The Rams entered the 2018 season with high expectations, and met them during the regular season to go 13-3 — winning back-to-back NFC West titles for the first time since 1978 and 1979. Here's Part II of a week-by-week look at how the Rams were able to accomplish that record, through the team and players reaching key milestones.
Week 9: Saints 45 - Rams 35
- The Rams were unable to mount a comeback against the Saints in the Superdome in Week 9, and took their first loss of the season in New Orleans.
- Running back Todd Gurley took one carry into the end zone and became the first player in franchise history to score a touchdown in 12-straight regular season games — dating back to Week 14 of the 2017 season. It was Gurley's 16th touchdown of the season, which was also a franchise high through a season's first nine games.
Week 10: Rams 36 - Seahawks 31
- Gurley extended his regular-season touchdown streak in Week 10 at home against the Seahawks, taking a handoff 17 yards to the end zone.
- The Rams beat the Seahawks with another big day from defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who was busy in the Seattle backfield. Donald's 2.5 sacks against quarterback Russell Wilson gave him the franchise single-season sack by a defensive tackle record, passing former Ram D'Marco Farr.
- L.A. receivers Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods each hit a milestone in the Seattle sweep — Woods reached a career high in receiving yards, and Kupp caught his 100th professional pass before leaving the game with a torn ACL.
Week 11: Rams 54 - Chiefs 51
- In the highest-scoring game in Rams franchise history and Monday Night Football history, the Rams and Chiefs became the first teams to score at least 50 points in the same game and played what may have been the game of the year in an unanticipated Los Angeles setting in Week 11.
- Amazingly, Gurley didn't find the end zone in the game that featured a combined 14 touchdowns. Gurley did, however, reach 1,000 yards rushing for the second-straight season in the game.
- Quarterback Jared Goff's 413 yards passing against the Chiefs gave him the most passing yards through the season's first 11 games in franchise history (3,547).
- The Rams topped the Chiefs on MNF, which meant back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time since 2000 and 2001.
Week 13: Rams 30 - Lions 16
- Los Angeles returned from the Thanksgiving weekend bye and clinched the NFC West in Detroit. The win meant back-to-back division titles for the first time since 1978 and 1979.
- The Rams unboxed the championship t-shirts and hats by way of a pair of sacks by Donald and a pair of touchdowns from Gurley. Gurley's two rushing TDs meant a new single-season career high in rushing touchdowns for the back, surpassing last season's 13 earned on the ground.
- Wide receiver Brandin Cooks had four receptions totalling 62 yards against the Lions, which put the receiver north of 1,000 yards receiving for the fourth-straight season. Cooks eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark twice as a member of the Saints in 2015 and 2016, in New England last season, and in his first season as a Ram.
Week 14: Bears 15 - Rams 6
- Woods joined Cooks in the 1,000-yard receiving club a week after Cooks reached the milestone. The pair became the first Rams receivers to reach 1,000 yards in the same season since Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce did it in 2006.
- Despite an off night in his team's second loss of the season, Goff reached a new single-season career high in passing yards in Chicago, improving on last season's 3,804 yards.
- Linebacker Cory Littleton hit 100 tackles as L.A.'s leading tackler in Week 14 and kicker Greg Zuerlein made his 27th field goal from at least 50 yards in the loss, which is the most ever by a Rams kicker.
Week 15: Eagles 30 - Rams 23
- The Rams lost back-to-back games for the first time under head coach Sean McVay, dropping their second-straight game on NBC's Sunday Night Football.
- However, multiple Rams hit milestones in the late-season loss. Goff reached the 4,000-yards passing mark for the first time in his young career, Gurley set a single-season high in total touchdowns (20), safety John Johnson was busy recording his career-high 14 tackles, and cornerback Aqib Talib picked off the 35th pass of his career in the game.
Week 16: Rams 31 - Cardinals 9
- The NFC West champions got back on track on the road in Week 16, beating the Cardinals for the fourth-straight time in Arizona.
- Goff found Woods for a touchdown in the win, giving the fifth-year receiver a new career high in touchdown receptions (6). Woods went for at least 60 yards receiving for the 14th-consecutive game, becoming just the fourth player in NFL history to record such numbers. Woods joins receiving greats Marvin Harrison, Antonio Brown, and Andre Johnson in the statistic.
- Chasing Michael Strahan's NFL single-season sack record, Donald entered the record books in Week 16. Sacking Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen three times, Donald brought his season total to 19.5 sacks, breaking the Rams franchise single-season sack record, as well as the NFL's single-season sacks by a defensive tackle record.
Week 17: Rams 48 - 49ers 32
- The Rams beat the 49ers in the season's final game, completed a sweep of the NFC West, and clinched a first-round playoff bye in a game that featured a few individual career-highs.
- The Rams swept the division for the first time since the NFL's realignment in 2002, becoming the 20th team to do so.
- Donald sacked 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens once in the meeting, giving the pass rusher a new career-high in sacks (20.5). Donald set an NFL record for sack yards in the win, forcing quarterbacks a total 183.5 yards into the backfield in his fifth NFL season.
- Goff set a new single-season high in touchdown passes (32), becoming the first Rams quarterback to throw 30 touchdown passes since Kurt Warner did it in 2001.
- Cooks reached a career-high in receiving yards (1,204) and joined Woods to become the first receiving duo to each record 80 receptions in the same season since Holt and Bruce in 2004.
- The win meant the franchise's first 13-win season since 2001, when the team went 14-2. Additionally, the 2018 Rams scored the most points (527) and totalled the most yards (6,740) since the 2000 season.
