INGLEWOOD — Twenty-eight minutes. That’s how long it took for the Rams to record a first down. How long it took for them to garner more total yards than safety Quentin Lake had on his first-quarter interception return (45).
It was the kind of game that, despite the good vibes of the week ago, the Rams offense needed as much support from their defensive counterparts as possible. Fortunately, Chris Shula’s unit was up for the task in a 24-9 win over the Chargers.
The Rams (4-4) held the Chargers (0-7) to 295 yards of total offense, 54 of which came on a first-half Hail Mary. They stopped the Chargers on 60% of third-down attempts and on the Chargers’ only fourth-down attempt. The Rams only allowed 2.6 yards per carry, with three tackles for loss.
They did not allow a touchdown, instead stopping the Chargers short of the red zone four times and forcing a field-goal attempt the one time the Chargers reached the Rams’ 20.
Cornerback Trent McDuffie, back after a two-game absence due to a groin injury, was everywhere. He shed blocks from tight ends to make tackles in the flat and came flying into the backfield for run stops. Eight of his first nine tackles held the Chargers to gains of five yards or fewer. And his third-quarter interception set up a screen-pass touchdown to Puka Nacua that put the game out of reach.
About the only knock on the defense was that, after a Wesley Bailey strip-sack, Aaron Donald failed to corral the fumble on the sidelines and the ball bounced harmlessly out of bounds.
Donald lay on his back in mild embarrassment after the gaffe, and Braden Fiske ran up to mime performing CPR on the fallen Ram as teammates cracked up on the sidelines.
The Rams needed that kind of performance, because it took most of the first half before the offense got any kind of momentum going.
This game was the first in head coach Sean McVay’s tenure in which his offense failed to convert a first down in its first five possessions. Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw several passes into the dirt or out of bounds rather than test his receivers against tight coverage.
Even with the unreliable passing game without Davante Adams and Colby Parkinson, McVay couldn’t fully commit to the run. He called a roll-out pass attempt on 3rd-and-1 rather than hand the ball off, and Stafford had to throw the ball away and cede the field to punter Ethan Evans.
The one time the Rams seemed to have some serious momentum on offense was on the opening drive of the third quarter as they committed to the run. After five carries for 10 yards in the first half, McVay called five carries to Blake Corum to open the second half. He took them for 55 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown.
The next drive opened with two handoffs to Kyren Williams for nine yards, but after four straight dropbacks, the Rams had to punt.