LOS ANGELES -- Yet another disheartening loss at least brought some noteworthy accomplishments for a couple of key Los Angeles Rams players.
Receiver Kenny Britt reached a milestone nobody in this franchise has even come close to in nine years, and punter Johnny Hekker set an NFL record in Saturday's 22-21 loss to lowly San Francisco.
With a 15-yard catch on the Rams' very first drive, Britt, in his eighth year in the NFL, surpassed 1,000 yards for the first time. He became the first Rams receiver to reach that mark since Torry Holt in 2007. The Rams amazingly went eight consecutive years without a 1,000-yard receiver, a time that saw the NFL produce 174 1,000-yard receivers.
The Rams didn't have so much as an 800-yard receiver during that time.
"It means everything to me," Britt told the Rams' public-relations department before leaving Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday. "After eight years in the NFL, I finally get my first 1,000-yard season. It's special, even though it comes from a season that we weren't expecting."
Britt was not allowed to speak with the media because he exited the game early with a shoulder injury that had been ailing him of late.
While he watched, Hekker continued to add to his new benchmark.
The Rams' star punter downed four punts inside the 20-yard line in a game that at one point saw both teams punt the ball to end 14 consecutive drives (minus a kneel-down at the end of the first half). Hekker now has 50 punts downed inside the 20-yard line, breezing past the previous NFL record that was held by Arizona's Dave Zastudil in 2012. Zastudil had 46 downed inside the 20 that year, one that saw him punt 112 times.
Hekker, on his way to his third Pro Bowl, has punted 91 times this season, second-most in the NFL.
"I’m proud of Johnny," said interim coach John Fassel, the Rams' special teams coordinator since 2012. "He’s a leader, he’s tough, he’s good, and the guys respect him. I love him, and I’m proud of him."
