PFF Grades: Youngsters lead way as defense builds momentum

Kamren Kinchens, Jaylen McCollough, and Jared Verse headline the grades on defense

The Los Angeles Rams earned their third-straight win this weekend when they downed the Seattle Seahawks 26-20 on the road. The game featured late heroics by Matthew Stafford and a young defense that is rounding into form.

The Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades from Sunday confirm that first and second year players are leading the resurgence on defense.

Top five grades on offense:

1 – Kevin Dotson, RG: 86.9

On a day where the Rams didn’t get much production on the ground—Kyren Williams managed just 3.1 yards per carry—Dotson earned a run blocking grade of 89.2. He’s been LA’s best individual lineman and we are getting close to see the Rams’ vision play out on the interior as Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson near full health.

2 – Demarcus Robinson, WR: 86.5

Robinson has caught four touchdowns over the last two games, and he’s performed well in a more complementary role after the return of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. His one-handed game winner was electric and stunned the Seattle faithful at Lumen Field. Robinson finished with six catches for 94 yards and two scores.

3 – Cooper Kupp WR: 79.5

The Rams’ most targeted receiver was Kupp, who saw the ball come his way 14 times. He hauled in 11 passes for 104 yards, though his average depth of target (ADOT) has been concerning since he returned from his ankle injury. In this game his average target came 5.4 yards down the field. This was the lowest figure for all tight ends and receivers, save for Hunter Long who had one target at the line of scrimmage.

4 – Beaux Limmer, C: 73.3

The rookie center did not allow a single pressure in this game despite a challenging matchup versus Byron Murphy and Jarran Reed. It will be tough to take Limmer out of the starting lineup once Avila and Jonah Jackson return, and the Rams must balance what is best for the short and long term benefits of the team.

5 – Warren McClendon, RT: 70.9

McClendon made his season debut in relief of Joe Noteboom in the season opener and he was abused by Aidan Hutchinson against the Detroit Lions. He seemed to hold his own versus a weaker Seahawks pass rush after coming in for Rob Havenstein. Havenstein is expected to miss the upcoming Monday night game against the Miami Dolphins.

Other notes on offense:

While the offensive line fared well overall, rookie UDFA Justin Dedich was a liability at left guard. He allowed four pressures and accounted for half of the four QB hits.

It’s probably fair to blame a lack of running lanes for the missing production on the ground, but the pass protection was good enough in this game. PFF noted Stafford being under pressure 15 times on 44 drop backs, but only 11 were credited to the offensive line. Seahawks coach and defensive play caller Mike MacDonald did a fine job scheming up pressures, especially on plays where the Rams were looking to shift the pocket.

Top five grades on defense:

Ignoring players with five or less snaps

1 – Kamren Kinchens, DB: 87.8

It hasn’t been an ideal start to the season for LA’s third round rookie safety, but one of the most appealing parts of his draft profile was his ball skills—and those showed up in a big way Sunday at Lumen Field. Kinchens intercepted Geno Smith twice and housed one on a return that eclipsed 100 yards.

Is Kinchens starting to turn the corner? Can he carve out a regular role in the Rams’ secondary?

2 – Bobby Brown, DT: 79.5

Brown was credited with a run stop. He played 25 snaps and earned a rush grade of 82.4. Brown played an especially important role in the fourth-and-1 run stop to get LA the ball back in overtime as he was able to get impressive penetration to redirect the ball carrier.

3 – Jaylen McCollough, DB: 74.1

Four interceptions in eight games is impressive for any defender, let alone a rookie UDFA like Jaylen McCollough. Even more encouraging is the fact that McCollough was playing a very limited number of snaps to start the season, but he’s earning a larger role and that is no longer the case. After the team placed MLB Troy Reeder on injured reserve last week, it seems the Rams are leaning less on two-LB packages and playing with an extra safety. McCollough has rewarded them with physical play and stellar tackling (81.8 grade in this game).

4 – Jared Verse, OLB: 72.2

Verse tied with Kobie Turner to lead the Rams defense in pressures. He earned two sacks and batted a pass.

While those numbers are positive, the LA defensive line did struggle with prematurely jumping offsides. Verse was flagged three times, as was Turner. Geno Smith punished the Rams by converted on “free plays”, including Seattles first touchdown on a pass to Tyler Lockett.

5 – Darious Williams, CB: 71.5

Williams was LA’s best corner in this game, though PFF blamed him for the early touchdown to Lockett. This seemed like a miscommunication on the backend as Williams was in trail position and possibly expecting help by a safety over the top.

PFF tracked Williams as the nearest defender on five targets, in which he allowed three catches for 63 yards and a score. He also recorded two pass breakups, including a dropped interception that could have sealed the game.

Other notes on defense:

Cobie Durant had a solid start to the season on the outside, but he’s been playing inside mostly after Ahkello Witherspoon rejoined the team and Williams returned to health. Against Seattle, Durant played just 10 snaps on the outside versus 69 in the slot. It’s likely no coincidence that, as a result, he finished with the lowest grade on the entire defense (30.0 overall). PFF gave him a 37.9 grade against the run, 23.8 tackling, and 30.0 in coverage. As the nearest defense he allowed five catches on seven targets for 93 yards, a touchdown, and a passer rating of 153.3. Jaxon Smith-Njigba did most of his work out of the slot and amassed 180 yards through the air.