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http://www.ocregister.com/2017/09/10/de ... ays-debut/

Defense, Jared Goff lead Rams to romp over Colts in Sean McVay’s debut

By RICH HAMMOND | rhammond@scng.com | Orange County Register
PUBLISHED: September 10, 2017 at 4:07 pm | UPDATED: September 10, 2017 at 7:21 pm

LOS ANGELES — This is the city of Hollywood reinvention, a land of second chances. So the Rams vanished for a while, allowed the stench of a 4-12 season to clear out and returned, shockingly, as an entertaining team.

The plot twist left mouths agape at the Coliseum. The Rams, who left the field eight months ago to a mixture of fan apathy and disgust, wowed the crowd and made Coach Sean McVay look brilliant in his debut, as the Rams excelled in all phases of the game and beat Indianapolis, 46-9, Sunday afternoon.

These Rams, who did almost nothing correctly last year and got their coach fired, looked inspired and refreshed. Their passing game, led by quarterback Jared Goff, showed poise and skill. Their defense looked well-organized and aggressive, as it forced three turnovers and scored 16 points.

“This is what we wanted,” defensive lineman Michael Brockers said. “We wanted this for the fans. We wanted this for ourselves, just to show people that even though we have a new regime, it’s not a rebuilding year. We know we’re a young team, but we’re ready to go.”

Yes, the Rams battered the Colts, an average team under the best circumstances, and one that played without its superstar quarterback and two other important starters, but the Rams showed undeniable progress.

The Rams nursed a 10-3 lead in the second quarter when the offense started to sputter. It was the point, in 2016, when the team would have collapsed. Instead, Goff two brilliant completions, to Cooper Kupp for 24 yards and Gerald Everett for 39 yards, and the Rams went on a 27-point run to take a 37-3 lead.

It seemed bizarre to see the Rams play so well, and perhaps McVay got awakened from the dream before the game’s final play, when Alec Ogletree and Andrew Whitworth doused him with a water bucket.

“It feels good,” McVay said. “It’s a little surreal, but it’s one game. The thing about the NFL is, it’s an extremely humbling business. While this was the goal, and we came away with it, we’ve got a great Washington team that I’m very familiar with that we’re playing next week.”

And that might be the difference. The Rams recorded their largest margin of victory since 2014 but didn’t seem in a self-congratulatory mood, even though they dominated without star defender Aaron Donald.

Part of it is understandable. The Colts looked awful. Quarterback Scott Tolzien, who filled in for Andrew Luck, looked lost and got pulled in the fourth quarter. The Colts totaled 225 yards, went 0 for 10 on third-down attempts and recorded only one first down in the second and third quarters, combined.

Clearly, the Rams will face bigger tests, but they did a lot well Sunday. Goff, who went 0-7 as a starter last season, completed 21 of 29 attempts for a career-best 306 yards and one touchdown. Goff completed passes to nine receivers, and Kupp, a rookie, had a team-high 76 yards on four catches.

“I think it’s a step in the right direction,” McVay said. “I know our guys will be motivated in the right way to respond.”

The negatives? The Rams strung together far too many penalties, particularly in the first half when the offense got stagnant, and like last season, they struggled to run the ball. Todd Gurley gained only 40 yards on 19 attempts, although Gurley did catch five passes for 56 yards.

In the Rams’ first regular-season game under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, they gave up a few eyebrow-raising deep completions but otherwise stopped the Colts’ run game and harassed the quarterbacks. The Rams became the NFL’s first-ever team to return two interceptions for touchdowns and record a safety in a season opener.

The defense set the tone. On Indianapolis’ third play, Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson intercepted Tolzien and ran 29 yards for a touchdown. The Rams were up 10-0 after less than four minutes, and they never lost control of the game.

“When McVay got here,” linebacker Robert Quinn said, “he raised our accountability level, our standards. I think guys are having fun. It’s a game, you know, so you better have fun. We flew around and made plays, and that’s all you can really ask for. Of course we’re looking for improvements every week, but it’s a good way to start.”