10 takeaways from the Rams' OT win over the Seahawks

The Los Angeles Rams scored a thrilling win against the Seattle Seahawks, prevailing 26-20 in overtime. After starting the season 1-4, the Rams have climbed back to .500 and are looking like the team many expected to start the year. Here are my 10 takeaways from the Rams' win over the Seahawks.

1. Braden Fiske and Jared Verse wreaked havoc

During Aaron Donald's time with the Rams, he consistently had big games against the Seahawks. That trend continued on Sunday with Braden Fiske and Jared Verse. To say that Fiske has taken over this game would be an understatement. He had a pressure that resulted in Geno Smith being pushed into a sack and then had three more sack contributions. Fiske finished that game with a career-high six pressures and Geno Smith now has nightmares about 55 instead of 99. There was a lot of talk during the draft that the Rams gave up too much for Fiske or that it was some sort of extreme overpayment. Fiske shows that he was worth his price.

Since the farewell week, we seem to be talking about Jared Verse a lot more positively than we did at the beginning of the season. It was frustrating to see Verses earlier in the year because of missed opportunities. However, it was clear that once he started figuring it out, he would be a force to be reckoned with. That's exactly what happened.

Verse took advantage of another mismatch against the Seahawks and had six pressures for a pressure rate of 15.4 percent. It was his second straight game with a sack contribution. Had the secondary managed to get a stop, we'd be talking about its deflected pass that gave the Seahawks fourth down on their final possession of regulation. Jared Verse is very good and the sky is the limit.

2. Rams need to get healthy on offense

The way Mike Macdonald attacked the Rams' offensive line is how I expected Brian Flores to attack it last week. The Seahawks overwhelmed Stafford on 29.5 percent of his dropbacks and made things very difficult for the Rams' offensive line. There were a lot of mistakes that resulted in Stafford getting a free pass and just not being able to get comfortable. In the running game, the interior defender couldn't get much pressure and Kyren Williams barely averaged three yards per carry.

The Rams have found some good depth players in Justin Dedich, Beaux Limmer and even Logan Bruss to some extent. They played admirably at times. However, it is difficult to rely on these players every week. Players like Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson will be needed back in the lineup to provide some consistency to this group.

3. Demarcus Robinson entered while Puka Nacua was ejected

With both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua out at the start of the season, Demarcus Robinson didn't improve as many would have liked. It became very clear that Robinson is much better as a complementary piece than as a featured piece. That became clear over the last two weeks with Kupp and Nacua back in the lineup.

However, with Nacua exiting at the end of the first half, Robinson became the de facto WR2 on offense. He finished the game with six catches for 94 yards and, more importantly, two touchdowns. His walk-off was an impressive one-handed grab that had Riq Woolen draped over him in the end zone.

In the last two weeks, Robinson has scored four touchdowns. He's always had big success in the Rams' offense in key moments like his catch in overtime or on third downs. He and Stafford clearly have a connection and it shows in how the Rams quarterback trusts him in iso situations.

4. The Rams lack talent on the edge at cornerback

The Rams defense has a glaring weakness, staying on the perimeter at cornerback. Darious Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon have a much bigger problem covered in tape. Since his return, Williams has provided some confidence at cornerback, but still dropped four balls on six scores, including a long touchdown pass. Witherspoon was an improvement over Tre White, but also showed why the Rams didn't initially bring him back. He allowed three catches on four targets, including a deep pass on 2nd-and-24 during the Seahawks' final drive. Witherspoon was in good position to make a play, but misjudged the ball.

Cobie Durant has been fine at times, but he is still inconsistent. It was Durant in coverage over Jaxon Smith-Njigba on the fourth down conversion and again for the game-winning touchdown. The Rams are not allowed to make a trade for a cornerback at the deadline. Nevertheless, it is the most glaring need in the squad.

5. Kam Kinchens shows playmaking ability

Throughout his rookie season, Kinchens was inconsistent and despite being drafted in the third round, he was not the most impressive rookie safety on the roster. That would go to Jaylen McCollough. He still needs to improve in space, and that showed again Sunday when he gave up a 3rd-and-16 as a deep safety that was called back for a holding penalty. There are many things Kinchens needs to improve in order to get more playing time.

However, he certainly showed why the Rams drafted him in the third round by showing off some of his playmaking ability. Kinchens had two red zone interceptions, including a 103-yard pick six. The 103-yard return tied Columbus Tigers' Pete Barnum for the longest interception return touchdown by a rookie in NFL history. This is a record that has stood since 1926. Without Kinchens' turnovers, the Rams won't win this game.

6. Despite the lack of success, McVay did not give up on the run

The Rams struggled to get much going on the ground throughout the game. Kyren Williams had 43 yards wiped out by penalties and was struggling to find much space between the tackles. These are the types of plays where McVay has given up the run in the past. However, he stuck with it and it paid off.

Williams had seven carries for 33 yards on the first drive of the second half, which led to a touchdown. The Rams' running back only had a 31.2% success rate while averaging -1.5 rush yards above expectations per rush and -5.0 EPA per rush. McVay's willingness to stick with the run opened up the breakthrough in the play-action passing attack. In fact, 43.2 percent of Stafford's dropbacks were play-actions, including the overtime winner.

7. It's safe to say the defense turned the game around

The Rams' defense was one of the worst units in the NFL to start the year. Since the bye week, however, that has changed. They've gotten healthier with Darious Williams and Omar Speights has provided a bit of a boost against the run. However, this is also a defense that is starting to find its footing and discover its role in Chris Shula's plan. Since the bye week, the Rams defense ranks second in the NFL in EPA per game.

Not many would have expected the Rams to win a game this season because of their defense. But that’s exactly what happened against the Seahawks. The defense has now scored in three different games this season.

Outside of the final minute of the first and second halves, the Rams' defense completely dominated the game and took the lead in the fourth quarter. Had the offense managed to use up some time, the Seahawks likely wouldn't even come close on the final drive. Despite giving up the late touchdown, it would have been easy for this unit to think back to the Detroit Lions game in Week 1 when they gave up a touchdown. Instead, they stepped up and scored two crucial stops

8. Matthew Stafford showed up when it mattered most

The Seahawks really made things difficult for Matthew Stafford and Sunday certainly wasn't his most impressive game. Of Stafford's 44 pass attempts, 27.3 percent were classified as tight window throws, which was the second-highest of any quarterback in Week 9. Macdonald took away the middle of the field and forced Stafford to attack the edge of the field.

Before Sunday's game against the Seahawks, the Rams were 4-10 when Stafford threw the ball 40 or more times in a game. The Seahawks took away the running game and lured Puka Nacua into an ejection. Macdonald forced Matthew Stafford to beat his defense, and the Rams' quarterback did just that. The victory marked Stafford's 46th game-winning drive, tying Matt Ryan for the sixth-most wins in NFL history. It was his 10th since joining the Rams and his third against the Seahawks.

9. Wins like this show how much the Rams have grown

This win against the Seahawks is the type of game the Rams lost several times earlier in the season. There were several times where the Rams outplayed their opponent but kept them in the game too long and ended up losing.

That was the case again on Sunday. The Rams should have been ahead by more than three points in the final minute of the first half. Unfortunately, the offense just couldn't find a rhythm. Instead of leading or tied at halftime, the Rams trailed 13-3. They fought back and despite a late score, they managed to eke out a win in overtime. These are tough victories that build a team's character. Winning in Seattle when everything is going against you is no easy task. This young Rams team is maturing and an ugly win like against the Seahawks is a perfect example of that growth.

10. The Rams have prepared well for the second half of the season

Not long ago, the Rams were 1-4 and there was debate about whether or not the Rams would trade Cooper Kupp or even Matthew Stafford. Three weeks later, the Rams are back at .500. They are half a game behind the top of the division and are now 2-1 in the NFC West. You control your own destiny at this point, which is exactly where you want to be.

There is still a lot of time left in the season and it is far too early to start thinking about playoff scenarios. But despite an early hole, the Rams got out of it. They are in the mix and will be playing some significant football in November and December.