ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Rams have their first three-game winning streak since the end of the 2006 season and they’re making no apologies for the way they’re doing it.
Coach Jeff Fisher said Monday he’s less concerned about how his team wins than actually getting the victory.
The Rams (6-6-1) are coming off a 15-12 victory at Buffalo on Sunday in which the defense held the fourth-ranked rushing offense to just 61 yards and special teams stymied one of the best return teams in the league.
“To win a game like this in a hard place to play, against a team like that, we had to play that well. We had to play good in all three phases or good enough in three,” Fisher said. “Good in special teams and good on defense.”
That “good enough” was directed at the St. Louis offense, which continues to struggle to score. Fisher said the Rams can’t continue to rely on their defense and special teams to overcome the league’s 29th-ranked offense.
Brandon Gibson’s touchdown catch with 48 seconds left helped lift the Rams to a 15-12 victory over the Bills on Sunday, marking just the fourth offensive touchdown for St. Louis during its three-game stretch.
It also capped a relatively mediocre day for Sam Bradford, who completed 19 of 39 attempts for 207 of the Rams’ 285 total yards. He also had an interception.
“At the end of the day a win’s a win,” Fisher said. “We’re not equipped like New England to put 40 up on everybody. Hopefully we’ll get to that point, but right now we’re finding ways to win.”
It was a similar formula the Rams’ used in the two previous wins.
The defense scored 14 of the team’s 31 points at Arizona and the offense didn’t score any in its overtime victory against San Francisco last week.
But the offense found a way to get in position to score when necessary against the 49ers.
Greg Zuerlein kicked field goals as time expired in regulation and then to win the game in overtime.
Against the Bills, the Rams drove 84 yards in just over four minutes for the winning touchdown.
“Anytime you can go out and win a game in the final minutes, it can give you confidence,” Bradford said. “It’s not the first time we’ve done that this year, we’ve done it a couple of times, but to do it on the road, and in those conditions, it says a lot about our offense.”
Fisher also believes it says a lot about his team in general.
After the Rams opened the third quarter with an 11-play, 70-yard touchdown drive, the Bills scored on the ensuing possession to grab a 12-7 lead. They failed on a two-point conversion attempt.
The quick turnaround didn’t seem to bother the Rams, Fisher said.
“There was no panic. It was just let’s play, let’s answer,” he said. “What’s good is they’re learning not to look at the scoreboard, they’re just learning to play. You play hard, you play consistent, than the score should usually take care of itself. “
St. Louis hosts Minnesota (7-6) Sunday at noon.
