Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay proved why he’s one of the better offensive minds in the NFL in the Week 7 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars. McVay got deep in his bag, pulling out something that even he hadn’t attempted in his nine years as the Rams’ head coach and play-caller.
Without wide receiver Puka Nacua, it was always presumed that the Rams might lean into their tight ends a little more and operate out of 12 personnel. This would get the Jaguars into their base defense and allow the Rams to take advantage of a linebacker group that was without Devin Lloyd.
While that was exactly what the Rams did, McVay did it to an extreme. Defenses will sometimes still match teams in 12 personnel with nickel. In order to guarantee the Jaguars were in their base defense, McVay did something that he had rarely done with the Rams. The Rams utilized three tight ends and operated out of 13 personnel.
From 2021-2024, the Rams used 13 personnel six times total. On Sunday against the Jaguars, the Rams operated out of that personnel grouping on over one-third of their snaps at a 38.7 percent rate. That was the highest usage rate of 13 personnel by an offense in the NextGen Stats era.
Operating out of 13 personnel didn’t necessarily help the Rams in the run game as one might think. In fact, the Rams averaged -0.17 EPA/rush out of the formation and just 3.67 yards per carry on 15 attempts. What this did do, however, is get the Rams the matchups that they were looking for in the passing game.
Matthew Stafford was 6-for-9 for 57 yards and three touchdowns when the Rams were in 13 personnel. Five of his six completions resulted in a first down or touchdown. The Rams averaged 0.7 EPA per pass out of 13 personnel. With the Rams as deep as they are at the tight end position, it also got them favorable matchups and more involved in the passing game. Six of Stafford’s nine attempts out of 13 personnel went to a tight end, and as a position group, they combined for three catches for 44 yards and a touchdown.
The Jaguars were without one of the best coverage linebackers in the NFL, and McVay took advantage of that. That was especially the case when it came to Dennis Gardeck. In the third quarter out of 13 personnel, the Rams got Tyler Higbee matched up against Gardeck. Higbee ran a wheel route and had separation. Unfortunately, Higbee dropped what would have been a big gain.
Ideally, in that situation, the Rams should put Higbee in the spot of Colby Parkinson and have Terrance Ferguson in-line to get that matchup. It seemed McVay agreed as he took advantage of that later in the game. In the fourth quarter on 4th-and-1, the Rams go 13 personnel with Davis Allen and Terrance Ferguson lined up on one side. As Higbee motions left, the Rams snap the ball and go play action to Kyren Williams. Gardeck takes one false step forward and Ferguson breezes past him. That’s a matchup that Ferguson will win every time and it ended up being the nail in the coffin.
When Puka Nacua returns, it’s unlikely that the Rams will operate out of 13 personnel as much as they did against the Jaguars. It was clearly a matchup thing and McVay playing the cards he was dealt. Without his ace of spades, he still managed to win with a three-of-a-kind.
Kam Kinchens is becoming a star
In the same way that Moises Caicedo has an elite defensive presence in the Chelsea midfield due to his tackling and ability to cover possession on the soccer field, Kam Kinchens was doing the same at Wembley playing safety. Kinchens was all over the field against the Jaguars and was consistently near the ball. He displayed a physical presence in the middle of the field and showed off good range.
It has been fun to see Kam Kinchens’ growth in year two. He’s been a key member of the secondary and while he doesn’t have an interception yet this season, it’s coming. Kinchens is always near the ball and has given the Rams a true deep safety with range to cover. His tackling ability and angles in the run game have also improved significantly since his rookie season.
Defensive coordinator Chris Shula will consistently use three or four safeties on the field at a given time. A reason that he is able to do that is because he can trust players like Kinchens to hold their own on the backend while Quentin Lake thrives in the slot. Shula is able to get creative with Lake because of the things that Kinchens has been doing this season.
Braden Fiske breaks out
Heading into the week, there was some talk about how Braden Fiske was having a disappointing season. While the sack numbers weren’t necessarily there, it was worth noting that he had been managing an oblique injury and was still winning his matchups. Fiske must have heard the criticisms, because it took all of one play for him to have an impact against the Jaguars.
Fiske finished the game with a season-high eight pressures and looked to be back to his old self. It’s an important reminder that while sacks are important, they aren’t the only thing on the stat sheet. There are other ways for defensive linemen to impact games. Pass rush plans can also be complex in the sense that a defensive tackle can be used as a pick player for the rusher on the edge to get a clean look inside. That has sometimes been the case with Fiske this season as he’s been used as the setup player instead of being featured.
The second-year defensive tackle was a consistent force on the defensive line against the Jaguars. This was where the Seattle Seahawks pass rush had a lot of success the week before. Fiske made sure that the Rams had similar success, winning 22.9 percent of his pass rush snaps.
Quentin Lake has taken the next step
It seems as if on a weekly basis, we’re talking about Quentin Lake. Despite the story of the game being the Rams utilizing 13 personnel, the three featured players are on the defense and two of them are safeties. It’s no coincidence that the best games that the Rams have had on defense are games in which the safeties have taken over the game.
In a similar way that Jalen Ramsey was a chess piece for the Rams defense, Lake is that for Chris Shula. He primarily plays in the slot, but Shula will line him up as the free safety or in the box. He’s playing that “star” role in the Rams defense and thriving in it. Shula utilized Lake as a blitzer a few times in this game. On the first one, he batted down a Trevor Lawrence pass and then later got a sack from the other side.
This doesn’t mention the impact that Lake is having in coverage. Lake leads all safeties with nine passes defended this season. He has the twitch and wingspan to make plays over the middle of the field. Against the Jaguars on 3rd-and-7, Lawrence is trying to get the ball to Travis Hunter on a slant. Lake is able to come across the face of Hunter and get the pass breakup.
These are the types of plays that Lake is making on a weekly basis. While the Rams don’t typically pay safeties, they may have to make an exception for Lake because he’s so much more than a typical safety. He is the key piece in the Rams secondary because he’s a Swiss Army knife who can be used in several different roles. Lake is having a Pro Bowl caliber season and is a big reason the Rams secondary has performed as well as it has.
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