The Los Angeles Rams came into tonight’s game with heavy expectations and did not disappoint. The Rams came into Oakland Coliseum and made a statement in their first game of the season with their 33-13 win over the Oakland Raiders.
It was a game that was a tale of two halves. The first half easily went to the Raiders. They were the more physical team in the first half with their offensive line dominating the Rams defensive line.
Their rushing attack in combination with their short passing game dominated the clock. The Raiders won time of possession 21:31 to the Rams 8:29 in the first half.
Los Angeles was barely on the field which made it tough for them to establish running back Todd Gurley in the first half. He had five touches for 38 yards and one touchdown in the first half.
The Raiders had 254 total yards of offense in first half to the Rams 98. However, they only had a 13-10 lead going into halftime.
It was a tale of two halves as alluded to earlier.
In the second half the Rams took over. They made adjustments such as switching cornerback Aqib Talib onto tight end Jared Cook.
Cook had six receptions for 113 yards in the first half. He had three receptions for 67 yards in the second half. Although, one of those receptions came in garbage time.
The second half was a nightmare for quarterback Derek Carr. He threw two interceptions, with one being a pick-six to cornerback Marcus Peters.
Carr was 29 of 40 for 303 yards and three interceptions. A tough stat line to swallow.
This was not the Rams best game by far, but they did show resiliency by fighting back on the road. Their philosophy was notably different in the second half with them featuring Gurley more.
He finishes with 20 carries for 108 yards and 5.4 yards per carry. Gurley also had three receptions for 39 yards and one touchdown.
Gurley’s dominance kept the Rams offense on the filed. As a result, they won time of possession in the second half, 20 minutes to the Raiders 10 minutes.
Quarterback Jared Goff cut it close a few times but was able to do his part in the win as well. He was 18 of 33 for 233 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a 97.2 passer rating as well.
The Rams did not play their best game but did show that there is another gear they can turn on. They are a team proving that they deserve the tag as Super Bowl contenders. While the Raiders are a team trying to find itself under new leadership.
The Rams improve to 1-0 and the Raiders fall to 0-1.
Brendan Abban is the creator and owner of brendanabban.com and hosts the KBR Sports podcast. Follow him on Twitter @AbbanBrendan or email him via [email protected].
