PHILADELPHIA — Maybe the rain didn’t wash away the Rams’ season.
asserted
rain → wash → season
Maybe it shocked it back to life.
asserted
it → shock → life
For three quarters Sunday afternoon at a rain-soaked Lincoln Financial Field, the Rams looked determined to drown themselves in their own mistakes.
asserted
Rams → soak → mistakes
Matthew Stafford was intercepted twice.
asserted
Stafford → intercept → ?
Special teams surrendered another enormous punt return.
asserted
teams → surrender → return
Harrison Mevis missed a field goal.
asserted
Mevis → miss → goal
Tyler Higbee dropped a fourth-down pass.
asserted
Higbee → drop → pass
The Rams trailed the Eagles by 10 points entering the fourth quarter and appeared headed toward a 1-3 start that would have invited some uncomfortable questions about where this season was headed.
asserted
season → trail → questions
Then, somehow, everything changed.
asserted
everything → change → ?
Kyren Williams scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns, the Rams’ defense produced a monumental goal-line stand and Los Angeles erased a 10-point deficit to stun Philadelphia, 24-20, snapping a four-game losing streak against the Eagles and escaping the rain with one of the most improbable victories of the Sean McVay era.
asserted
Angeles → score → era
Call it stealing one.
asserted
it → call → one
For most of the afternoon, they looked determined to give this one away.
asserted
they → look → one
Stafford was intercepted by Andrew Mukuba on Los Angeles’ opening possession after badly overthrowing Konata Mumpfield.
asserted
Stafford → intercept → Mumpfield
Special teams joined the misery when Ethan Evans launched a 51-yard punt only for Britain Covey to return it 41 yards, turning a booming kick into a measly 10-yard net change in field position.
asserted
Covey → join → position
Two plays later, Jalen Hurts found Darius Cooper for an 18-yard touchdown and a 13-3 Philadelphia lead.
asserted
Hurts → find → touchdown
Puka Nacua, playing for the first time since Week 1, finally provided a spark.
asserted
Nacua → play → spark
He scored on an awkward jet-sweep handoff from Stafford with 1:55 remaining in the first half, cutting the deficit to three.
asserted
He → score → three
But Stafford gave the momentum right back.
asserted
Stafford → give → momentum
With Higbee wide open underneath, Stafford inexplicably tried to hit Nacua deep and was intercepted by Cooper DeJean.
asserted
Stafford → try → DeJean
Philadelphia eventually cashed in when Hurts connected with Cooper for his second touchdown following a questionable pass-interference penalty against Trent McDuffie.
asserted
Hurts → cash → McDuffie
Then Mevis yanked a 48-yard field goal wide left.
asserted
Mevis → yank → goal
When it rains, it pours.
asserted
it → rain → ?
Except this time, the Rams found an umbrella.
asserted
Rams → find → umbrella
The game turned with Philadelphia knocking on the door, threatening to bury Los Angeles for good.
asserted
Philadelphia → turn → Angeles
Facing third-and-goal from the 2, Hurts bobbled the snap and scrambled for nothing.
asserted
Hurts → face → nothing
On fourth down, the Rams pressured him into an errant throw for Cooper.
asserted
Rams → pressure → Cooper
For the second time in the fourth quarter, the Rams’ defense stuffed Philadelphia on fourth down.
asserted
defense → stuff → down
Backed up against its goal line, Los Angeles marched 98 yards.
asserted
Angeles → back → yards
Williams finished the masterpiece himself, bulldozing across from 1 yard to make it 20-17.
asserted
it → finish → yard
Suddenly, the Eagles weren’t protecting a comfortable lead.
asserted
Eagles → protect → lead
They were hanging on.
asserted
They → hang → ?
The Rams’ defense forced another punt, Stafford got the football back and Los Angeles marched down the field again.
asserted
Angeles → force → field
And once again, Williams finished the job.
asserted
Williams → finish → job
His second rushing touchdown of the fourth quarter gave the Rams a 24-20 lead and completed a comeback that had seemed almost unimaginable minutes earlier.
asserted
that → give → comeback
Williams was everywhere, rushing for 80 yards while catching 10 passes for 66 more and scoring the two touchdowns that flipped the afternoon.
asserted
that → rush → afternoon
Philadelphia somehow went 0-for-12 on third down.
asserted
Philadelphia → go → down
The Rams weren’t particularly good themselves at 7-for-16, but when the game reached its defining moments, Los Angeles finally made the plays it had spent much of this young season failing to make.
asserted
it → reach → season
But seasons aren’t always saved with masterpieces.
asserted
seasons → save → masterpieces
Sometimes they’re saved in the mud.
asserted
they → save → mud
What it means
The Rams may have just saved their season.
uncertain
Rams → mean → season
…and 10 more, not listed.
The Aporia
