It always feels cathartic after a stinging loss to take a step back and review the Pro Football Focus (PFF) from an objective perspective. I give my initial reaction in “Winners & Losers” and that is mostly based off of raw emotion. The grades allow us to take the game as a whole and dive in to attribute blame in losses and credit in wins.
Let’s get started. How did the Los Angeles Rams lose to the short-handed San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night?
Top five grades on offense
I usually do not add players to the list who played less than five snaps. Terrance Ferguson was in for four plays and I am making an exception this week to prove a point.
1 – Terrance Ferguson, TE: 89.5
Ferguson caught his first NFL pass for 21 yards. It was his only target on Thursday night despite Tyler Higbee sitting this game out because of injury. Davis Allen also caught two passes for 24 yards, though he and Colby Parkinson earned PFF receiving grades of 58.2 and 48.6, respectively.
Ferguson showed incredible fight for the ball to win on a contested catch. He was a non-factor the rest of this game. Why are we giving the Rams too much slack when they refuse to give this rookie more opportunities?
2 – Matthew Stafford, QB: 80.6
The grades don’t necessarily bear this out, but I think this was one of Matthew Stafford’s best games during his time with the Rams. The box score reflect that he threw for 389 yards and three touchdowns. His adjusted completion percentage was even better after accounting for two drops and a throwaway for a final mark of 71.1%.
Stafford kept the ball out of harm’s way with zero turnover-worthy plays and two big-time throws.
3 – Puka Nacua, WR: 79.3
The one constant in the Los Angeles offense is Nacua. He wasn’t productive down the field in this game, and really hasn’t been for the season (at least as much as we are used to). Against the 49ers he caught 10 of 12 targets, maintaining his impressive catch rate, for 85 yards and a score.
4 – Justin Dedich, LG: 79.1
This is a story that keeps getting weirder. Steve Avila was healthy and active for the second game in a row and contributing on special teams. Dedich got the start again at left guard and for consecutive weeks earned a spot in the top five grades on offense. He earned a near-elite run blocking grade of 87.0 and a pass blocking grade of 60.3.
5 – Jordan Whittington, WR: 75.6
Whittington caught two of three targets for 33 yards. Similar to Ferguson, why is the second-year receiver not getting more looks in the offense? His catch and run ability is admirable.
Other notes on offense
To no one’s surprise, Kyren Williams and Blake Corum held up the rear in offensive grades.
Williams was a liability in pass protection with a grade of 31.4. He did not force a single missed tackle and lost an fumble when going for the go-ahead score with a minute left on the clock. Fortunately, the 49ers did not attempt to advance the ball and punted back to the Rams. Stafford was able to put the team in field goal range to send the game to overtime.
Corum rushed only one time for 13 yards. It was a shifty run on a draw play and gave a boost to the offense. The problem was a couple plays later he dropped a pitch from Stafford that hit him right in the hands, giving the 49ers the ball and ending a red zone possession for LA.
Corum and Williams each dropped one pass as receivers.
Top five grades on defense
1 – Poona Ford, DT: 89.2
The defense held Christian McCaffrey to a paltry 2.6 yards per carry for 57 rushing yards. Unfortunately, he did much damage as a receiver and the Rams did not have answers through the air.
That isn’t Poona Ford’s fault, however. Ford is building an impressive resume after playing major roles in slowing down Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Taylor, and McCaffrey. The schedule does not let up. Derrick Henry is on deck next.
2 – Omar Speights, MLB: 81.8
Speights has struggled of late, so it’s good to see him have a bounce back game. He played 38 of 86 44%) of the defensive snaps and graded best in coverage with a mark of 77.6.
3 – Byron Young, EDGE: 79.5
This was an odd game from a pressure perspective for LA. They sped up Mac Jones on 17 plays with all coming from a small handful of players. Young tied with Kobie Turner for second with four. Josaiah Stewart had one pressure and Braden Fiske had three.
Jones was getting the ball out quickly for most of the game. Even when he held the ball, the Rams did not get much pressure in the first half. That somewhat changed into the final two quarters and overtime, but when the 49ers needed a big play they seemed to get it with ease.
4 – Jared Verse, EDGE: 75.9
Verse led the Rams with five total pressures. He missed two tackles which lowered his overall grade. Most impressive was his work in run defense where he was graded at 78.8 and lived in the San Francisco backfield.
5 – Josaiah Stewart, EDGE: 71.6
While one pressure is nothing to write home about, Stewart only rushed the passer on nine players. His biggest impact came in coverage with a grade of 83.7. The rookie forced a key incompletion that helped get the ball back for the offense late, and this easily could have turned into his first career interception.
On a night where the 11th overall pick in the draft, Mykel Williams, was on the 49ers’ sideline, Stewart was the best rookie EDGE defender in this game.
Other notes on defense
McCaffrey and Kendrick Bourne got whatever they wanted over the middle of the field. The Rams simply did not have answers.
I give Nate Landman a pass because he was the sixth-highest graded defender on the night and played an important role in stopping the run, though his work through the air was probably an important factor in the loss:
- Nate Landman: 7 catches allowed on 11 targets for 89 yards (88 after catch), two PBU’s
- Quentin Lake: 7 catches on 8 targets for 80 yards, one PBU, one TD allowed
- Cobie Durant: 6 catches on 10 targets for 70 yards
- Kam Curl: 4 catches on 5 targets for 37 yards
While the yardage totals aren’t concerning, Jones and the 49ers found completions with ease to keep the chains moving for most of the game.
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