In the face of a trying week, the Los Angeles Rams jumped out to a quick lead, and then let the defense take over in 27-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings in the WildCard round of the NFL playoffs. The game was not even as close as the score indicates, L.A. ran away to a 24-3 halftime lead and put it on cruise control in the second half.
You know how coaches say that they want to knock the opposing quarterback off their spot with the pass rush. This game was a perfect example of it. Early Rams pressure shook Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold on their way to a record nine sacks and due to L.A.’s relentless nature, he was never able to recover. You could see it in his eyes and the expressions of his coach on sideline camera shots. Pro Football Focus
Offense was another story. To their credit, they came out firing on all cylinders, rolling up 142 yards and 10 points in the first quarter (both season high’s), but were inconsistent after that. Over the final three stanza’s, the Rams only mustered 150 yards and seven points. Although you can add a little context to the let down, the truth is, that’s a fair and accurate representation of how the L.A. offense has performed these past weeks.
On to the weekly snap count review. Who played? And even more importantly, who played well?
Quarterback
There’s no secret the Rams will go as far as Matthew Stafford (53, 100%) takes them. His performance was a mirror of the Rams offensive day. He came out slinging and was 11 of 12 for 121 yards on L.A.’s first two drives, but over the final three quarters was only 8 of 15 for 88 yards. Staff was unflappable in the face of all those blitzes, managed the game like a pro and took good care of the football. Well, except for the early second quarter bad decision to save a few sack yards by flipping the ball forward as he went to the ground.
Running back
It’s the Vikings nature to blitz and they do it well. It creates a numerical advantage that is difficult to navigate in the run game as well as the pass., Kyren Williams (46, 87%) was close to his weekly average. When should fans worry about another fumble? Everyone knows how I feel about the gameness of Ronnie Rivers (7, 13%). For as much as the Rams use their RB#2, he delivers ROI.
Wide receiver
Puka Nacua (45, 85%) got loose on the first play of the game for 27 yards that led to a first-drive touchdown and contributed a catch to the scoring drive at the end of the first half.
Lowest snap count for Cooper Kupp (29, 55%) since Week 2. Over the last four games, he’s had 10 targets and five catches. He didn’t look hurt when he ran past the Vikings secondary on his only target, in fact, a good throw would have been a long touchdown. Although he had a nice 23-yard reception on the Rams second drive, that was the extent of action for Demarcus Robinson (38, 72%). Some of his late-season rep drop is the Rams using more two-tight end sets. But setting aside the meaning-less Seattle game where he was WR#1, Robinson has 10 targets and three catches since Thanksgiving (6 games).
No targets for Jordan Whittington (11, 21%) and his only offensive charting was a phantom holding call. He did chip in a tackle on special teams. Just a taste for both Xavier Smith (2, 4%) and Tutu Atwell (1, 2%). Don’t know if this was matchup-based, or the way the Rams are going to do things going forward.
Tight end
I liked the idea of using this unit as part of the pass attack, not just for check downs. They had some nice gains and just missed on a couple others. Tight end down the seam is good way to attack umbrella zone coverages.
The Rams started the game in a two-tight end set and used it exclusively on the first two drives. In quarters two and three they used it only a handful of times, but went back to it in the fourth when they decide to just run the football.
All the L.A. backup tight ends, Colby Parkinson (33, 62%), Hunter Long (22, 42%), and Davis Allen (19, 36%) appear to have good hands and Monday’s 11 targets for the unit as a whole may be a hint of what’s ahead against Philly and their predilection for zone.
After a red hot start with five catches for 58 yards on the Rams first two drive, Tyler Higbee (12, 23%) left the game. Bumps and/or bruises? No, a little more serious.
Offensive line
Was it a good, bad, or indifferent day? It’s not a new problem that the Rams have had problems picking up the blitz, particularly delays and loops. I’m of two minds on it. The Rams have a rookie, Beaux Limmer (53, 100%), at center and that position is tasked with making the blocking calls. Growing pains are just part of his learning curve. I have read reports that veteran Rob Havenstein (51, 96%) is helping out with calls.
Another possible answer is that the Rams line have moved to a group of more girth with Steve Avila (53, 100%), Kevin Dotson (51, 96%), and Alaric Jackson (53, 100%). At 320+, they are naturally not as quick to cover ground while reacting. Although in the Viking game case, the blitz game in all is varieties what Brian Flores defenses are all about and they do it very well.
Warren McClendon (2, 4%) and Dylan McMahon (2, 4%) got some mop-up when the Rams were in victory formation.
Special teams
Another good job by all three. Ethan Evans (16) dropped three of five punts inside the 10 and another took a hop straight up at the goal line before going in. Josh Karty (5) was perfect again and it all starts with Alex Ward (10) snapping the ball online.
Defensive line
Wow! A rotation that goes six deep. Although Darnold held onto the ball a little long and the Vikings offensive line is not a juggernaut, some of the L.A. domination at the line of scrimmage can be directly attributed to the Rams attacking with fresh horses.
How do you replace Aaron Donald? Well, you cannot replace the effect he has on opposing game plans, but if you fill the unit with a handful of fire-pisser’s, mix up their formations, and rotate them in and out, it’s a good start. Kobie Turner (40, 54%) is the heart and gets the double-team attention.
When you watch the replay (or All22), you can notice Braden Fiske (35, 47%) brings it on every single play. At this point of his career, his production number don’t match his penetration, he’ll get his game under control, but man he is fun to watch. Tyler Davis (20, 27%) does dirty work, taking on double teams in telephone booth fighting so that others can loop around. Besides the thankless work, the two chipped in a combined four tackles and a half sack.
Who knew that Neville Gallimore (27, 36%) had been hiding in the weeds all regular season. There hasn’t been much good reported about him in this weekly series, but he played so much better. He parlayed his snaps into five tackles, two pressures, and 1.5 sacks, his best effort of the season. When the Vikings Cam Akers got loose down the sideline, the 310 lb. tackle was flying downfield after him in pursuit.
Dueces wild for Desjuan Johnson (18, 24%), sacks in two consecutive games, two tackles for loss and two QB hits. Bobby Brown (13, 18%) was nicked up midway into the second quarter and later returned for a couple more reps. It was his lowest total of the season.
Edge
Such a good mix of skillsets in this group. Byron Young (56, 76%) brings the speed, Jared Verse (52, 70%) turns speed into power, and Michael Hoecht (32, 43%) adds emotion. All three play like their hair is on fire. It’s not all candies and nuts, though. The Vikings ran one sweep, pinned the edge and it went for 26 yards. That’s the Achilles heel of this unit, they can be pursuit aggressive to the point of losing contain.
Keir Thomas (11, 15%) got the E#4 nod as the weekly practice squad elevation and did more than mop up. He got a few snaps and notched a tackle early in the action
Off-ball linebacker
With the interior of the line playing so well, Christian Rozeboom (67, 91%) and Omar Speights (33, 45%) were not pressed. They joined the their mates with a strong tackling performance, in fact, I do not recall a miss. Jake Hummel (4, 5%) got a little mop-up work at the end
Safety
Quentin Lake (74, 100%) really looked in control, whether deep or near the line of scrimmage, and tackled very well. In fact the whole unit was strong, they combined for 24 tackles. Kamren Curl (70, 95%) spent most of the game deep and the Vikes failed on all their deep passes. Kamren Kinchens (67, 91%) made the penalty mistake on a sliding QB and that has to be cleaned up in big games, but that’s part of his learning curve. It does support his role as the secondary enforcer.
Now that John Johnson (4, 5%) got his feet wet after returning from injury, will the Rams lean towards his veteran status going forward? Or should they leave “well enough” alone? Although JJ3 has lost a step over the years, his return could come at the expense of Jaylen McCollough (35, 47%). As the season progressed and the Rams secondary has become more safety-driven, McCollough’s snap rate has gone up and he’s played well.
Cornerback
Mixing up coverages, playing sticky, and making tackles. It was the best performance of the year for Darious Williams (60, 81%), Cobie Durant (44, 59%), and Ahkello Witherspoon (43, 58%). The press/man looks were new and the trio handled it well. Their coverage was very complementary in helping the Rams pass rush assault.
Good for Josh Wallace (9, 12%), not bad playtime for an undrafted rookie in the playoffs.
Active, but did not play
QB Jimmy Garappolo, RB Cody Schrader
Inactive
QB Stetson Bennett, WR Tyler Johnson, IOL Justin Dedich, T Joseph Noteboom, CB Emmanuel Forbes, Edge Brennan Jackson
“All things considered, I’d rather be in Philadelphia”
For all their hard work, the Rams are rewarded with a cross-country trip to take on the Philadelphia Eagles. It doesn’t matter, playing in City of Brotherly Love was almost inevitable. Either this Sunday or the NFC Championship.
Although the Philly run game and their willingness to stick with it make for a tough matchup, the L.A. defense showed dramatic improvement over two important areas in the Round 1 victory. First, to a man, the team tackled better and second, they showed some sticky man coverage. And another thing, the Rams defense seems fired up and excited. Many pass this off as only nominally important, because they’re pro’s and responsibilities are so regimented, but the Rams youth has them playing with full-bodied emotion. It was plain to see.
The Rams offense is a little more business-like, but I liked the tweaks. Attacking the seams against the zone, using “12” formations, and including those tight ends into the pass attack. The offensive line should improve, it is unlikely to face a barrage of blitzes vs. Philly.
Yes, the Eagles manhandled the Rams in Week 12, but everything is out the window in the playoffs. Although the Rams need to be patient against the Vic Fangio defense, early scoring and forcing Philadelphia to play from behind would be the best case scenario. Pressing them to rely on their passing and not dictate the flow on the ground. On defense, play it fast and loose, it might not hurt to use a spy on Jalen Hurts.
The weekend will certainly end with an epitaph, hopefully just not the Rams.
