5 winners and 2 losers in Rams Week 11 wild win over the Seahawks at SoFi

The 8-2 Los Angeles Rams did what they had to do in Week 11. Despite a less-than-pretty performance on offense, the team managed to squeak out a win against a very good 7-3 Seattle Seahawks team. And now, we have the dubious distinction of drawing a line through the ebb and flow of a game with heroics and failures, oftentimes from the same player.

How do you thread that distinction? Is a winner someone who dominates throughout the game? If so, then is a loser someone who struggles the entire game? For a game that was decided by two points, the margin of error was razor-thin. And so, let's put head coach Sean McVay to the task of naming players in his post-game presser.

Ultimately, the entire team won. And that is the simple part of it all. If the team is a winner, then how can anyone be bold enough to parse out less admirable performances? Well, that's the nature of the NFL. Competitive sports places the onus on not just finding ways to win, but also on self-reflection on ways to improve.

Like slicing a pie fresh out of the oven, this won't be clean. But bear with us, because it certainly is sweet.

5 winners and 2 losers in Rams Week 11 wild win over the Seahawks

Loser 1 - Running back Blake Corum

Blake Corum rushed six times for six yards. Factor in one reception for a five-yard loss, and he handled the football seven times to gain one yard. That is horrific, particularly in a game where every play mattered.

Loser 2 - Rams offense

The offense seemed to misfire frequently in this one. Six punts. The time of possession was just 22:11 out of 60 minutes. Just 12 first downs. Just two-of-eleven on third down conversions. 249 total yards. Just 130 passing yards. Two of three scoring drives began with the defense intercepting Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold. This was just not the offense's day.

Winner 5 - Punter Ethan Evans

Imagine yourself as LA's punter, Ethan Evans. You punt the football back to an effective Seattle Seahawks offense with 1:50 remaining on the game clock, and holding a two-point lead. You are punting from a fourth-down and 10 to go at the 49-yard line. Somehow, you manage to nail a coffin kick at the six-inch mark.

That single play was as responsible for the victory as any punter's performance this season. As fans march against special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn, be sure to give him credit for this sizzling show-stopper as well.

Winner 4 - Entire Rams secondary

No NFL analyst believes in the Los Angeles secondary. But Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold does. He entered the game amidst MVP discussions, with 17 touchdown passes and just six interceptions. Against LA's secondary, he threw no touchdown passes and four interceptions.

Even defensive backs who didn't record an interception made the highlight reel:

And so it goes in the NFL. Few analysts noticed. But fans certainly did.

Winner 3 - Wide receiver Puka Nacua

It's tough to imagine any scenario in which physical wide receiver Puka Nacua would shoot himself in the foot.. But he coughed up a critical fumble with the offense driving, negating an interception by cornerback Cobie Durant. And yet, that was how this game evolved.

Nacua was the only reliable receiver for the Rams in this one. He hauled in seven of eight passes for 75 yards and was the leading receiver of the game until the Seahawks offense began to drive the football late.

Winner 2 - Running back Kyren Williams

It very much appeared as though Kyren Williams was easily on his way to 150 rushing yards and multiple scores. But after a promising first quarter, he rushed just 12 times for 91 yards and one touchdown. Seahawks fans wondered if he was hurt.

Nope. That's just how the offense rolls. Hot running backs don't keep churning.

Winner 1 - Defensive back Kam Kinchens

It may appear as though Kam Kinchens is double-dipping in the victory column in this one, but why not? Kinchens delivered two key interceptions that shut down the Seahawks offense while setting up his own offense to score. Kinchens put up 20 percent of Darnold's interceptions in this one. That's worth a second mention.

Ugly win? It certainly was. But championship seasons need an ugly win or two to keep the team hungry and successful. What fans can take away from this game is both simple and profound. The LA Rams are not taking a back seat to any NFL team this season.

As always, thanks for reading.