Todd Gurley explodes in second half as Rams beat Lions 21-14

The first half of this football game showed the reason why both of these teams were 4-8. However the St. Louis Rams finally got the offense going, and made this game somewhat reasonable to watch again. One of those reasons to watch was running back Todd Gurley exploded in the second half as he led this St. Louis Rams team to a 21-14 victory of the Detroit Lions.

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Gurley only finished with seven carries along with 13 yards rushing, yet the second half brought good news for the rookie running back. Gurley finished with 140 yards rushing, two touchdowns with almost nine yards a carry. The Rams offense finally got some type of rhythm, and the offensive line looked professional. Gurley was an absolute work horse, and finally got back to his superstar ways.

In the past five games, Gurley was not even close to reaching 100 yards rushing, hence the Rams kept on losing and losing. With a running game, the Rams offense came to life.

Besides Gurley getting the offense going, the Rams defense also stepped up against a very powerful combination of Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson. In his NFL career, Johnson has caught at least one reception a game, and the Rams tested that today. Corner back Trumaine Johnson locked down receiver Johnson all day, as he was only able to catch one pass from Stafford all game long. Besides Johnson locking down on Calvin, Johnson also got the first points of the game with a pick six interception. The last time the Rams returned a pick six for a touchdown, was last year in November.

Dec 13, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Case Keenum (17) hands the ball of to St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) against the Detroit Lions during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

With Johnson locking down one of the biggest receivers in the NFL, Aaron Donald was having a day for his own. Donald had multiple tackles for losses and added three sacks on the day. I guess this is why EA Sports gave Donald an overall rating of 99 in Madden 16. Donald has to be one of, or the best defensive tackle in the NFL right now. With both Donald and Johnson being the stars on defense, the Rams were able to hold Stafford for only 245 yards passing and two touchdowns. With the Lions being a more pass offense, I’ll take that stat, only because we got the win.

However the St. Louis still has one big problem on offense, and that would be the quarterback situation. Anytime the opponent was able to stop the Rams strong running game, it was game over from then. On the Rams five game losing streak, they were not able to reach 100 yards rushing, yet today the rushing game totaled for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns. With a strong running game, the Rams are a dangerous team, but what could they be with an actual passing game. Quarterback Case Keenum threw 22 times and only completed 14 of those.

Dec 13, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) reacts after an incomplete pass against the St. Louis Rams during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Keenum threw for 124 yards along with a costly interception. Even with another game of a horrible passing game, receiver Wes Welker was able to make history. Welker caught his 900th reception today, on a 11 yard slant play. Congratulations to one of the greatest undrafted receiver Wes Welker.

The game got interesting in the 4th quarter as the Rams held a 14 point lead, yet Stafford was able to drive down to field and cut it down to a 7 point lead with 2:05 left. The Lions were then able to recover from the onside kick, and had a chance to tie the game. Special team player Bradley Marquez was unable to hold onto the ball, and could not seal the Rams victory right then and there. However with the Rams defense stepping up big all game, they were able to stop the Lions on a 4th and three.

This is a huge victory for the St. Louis Rams as they improve to 5-8 on the season, as Todd Gurley got back to his normal rookie of the year status. Rams fans can finally celebrate a win after five straight losses.

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