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A giant blue and white ram helmet was painted in the middle of the Colosseum's Sunday lawn, a major ID stamp for a team that spent the off-season rebuilding training into a Super Bowl candidate.
The Rams traded against corner favorites Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters. They signed with defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh. And then they traded for the receiver Brandin Cooks.
The movements have undoubtedly left other NFL teams, especially in the West of the NFC, wondering what the Rams would have to face if all the pieces were together.
They had a preview Sunday.
The Rams cleared the Arizona Cardinals 34-0 in front of a crowd estimated at 60,000.
A week after smothering the Oakland Raiders in the first game of Monday Night Football, the Rams completely dominated the Cardinals before their first 2-0 start since 2001.
Todd Gurley rushed for three touchdowns and Jared Goff for 354 yards and a touchdown, but Sunday's game was a message and a message: the Rams defense could be better than expected.
"You put a lot of alpha dogs on a defense like this, man, it's going to be good or it's going to be terrible," said Talib, an 11e-year pro. "And this one turned out good."
It has been so far.
The Rams have yielded only 13 points, none in their last six quarters.
"You can not complain about a donut," Suh said, referring to zero points allowed against the cardinals.
"We did everything we wanted," linebacker Cory Littleton said. "You can not beat a white game."
Sunday's shutout was Rams' first since Week 7 of last season, when they cleared the Cardinals 33-0 in a home game at Twickenham Stadium in London.
In this event, the Rams ended the Cardinals season by breaking the arm of quarterback Carson Palmer, now retired.
Injured quarterback Sam Bradford escaped Sunday with no fractures, but the Rams limited him to 90 yards and allowed only five first tries. They also closed the carrier David Johnson.
"It's hard to play with these guys when you're second and third," Bradford said.
The Cardinals did not cross the midfield until the last part of the match.
"I do not remember when I saw a whistle-free whistle defense from the first to fourth quarter," said Rams coach Sean McVay.
Thus, the performance of the Rams – and their potential to play even better – could affect the confidence of opponents.
"I think we can improve again," said tackle Aaron Donald, the defensive player of the year in the NFL. "I mean, it's the scary thing."
The defense's performance seemed to inspire the offense, which averaged 33.5 points per game, nearly four more than last season's average.
"They are impressive right now," Goff said of the defense, adding, "You want them to continue and make sure no one is too fat, which I do not think.
"We said it during the training camp: I would hate to go against them. … They do a good job and it shows.
Gurley said, "Our job is to score points, but … if the defense does not give up, that's all that matters."
The offense, however, seemed to take some big steps.
With kicker Greg Zuerlein put out due to a groin injury suffered during warm-ups of the match, the Rams scored touchdowns from inside the 20-yard line. meters. Johnny Hekker, who took the lead, also managed to get a 20-yard shot.
And after missing long passes past Cooks and Robert Woods against the Raiders, Goff joined the Cooks on a 57-yard strike.
The cooks caught seven passes for 159 yards.
"You sort of felt that the pace is starting to happen," said Goff. "Some of those deep things, some of the other things across the field where he's able to do those games with his speed, and how good he is with his hands."
Goff also found Woods and Cooper Kupp six times each.
And McVay finally got tight goals, with Gerald Everett catching a pass and Tyler Higbee outshot with a touchdown reception.
The Rams are now turning to Sunday's game against the Chargers at the Coliseum.
The players said that they would appreciate the victory over the Cardinals, but that they could not take it in advance.
"We are still taking steps," said Peters. "It's only the second game."
Donald said the Rams would not be comfortable.
But he recognized how good they could become.
"The sky is the limit," he said.
Follow Gary Klein on Twitter @latimesklein
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