In Win Over Seahawks

At least for one game, the Los Angeles Rams proved the doubters wrong in Sunday's season-opening win over the Seattle Seahawks

Coming into the season, not many gave the Los Angeles Rams much of a chance.

Following a miserable 5-12 season and several notable departures over the offseason, expectations were much lower than usual for the Rams. With them opening the season against the division-rival Seattle Seahawks, who just made the playoffs last year, the Rams were heavy underdogs to kick off the new year.

For one day at least, the Rams proved their doubters with an emphatic win over their NFC WEST rivals. They didn't just win, either, they were outright dominant and shut out the Seahawks in the second half. L.A. gained 426 yards of total offense to Seattle's 180 and held the ball for nearly 40 minutes.

Despite all the outside noise, the Rams were able to block it out and go play at a high level. After the game, though, they were able to brag a bit about their upset win.

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"I think the cherry on top is getting to see y'all's reaction to it," quarterback Matthew Stafford told reporters. "I think the big thing for us, though, is we care about it because we put the work in. It wasn't given to us. We've got a bunch of guys earn a bunch of spots on this team no matter what their draft status was, it doesn't matter. Guys put the work in to go get the win and we've got to go out there and do it again."

For Stafford, Sunday's win must've felt especially satisfying. The 35-year-old quarterback dealt with injuries last year and trade rumors throughout the offseason, but he didn't let that get to him at all in the opener. Stafford didn't have an overly flashy game but played clean, mistake-free football to help the Rams get the win.

Of course, the defense got to enjoy the win as well. After all, the unit held the Seahawks to just one first down in the second half, so it's only fair that they go to relish in their strong performance.

"We expected this," defensive lineman Aaron Donald said. "Obviously, the world didn't know, but this is what we've been seeing at camp -- guys flying around, guys making plays, and we just translated that to the game. So we ain't shocked. We ain't surprised. The world might be, but we expected this."

With 16 more games to go, it still remains to be seen how the Rams' season will go in the long run. For the first game, though, they shattered expectations.