It might not have been the prettiest game for Steven and the St. Louis Rams, but when it mattered most, they came through.

SJax eclipsed 100 total yards for the third consecutive game, and the Rams earned their first victory of the season,  upending the favored Washington Redskins on the road, 19-17.

SJax racking up his 111 total yards in the win over Washington (courtesy of StLouisRams.com).

Steven’s 79 yards rushing and 32 receiving gave him 111 total for the game, but hardly begin to reflect the tenacity that he showed against the ‘Skins.

According to the Ramblings blog:

“Steven Jackson ran with real purpose, bowling over defenders and picking up two or three yards even after it looked like his progress had been stopped.”

Stopping Steven became the focal point of the ‘Skins defense heading into the game, especially since he tore them up in his last visit to D.C. in 2006, when he had 150 yards on the ground to go with 102 through the air. The Washington D knew full well what they would be getting themselves into against No. 39.

“He’s a great running back,” defensive tackle Kedric Golston said. “He’s as quick as a Reggie Bush and as powerful as Brandon Jacobs. He can do it all—catch the ball, run the ball. He is their offense, and it starts with him, and he’s still the same player. He’s just that explosive player, so you’ve got to always be on your toes for that. He’s that Brian Westbrook type; every time he touches the ball he can score.”

LET’S GET PHYSICAL
Redskins defensive tackle Anthony Montgomery commented on the physical presence Steven brings with his running style:

“He’s a big back, and he can run you over,” Montgomery said. “We’ve got to have our mind right and be physical with him. If you come up there tiptoeing trying to tackle that man, it’s not going to be pretty. You’ve got to come physical.”

LONDON (BRIDGES) FALLING DOWN
A key match-up heading into Sunday’s contest was No. 39 versus Redskins linebacker London Fletcher, a former Ram whose 41 tackles lead Washington this season. Steven got the better of the duel, though Fletcher recorded eight tackles on the afternoon.

“He’s a high energy guy,” said Steven, who entered the game coming off his first 100-yard performance of the season. “They allow him to run sideline-to-sideline and make a lot of tackles. So London is a guy that I definitely have to account for. … He’s their playmaker on defense — well, one of their playmakers — and I definitely have to tune in to where he’s at.”

Though SJax didn’t see pay dirt on Sunday, he helped put teammate Josh Brown in position to kick a fourth a final field goal that gave Jim Haslett his first victory since taking the helm last week.

NEXT UP
Steven and the 1-4 Rams come home next week to take on the 4-2 Cowboys at the Edward Jones Dome. Expect the team to be fired up after a big win, and Steven to be smelling blood as the ‘Boys are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Cards. No. 39 will come out hungry, and will be eyeing the endzone from the get-go.

RELATED STORIES
Key Matchup: Steven Jackson-London Fletcher (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Oct. 10, 2008)
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/rams/story/876FB0E32335E1C6862574DF00171BD1?OpenDocument
Report card: Rams show true grit under Haslett (Ramblings, Oct. 12, 2008)
http://bellevillenewsdemocrat.typepad.com/ramblings/2008/09/report-card-ram.html
Jackson Has Combination Of Talents (Washington Post, Oct. 12, 2008)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/11/AR2008101101645.html