Christmas Slime: Cam Akers' Rams Shame Hapless Russell Wilson & Broncos
The NFC-repping Super Bowl champs against the AFC-repping Super Bowl hopefuls! Matthew Stafford and Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp and Russell Wilson and Christmas Day in L.A.!
It's a schedule-maker's ...
Nightmare.
The Los Angeles Rams' 51-14 giggle-fest home clash with the Denver Broncos offered up its own entertainment - value in a vacuum, one might say.
An intense Rams fan could've eyeballed it for 2023 roster thoughts. A curiosity seeker could've checked in on the latest of the pretzel-twisty careers of Rams QB Baker Mayfield and running back Cam Akers. A holiday-hearted observer could've been warmed by ex Seahawks Wilson and Bobby Wagner, now of the Rams, interacting as friendly foes.
Or maybe, the TV ratings might show (on both CBS and kiddie-slimed Nickelodeon), nobody bothered paying much attention at all to a pair of shocking have-nots who each entered with woeful 4-10 records.
But if they did?
Mayfield continues to climb from the scrapheap to offer promise, here finishing a wildly efficient 24 of 28 for 230 yards and two TD tosses to Tyler Higbee.
Akers - Mayfield's figurative roommate on that scrapheap - exploded for a trio of rushing TDs, part of his 23 carries for 118 yards.
How lopsided was this Denver debacle featuring the former Seahawks superstar Wilson, who may now be the NFL's crummiest starting QB? Stunningly early in the second half, both Mayfield and Akers retired to their ball caps on the sideline ...
Again, just a few weeks after some wondered if they might retire from football altogether.
As recently as October, Akers didn't want to be here. And the Rams' feeling was mutual. Shortly thereafter, Carolina became the second team to give up on Mayfield, the former No. 1 overall pick, and L.A. claimed him partly out of desperation and maybe partly on a lark.
But here, both looked like football players again, partly bolstered by their defense's six sacks and four interceptions (Wagner had one of each on his unfortunate old pal Wilson) ... and the Rams were semi-watchable.
The Rams are now 5-10, still talent-fine when healthy, but with a bare cupboard in terms of draft assets and questions about the future of the coaching staff. But they just got pulled off national TV next week because this year they are, in short, going nowhere fast.
But at least that's better than Wilson's Broncos, who are going nowhere in a painfully plodding manner, making this humiliation largely watchable in the way of a slow-motion train wreck.
And for one Sunday, anyway, the Rams climbed to the other side of the tracks.
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