Days before game against Seahawks, Rams fire coach Jeff Fisher

SEATTLE – As bad as things looked for the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, they’re much worse for the Los Angeles Rams.

Three days before their game against the Seahawks, the Rams fired coach Jeff Fisher on Monday after almost five seasons.

“Making a decision such as this - especially during the season - is one of the most difficult in sports,” Rams owner E. Stanley Kroenke said in a statement. “I have great respect for Jeff as a coach, person, father and friend.

Special teams coach John Fassel was named interim coach.

The Rams dropped to 4-9 Sunday with a 42-14 loss to the Falcons, their seventh loss in eight games. Fisher tied the NFL record for most losses by a coach, dropping his 165th game.

It was just over a week ago that news leaked out that Fisher had signed an extension to coach the team through the end of the 2018 season. The deal was reportedly signed months ago, but news of it didn’t come out until Dec. 4.

“This is the right time to make a change as our performance has not lived up to my or our fans' expectations,” Kroenke said. “We all are focused on improving as an organization and building a team that makes Los Angeles proud. Our mission is to celebrate a Super Bowl title with our fans in Los Angeles. Today is the first step to bringing us closer to that goal.”

Fisher was 31-45-1 with the Rams.