| Rams long snapper Jake McQuaide (44) congratulates kicker Greg Zuerlein after the team’s 19-13 win over the Seahawks. Zuerlein made field goals of 58, 48, 60 and 24 yards in the win. (AP) |
The Rams’ secret weapon isn’t much of a secret anymore.
Rookie Greg “The Leg” Zuerlein booted field goals of 58, 48, 60 and 24 yards as host St. Louis held off Seattle 19-13. Both teams are 2-2. The longest previous field goal in Rams' history was 57 yards by Jeff Wilkins, so Zuerlein broke the record twice.
The win underlined the Rams’ improved pass defense. St. Louis picked off Russell Wilson three times, including Bradley Fletcher’s clincher at the Rams 25 with a minute left.
Thus St. Louis beat the Seahawks for only the second time in the last 15 tries.
When the game turned: With 1:11 left in the first half, the Rams caught Seattle napping on a fake field goal. Holder Johnny Hekker, the rookie punter, threw two yards to a wide-open Danny Amendola for a touchdown and a 10-7 lead. It was a huge momentum shift. The Rams forced a three-and-out and added another field goal as the half ended.
Highlight moments: All the biggest moments came on special teams. In addition to the fake field goal, Zuerlein nailed 60- and 58-yard field goals that ultimately proved to be the difference. Seattle failed on its onside kick attempt to open the second half, giving the Rams field position that led to Zuerlein’s 60-yarder.
Top-shelf performances:
- Rams K Zuerlein -- 4 of 4 on field goals (58, 48, 60, 24). He’s hit all 12 FG tries this season.
- Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch -- 20 carries, 118 yards, TD; 4 catches, 37 yards.
- Rams LB Rocky McIntosh -- 4 tackles, INT.
- Rams WR Amendola -- 6 catches, 55 yards, TD
What they said about...
Zuerlein's 60-yard FG:
"I was on the headsets and I said, ‘Field goal,’ and somebody said ‘Field goal?’ I said, ‘Yeah, it’s only 60. It’s well within his range.’” -- Rams coach Jeff Fisher
“I think, really, it says more about the coaching staff than it does about me. I feel a lot of kickers in the NFL can kick from those distances and make them. It just depends on the faith that the coaches have." -- Zuerlein
The fake FG that resulted in a Rams TD with holder Johnny Hekker throwing two yards to Amendola:
"I would like to have scored on second or third down, but it didn’t happen. There was nothing negative associated with that play because if they see [Amendola], they go out and cover him, you take the delay and kick the field goal.” -- Fisher
“We knew what we were going to get. [Amendola] was out there by himself. It was just a nice, easy throw. I thought I might have overthrown it for a second but it came down and he caught it. It feels great.” -- Hekker
“I was trying to call timeout. I was running down at them. We saw it from upstairs and I didn’t do a good enough job of getting in their view. I was calling time out before the ball snapped and unfortunately they didn’t catch it.” -- Seattle coach Pete Carroll
Numbers you should know: The Rams converted 5 of 13 third-down attempts, and each conversion came on 3rd-and-10 or longer. Seattle converted just 2 of 9 third downs. … Lynch was dominant, averaging 5.9 yards per carry, but the Seahawks couldn’t ride him like they wanted to because they trailed throughout the second half. … Amendola has at least five catches in every game. … The Rams have eight interceptions in four games.
Injury update: DT Michael Brockers, who missed the first three games with a high ankle sprain, left briefly with an ankle injury but returned. … DE Eugene Sims left with a head injury.
Going forward: The Rams, who snapped a seven-game losing streak against the NFC West, host another division rival, Arizona, on Thursday. It’s a quick turnaround, and the Rams don’t have to travel. St. Louis has a chance to become a factor in the NFC West and get over .500 for the first time since 2006.
Get more Rams updates and analysis from Larry Hartstein @CBSRams.