SEATTLE -- There's something for coming through when it counts.

After a holding call put the Seattle Seahawks out of field goal range, with the Los Angeles Rams leading 33-31, Cory Littleton leaped and deflected a Russell Wilson pass, and Wilson’s next attempt fell incomplete, too.

For a second consecutive week, the Rams’ defense came up big in the final minutes.

“It seems like that every week they always step up when we need them,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “I’m sure they would have liked to do some different things as far as as many points as [Seattle] scored, but again, it’s just a team game. We when needed a stop, they got the stop.”

The Rams improve to 5-0, and are comfortably in first place in the NFC West, as the Seahawks fall to 2-3.

“Our defense was at their best when they had to be,” Rams coach Sean McVay said.

While the Rams’ defense held with 3 minutes, 38 seconds remaining in the game, their overall performance left plenty of room for improvement.

“Wasn’t the best game, wasn’t the most clean-cut game,” cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman said. “But got away with the win.”

The Seahawks tallied 373 total yards of offense, including 190 yards rushing, as Wilson passed for 3 touchdowns and Mike Davis rushed for another.

For a second-straight week, the Rams defense struggled to get off the field, allowing the Seahawks to convert 7 of 12 on third down.

“We see ourselves as a good defense,” said Littleton, who finished with 7 tackles, 2 pass deflections and a blocked a punt. “Now we just have to ultimately play like it. We’ve given up a little too much on the field, too much in the running game and too much in third-down situations – things that are hurting ourselves just from simple mistakes and just things to correct.”

Seahawks running back Chris Carson rushed for 116 yards in 19 carries, averaging 6.1 yards per carry, often through heart of the Rams’ defensive line.

Lineman Michael Brockers, playing alongside Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh, attributed to some of the defensive issues by breaking from assignments in an effort to do too much.

“I could’ve just been doing my job and everything would’ve handled itself,” said Brockers, who finished with 4 tackles.

Suh had 7 tackles and a sack. Donald had 2 tackles and sack.

Linebacker Mark Barron made his first start this season after he was sidelined the past four games because of a nagging Achilles injury. Barron said it was good for the defense to be challenged late in the game, on the road.

“We came out on the right side of it,” said Barron, who led the team with 9 tackles. “It’s going to happen this season, it could happen any week, so you could lose any week, so you’re going to have to face some adversity in a season.”

The absence of cornerback Aqib Talib, who is on the injured reserve after he underwent ankle surgery, continued to be felt as Sam Shields started in Talib’s place and Troy Hill also played a significant amount of snaps.

Cornerback Marcus Peters, who suffered a calf strain in a Week 3 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, has not appeared to return to form despite playing every snap in Week 4 and starting against the Seahawks.

Peters allowed for a 39-yard touchdown by Tyler Lockett in the second quarter that put the Seahawks ahead, 14-10, and also gave up a 30-yard touchdown to David Moore in the third quarter that put the Seahawks up 31-24.

Peters finished with five tackles and a pass deflection.

But it was Wilson -- who defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said earlier this week could single-handedly win a game -- whom the Rams struggled to slow, even as they sacked him twice.

Wilson completed 13 of 21 passes for 198 yards and kept several plays alive as he continued to look downfield and make plays. In two separate scenarios in the second half, Wilson scrambled as he was chased by outside linebacker Samson Ebukam. The outcomes each favored Wilson.

On the first, Wilson completed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Moore and later, as he scrambled, he threw the 30-yard score to Moore.

“You’ve got to know who you’re playing against and what he’s capable of,” Barron said. “You’ve got to understand he’s not just stumbling around, he’s trying to get the ball downfield, just waiting for his receivers to get open so you know you’ve got to cover for four to six seconds, which is hard, but we were able to come away with a win, so we’ll take it.”

The defense could face some relief – and gain time to solve its issues -- in the coming weeks as they prepare for the struggling offenses of the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers. But larger tests loom within the next 6 weeks, with match ups against Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Patrick Mahomes awaiting.