Brian Quick strikes twice in Rams’ 17-13 win over Cardinals
Surprise.
That, no doubt, is the prevailing feeling around the NFL after the Rams on Sunday continued their unexpected start to the season with a third consecutive victory.
Surprise.
Few, if anybody, picked the Rams to be 3-1 and atop the NFC West.
Surprise.
Only one quarter of the season has been played, but the Rams’ 17-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium puts them in the early hunt for their first playoff appearance since 2004.
“We always said we wanted to become a contender,” General Manager Les Snead said. “So we’re in contention now.
“It’s the first quarter, and we’ve still got three more to go, but this is where you want to be.”
Quarterback Case Keenum and receiver Brian Quick connected on two touchdown pass plays, the defense forced five turnovers and Tavon Austin set up the winning score with a long punt return en route to another victory that made the Rams’ season-opening 28-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers increasingly look like an anomaly.
“That Niners game still haunts me,” cornerback Trumaine Johnson said. “It really does, man, because that’s not us.
“We responded well.”
Against the Cardinals, Johnson, linebacker Mark Barron and safety T.J. McDonald intercepted passes and defensive linemen Aaron Donald and Dominique Easley forced fumbles on a day when the defense gave up one touchdown. The game ended with McDonald intercepting a Hail Mary pass in the end zone.
The Rams are 3-1 for the first time since 2006, when they started 4-1 under former coach Scott Linehan. That team finished 8-8.
“We’re not going to dwell on where we are,” Keenum said. “We are looking ahead. We are looking at where we are going.”
After playing on the road three times in four games, the Rams return to the Coliseum this week to play the surging Buffalo Bills, a shutout winner Sunday over the New England Patriots.
“It’s huge,” Coach Jeff Fisher said of his team’s 3-1 start. “We’re going home. We get the chance to play in front of our fans. Seems like it’s been forever.”
The Rams defeated the Seattle Seahawks in their home opener on Sept. 18, starting a streak that includes victories at Tampa Bay and Arizona.
About the only people not surprised are the Rams themselves.
“Once you’re 3-1, people start to view you as an actual winning team,” said Barron, who intercepted a pass for the second consecutive game. “I think we’re starting to put ourselves in that light.”
Said defensive tackle Michael Brockers: “We’re really building a trust within each other and this team. Our whole mentality is, we’re all we got, we’re all we need.”
On Sunday, the Rams took the lead on Quick’s first touchdown, which included a leaping catch and then a sprint to the end zone for a 65-yard scoring play. The Cardinals tied the score, 10-10, at the end of the first half on Carson Palmer’s touchdown pass to Michael Floyd.
The Rams trailed, 13-10, with less than six minutes left when Austin fielded a punt and dodged and darted his way for 47 yards. The play ended with facemask penalty against the Cardinals, giving the Rams a first down at Arizona’s 19.
Five plays later, Quick out-jumped cornerback Marcus Cooper in the end zone for a short touchdown that put the Rams ahead.
With Palmer out of the game because of a possible concussion, Barron appeared to seal the victory when he intercepted a pass by backup Drew Stanton with less than two minutes left.
But the Rams could not relax until McDonald’s interception.
His play came a week after defensive end Robert Quinn secured a victory by chasing down Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston as time expired.
“That’s what we want,” McDonald said of the defense. “We want to be on the field to win the game. It’s been two weeks. We’re glad to do it.”
The Rams won’t see the Cardinals again until the final game of the regular season, the last of three consecutive matchups against NFC West opponents.
The Rams have a recent history of playing well in the division — they were 4-2 last season — but they have stumbled against non-division opponents.
“Out-of-division games we always play to other teams’ level,” Johnson said. “If we go in and play like we played against the Seahawks and tonight, we shouldn’t have a problem.”
It starts this week against Buffalo, before a game at Detroit and then one in London against the New York Giants.
“We have to make our stance and make something happen,” Quinn said. “We can’t just win our six division games and lose our other 10.
“We’ve just got to figure out a way to win.”
As of late, the Rams have had no problem doing just that.
Follow Gary Klein on Twitter @LATimesklein
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