JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - The Los Angeles Rams are taking their road show abroad.
Having already won in San Francisco, Dallas and Jacksonville, the Rams (4-2) will try to stay unbeaten outside Los Angeles when they travel to London for a “home game” against Arizona (3-3).
Given the way they’ve handled the previous three trips, the Rams should feel fairly confident heading across the pond to Twickenham Stadium.
“I don’t even think we should play at home,” Rams running back Todd Gurley joked.
Hard to argue after the team’s latest road celebration, a 27-17 victory over the Jaguars on Sunday.
“Our guys just embrace that mentality where you come into a stadium and they have this breakdown of, ’We’re all we got. We’re all we need,’” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “These players are mentality tough. That’s becoming the identity that you hear us talk about all the time.”
Here’s another identity the Rams can embrace: winning games in a variety of ways.
They beat the 49ers with a defensive stand. They knocked off the Cowboys with career days from Gurley and kicker Greg Zuerlein. They defeated the Jaguars (3-3) with special teams.
Pharoh Cooper took the opening kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown, and Malcolm Brown returned a blocked punt for a score.
“When I hit that sideline, I just took off and prayed that I didn’t get caught,” Cooper said. “We had a great day in special teams. … Special teams play is something we all take pride in and you can tell it really shows.”
The Rams’ high-scoring offense managed just 249 yards and 12 first downs against Jacksonville, so getting a boost from special teams provided some relief.
Gurley ran 23 times for 116 yards. Robert Woods caught five passes for 70 yards. And Jared Goff was 11 of 21 for 124 yards, including a 4-yard TD pass to Gerald Everett.
Still, the offense delivered a 12-play drive in the closing minutes that set up Zuerlein’s 29-yard field goal. That made it a 10-point game and essentially sealed another road victory.
“It was a good give and take throughout the game with offense, defense and special teams,” Goff said.
Special teams were Jacksonville’s downfall.
The Jaguars gave up 17 points on three special teams mistakes - the long kickoff, the blocked punt and a 16-yard punt that set up a field goal. Making it an even longer day for the home team, Jason Myers missed two 54-yards field goals that could have made a difference.
“A good team - the team we want to be, the team we can be, the team we will be - finds a way to win that game no matter what happens,” Jaguars defensive end Calais Campbell said.
The Jaguars botched a decent chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter when Blake Bortles fumbled on one play and then threw an interception on the next. It cost Jacksonville a shot at ending its inconsistent ways to start the season.
Coming off an impressive victory at Pittsburgh, Jacksonville hasn’t won consecutive games in more than a year and lost for the ninth time in 10 games at EverBank Field.
“Why we’re so volatile in our play, I don’t know,” linebacker Paul Posluszny said. “They just made more impact plays than we did that forced the outcome of the game.”
Some things we learned about the Rams and Jaguars:
TONE-SETTER: Jaguars rookie running back Leonard Fournette set the tone by scoring on the first play from scrimmage. After Cooper’s kickoff return, Fournette took a handoff and went 75 yards for his sixth rushing touchdown and seventh score of the season. Fournette finished with 130 yards on 21 carries, but only 55 yards after his first run. He also twisted his right ankle late in the game and did not return, but expects to be fine.
NFL RECORD: The back-to-back touchdowns to open the game made history. It was first time in the Super Bowl era that any NFL game had two touchdowns of at least 75 yards in the first 30 seconds of play.
UNDER PRESSURE: Bortles completed 23 of 35 passes for 241 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. His biggest issues were sacks. He entered the game having been sacked five times in five games. He went down five times against the Rams, including twice in which he fumbled.
EXTENDED STAY: The Rams will spend the next four days in Jacksonville before flying to London. “It’s going to be a grind,” Brown said. “A lot of travel, but we’re not worried about it.”
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