The Los Angeles Rams opened the season with a 30-27 victory on the road against the Carolina Panthers.

It was a nail-biter, but the Rams ultimately pulled it out in the end. All things considered, this was a solid victory for a team that didn’t play the majority of their key players during the preseason. Here are five key takeaways from the afternoon in Charlotte.

Defense bends (a lot) but doesn’t break

The Rams have always had a “bend but don’t break” mentality on defense since Wade Phillips took over as the team’s defensive coordinator.

Against the Panthers, they bent about as much as Mr. Fantastic in a fight with Dr. Doom. But they didn’t break, and forced a few major turnovers when they needed to.

It felt like a miracle when the Panthers finished the first half with just three points. They were making plenty of plays against the Rams, but L.A. showed up when it really counted. It wasn’t nearly as pretty in the second half, but the defense still was able to come alive in a few big moments and did just enough to help the Rams win the game.

Dante Fowler and Cory Littleton led the charge on the defensive side of the ball today. Fowler had two monster sacks on Cam Newton. Littleton wasn’t perfect in pass coverage, but he was everywhere on the field and made things happen. He led the team with 14 total tackles, forced a fumble (which he recovered), and had a clutch interception late in the game that helped seal the deal. On a quiet afternoon for Aaron Donald, these two made up for it.

It was far from a perfect outing for the Rams defense, but they did enough to make us think there will not be a big drop off from last year. When you lose three starters from last season, it’s a good start.