Not the wintry weather nor the Denver Broncos’ spongy defense could slow down Todd Gurley .
The Rams running back rumbled for a career-high 208 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries and Los Angeles celebrated defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ homecoming Sunday with a 23-20 win over the reeling Denver Broncos.
“I wouldn’t be able to do it without those guys up front,” said Gurley, whose previous high was 159 yards at Green Bay in 2015. “It was kind of easy for me, honestly, because those guys did such a great job.”
And Denver’s defense succumbed again.
A week after allowing 323 yards rushing in a loss to the Jets, including 219 by Isaiah Crowell, the Broncos were gashed for 270 yards on the ground.
“We knew we were going to be a little bit leaky in the run today because the pass was our focus,” Von Miller said. “But 270 yards is just, you know, ridiculous.”
“We didn’t tackle well. We didn’t fit well,” Broncos coach Vance Joseph said. “That’s two weeks in a row — unacceptable.”
The Rams, who had surrendered 31 points in back-to-back games, improved to 6-0 in sending the Broncos (2-4) to their fourth straight loss.
The Broncos pulled to 23-20 on Case Keenum’s 1-yard dart to Demaryius Thomas with 1:22 remaining, but Rams receiver Robert Woods knocked Brandon McManus’ onside kick out of bounds, and the Rams ran out the clock with Keenum’s one-time understudy Jared Goff (14 of 28 for 201 yards on his 24th birthday) twice taking a knee.
Phillips was the Broncos’ beloved bandmaster when they were celebrating their Super Bowl 50 triumph, but his contract wasn’t renewed after the 2016 season and he joined Sean McVay in sunny Southern California.
After an overnight snowstorm, the game-time temperature of 25 degrees marked the second-coldest in Denver prior to November in franchise history.
The cold did nothing to slow down Gurley, who scored his 10th and 11th touchdowns of the season.
One was on a 10-yard run on fourth down that gave the Rams a 13-3 halftime lead, the other, a 1-yard run that made it 20-3.
INJURIES
Rams WR Cooper Kupp was carted off the field after wrenching his left knee when Broncos S Darian Stewart horse-collared him on the Broncos sideline after a 12-yard jet sweep in the second quarter, but he made a surprising return in the second half. OLB Matt Longacre (back) and LT Andrew Whitworth (possible concussion) also left the game.
Broncos S Dymonte Thomas (chest) and Leary got hurt and didn’t return.
UP NEXT:
Rams: Wrap up three-game road swing with a visit to San Francisco.
Broncos: Have a short week to get ready for a game at Arizona on Thursday night.
AROUND THE NFL WEEK 6
–The Rams became the NFL’s only unbeaten team when the Chiefs suffered a stunning 43-40 loss to the Patriots. Stephen Gostkowski hit a 28-yard field goal as time expired, just over three minutes after Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill connected for a 75-yard scoring strike that tied the game.
Mahomes also had a 67-yard TD pass to Kareem Hunt and finished 23 of 36 for 352 yards, three scores and two interceptions.
Tom Brady threw for 340 yards and a touchdown. He also scrambled for a four-yard touchdown after Hill’s one-yard TD reception put the Chiefs ahead 33-30 with 8:38 to play.
— Antonio Brown turned a short pass into a 31-yard touchdown with 10 seconds left as the Steelers pulled off another improbable comeback in Cincinnati, beating the Bengals 28-21. The Steelers have won eight in a row against their AFC North rival, keeping the streak alive after Joe Mixon’s 4-yard touchdown run with 1:18 left put Cincinnati ahead by one. James Conner ran for 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Pittsburgh. Both teams are 4-2.
— The Ravens racked up a team-record 11 sacks and Alex Collins scored on runs of 13 and two yards in a 21-0 shutout of the Titans in Nashville. Za’Darious Smith had three sacks and Patrick Onwuasor had two for the 4-2 Ravens. Joe Flacco threw for 238 yards and a touchdown to help Baltimore hand the 3-3 Titans their third straight loss.
— The Dolphins pulled out a 31-28 win over the Bears as Miami’s Jason Sanders kicked a 47-yard field goal on the final play of overtime after Cody Parkey missed a 53-yard try for Chicago. Chicago blew an 11-point lead in the final 16 minutes of regulation and fell to 3-2. Miami’s Brock Osweiler threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns subbing for Ryan Tannehill, who sat out because of an injury to his throwing shoulder. Albert Wilson turned two short passes into long touchdowns in the fourth quarter for the 4-2 Dolphins.
— Alex Smith hit Vernon Davis and Paul Richardson for first-quarter touchdowns and Dustin Hopkins hit three field goals before the Redskins held off the Panthers, 23-17. Former Carolina defensive back Josh Norman bounced back from one of the worst games of his career by ending a 19-game interception drought and forcing a fumble. Cam Newton threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns on 27 of 40 passing and rushed for 43 yards in a turnover-marred loss. Both teams are 3-2.
— Dak Prescott threw two touchdown passes to Cole Beasley and rushed for a career-high 82 yards in the Cowboys’ 40-7 thumping of the Jaguars. Beasley had his second career 100-yard receiving game with 101 on nine catches. Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles was just 15 of 26 for 149 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The outcome leaves both teams 3-3.
—Matt Ryan threw for 354 yards and three touchdowns as the Falcons snapped a three-game losing streak, holding off the Buccaneers 34-29 in Jameis Winston’s return as Tampa Bay’s starting quarterback. Winston threw for 395 yards and four TDs but also had two crucial interceptions. The Falcons scored on their first three possessions and held off a wild comeback by Tampa Bay to avoid their first 1-5 start since 2007.
— Johnathan Joseph’s 28-yard interception return for a touchdown with 1:23 left lifted the Texans to a 20-13 win over the Bills. A 27-yard field goal by Ka’imi Fairbairn tied it with 1:34 remaining. Two plays later Joseph stepped in front of a pass from backup Nathan Peterman that was intended for Kelvin Benjamin and dashed untouched into the end zone to put the Texans on top and help them avoid their third straight overtime game. Houston improved to 3-3, and the Bills slipped to 2-4.
— Russell Wilson threw for three touchdowns, including one off a botched snap in the second quarter as the Seahawks rolled to a 27-3 victory over the Raiders at London’s Wembley Stadium. Oakland quarterback Derek Carr left the game with an apparent left arm injury with 8:52 remaining in the fourth quarter after the last of his six sacks. Seattle evened its record at 3-3 and dropped Oakland to 1-5.
— Philip Rivers threw two touchdown passes, Melvin Gordon had three TD runs and the Chargers routed the Browns, 38-14 for their third straight win. Rivers connected twice on scoring passes with Tyrell Williams in the first half, and the 36-year-old also showed his toughness by trying to block linebacker Jamie Collins. Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield was sacked five times, threw two interceptions and didn’t get much help from his receivers. Los Angeles is 4-2, and the Browns are 2-3-1.
— Latavius Murray helped the Vikings revive their running attack with 155 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, wearing down the Cardinals on the way to a 27-17 win. Even Kirk Cousins joined the fun for the Vikings with an option-style run across the goal line in the third quarter, before throwing to Adam Thielen for a score on the following possession. Budda Baker returned a fumble off a sack by Chandler Jones for a 36-yard touchdown for the 1-5 Cardinals. Minnesota is 3-2-1.
— Jason Myers kicked a franchise-record seven field goals and Sam Darnold threw for two scores as the Jets held on to beat the Colts, 42-34 to even their record at 3-3. Morris Claiborne returned the first of three interceptions thrown by Andrew Luck for a touchdown on the game’s second play from scrimmage. Luck had four TD passes for the 1-5 Colts, who have dropped four in a row.