The Los Angeles Rams got a much-needed win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6. Los Angeles avoided another letdown over a beatable opponent. Baltimore, without Lamar Jackson, battled for as long as they possibly could until things fell apart in the second half.
Let’s dive into the good, the bad and the ugly from the win over the Jackson-less Ravens.
The Good
Defense saves the offense’s keister once more
In a game where the offense did jack crap through a painfully ugly first half, the defense decided to throw them a bone, or two. More on that in a moment.
With the Ravens closing in on scoring the game’s first touchdown near the end of the first half, the defense stopped Baltimore on downs. I’ll show a video of the series to spare myself the hand cramps from all the writing I’d have to do:
That was the momentum shift that carried over to the rest of the team following halftime. During the Rams’ dominant third quarter, the defense forced two fumbles, and that led to the scoring outburst that I’ll get to in the next section.
The MVP of the game went to linebacker Nate Landman, who had 17 combined tackles in the win, the most by a Rams defender since 2000. Landman deserves a massive extension to remain in Hollywood long-term. Until then, he’ll have to settle for being Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game.
The team might not be a championship contender right now—more so offensively—but the defense is an elite unit and will continue helping L.A. win ugly games.
Third quarter explosion
Something had to give for the Rams in a 3-3 game at the half. The Ravens’ godawful defense, which was playing way above its level, was going to fold at some point. Thank goodness that it happened in the third quarter, as Los Angeles went on a 14-0 run after the break.
First, Kyren Williams started the run with a three-yard touchdown run. Then, Tyler Higbee capped off the scoring with his first touchdown of the season.
The TD celly was indeed absolutely incredible, by the way. Stanky leg for the win baby!
Anyway, in a surprisingly low-scoring affair, the one-quarter outburst was much-needed. The defense was the biggest contributor to the scoring run, forcing two fumbles, yet the offense did its job in capitalizing on the turnovers. It wasn’t pretty, because why would the Rams ever make it easy? However, you got to give credit where it’s due.
The Bad
Joshua Karty is still the Rams’ kicker … WHY?!
Joshua Karty entered the weekend with five missed kicks, tied for the league high, and has had an NFL-high four kicks blocked, according to ESPN.
What did Karty do this week? Oh, miss another field goal. (SIGH) What else is new?
If the slow starts aren’t going to cost the Rams, then Karty will. Well, he already cost the team in the Eagles. It doesn’t take too much to invest in a quality kicker. Younghoe Koo was available for a time earlier in the season and is now with the Giants. Even former Ram Lucas Havrisik had a great game in Green Bay on Sunday.
Um, why did Les Snead decide to let him go again? Special teams is clearly L.A.’s biggest weakness overall, and like I’m alluding to, it’s going to cost them in another big game down the road if something doesn’t change soon.
Run defense took a step back
After holding Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Taylor and Christian McCaffrey in check the last three games, King Henry broke the dam that was the Rams’ run defense.
Derrick Henry was the first 100-yard rusher L.A. has allowed this season, going for 122 yards on 24 carries. In total, the Ravens rushed for 179 yards as a team. This comes after Henry was held to 50 yards or fewer in four straight games, which tied the longest streak of his career.
Granted, rushing was the only thing Baltimore could remotely do competently on offense. Still, it was a tad deflating considering the hot streak the unit was on.
The Ugly
Painfully slow starts are going to cost this team eventually
I don’t know what it is about this team, but the Rams seem unable to play a complete game to save their lives. Perhaps it’s in their nature not to, who knows. What I do know is that the slow starts are a terrible habit to have gotten into, and eventually it’ll cost them.
Scoring only three points against a defense that was allowing just over 35 points coming in was inexcusable. The offense obviously made up for it in the third quarter, yet the Ravens were a team that should’ve been put away in the first half.
L.A. might be the ugliest “good-looking” team in the NFL, which is a crazy statement to make given the Packers exist.
On one hand, good, even great teams, are supposed to win these types of games, even when they’re not playing at their best. However, nothing about the Rams this season has shown that they’re anything more than a playoff contender. They’re clearly good enough to make the dance, but thinking anything more than a Super Bowl is kooky at this point. In one of the most wide-open seasons in recent memory, very little of what they’re doing might be good enough come playoff time.
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