NFC West Report Week 7: Los Angeles Rams

If the Los Angeles Rams lose, and no one is awake to see it, does the loss still count? Apparently it does, and the Rams are now two games under .500 after losing their 6:30 a.m. PT London matchup. No NFC West teams won this week, but Los Angeles (and San Francisco) still managed to lose ground.

Week 7 result: 10-17 loss to the New York Giants (4-3) in London.

As has become the norm for London NFL games, both teams played sloppy, ugly football, and turnovers dictated the outcome. 21 of the combined 27 points came off turnovers. Case Keenum provided 4 interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

The Rams jumped out to an early lead on a Giants fumble that set up a 35 yard touchdown drive. Los Angeles went up 10-0 ten minutes into the game, but would not score the rest of the day. The Giants got the win despite mustering only 232 yards and 10 points on offense.

The Rams offense fared a little better, with 345 yards, but were undone by Keenum interceptions. The Giants were able to tie in the second quarter on a 44 yard pick-six by safety Landon Collins. They took the lead in the 4th quarter after Collins again intercepted Keenum, setting his offense up 35 yards from the end zone. The Rams still had life, and drove 60 yards to the 15 yards line, before Keenum threw a game sealing INT with 50 seconds left. This makes three consecutive close losses that Keenum has thrown a pick on the final Rams possession.

Next up: Bye Week

The Rams have been presented with a perfect mid-season opportunity to make a quarterback change with a Week 8 bye. Instead, Jeff Fisher is doubling down on Case Keenum, leaving No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff on the bench. To justify keeping Goff off the field, the Rams needed a smart game manager at QB. This does not describe Keenum. Three of Keenum’s four interceptions Sunday came on 1st or 2nd down, when a throw-away is a safe option.

Biggest headlines:

The Jeff Fisher Approval Poll is back, and the portion of Rams fans calling for Fisher’s firing has quadrupled to 81 percent over the last three weeks, all Rams losses. Every loss was a close game, featuring questionable coaching decisions, and game sealing INT’s thrown by Keenum. The Rams also committed eight penalties on Sunday, and are among the most penalized teams in the NFL.

Todd Gurley’s abysmal season continued this week. Gurley carried the ball only 15 times for 58 yards Sunday, marking the 15th straight game since he last broke the 100 yard mark.