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https://www.ocregister.com/2018/11/04/r ... -shootout/

Rams suffer first defeat of season, falling to New Orleans Saints in shootout

By RICH HAMMOND | rhammond@scng.com | Orange County Register

PUBLISHED: November 4, 2018 at 4:53 pm | UPDATED: November 5, 2018 at 1:04 am

NEW ORLEANS – A few teams might not be happy, but that’s too bad. The NFC championship game deserves the Rams and the Saints, and nothing about the rest of the regular season will change matters.

Sports are about entertainment, and nobody – other than the defensive coordinators – walked away from the Superdome on Sunday with anything but satisfaction, and the thought that a rematch should be on the horizon. The Saints won the first round, and ended the Rams’ undefeated-season hopes, with a 45-35 victory.

The conference title game will take place Jan. 20, and while there’s no certainty with half of the regular season still to be played, the Rams (8-1) and Saints (7-1) seem destined to play again, with higher stakes.

“Oh yeah, we’re seeing them again,” Rams defensive lineman Michael Brockers said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s here or there.”

Let’s be honest: the Rams weren’t going undefeated in 2018. The league is too tough, and even though the Rams arguably have more talent than anyone in the NFL, putting together 16 consecutive victories is nearly impossible. Plus, the Rams had been involved in too many close calls of late. They were bound to break.

It took a lot, though, so file this one away, as the Rams look forward to two more big games –against Seattle and Kansas City – but don’t bury it too deep. The game, and its aftermath, will be worthy of review for a while. It’s the type of game that will be a hinge.

The Rams, not surprisingly, looked to the positive, to the fact that they faced a three-touchdown first-half deficit, in arguably the most hostile stadium in the NFL, then tied the game late in the fourth quarter and had the ball with a chance to take the lead. Afterward, the Rams bowed the Saints, but not too deep.

“They’re the upper echelon – and we are too – of the NFC,” left tackle Andrew Whitworth said. “If a 21-point lead in a game isn’t safe, I think you’ve proven you’re a contender, especially when you’re at their place to do it. To be down 21 at one point and find a way to come back and tie it, I think that speaks for itself.”

So, is this the pants kick that the Rams needed, or is it the start of growing problems on defense?

That depends entirely on which half one wants to dissect. Set the Rams’ offense aside. No worries there. Quarterback Jared Goff added another game to his NFL MVP resume as he passed for 391 yards and three touchdowns, and he made only one mistake. Todd Gurley, on a tough-sledding day, still managed 5.2 yards per carry. The receiving trio of Brandin Cooks, Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods each had huge moments.

But, oh, that defense. The Rams got completely torched by Saints quarterback Drew Brees in the first half, and couldn’t figure out what to do with receiver Michael Thomas, who set a franchise record with 211 yards.

The Saints, up 35-17 at halftime, handed the Rams their worst defensive half in 10 years, but then the game completely flipped. The Rams kept scoring and the Saints slowed down. They even punted. The Rams scored 18 consecutive points to open the second half and tied the game 35-35 early in the fourth quarter.

That took a lot of energy, though, and while the Rams got the ball back with 6:23 remaining and down only 38-35, they couldn’t quite do it. The offense sputtered and Brees and Thomas delivered a gut-punch, 72-yard touchdown with 3:52 remaining. The Rams valiant second-half effort ended in some hung heads.

Perhaps that’s why the game will linger. In the locker room a bit later, some players said the Rams needed this. Some said it would relieve the pressure of being the league’s only undefeated team. Some, such as veteran Ndamukong Suh, slowly shook their heads and said no loss is good. It’s not the loss. The question is how the Rams unpack it.

“We treat it like a 16-round fight, a boxing match,” Johnson said. “You’re going to get hit, but it’s how you bounce back. You saw how we came back, but we just couldn’t finish.”

There were some self-inflicted blows. The Rams and Saints each scored touchdowns on their first two drives, then the Rams broke serve early in the second quarter and recovered a fumble by Saints running back Mark Ingram at the New Orleans 22.

The Rams stalled and faced a fourth-and-4 play from the Saints’ 16-yard line. The Rams lined up for a field goal, which would have given them a 17-14 lead, but holder (and usual punter) Johnny Hekker stood up and tried to sprint for a first down. Hekker lunged and thought he picked up the first down, but officials spotted the ball short, a ruling upheld after a video review.

New Orleans scored the next 21 points and took a 35-14 lead late in the second quarter. That’s because the Rams were befuddled by Brees in the first half. True to his Hall of Fame nature, Brees got rid of the ball quickly and threw accurate passes. He also got helped by a stellar offensive line that didn’t allow him to get sacked once. Brees completed 25 of 36 attempts for 346 yards and four touchdowns.

The Rams improved their tackling in the second half and got a moderate amount of pressure on Brees at times. The Saints scored only 10 points on four second-half drives, but the Rams have some significant issues to clean up on defense, and they start with cornerback Marcus Peters.

There’s time. The Rams can exhale and, for all practical purposes, clinch the NFC West with a home victory over Seattle next Sunday. Chances are, they’ll be keeping an eye on the Saints for the next couple months.

“I think adversity is necessary in this league,” Rams safety Lamarcus Joyner said. “It’s good to get that adversity early and know how you can get better as a team.”