There was no bye week hangover for the Los Angeles Rams as they dominated a New Orleans Saints team making a quarterback switch. There is always concern about the Rams playing down to their opponent, but they dominated this one from start to finish, winning 34-10. This is a Rams team that seems focused after losing to the San Francisco 49ers back in Week 5. Here are 10 takeaways from the Rams’ dominant win.
1. Matthew Stafford continued his MVP-level
Matthew Stafford has been playing at an MVP level this season and that continued after the bye week. The Rams quarterback started this game 8-for-8 with a touchdown pass to Davante Adams. He finished with four touchdowns for a second consecutive week which is the first time he’s done that in his career. Through eight games, Stafford has 21 touchdowns to just two interceptions. He’s the fifth player in NFL history to have 20 or more touchdown passes and three-or-fewer interceptions in his first eight games of a season.
It’s been said multiple times at this point, but Stafford is playing some of the best football of his career right now. His touchdown pass to Puka Nacua was perfectly placed. Stafford playing at a MVP level is why the Rams have to take advantage of this season and this window. There aren’t many of these seasons left, if any, with Stafford at 37 years old. If Stafford can continue playing at this level, he’ll be firmly in the MVP conversation and will have the Rams as serious contenders down the stretch.
2. 13 personnel looks here to stay
When the Rams rolled out 13 personnel looks last week, it was thought that it may have been a personnel or matchup decision. The Rams were without Puka Nacua and the Jaguars had struggled in their base defense and were without Devin Lloyd. Against the Saints and with Nacua back in the lineup, the Rams leaned into 13 personnel even more.
On Sunday, the Rams used 13 personnel on 35 plays, gaining 167 yards and scoring four of their five touchdowns. Their 35 plays and 45.5 percent rate in 13 personnel topped last week. All four tight ends had multiple catches, including Terrance Ferguson with two for 54 yards. This may have been more than just a one-week twist and something that the Rams make part of their offensive identity.
3. Defense dominates Tyler Shough
With Tyler Shough making his first career start, it was expected that the Rams defense would be a lot for him to handle. However, the Rams defense still managed to exceed expectations. The Saints’ first three drives didn’t last more than three plays. In the first half, Shough was on the field for just one of the Saints’ two first downs.
The Rams completely shut out the Saints in the second half. It’s the fourth half of football that they’ve shut out their opponent. They held the Saints to just 10 first downs, 2-for-9 on third down, and 0-for-2 on fourth down. They forced two turnovers and Shough consistently looked overwhelmed by what the Rams were throwing at him.
4. Healthy offensive line was noticeable
For the first time since Week 1, the Rams had their original Week 1 starting offensive line. There was some discussion that the Rams should stick with Warren McClendon, but Rob Havenstein performed well in his return. Havenstein seemed healthy and that’s a good thing for the right side of the Rams offensive line. Stafford was pressured on just 23.5 percent of his dropbacks which was his third-lowest rate this season.
However, where the offensive line was most felt was in the run game. Kyren Williams hadn’t rushed for over 100 yards in the regular season since Week 15 last year. Williams rushed for 114 yards on 25 carries. Corum added 58 yards rushing on 13 carries. As a duo, the pair had 38 carries for 172 yards and Williams added a touchdown. The Rams aren’t going to run the ball 40 times every game, but that’s the balance that they need between their two running backs.
5. Rams have found something with Davante Adams in the red zone
There were some early season bumps when it came to the connection between Stafford and Davante Adams. It seemed as if the Rams were forcing the ball to Adams in the red zone and it simply wasn’t working. That has completely shifted over the last two weeks. Adams has five touchdowns in the last two games after adding two more on Sunday. There is going to be some regression, but the Rams are 9-for-10 in the red zone over the last two games. They now have the 13th best red zone offense in the NFL.
That red zone efficiency has been key to the Rams dominating opponents as much as they have in recent weeks. Scoring five touchdowns is much different than scoring two touchdowns and three field goals. Those lost points add up over the course of a game. Stafford and Adams have connected on the corner fade. They then changed it up and hit on a slant on the first touchdown of the game. The Stafford-Adams duo could become difficult to defend.
6. The field goal operation is still a mess
McVay said it after the game, but the field goal operation cannot continue as it is currently. This is a case where multiple things can be true. It is true that Joshua Karty needs to be better. On his missed field goal, he was slow in his run up which allowed the rush to have an impact on the kick. That miss is mostly on Karty. However, the missed extra point was a bad hold as the laces were facing directly at Karty. As Ace Ventura would say, “Laces out, Dan!” That doesn’t mention the false start on the first extra point attempt.
On Sunday, Cam Little from the Jacksonville Jaguars made a 68-yard field goal. Kickers are consistently converting from long range, but the Rams make it seem hard. While some blame falls on Karty, this was the best kicker in the draft last season. He didn’t just suddenly get bad. A lot of the issues such as the protection, the hold, his run up, the operation itself, are coachable. Karty needs to be better, but at some point, blame needs to be pointed at Chase Blackburn. The Rams have given Blackburn four kickers. Brett Maher, Tanner Brown, and Lucas Havrisik all failed under Blackburn and he has arguably ruined Karty. It’s worth noting that Havrisik made a 61-yard field goal with the Green Bay Packers weeks ago.
The Rams can certainly cut Karty and we can debate how taking a kicker in the third round of the draft is actually great value, take the best kicker in the draft, and do the process all over again. However, it wouldn’t change the core of the issue which seems to be Blackburn. The Rams field goal unit was bad in 2023. It was inconsistent in the first half of last season and it’s back to being bad this year. A change needs to be made, but it isn’t necessarily at kicker.
7. Nate Landman has mastered the ‘peanut punch’
Landman might be the best value free agent of the offseason. The Rams signed Landman to a one-year, $1.1 million contract. In eight games with the Rams, he’s punched three balls out. He had three forced fumbles in each of his two seasons as a starter with the Falcons.
It seems as if we talk about Landman every week, but he consistently makes plays. Whether it’s flying around the field making tackles, being dominant in the run game, or creating turnovers, he is one of the most valuable players on the defense. Not that the Saints were ever going to make a comeback, but his forced fumble was an important play in the second half as the first turnover of the game.
8. Emmanuel Forbes has best game with Rams
There have certainly been moments this season in which Emmanuel Forbes has shown inconsistency. His tackling in the open field feels more like a ‘want to’ than ‘able to’ discussion and he’s been great in the open field in recent weeks. On back-to-back plays, Forbes made an open field tackle on Juwan Johnson to stop him short of the first down on 3rd-and-4 and then intercepted Shough on fourth down.
An argument can certainly be made that the Rams should trade for an outside cornerback. Forbes may be a player that gets you to believe just enough before making a critical error. However, after a difficult stretch, he may have turned a corner and looks solid on the outside.
9. Nacua’s injuries create need for WR3
Puka Nacua is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, but there is no doubt that he can be prone to injury. Nacua just returned to action after missing a game with an ankle injury. He then left this game with a chest injury after coming down hard on the ball. Nacua plays an extremely physical brand of football, and that leaves him susceptible to injury. The Rams also target Nacua often given he is their best offensive weapon.
The Rams have managed to get by utilizing their tight ends more, but they are thin at wide receiver behind Adams now that Atwell is hurt. With the 49ers, Buccaneers, and Seahawks on deck, the Rams need Nacua on the field. If Nacua were to miss a stretch of time, the Rams would be down to Adams, Xavier Smith, Jordan Whittington, and Konata Mumpfield. Even if it’s not Brian Thomas Jr., adding a Jakobi Meyers or an experienced player that can step in as the third wide receiver would help.
10. Good win out of bye, but season starts next week
This was a strong win out of the bye week and, outside of special teams, might have been the Rams’ most complete win of the season. They dominated the Saints from start to finish and got their first conference win of the season. With that said, the season starts next week. The Rams have games against the San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Seattle Seahawks in back-to-back-to-back weeks. They will need to win at least two of those games cannot lose both division games.
The NFC West is the only division in the NFL with three six-win teams. Over the next three weeks, we’re going to find out who the Rams are as a team. Is this a serious contender or simply that feisty team from the last two years. Two of these games will be at home. If the Rams can end this stretch 8-3, they will be in prime position for a top seed in the playoffs. This is a team playing some of their best football of the season. It’s time to prove it against good teams.
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