The Los Angeles Rams and Matthew Stafford received a dose of reality on Sunday when they were stunned by the Carolina Panthers. Some would call it a “trap game”, but it serves more as evidence of what can happen when hot streaks come to a screeching halt.
Stafford snapped his historic TD/INT streak by throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble. The fumble came on a potential game-winning drive for LA.
Emmanuel Forbes also saw his recent stint of high level performance draw to a close as he allowed two long scores both in fourth down scenarios.
No spoilers. Let’s assess how bad this loss really was for the Rams and who stood out in positive and negative ways according to the Pro Football Focus (PFF) data:
Top five grades on offense
1 – Blake Corum, RB: 91.4
Blake Corum was clearly better than Kyren Williams in this game, and the advanced metrics bear this out:
- Corum: 7 rushes for 81 yards (11.6 avg); 52 yards after contact; three forced missed tackles; five first downs
- Williams: 13 rushes for 72 yards (5.5 avg); 36 yards after contact; one forced missed tackle; four first downs
Corum’s longest rush went for 34 yards, which matches Williams’ longest carry on the season. Both backs scored touchdowns.
2 – Warren McClendon, RT: 84.0
Warren McClendon belongs in the starting lineup for this team and that’s all I have to say about it. He’s consistently graded at a high level while filling in for Rob Havenstein. It’s time.
3 – Davante Adams, WR: 83.2
As automatic as it gets on the goal line, Adams caught two more red zone touchdowns. He hauled in four of five targets for 58 yards with a long of 32. Stafford did not throw Adams a contested catch ball, which is an area where the veteran receiver has struggled this season.
4 – Steve Avila, LG: 83.0
While Steve Avila earned the lowest pass blocking grade among the starting five linemen (one pressure), he took the top run blocking grade on a day where the running backs were as productive as we’ve seen them together in tandem. Avila has rejuvenated the line since his return, and this loss cannot be placed at this unit’s feet.
5 – Xavier Smith, WR: 79.5
The Rams strangely did not activate Tutu Atwell from injured reserve ahead of this game despite saying he would likely return. Instead, Xavier Smith led the team in receiving yards with 82 and caught all three of his targets. All of his catches came against safeties, so credit Sean McVay for scheming up favorable matchups. Smith beat former Ram Nick Scott for his longest reception of 51 yards.
Other notes on offense
LA’s offensive line only allowed three pressures, which is an absurdly low total.
We cannot use the offensive line as an explanation for Stafford’s bad game. He performed below expectations on his own, and was often too aggressive and did not take the easy play underneath the defense. PFF credited Stafford with two big-time throws and two turnover-worthy plays, though I thought he had at least three while targeting Puka Nacua alone: (1) at the front of the end zone right before throwing an interception; (2) the end zone interception that bounced off a helmet, which is more defendable; (3) the pick-six on an outbreaking route on the following drive after the first interception; and (4) on the ball that Nacua snagged along the sideline with one hand, stealing the ball away before it hit the defender’s hands.
There’s no real explanation for why Stafford had a bad game. This could be a concerning sign moving forward.
Is Stafford coming back down to earth after having the best start to a season we’ve seen in his career?
Top five grades on defense
1 – Poona Ford, DT: 89.5
While the run defense allowed 164 yards (4.1 average) between Chuba Hubbard, Rico Dowdle, and Bryce Young, Poona Ford does not deserve blame for this unit’s struggles. Ford led the defense with a 83.3 run grade.
If you want to point the finger, we should look at Jared Verse (who was oblivious and broke contain on a long scramble from Young), Tyler Davis at 46.8 on 27 plays, and Ty Hamilton at 30.1 on four plays. Nate Landman also did not grade favorable with a run mark of 54.4.
2 – Braden Fiske, DT: 85.0
On a day where the defense had limited opportunities to get after Bryce Young, Braden Fiske did most of the work and earned three pressures on 19 pass rushes. No Ram had more than 20 opportunities to rush the passer on Sunday. His three pressures tied for the lead on defense. Verse also had three and Byron Young had two.
This is the second-straight week where Fiske has earned positive marks in run defense (74.8), so the Rams may want to consider deploying him more in this facet and keep him on the field for more plays. Fiske had four run stops which tied Young for the team lead.
3 – Byron Young, EDGE: 84.5
This was one of the most well-rounded games we’ve seen from Young, albeit he didn’t take over the game as a pass rusher. Young was stout against the run and made a very impressive stop in coverage, racing to the flat and stopping the defender short of the yard to gain marker.
4 – Josh Wallace, CB: 75.1
It’s positive for the defense that Josh Wallace took a step forward in his second game since replacing Quentin Lake in the starting lineup. He was not targeted in coverage. Wallace earned a 79.2 run defense grade, which is an important assignment for a slot corner.
5 – Jaylen McCollough, DB: 72.8
We’ve seen Jaylen McCollough take on a larger role over the last month or so, and he’s been rewarding the team with quality play. He also was not targeted in coverage, though he made three tackles without a miss.
Other notes on defense
There is only one place to go on the additional notes. Emmanuel Forbes regressed in a horrible way on Sunday and was a key driver in the final outcome.
Forbes allowed catches on all five of his targets for 110 yards, two scores, and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Jalen Coker beat Forbes twice to the tune of 48 yards. Rookie Tetairoa McMillan earned a 43 yard touchdown in his coverage. Both touchdowns came on fourth down.
Cobie Durant was not much better in this game, allowing five catches on six targets for 66 yards, a touchdown, and a passer rating of 152.1.
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