After starting the season 3-0, the Los Angeles Rams dropped their second consecutive game on Thursday night, falling to the Seattle Seahawks, 30-29. While the loss was disappointing as Greg Zuerlein missed a potential game-winning field goal, the team played a lot better than the previous week, so there were some positives to take away.
One of those positives what that offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth reached a historic milestone, starting in his 200th career game. The left tackle became the 93rd player since 1960 to start 200 career games.
Whitworth realized what a special feat he had achieved and shared his thoughts with Stu Jackson of theRams.com:
“It’s obviously a testament to having a really great career and being able to stay healthy and out there,” Whitworth told theRams.com Monday afternoon. “It’s one of those things that puts you in extremely rare company, so it’s a little surreal because you don’t think of it that way.”
Whitworth joined the Rams in 2017 and has been key to protecting Jared Goff. Whitworth, along with right guard Austin Blythe and right tackle Rob Havenstein, are the only starters remaining from last year’s offensive line.
During Whitworth’s past two years with the Rams, Goff was sacked the eighth-fewest times while the team has has also been top eight in rushing yards. Whitworth has been key to providing support that has allowed Goff and Todd Gurley to perform so well.
Whitworth believes that he has had a career as long and successful as he had due to both skill and durability:
“There’s durability, and then you’ve got to be good enough,” Whitworth said. “Most guys don’t get kept long enough to play that long, anyway, so it’s usually your play suffers and then also the injuries. I think it’s a mixture of both, and how those injuries affect you. It’s just always being willing to reinvent yourself. Little things that bother you or you’ve injured over time, you find a way to play and you have the ability to be able to do that. Some guys, it’s just that (those injuries) become so limiting, they just can’t play anymore, or there’s only one way they could’ve played and they get an injury that doesn’t allow them to play that way anymore. So for me, it’s been reinventing my body, finding different ways to move and being able to survive.”
Whitworth’s talents and durability are impressive, to say the least. Throughout his career, he has been selected to four Pro-Bowls and also been voted an All-Pro twice. He is still trying to win a ring though and is hoping that this will be the year for him and the Rams.
