The Los Angeles Rams have started 2-0 for the first time since the 2021 season after defeating the Tennessee Titans 33-19 on the road. After back-to-back AFC South matchups, the first real test of the season takes place next week against the Philadelphia Eagles. It may not have been the cleanest game against the Titans, but the Rams got the job done and pulled away in the fourth quarter. Here are this week’s 10 takeaways.
1. Defense picked up where it left off
For the most part, the Rams defense picked up where it left off in Week 1. The Titans went three-and-out on their opening two drives and up until the final three minutes of the first half, they only managed a field goal. Cam Ward was sacked on two of the opening three possessions and Tony Pollard only had 17 rushing yards to start the game.
It was only the Titans, but the Rams defense continues to show how good it is. For a second straight week, they didn’t allow 20 points. They only gave up three points in the second half and 10 of the 13 points in the first half came with a short field. The Titans only had a 39 percent success rate on offense. Next week is the real test, but this is a group that plays with a lot of energy and they’ve continued to grow since the early season bumps from last year.
2. Puka Nacua is special
In 2018, Robert Woods took a screen pass 52-yards for a touchdown on a 3rd-and-33. It was a play that Woods had no business scoring on, but he did anyway. While a different situation, Puka Nacua’s touchdown against the Titans was just as special. On 4th-and-1, Nacua took a jet sweep 45-yards for a touchdown, running through a cluster of defenders on his way to the end zone.
On Sunday, Nacua eclipsed 200 career receptions and became the second player in NFL history with at least 200 receptions in his first 30 games, joining Odell Beckham Jr. He finished with eight receptions for 91 yards, putting him at 2,697 for his career. He surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer Lance Alworth for the third-most receiving yards by a player in his first 30 career games in NFL history, trailing only Beckham Jr. and Justin Jefferson. Whenever the Rams offense needs a play, it seems Nacua is there to make it.
3. Davante Adams’ targets felt forced
For much of the first half, it felt as if the Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford were trying to force an issue with Davante Adams. The Rams went to him four times in the end zone, including two back shoulder fade plays. At one point, he had two catches on eight targets. It makes sense that the Rams would want to get Adams involved, but it needs to come naturally. In the first half, those targets were seemingly forced.
Stafford and Adams seemed to get on the same page in the second half. On the opening drive, Adams had two catches for 45 yards, including one on 3rd-and-9. The first of those two receptions was an impressive snag from Stafford who placed the ball only where Adams could catch it. This is a connection that has a lot of upside, but the Rams need to allow it to happen rather than force it.
4. Too many mental lapses
There seemed to be a few mental lapses from the Rams during this game and in a sense they were lucky to get away with it. After leading 10-3 with just over two minutes to play in the opening half, the Rams went into the half trailing 13-10. Multiple things can be true here. At the end of the day, the Titans made a few incredible plays. Emmanuel Forbes had great coverage on Elic Ayomanor along the sidelines, but the rookie wide receiver just made a great catch. On the touchdown, Cam Ward turned into Superman and escaped the rush before making an incredible, ill-advised throw across the field.
At the same time, Stafford can’t throw the interception in that situation. The run defense allowed the Titans to control the tempo for a stretch. From a play-calling standpoint, there were moments in the red zone that McVay could have been better. It’s not always going to be perfect, but letting a better team back into the game in that situation could turn out differently next time.
5. Davis Allen is showing what he can do
Heading into last season, many were expecting Davis Allen to be a major contributor in the offense. That was especially the case with Tyler Higbee set to miss a majority of the season. Unfortunately, it just never happened. Allen wasn’t utilized and had fewer receptions and yards than what he had as a rookie.
Allen has been playing more to start this season which comes as a surprise after the Rams drafted Terrance Ferguson. He has two receptions, both of which are touchdowns in the red zone. Allen had one career touchdown in his first two seasons. He has doubled that number in 2025 and leads the team. For as much as it would be nice to see more Ferguson, Allen is playing well and showing how he can be a threat in the red zone because of his size.
6. Byron Young changed the game
It would be fair to say that to start the season, Byron Young has been the perfect complementary edge rusher to Jared Verse. While Verse has remained quiet on the stat sheet, it has allowed for players like Young to take advantage of their matchups and that’s exactly what he’s done.
Young had two sacks against the Titans, bringing his season total to three. One of Young’s sacks was a strip sack that came in the fourth quarter. Following a punt from the Rams offense, the Titans took over with a chance to take the lead. On the second play, Young beat the right tackle and stripped the ball loose from quarterback Cam Ward. Linebacker Nate Landman recovered and three plays later, a four point game became an 11-point game. Young’s sack-fumble changed the game.
7. Rams managed the storm
The most notable thing about this performance wasn’t how the Rams won, but how they did it. Throughout the first half, the narrative that the Rams play down to their opponent grew loud. However, in the NFL, most teams are at least able to hang around for a half. For example, the Cleveland Browns trailed the Baltimore Ravens 10-3 at halftime before losing 41-17.
What was impressive here was how the Rams managed the storm. It would have been very easy for the Rams to panic going into the half and try to force the issue. Instead, they came out of the break locked in and continued to play their game. It was important to remember that the Rams had dominated 90 percent of the first half. This team never wavered, they remained composed and the cream rose to the top in the fourth quarter.
8. Blake Corum shows value to offense
For a second consecutive week, the Rams run game looked stagnant. Kyren Williams may have finished with 17 carries for 66 yards and an average of 3.9 yards per carry. However, through three quarters, Williams was averaging 2.9 yards per carry. It was just 2.6 in the first half as Williams had seven carries for 18 yards. Williams simply lacks the burst to make the Rams running game any sort of actual threat.
Blake Corum had five carries for 44 yards, two of which went for 15 which would be considered explosive plays. Up until that point, a Rams running back hadn’t produced an explosive run through seven quarters. Corum displayed his shiftiness in the open field and his burst through the hole. This isn’t to say that Corum should start moving forward, but he showed his value to the offense and he deserves more looks earlier in games.
9. Darious Williams’ time is now
Through the first two games, Darious Williams had clearly fallen down the depth chart. At best he was the fourth cornerback on the roster. When Ahkello Witherspoon left the game, Williams entered the game on a rotational basis and even had a pass breakup. To be able to come in and do that was commendable.
Without Witherspoon, Williams becomes the veteran of the group. The Rams are going to need him to step up and hopefully the first two weeks were a bit of a wake-up call. Prior to Witherspoon’s injury, it would have been easy to see the Rams potentially trading Williams before the deadline. Now, the Rams are going to need him to rise to the occasion.
10. This is what good teams do
The Rams flipped a switch in the second half and it was a glimpse of what this team can be when all the parts are moving simultaneously. It wasn’t perfect, but the Rams weathered the storm on the road. The offense locked in and scored 23 second half points. The defense allowed just one field goal. Take away the final two minutes of the first half and the Rams dominated this game. They averaged 0.35 EPA per play to the Titans’ -0.12. The Rams were nearly three times better than the Titans.
This isn’t to say that the Rams don’t need to be better next week when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles. At the same time, the Rams seemed to find something in the second half. It’s still early in the season and this is a team that’s still finding out the type of team that it wants to be. They are actively figuring out what works and what doesn’t for this version of the roster. The Rams may have allowed the Titans back in the game, but they made plays when it mattered in the second half and separated themselves.
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