The good, the bad, and the ugly: LA’s offense gets their weapons back

Tutu Atwell finds himself on the sidelines with receivers’ return

The Rams are getting healthy and are poised to take over the NFC West. Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly in LA’s upset win over the Vikings.

The Good

It all comes together for the offense

The Rams offense had been a hard watch since losing all of their weapons at the start of the season but that all changed. An unexpected Puka Nacua return and a somewhat healthy Cooper Kupp reminded everyone watching how lethal LA’s offense can be.

Both receivers were on a pitch count with neither reaching a 60% snap count on offense but they still managed to be the difference in the game. Matthew Stafford went to Nacua early and often with a team-leading nine targets that turned into seven receptions for 106 yards. Kupp made an impact in the red zone with a touchdown and as always came in clutch on third downs,

Stafford was the biggest benefactor of their return to the field.

He finished with four touchdowns (he had three total this season going into TNF), 279 yards passing, and a 124.5 passer rating. He looked rejuvenated with a healthier offense and was spectacular on the touchdown to Kupp where he had to duck under a defender, high-step a low tackle, and still managed to keep his eyes down the field to find his open receiver.

Chris Shula’s second half adjustments

At first, Sam Darnold moved his team down the field with ease, scoring touchdowns on their first two possessions. Justin Jefferson was his typical self and had 68 receiving yards in the first half of the game and Aaron Jones was able to pickup some chunk plays on the ground. That all changed after halftime.

Minnesota’s high-flying offense came back to earth against Chris Shula’s unit in the second half. They would not see an end zone other than their own for the rest of the game and had to settle for two field goals.

Shula deserves a ton of credit after facing plenty of criticism this season, his adjustments sealed the win for LA.

LA wins in the trenches

The offensive line looked like a top-5 unit even with rookies still in the lineup. Stafford was not sacked a single time and was hit only twice the entire game while Kyren Williams had plenty of holes to run through. With more injured players returning soon, the league should be terrified to face McVay’s offense.

On defense, Jared Verse should be the front runner for the defensive rookie of the year after finally finding a way to finish plays including 1.5 sacks, a TFL, and had three QB hits all while being double teamed for most of the game.

The attention he drew allowed Byron Young and Michael Hoecht to eat as well: They also had 1.5 sacks and three QB hits. The defense is getting better every week.

The Bad

Tutu Atwell’s role diminishes

After carrying the receiver room on his back in Kupp and Nacua’s absence, Tutu Atwell found himself back to a familiar place on the sidelines. He played just 12% of the snaps on offense and caught one of his two targets for 18-yards. Stafford underthrew him on a deep shot on the sideline that should have been an easy six but apart from that he did not see much action.

Tyler Higbee is missed

It’s not that the tight end room is bad it’s just that they aren’t anything to fear. Colby Parkinson and Hunter Long combined for two receptions for 36-yards and had little impact in the red zone. Parkinson has been targeted a ton by Stafford and has done little with the opportunities this season.

The Ugly

Controversy overshadowed LA’s W

An impressive win for the Rams turned into speculation after a facemask penalty was missed in the back of Minnesota’s own end zone. Young’s sack put LA up by 10 points and effectively ended the game with Stafford taking the field in victory formation. Darnold would have had to drive his team 80-yards with zero timeouts and also convert a two-point conversion so it was unlikely any overtime would have been played, but it did take away their opportunity to do just that.

The controversy should not take away anything from Los Angeles’ win as they absolutely dominated.