NASHVILLE, Tenn. _ With the chance to win the NFC West, the Los Angeles Rams put the ball in the hands of Todd Gurley.
The star running back came through Sunday, amassing 276 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in a 27-23 victory over the Tennessee Titans that improved the Rams record to 11-4 and clinched their first division title since 2003.
Gurley rushed for 118 yards in 22 carries and caught 10 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns before an estimated crowd of 50,000 at Nissan Stadium as the Rams stayed on track for a No. 3 seed in the playoffs.
Quarterback Jared Goff passed for 301 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winner to receiver Cooper Kupp early in the fourth quarter.
The Rams conclude the regular season next week at home against the San Francisco 49ers.
With former Rams coach Jeff Fisher looking on, the Rams escaped on a day that new kicker Sam Ficken struggled to replace league scoring leader Greg Zuerlein.
The score was tied 13-13 at halftime, then the Rams got a break midway through the third quarter when Titans kicker Ryan Succop missed a 45-yard field-goal attempt.
Gurley took advantage on the ensuing possession, catching a screen pass for a 10-yard gain, and then following up with a 34-yard run. Goff appeared to keep alive the drive with a third-down scramble, but the Titans won a challenge on the spot.
The Rams went for it on fourth down and Gurley ran for 10 yards.
Goff's short touchdown pass to receiver Sammy Watkins put the Rams ahead, 20-13.
But Adoree' Jackson's 57-yard kickoff return gave Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota a short field. Mariota completed passes for 34 and nine yards before DeMarco Murray rushed for a six-yard touchdown to tie the score.
The Titans went ahead on a field goal early in the fourth quarter.
That set the stage for Goff.
The Rams got a break when the Titans were called for pass interference, moving the ball to the Titans' 28. Five plays later, Goff lofted the ball to the diving Kupp in the back of the end zone for a 27-23 lead.
The Rams defense made it stand up, ending a final threat when linebacker Connor Barwin chased down Mariota and forced him to throw an incomplete pass.
The Rams' reliance on _ and their challenge without _ Zuerlein was evident throughout the first half.
On the first possession, the Rams drove to the Titans' 32-yard line. That would have been a chip shot for Zuerlein this season.
Instead, punter Johnny Hekker ran onto the field. The Rams took a delay of game penalty, ostensibly to give Hekker more room to place a kick. But Hekker took the snap and lofted a pass toward receiver Mike Thomas at the goal line. The Titans, however, broke up the pass.
Linebacker Cory Littleton, starting in place of the injured Mark Barron, intercepted a pass on the ensuing possession, the eighth time this season the defense has forced a turnover on the opponent's first series.
Goff sold a fake on a play-action pass to Cooper Kupp for 34 yards, and Gurley scored on a short run for a touchdown.
Ficken, however, missed wide right on the extra-point kick, leaving the Rams with a 6-0 lead.
The Titans came back and drove to the Rams' one-yard line. But after a false-start penalty, Littleton burst through for a sack. Two plays later, the Rams tipped a Mariota pass that fell incomplete, forcing the Titans to settle for a field goal.
Gurley carried the load on a Rams drive to the six. But Goff was sacked on third down, bringing on Ficken for a 36-yard field-goal attempt.
Ficken's kick bounced off the right upright, leaving the Rams with a three-point lead.
The Titans went ahead when defensive tackle Jurrell Casey popped into the Rams backfield and hit Goff before he handed off to Gurley. Linebacker Wesley Woodyard scooped the ball and returned it four yards for a touchdown and a 10-3 lead.
Gurley erased the deficit when he took a screen pass and dashed up the middle of the field for an 80-yard touchdown. Ficken converted the extra point for a 13-10 lead.
The Titans added a late field goal to tie the score before halftime.
