The Christmas Day win over the Denver Broncos must’ve felt even sweeter for Los Angeles Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner considering it came against his old teammate Russell Wilson.
The Rams absolutely dominated the Broncos on the holiday, and Wagner was a large factor in holding Denver to just 14 points total. For the game, Wagner recorded another impressive stat line of eight total tackles (five solo), one sack and one interception.
Following the team win, Wagner admitted it felt good to finally get a sack off Wilson though he also made sure to emphasize what the quarterback means to him, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“I mean, I told him that if we ever played against one another, I will give, so that was cool to do that,” Wagner said. “And it was cool to pick them off as well, Christmas, appreciate the presence. But you know, he’s my brother, and we were together for an extremely long time. We went through a lot of highs and lows together. And it’s always fun just going out there and playing with him. He’s impacted me so much in my life.”
Wagner and Wilson spent 10 seasons together with the Seattle Seahawks, winning Super Bowl XLVIII in the process. Through so many wins and losses together, the two have built a friendship and bond that’ll last forever, though now they find themselves with new homes and teams.
In their first matchup as adversaries, Wagner clearly got the better of Wilson as he picked off the Broncos signal caller in the first quarter that eventually led to a two-yard touchdown run from Cam Akers. It put the Rams up 17-0, but the linebacker wasn’t done as he eventually sacked Wilson for the first time in his career near the end of the first half that forced Denver into a field goal attempt.
Even at his age, Wagner remains one of the best and most productive defensive players in the league and that’s been one of the few bright spots for Los Angeles this season. Although they might be out of the playoffs, Wagner’s play this season instills some optimism that he can be just as effective next year.
This hasn’t been the season Rams fans were hoping for coming off a Super Bowl championship, but they’ve been at least treated to some pockets of happiness down the stretch of the season. A win over Wilson always feels great, and it was fun to watch Wagner contribute in a big way.
