I don't think we figured anything out as much as they played a bit more conservative. The change we did make is that we chose to bracket Puka more towards the end but then when we stopped, he broke one open again in OT.
No doubt there was an element of momentum at play after we started to surge. The reflection of that to a degree (in addition to playing not to lose) was the Rams beginning to feel a bit of doubt.
I think in using our first game against them as a barometer, we fooled ourselves some. In that game, they played a bit more conservatively as well, rolling the dice on the belief they could hold on and not risk much to get the win. Stafford pretty much admitted to their entire game plan changing in game 1 after they got up so quickly.
Their successive failed drives in this game weren't unlike the stretch they had against us in game 1 between the 2nd and 3rd qtrs. When they turned things up even in that game, they scored on us.
That's not to say it's all about them choosing not to go for the kill and not how good we are on D. They just played this last game brilliantly to open the game, pounding our DLine again and again and using 4 downs to move the chains. That carried into the 2nd half.
I just wish we had committed more to the run. Walker and Charbs were doing really well and I think it would have been the perfect antidote to what they were doing to us. Grinding is down and then hitting us over the .middle for big chunks.