The Los Angeles Rams beat the New Orleans saints in Week 9 34-10. LA advanced to 6-2 on the season.
The Rams have mostly set the cruise control to “victory mode” and rode to two wins that seemed relatively effortless. They face two important NFC West opponents over the next couple of weeks that will help set the pecking order within the division.
Before we look too far ahead, let’s take a look at the Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades and top performers from the win.
Top five grades on offense
1 – Puka Nacua, WR: 91.6
Nacua played only 39 of 80 offensive snaps as the Rams leaned into 13 personnel (45% of plays) and before the star receiver left the game with a chest injury. He caught all seven of his targets for 95 yards and a touchdown in addition to converting a fourth and short scenario with his legs.
Most important is Nacua’s health into Week 10 when the Rams travel to take on the San Francisco 49ers.
2 – Terrance Ferguson, TE: 85.2
While we did not see much of Ferguson in the early going, he’s demonstrated that he’s a formidable vertical threat with strong run after the catch ability. The more we see of Ferguson, the more there is seemingly to like.
The rookie caught two of three targets for 54 yards with 18 coming after the catch point. He was utilized as a run blocker (58%) more often than as a pass catcher, which is noteworthy moving forward.
3 – Matthew Stafford, QB: 85.0
The last two weeks are some of the best performances we’ve seen from Matthew Stafford as a Ram. In this game he was credited with two big-time throws and kept the ball out of harm’s way without a turnover-worthy play. It will be difficult to edge out Sam Darnold for PFF’s number one quarterback on the season, though he and Stafford are currently neck and neck.
4 – Davis Allen, TE: 84.4
Allen earned an elite passing grade of 90.5 and drew positive marks as a run blocker (73.7). The Rams are leaning into their usage of heavy personnel, and it works because Allen is both a useful player as a receiver and as a blocker. 33 of Allen’s 37 receiving yards came after the catch and he displayed an impressive physicality as a runner.
5 – Davante Adams, WR: 81.1
In a reverse from what we saw from Adams early in the season, he’s catching nearly everything thrown in his direction these days.
Adams hauled in five of seven targets for 60 yards and two scores. He’s the Rams’ go to receiving threat in the end zone and his connection with Stafford on the fade is a thing of beauty. We can debate whether this is a wise and/or efficient football play; however, we cannot deny that some players—Adams included—are simply better at this route and at the catchpoint than others.
Other notes on offense
How did Rob Havenstein fare in his return from injury? Well, not great. Havenstein was the fourth-lowest graded player on offense ahead of only Tyler Higbee, Konata Mumpfield, and Jordan Whittington.
In terms of his peers on the offensive line, Havenstein posted the fourth-worst pass blocking grade at 67.4 and was better than only Steve Avila. The veteran was the worst run blocker of the starting five at 58.4.
Did the Rams make the right decision to start Havenstein over Warren McClendon? Should they reconsider?
Top five grades on defense
1 – Tyler Davis, DT: 83.5
Davis played only 13 snaps with eight coming as a pass rusher. He fared well in run defense with the fourth-highest mark on the team and notched one pressure. The Rams only recorded eight pressures in total against rookie Tyler Shough.
2 – Kamren Kinchens, DB: 81.9
Kinchens recorded a fumble recovery following a punch out by Nate Landman. The second-year defensive back made four tackles without a miss. In coverage he was targeted three times and allowed three catches for 15 yards for a passer rating of 87.5.
3 – Omar Speights, MLB: 77.9
On a day where Nate Landman graded poorly (the second-lowest defender for the Rams at 43.0), Speights stepped up and was solid against the run with a 72.9 grade. He allowed only one reception on two targets for six yards.
4 – Kobie Turner, DT: 72.7
Turner was the Rams’ best run defender on Sunday against the Saints with a mark of 78.7. He did not record a pressure and earned a pedestrian grade as a pass rusher (55.5). It was important for LA to stop the run and force the rookie quarterback to beat them, which he certainly did not make much headway in that department.
5 – Kamren Curl, DB: 69.8
You don’t normally associate safeties with run defense; however, Curl is making his biggest impact this season in this facet. He’s been stellar all season with a run grade of 90.2, and in this game he posted the second-highest mark on the defense at 73.3. Curl has only missed two tackles on the year which is now the best total on the team.
Other notes on defense
Nate Landman—usually a sure-handed tackler—missed on three of six opportunities and drew a tackling grade of 27.0. He rushed the quarterback on four occasions and drew only a single pressure. His run defense grade of 41.6 was the second-lowest and was ahead of only Jared Verse.
Is the magic running out on Landman, or was this simply a poor one-off performance?
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