Getty Puka Nacua tries to bull his way into the end zone on November 19, 2023.
The “Rams House” weren’t the only ones happy to see the Los Angeles Rams end their losing streak in Week 11.
The Rams received rare praise following their 17-16 nail-biting win over the Seattle Seahawks on November 19. And the praise came from a Pro Bowl rival they deal with twice a year.
George Kittle Thanks Rams After Beating Seahawks
George Kittle sent a shout out to the Rams.
Yes, that Kittle. The All-Pro from the rival San Francisco 49ers and a longtime nemesis of the Rams.
Kittle’s team wrapped up their 27-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he learned L.A. took down Seattle. And he sent the rare gesture to the Rams.
“Shout out to the Rams,” Kittle said to Bay Area reporters. “Good job guys.”
Kittle wasn’t through with his rare shout out. He also sent praise to one Ram coach.
“Shout out to Mike LaFleur,” Kittle said. “So thankful for them.”
Kittle does have a past relationship with LaFleur. The latter was with the 49ers from 2017 to 2020 for Kittle’s early years.
The Reason Behind George Kittle’s Praise
Here’s the real reason behind Kittle’s logic. The Seahawks are his next opponent. The Rams ended up deflating the ‘Hawks confidence heading into the pivotal NFC West showdown with the 49ers.
And that game is going to be played on a short week. The 49ers and Seahawks are among the Thanksgiving day trio.
By holding off the Seahawks, the Rams helped the 49ers expand their division lead against Seattle. Hence, Kittle included the Rams on his thankful list during this time of year.
Kittle, however, is aware he and his team will face a more irate Seahawks after being swept by the Rams.
“All that means is Seattle is going to be angry,” Kittle explained.
But for Kittle and S.F.: “It’s going to be a great game up there.”
How the Rams Slowed Down the Seahawks
This rematch between the Rams and Seahawks was nothing like the 30-13 walloping L.A. handed up north.
But defense powered L.A. once again.
Geno Smith got snatched for two sacks. He even had to leave the game momentarily with a right arm injury. His replacement Drew Lock ended up underthrowing one pass — which went straight to Derion Kendrick. That errant throw became the lone takeaway of the game.
Seattle failed to produce a 100-yard performer too. Zach Charbonnet led Seattle with only 47 rushing yards. The L.A. native who starred at UCLA also averaged only 3.1 yards per carry. Finally, his longest scamper was only 11 yards.
The Rams clamped down on the Pro Bowl duo of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett too. Metcalf only had 94 yards, Lockett settled for 51.
But the defense raised their game to another level in the second half. They only surrendered three points in the final two quarters. Seattle got forced to punt in four of its last six offensive possessions. Then, the final drive for Seattle ate up seven plays but ended in the misfired field goal.
“Unbelievable effort by our defense today,” head coach Sean McVay said postgame. “They kept us in the game and I thought it was key and critical for the offense to be able to get into a rhythm when they had to.”