Nate Landman and Omar Speights shined for the inside linebackers this week

The Los Angeles Rams improved to 8-2 on Sunday afternoon with a 21-19 win over the Seattle Seahawks, pulling ahead into first place in the NFC West. It was their most important win of the year, even if it wasn’t the prettiest.

The offense struggled for most of the game outside of the first quarter, but the defense kept the Rams in it and shut down the league’s second-highest-scoring offense. Los Angeles didn’t allow a touchdown until there were under 3 minutes left, showing just how stout the defense was.

Here’s how we graded each position group in the Rams’ Week 11 win.

Quarterback: C+

Stafford averaged only 4.6 yards per attempt in this game, his lowest yet as a member of the Rams. A pair of drops by Davante Adams didn’t help but he also missed an open Tyler Higbee on fourth-and-1 during the Rams’ first possession, costing the team points. Overall, it was one of his weakest performances of the year.

Running back: B+

Kyren Williams ran really well in this one, breaking off carries of 30 and 34 yards in the first half alone. He only had 27 yards on his other 10 carries, but he deserves credit for running hard and forcing four missed tackles. The problem is, Blake Corum struggled badly, rushing for only 10 yards on eight carries, getting stuffed on three straight runs near the goal line before Williams took over on fourth down and scored.

Wide receiver: C+

Davante Adams and Puka Nacua were each targeted eight times on Sunday. Adams caught one pass for 1 yard and Nacua caught seven for 75. It was a poor performance from Adams, who dropped two passes and wasn’t on the same page as Stafford. Nacua was the only player on the team to catch more than two passes, as well.

Tight end: C+

After all four tight ends caught at least one pass in three straight games, only Colby Parkinson and Higbee had a reception against the Seahawks. Parkinson caught two for 14 yards and a touchdown, while Higbee turned a screen into a 23-yard gain. Terrance Ferguson and Davis Allen both went untargeted.

Offensive line: B

Alaric Jackson and Rob Havenstein were the only two players on the Rams who allowed a single pressure. Jackson gave up four and Havenstein allowed three, both struggling against the Seahawks’ pass rushers. The interior of the line was very good, led by Steve Avila at left guard, so they made up for some issues on the edge.

Defensive line: A-

Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and Poona Ford were all great in this game, plugging up running lanes and applying pressure on Sam Darnold. Though none of them had a sack, they got good push up front and made Darnold uncomfortable in the pocket, forcing him into turnovers and poor throws.

Inside linebacker: A

Nate Landman and Omar Speights continue to play great football in the middle of the Rams’ defense. They helped keep Seattle’s run game in check outside of one 25-yard run by Kenneth Murray, while also taking away throws over the middle. Landman forced a fumble in his third straight game, too, though the Rams failed to recover it.

Outside linebacker: B+

Jared Verse had seven pressures, the second-most of any player in the NFL this week. Byron Young added four of his own, consistently disrupting the Seahawks’ passing game, while also setting the edge and playing the run well. Josaiah Stewart did commit an offsides penalty but that was his lone blemish.

Cornerback: B+

Even though Darnold threw for 279 yards, that came on 44 attempts. The Rams’ secondary did a great job limiting Seattle’s explosive passing attack, which is led by Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Emmanuel Forbes Jr. saved a touchdown with a leaping deflection, Cobie Durant had a pick on the outside and Darious Williams intercepted Darnold on a throw over the middle. It was a strong performance from Los Angeles’ corners.

Safety: A-

Kamren Kinchens had one of his best games as a pro, intercepting two passes against the Seahawks, giving him four in his career against Seattle alone. Kamren Curl and Jaylen McCollough were also impactful, as was Josh Wallace when he came in for Quentin Lake. The Rams’ safety group is deep and talented, with Kinchens showing he’s still the ball hawk he was in college.

Special teams: A

Harrison Mevis made all three of his PATs again this week, which is encouraging. But the real star of the show was Ethan Evans and his clutch 50-yard punt. With the Rams only leading by two in the final minutes, he pinned Seattle deep with a perfect punt inside the 1-yard line, forcing the Seahawks to drive more than 50 yards to even attempt a reasonable field goal – which Jason Myers missed.