With the exception of their loss to the Washington Redskins, the first quarter of the season could not have turned out better for the Rams.

They are 3-1, the highest-scoring team in the NFL, and in first place in the NFC West.

Now comes the tough part.

The Rams must prove they can sustain their momentum during a stretch that starts Sunday at the Coliseum against the defending division-champion Seattle Seahawks. The schedule then segues into a three consecutive road games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals in London and New York Giants.


“The truest measurement of performance is that consistency,” coach Sean McVay said Monday, “and that’s what we’ve got to see against a great Seattle team.”

The Seahawks improved to 2-2 with Sunday’s 46-18 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

The Rams defeated the Colts 46-9 in their opener before losing to Washington.

But the Rams came back and beat the San Francisco 49ers on the road, and then made a claim of legitimacy with Sunday’s 35-30 victory over the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.


“The No. 1 thing we’ve shown every week is that there is absolutely no quit in these guys,” quarterback Jared Goff said after the victory. “I think that’s not only a sign of a good team but a team that is maturing, a team that has some veteran leadership now and a team that’s getting older and starting to learn situations better.”

The Rams split with the Seahawks last season, winning 9-3 at the Coliseum and losing 24-3 on a Thursday night at CenturyLink Field.

After playing the Seahawks, the Rams will travel to Jacksonville. They will remain in Florida for most of the following week before heading to London to play the Cardinals at Twickenham Stadium.

The Rams have a bye the next week, but must travel across the country to play the Giants on Nov. 5.


The Jaguars are 2-2, the Cardinals 2-2 and the Giants 0-4 heading into Sunday’s games.

McVay said the Rams would benefit from their experience winning at San Francisco and Dallas. Many players also have experience playing in London.

So while acknowledging what could be a difficult four-game stretch in the schedule, he remains focused on the Seahawks.

“You have a tendency to want to look ahead,” he said, “but really all you have is whatever this game is this week.”


Mike Thomas returns

Receiver Mike Thomas rejoins the team after serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

McVay said the Rams would not make any roster moves involving receivers to create room for Thomas, who will be added to a position group that includes Robert Woods, Sammy Watkins, Tavon Austin, Cooper Kupp, Josh Reynolds and Pharoh Cooper.

“We’ll have to make a tough decision on one of the players that’s currently on our roster, but it will not be from that receiver [meeting] room,” McVay said.


Thomas also will play on special teams, though Cooper will continue to return kickoffs.

Praise from former boss

The victory over the Cowboys made for a triumphant return by Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

It was Phillips’ first time coaching in Dallas since owner Jerry Jones fired him as coach in November 2010 after three-plus seasons.


Phillips has said he holds no vendetta, and Jones went out of his way to compliment Phillips after the Rams’ victory.

Jones praised Phillips for second-half adjustments. He also pointed to Phillips’ success as the Denver Broncos’ defensive coordinator during the 2015 season, when the Broncos won the Super Bowl with a dominating defense.

“In my time in the NFL, and I don’t want to take anything away from anyone at Denver, I’ve never heard a coach get as much credit for winning it as much as Wade Phillips got,” Jones said. “Wade Phillips was the difference out here [Sunday].”

Etc.


Safety Lamarcus Joyner’s status against the Seahawks is still to be determined. Joyner was sidelined against the Cowboys because of a hamstring injury. … The Rams are off Tuesday and resume practice Wednesday.

gary.klein@latimes.com

Follow Gary Klein on Twitter @latimesklein