5 gold nuggets LA Rams showed in Week 1 win
By Bret Stuter
![Los Angeles Rams v Seattle Seahawks Sean McVay, Ernest Jones Los Angeles Rams v Seattle Seahawks Sean McVay, Ernest Jones](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6000,h_3375,x_0,y_341/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/54/01haa7vwzpn1aya4egfq.jpg)
I: Rams defense shut down Seahawks offense in second half
One of the more frustrating observations from the 2022 NFL season was the fact that the LA Rams seemed to be a first half team. On more than one occasion, the Rams would enter halftime with a lead or close behind on the scoreboard. But the wheels would fall off in the second half, and the Rams would end the game on the short end of the scoreboard.
That was a bit difficult to accept, and even more so after the LA Rams had such a successful 2020 NFL season in which the Rams seemed to master the art of halftime adjustments. So how good or bad were the LA Rams in the second half? You tell me:
Total net yards in the second half of today's game
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) September 10, 2023
Rams: 257
Seahawks: 12
The Rams seemed to get stronger, smarter, and faster as the game went on. In fact, it was difficult to pick out a play or two in the second have that featured the standard of play that the Rams were competing at, because the entire team seemed to find it's groove after the second half kickoff.
Two standouts for the LA Rams were outside linebacker Byron Young and nose tackle Kobie Turner, both of whom competed in their first NFL live action, and both performed as well as or better than expected.
Rams rookies Byron Young and Kobie Turner trained together during the pre-draft process. What did Young learn about Turner?
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) September 12, 2023
"He's a really smart guy," Young said. "When we got here as rookies early, he learned the playbook probably the first week, I'd say. It was crazy."
This may not have been the ideal performance, but the Rams' defense rattled the Seahawks' cage in the second half, and never let up. It was a total domination, a second-half beatdown that required a full night's sleep to truly appreciate.
The LA Rams have a far more difficult challenge in Week 2. The San Francisco 49ers just beat up on a very physical Pittsburgh Steelers team but running veteran RB Christian McCaffrey for over 150 yards. It's no secret to expect the 49ers to lean just as heavily on McCaffrey in Week 2.
The Rams have their work cut out for them for Week 2. But nobody expected the LA Rams to win in Week 1, but they did. Perhaps the Rams play better when nobody expects them to win?:
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