The Los Angeles Rams fell to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football 24-27. LA looked disjointed from the job and was upset by a talented but inconsistent Atlanta team.
While the loss is painful to fans—causing us to take a step back and reassess the Rams’ prospects into the playoffs—it does not impact the standings or the NFC playoff picture in a major way. We can take solace in this fact.
These are the Pro Football Focus (PFF) game grades and data from the primetime clash.
Top five grades on offense
1 – Puka Nacua, WR: 85.3
On the surface this wasn’t Nacua’s most productive evening; however, he had two long interceptions negated by penalties on DJ Humphries (replaced injured Alaric Jackson at LT). Nacua also had what seemed to be an outstanding catch along the sideline in the game’s final moments that was reversed upon review (I disagree).
All-in-all, Nacua finished with five catches on 10 targets for 47 yards and a touchdown. More than half of his yards (26) came after the catch point. He finished with an elite run blocking grade of 90.4 which led the team.
2 – Terrance Ferguson, TE: 83.1
Terrance Ferguson is growing into a potent offensive weapon for Los Angeles, especially in Davante Adams’ extended absence. Ferguson secured his third touchdown of the season, though he’s had another few reversed by reviews or penalties. He caught two passes on four targets that each went for 27 yards. One of Matthew Stafford’s three interceptions came on a target to Ferguson.
3 – Xavier Smith, WR: 77.0
Surprisingly, one of the bright spots offensively was how often Xavier Smith got open down the field. Smith has usurped Tutu Atwell as the team’s designated deep threat, and he is rewarding the team with increased playing time. Smith was targeted six times and caught four passes for 67 yards, though the biggest play on the night—a potential game-winner—was left on the field because of a disconnect with Stafford.
4 – Warren McClendon, RT: 73.8
McClendon has been the Rams’ second-best lineman consistently since taking over for Rob Havenstein. Without Kevin Dotson in the lineup, the third-year tackle became the best lineman on the team. It’s a big positive that the Rams were able to replace their weak link (Havenstein) with someone who consistently produces at a high level.
McClendon’s performance this year is like finding a $100 bill in the laundry.
5 – Kyren Williams, RB: 72.8
Blake Corum left the game with an injury during the first half and did not return.
The bulk of the carries went to Kyren Williams, who had one of his most productive games in a while. Williams rushed 13 times for 92 yards, of which 78 came after contact (6.0 avg). He forced three missed tackles and notched three runs of more than 10 yards. That is a hell of a game in spite of the offensive line not creating rushing room.
Other notes on offense
The left side of the offensive line greatly struggled in this game. Steve Avila earned a 54.6 grade at guard. DJ Humphries was the Rams’ lowest graded offensive player at 38.8, and Coleman Shelton was not far behind at 43.5.
This likely is not a reason to be concerned into the postseason. Alaric Jackson should soon return to health. He and Avila have formed a stellar combination on the left side and offensive linemen can sometimes have symbiotic relationships. It’s not surprise that Avila struggled while Humphries was on the field.
Top five grades on defense
1 – Kobie Turner, DT: 84.7
2 – Byron Young, EDGE: 83.7
Turner and Young led the Rams in PFF run defense grades at 75.8 and 71.6, respectively. Turner did not have much production rushing the passer. Young led the defense with four pressures on a night where the Rams only affected Kirk Cousins on 14 plays. Jared Verse had three pressures but finished 17th of 20 players on defense.
Inversely, while Poona Ford has been excellent for most of this season in run defense, he received the lowest grade in this facet on the defense and earned the lowest grade on the team from PFF.
3 – Ahkello Witherspoon, CB: 70.3
These were the snap counts for Rams corners:
- Witherspoon: 34 (23 against run)
- Durant: 34
- Forbes: 38
- McCreary: 11
It’s clear that the Rams do not trust McCreary to play full-time in the slot. The Rams acquired him midseason via trade with the Tennessee Titans and this was his first game back from a stint on injured reserve. Durant mostly played in the slot, though he is better suited to play outside.
Witherspoon was targeted only a single time and did not allow a reception. He also did not miss a tackle in this game.
4 – Kamren Curl, DB: 69.8
Curl allowed catches on all three of his targets for 21 yards with a passer rating of 95.8. He made nine total tackles with only a single miss.
5 – Tyler Davis, DT: 68.2
On a night where Poona Ford struggled, Tyler Davis stepped up. He assisted on three tackles and earned a pressure with only 11 pass rushing opportunities.
Other notes on defense
The front page story surrounding the Rams defense over the last month has been missed tackles. It’s something I’ve written about often in recent weeks. LA set a new low bar on Monday night against the Falcons. It was easily their worst tackling performance on the season with 19 misses.
- Jared Verse: 5 (45.5% of opportunities)
- Nate Landman: 3 (30.0%)
- Jaylen McCollough: 2 (40.0%)
- Omar Speights: 2 (18.2%)
- Kobie Turner: 2 (28.6%)
Others with 1: Josaiah Stewart, Kamren Kinchens, Roger McCreary, Desjuan Johnson, Kamren Curl
This is a very real problem that is having very real impacts in terms of poor outcomes for this defense. How will the Rams correct this into the playoffs? Can they?
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