5 winners and 1 loser from Rams' much-needed win over Raiders

Winning feels good, even a win with plenty of blunders and botches along the way. At 3-4, the Los Angeles Rams are, at least, no longer last in the NFC West after their 35-21 victory in Las Vegas.

There was plenty to like about this one. Puka Nacua played, for one thing, despite tweaking his calf on Thursday. The rushing offense had its best showing of the year, in part because the Rams committed to it in earnest and established a sizable lead early so they could keep leaning on the clock.

There was also, of course, some bad. Special-teams coverage was ghastly. On the bright side, it didn't cost the Rams their kicker this time.

On the whole there's a good deal more positive than negative to go around, but we'll take a stab at both below with our Week 7 winners and losers.

Rams excel in the run game on both sides; special teams flop again

Rams' run game - winner

No frustration from Williams after this one. Although he did lose a fumble, Williams and Blake Corum carried 33 times for 192 yards and two touchdowns. Despite never breaking off a gain longer than 17 yards, they consistently kept the offense in front of the sticks with solid runs on first and second down. This was easily the most in rhythm the Rams have looked this season.

Credit head coach Sean McVay for getting back to the ground game, which fans had clamored for after the offense's drive-to-drive inconsistency and red-zone woes. It made all the sense in the world against a poor Raiders run defense and with Davante Adams sidelined.

Rams' run defense - winner

No, the Raiders don't have a good rushing attack, but still, kudos to the guys up front for keeping Las Vegas almost totally ineffective on the ground despite playing without Poona Ford or Tobie Turner. While the Raiders couldn't afford to run much due to an early multiple-score deficit, when they did they got little: 17 carries for 48 yards. Throw out a 21-yard rumble for Ashton Jeanty and they averaged 1.7 yards per carry.

Shout out to defensive linemen Tyler Davis and Ty Hamilton and linebacker Shaun Dolac - his first-ever start! - for stepping into larger roles and being part of a very solid effort.

Tight end Davis Allen - winner

Allen continues to make the most of his chances. Today, that meant hauling in the Rams' first two scores of the day, filling in for Adams as a red-zone producer. Allen finished the day with four catches for 20 yards, giving him 10 for 83 on the season, including those two TDs.

Good to see him show up in the highlights with all the nitty-gritty work he does as a blocker and part-time pass-catcher.

Cornerbacks Josh Wallace and Jaylen Watson - winners

With Trent McDuffie sidelined for a second straight game, the Rams needed the secondary to show up much more convincingly than it did last week against the Cardinals. Wallace just keeps answering the call in an increased role this season. He repeatedly made his tough, physical presence felt against the Raiders, plastering his receivers in coverage and filling in quite capably as LA's primary CB2.

He did have one huge pass interference penalty, but all in all Wallace gave the Rams another solid outing.

Watson played like the CB1-B he is, coming up with four passes defensed to give him nine this season. That's already a career-high, despite Watson missing a game-and-a-half between Weeks 3 and 4. Way to step up with McDuffie down.

Rams' special teams coverage - loser

The most impressive thing about it is the remarkable consistency. Every week, it's the same: Rams special teams are a code-red disaster. What this time?

Well, Brandon McManus didn't miss a kick (he made five extra points and did not attempt a field goal). He survived the game intact. It was the coverage unit that stuck out almost exclusively this time, allowing 78 yards on two kickoff returns and 26 yards on two punts.

The Raiders began the game from their own 38, excellent starting field position. Good thing they went three-and-out. After going up 7-0, the Rams promptly handed Las Vegas the ball near midfield after a 42-yard runback.

That drive led to a field goal and after that LA had McManus send kickoffs out of the end zone. Not that Las Vegas could complain about starting at their own 35 every time.

Do we even need to talk about the fake punt conversion? Raiders punter AJ Cole shotputted a pass right up the middle to his target for an easy 13-yard completion on a fourth-and-five from his own 30.

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