Just when you thought Jared Goff and the new look Los Angeles Rams were not all that, they were, in a 33-7 display of dominance on their home turf against the depleted Houston Texans. In less than a full season removed from Jeff Fisher’s tenure, his former team is as unrecognizable as a slew of celebrities with bungled facelifts.
Clinging to a 9-7 lead on a series of field goals, Goff aired out his differences in the second half against struggling counterpart Tom Savage passing for a career-high 355 yards. His favorite target for two of his three TD tosses was wide receiver Robert Woods, who in returning to his USC stomping grounds, hauled in eight passes for a total of 171 yards – one of which a 94-yarder for the longest catch of his NFL career.
The third quarter deemed the most damage for the Texans after the Rams reached the end zone twice, 19 seconds apart, on a 24-yard TD strike to Sammy Watkins followed by a sack fumble recovery that led to Wood’s second TD of the game.
Savage, having the daunting task of filling in for the injured Deshaun Watson, was like a deer in the headlights with the Ram’s secondary in his face all day long. Sacked on his first possession by Los Angeles defensive lineman Aaron Donald, the beleaguered quarterback never found his footing, passing for 221 yards with a TD and pair of interceptions.
Under the tutelage of rookie head coach Sean McVay, the 7-2 Rams top the leaderboard in the NFC West. Along with veteran defensive guru Wade Phillips and offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, the 31-year old wonder kid may have turned his club from a frog into a prince, but with fierce competition in the coming weeks, it remains to be seen if this Los Angeles team will reap the rewards of a fairy tale ending.
