LOS ANGELES (AP) The Washington Redskins ran and ran and ran some more.

They did let Kirk Cousins throw the ball some, and he came through with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Grant with 1:49 to play to give the Redskins a 27-20 victory Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams and rookie head coach Sean McVay.

But this victory was earned with smash-mouth running. The Redskins (1-1) rushed 39 times for 229 yards, including touchdowns of 71 and 7 yards by Chris Thompson.

This was billed a showdown between McVay and his former boss, Redskins coach Jay Gruden.

Gruden got the upper hand with his play calling.

''We definitely needed this,'' Thompson said. ''It was big for us to finally get going. We had a rough preseason running the ball. Last week was rough also. So to be able to go out there and get over 200 yards rushing was great. Now it's on us. We've got to continue to keep it going.''

Cousins capped the winning 70-yard drive by finding Grant in the front left corner of the end zone. Even that drive was run heavy, with Samaje Perine carrying seven times.

''It's always good to make plays in the passing game,'' Cousins said. ''But make no mistake, it's always nice to hand off to Chris Thompson and watch him just go 50, 60 yards for a touchdown. So I've got no complaints, either.''

Washington ran the ball seven straight times on a drive capped by Thompson's 7-yard run for a 10-0 lead.

''I don't know how many times that happens in a season where you have an entire drive of running the ball,'' Cousins said. ''You have to credit the offensive line.''

The Rams had tied the game at 20 on Greg Zuerlein's 40-yard field goal with 7:16 to play. It was set up on a trick play, when punter Johnny Hekker completed a 28-yard pass to Josh Reynolds to the Washington 17. But two penalties stalled the drive and the Rams had to settle for the field goal.

After Grant's score, Mason Foster sealed the win with 1:37 to go by intercepting Jared Goff.

Cousins had a much better day than in a season-opening loss to Philadelphia, when he had three turnovers. He completed 18 of 27 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown, with no interceptions.

THE RUNNING BACKS: Late in the second half, on second-and-6 from the Washington 39, Thompson took a delayed handoff from Cousins out of the shotgun and burst through the defense for his long TD run and a 20-10 lead.

He finished with 77 yards on three carries. Rob Kelley, who suffered a thigh injury midway through the second quarter, had 78 yards on 12 carries. Perine finished with 67 yards on 21 carries.

McVAY: The 31-year-old worked for the Redskins for seven seasons, including the last three as offensive coordinator under Gruden, before being hired by the Rams as the youngest head coach in modern league history.

Despite McVay's familiarity with the Redskins, it didn't translate into a win for the Rams (1-1).

''We continued to fight back, but we can't hurt ourselves with the penalties, some of the different things that occurred throughout the course of the game,'' McVay said.

TODD GURLEY: The Rams, who didn't look near as sharp as they did in routing Indianapolis a week earlier, made a game of it thanks to a spectacular play by the running back.

Midway through the third quarter, Gurley caught a swing pass from Goff, hurdled cornerback Bashaud Breeland and then reached for the pylon to complete the 18-yard play and pull the Rams to 20-17.

Gurley also scored on a 1-yard run midway through the third quarter. His fumble helped set up a 22-yard field goal by Washington's Dustin Hopkins in the second quarter.

OLYMPICS RETURN

To commemorate the awarding of the 2028 Olympics to Los Angeles, IOC President Thomas Bach lit the Olympic torch atop the peristyle end of the Coliseum before kickoff. He was joined by Mayor Eric Garcetti, LA 2028 Chairman Casey Wasserman and Olympic decathlon gold medalist Rafer Johnson. Johnson, who lit the Coliseum cauldron to kick off the 1984 Olympics, was drafted by the Rams in 1959. Los Angeles also hosted the Olympics in 1932. The Coliseum opened in 1923.

INJURIES

Washington: Foster hurt his right shoulder late in the second quarter. ... TE Jordan Reed suffered a chest injury in the third quarter. ... S Montae Nicholson hurt a shoulder in the fourth quarter.

Los Angeles: TE Gerald Everett suffered a thigh injury in the third quarter.

UP NEXT

Washington: The Redskins host the Oakland Raiders on Sunday night.

Los Angeles: The Rams play their NFC West opener at San Francisco on Thursday night.

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