Winners & Losers: Jared Verse seals win for Rams

Jared Verse hits QB Derek Carr on fourth down to get Rams back to .500

The Los Angeles Rams were never going to replace a legend like Aaron Donald; however, rookie Jared Verse is starting to look like a franchise-changing player in his own right. His near-strip sack on Derek Carr of the New Orleans Saints on a late fourth down to seal a win was as consequential of a play as you can hope for from a first-year player. Verse continues to make big-time plays in big-time moments for the Rams, and at this point he should be a shoo-in for the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

While Verse was excellent, this was certainly an ugly win for Los Angeles. The Rams are OK with that. After taking down New Orleans 21-14, LA is just one game behind the Seattle Seahawks for first place in the NFC West division.

Who contributed to the “ugly” portion of the win, and who rose above to help LA get back to .500?

Winners

Jared Verse, OLB

There’s not much left to say about Verse. His late fourth down pass deflection and near-strip sack was as clutch as it gets. He also added five tackles in this game. Verse forced Alvin Kamara outside on one run, though CB Cobie Durant will get credit for the TFL.

Sean McVay, Head Coach

Not much went right for the Rams; however, the second half was an offensive play calling clinic by Sean McVay.

The Rams had schemed deep shots to Tutu Atwell and Demarcus Robinson. Both of Matthew Stafford’s touchdown passes were won by X’s and O’s. Robinson was wide open in the end zone for the first, and Puka Nacua scored on a well-timed and well-blocked screen.

McVay also deserves credit for sticking with the running game even though the Saints were dominating the time of possession.

Offensive Line

Don’t let the two sacks on Matthew Stafford in the box score fool you. This was a dominant performance by the Los Angeles offensive line. Stafford held the ball open at times, and Rams receivers struggled to break free at times versus sticky man coverage.

Kyren Williams rushed 15 times for 104 yards and a score. Blake Corum had eight carries for 42 yards. Nacua also added a run for seven. In total the Rams averaged 6.12 yards per carry.

While the broadcast seemed to give credit to Williams for having a big day, the big guys up front did an excellent job of creating running room. Williams still showed his limitations in terms of lacking breakaway speed, though he broke his recent trend of fumbles.

Omar Speights, MLB

Speights finished with 10 tackles, which was second on the defense to fellow MLB Christian Rozeboom. The rookie UDFA dropped an easy pick in the second half, though credit to him for being in the right position. This was Speights’ best game of the season so far. He was active and brought a physicality to the middle of the defense.

Jordan Whittington, WR/KR

It’s got to be frustrating for rookie Jordan Whittington that he can’t crack the first-string lineup at receiver, even after Robinson’s recent arrest. Still, Whittington is finding ways to be useful and was productive versus New Orleans as a kick returner. He consistently gave LA strong starting field position and finished with three returns for a total of 100 yards (33.33 average).

Losers

Darious Williams, CB

The Rams led by eight in the fourth quarter before Marques Valdes-Scantling cooked Williams deep for a touchdown. The Saints went for two, and Dante Pettis Moss’d Williams to tie the game.

This comes on the heels of Williams struggling in coverage against AJ Brown in last week’s matchup versus the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Rams need to upgrade at corner in a big way, as they just aren’t getting reliable production from Williams, Cobie Durant, and Ahkello Witherspoon.

Puka Nacua, WR

LA struggled out of the gate and for the entirety of the first half. One driver of these struggles was the fact that New Orleans was playing tight man coverage and Rams receivers were unable to separate. That has been a historical knock on Nacua, who is generally better at finding holes in zone coverage.

Nacua hauled in five of his eight targets for 56 yards. He also scored a touchdown on a screen play.

Cooper Kupp, WR

Kupp caught just three of his six targets for 17 yards. This isn’t the Saints team that you’re used to with Marshon Lattimore now with the Washington Commanders. New Orleans put the clamps on Kupp, who seems to catch the vast majority of his passes within five yards of the line of scrimmage.

Josh Wallace, CB

The Saints converted a fake punt for a first down on a defensive holding call against Wallace. New Orleans dominated the time of possession in the first half, and the fake punt was a major part in its continuation.