When the bullies came in swinging, the Los Angeles Rams punched right back, defending their home turf against the marauding Minnesota Vikings 30-20 on Thursday Night Football. In previous weeks, the Vikes had stormed into games, out-scoring opponents 58-3 and proceeded to hang 14 on L.A.
But this time it was different.
Both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua retuned to the fray and aging field general Matthew Stafford played like he was five years younger. This triumvirate led a counter-offensive that eventually wore down the invaders with a 33:37 to 26:23 time of possession advantage. The Rams offensive battle plan was deep, attacking from a myriad of formations and varying the play timing to throw off and neutralize Minnesota’s furious blitz attack.. Two-tight end sets were dusted off and there was even a couple of three-tight end sightings.
The defense bent at the start, but incremental in-game changes eventually choked off the Vikings attack in L.A.’s best overall showing of the year. The Rams were able to stop the run for the first time this season and as the pass rush heated up up, they kept Minny quarterback Sam Darnold off his spot, forcing him after the first quarter, to settle for underneath passes.
In this week’s snap count review, everything is rosy. So who played? And more importantly, who played well. Players, their snap count, and percentage played are in bold.
Quarterback
It was good to seeMatthew Stafford (72, 100%) pointing fingers and high-stepping again. He executed the gameplan to a T, controlling the flow of the game and doing equally well when hitting the quick timing patterns or finding the open receiver on progressions. Staff was able to audible into plus situations and be willing to take the checkdowns, while the pass protection gave him a chance to manipulate the defense with his eyes. This is the JMS that the Rams need going forward.
Running back
While Kyren Williams (64, 89%) is a total gamer, it’s too bad the Rams don’t have a sure-handed veteran thumper to close out these games. I realize teams want to keep your best players in the game as long as possible, but he’s leading the league in carries and is on a path towards Derrick Henry-like carry totals. With his injury past, is it sustainable?
For both Blake Corum (8, 11%) and Wiiliams, one would think there would be at least a fiduciary responsibility in getting Williams some plays off and Corum
Wide receiver
They’re baaaack. It’s not hard to project Cooper Kupp (42, 58%) and Puka Nacua (41, 57%) into 90%+ of future reps unless they have some sort of relapse. Obviously, the Rams offense and Matthew Stafford really missed them and more importantly, needs them to run smoothly. Nacua seemed open every dropback and was every bit as dominant as last year. At this point in his career, I think that Kupp has the discipline and self-assuredness to be and thrive as WR#2.
For Tyler Johnson (27, 38%), Tutu Atwell (9, 12%) and Xavier Smith (4, 6%) the bell has toll. They have all spotted in well, thank you very much, but when you have lead dogs, they must be at the head of the pack. As far as their future use, it will be incumbent on them to produce in fewer opportunities. I will continue to maintain that keeping Atwell involved, at least semi-regularly will make the offense more explosive as a unit. But hey, if all the others are healthy, Atwell may be interesting trade bait come the trading deadline. For the few reps they will be splitting, Smith, as inexperienced as he is, could step in as the speed replacement.
Suddenly thrust back into his more-comfortable WR#3 role, the percentage of snaps Demarcus Robinson (61, 85%) receives will likely go down in future weeks. But his value could go up as defenses put their interest into stopping Nacua and Kupp.
Tight end
A couple of the biggest changes to the gameplan was the Rams use two-tight end sets and a rise in the use of wham blocks (putting the TE in motion and leaving the opposite defensive end unblocked, allowing the TE to put the wham on him when he charges across the the line of scrimmage). By my count, they used the “12” formation 24 times, including nine on the final scoring drive.
Both Hunter Long (30, 42%) and Davis Allen ( 28, 39%) had their biggest workloads of the season. Not sure if they are closing the gap on Colby Parkinson (46, 64%) or if it was just this week’s matchup that dictated the increase. All three have very good hands, but are not the best of blockers.
Offensive line
Overall, the line had a fine outing. In the run game, they opened enough holes to make the Vikings defense respect the run game and against the pass, really showed improvement when picking up loops and delayed blitzes.
The bookends, Alaric Jackson (72, 100%) and Rob Havenstein (72, 100%) both stacked another strong game. Minnesota edges Andrew Van Ginkel, Jonathan Greenard, and Patrick Jones came into the game with a combined 15 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles — they left with the same numbers.
Although he committed three penalties, the Beaux Limmer (72, 100%) play-to-play work wasn’t that bad. I actually thought he played better than Kevin Dotson (72, 100%), who had some problems staying on his blocks and has been somewhat inconsistent game-to-game in that area.
Justin Dedich (72, 100%) is really getting NFL lessons, three times he got bowled over onto his back when defenders got into his chest on bullrushes, but he kept grinding away. He’s only a rookie and small compared to the other Rams linemen. He appears to be a better run blocker in the zone game rather than the power duo sets. The Rams have gotten away from the outside zone, but do use a lot inside and mid zone and he’s adept at reach blocks where he can use his footwork to hook and turn defenders or ride their momentum out of the play.
Special teams
Strong day across the board. Joshua Karty (4 ST) not only made all of his extra point attempts, but looked strong and square doing it. While punter Ethan Evans (12 ST) only netted 40.7 on three boots, he buried two of those on the Minnesota five yard line. He also sent five kickoffs into/through the end zone with no returns. Long snapper Alex Ward (7 ST) was right on target again.
Defensive line
You have to appreciate interior defensive line work to really put a value on Kobie Turner (41, 82%) and Braden Fiske (26, 52%). While many fans don’t put much stock in the subjective player-rating outlets, if Pro Football Focus, ESPN run/pass win rate, and SISDataHub all have you rated as solid players, that’s a pretty strong argument. Turner and Fiske fit that bill.
Bobby Brown (25, 50%) had his best game of the year. He was able to get good pursuit by getting his long arms onto blockers and controlling them. Truth is, that wasn’t a high bar and it’s still a rub that with his mass and length, he can’t handle work on the nose, nor does he offer much in the pass rush.
Although Neville Gallimore (8, 16%) has been nicked up, he got the start, but didn’t provide much push, before leaving early with an injury. Jonah Williams (12, 24%) got his first real action since returning to L.A. and was quiet.
Edge
Is there anything better than your #1 draft pick stepping right in and playing well as a rookie? Jared Verse (42, 84%) is not a huge guy, but yet is able to turn speed to power in the blink of an eye. He will be fun to watch as he fills his toolbox.
Only in his second season, twitchy Byron Young (39, 78%) relies more on his speed and bend around the corner. In the past two games, he’s made big plays in the opponents end zone.
L.A. has found a way to use the smarts, athleticism, and effort of Michael Hoecht (31, 62%) as the do-every-thing-guy on the defensive front. He’s not star-material, but attacks every play like it’s his last. I do grimace when the Rams put him coverage.
Off-ball linebacker
Christian Rozeboom (47, 94%) stepped in as the primary linebacker and played his usual game. He hustles to his spot and plays hard, just not a big difference maker.
Both Omar Speights (22, 44%) and Jake Hummel (10, 20%) got their first defensive action of the season. It appears the Rams will use them in a tandem unless one steps out. In early downs and running situations, Speights got the call, It was good to see an aggressive approach to the position. He had one particularly standout play, shooting a gap and stoning the runner at the line of scrimmage.
Hummel was in on passing situations early, as well as the Vikings second to last drive of the game. 10 snaps is not much to judge on, but he looked a bit tentative on runs. He was beaten on a five-yard touch down pass, but hard to say any linebacker could have defended it. The Vikings slot receiver was lined up tight and chipped on the edge before running the delay drag. A nicely designed play.
Safety
L.A.’s secondary opened up in a soft zone, determined not to let the Vikings playmakers beat them deep. On the first two drives of the game, Minnesota went through them like a hot knife through butter, but the the umbrella was never pierced and as the Rams pass rush started to get home the secondary ratcheted down coverage. The Vikes got over half of their total yardage for the game in the first quarter.
It was a quiet day for Quentin Lake (50, 100%), but he lead’s the team in tackles after seven games. Same for Kam Curl (37, 74%), his snaps were down from usual because he missed a stretch of reps after banging knee’s with linebacker Christian Rozeboom.
Kam Kinchens (14, 28%) was the recipient of Curl’s lost snaps and got his most work in a month. His only noteworthy play was giving up a five-yard touch down pass on another well-designed play. The wide-side tight end blocked on the Rams defensive end (actually took him to the ground) and then ran a drag underneath. Kinchens could not react quick enough to cover it, although it wouldn’t have mattered, a Vikings wider receiver was also wide-open across the backline.
In DC Chris Shula’s multiple looks approach to formations, it looks like Jaylen McCollough (9, 18%) will be mostly used in “dime” situations closer to the line of scrimmage and often as a pseudo-inside linebacker.
Cornerback
Okay, they couldn’t shut down Jordan Jefferson, but after the first two Vikings drives, they limited him to three catches and 47 yards, 27 of which came on a wild circus catch. In those first two drives and the 3rd quarter juggling catch, Darious Williams (50, 100%) was the main victim. If you castigate him for those first two drives, then you have to praise him for the final three quarters of the game.
Basically the same for Cobie Durant (49, 98%). Early, the Rams were in zone and the Vikings pass game had time for receivers to settle into soft areas, but the corners were able to prevent damage by tackling well and limiting run after catch.
For both Josh Wallace (20, 40%) and Ahkello Witherspoon (9, 18%), snaps were down this week. L.A. was using multiple looks in their “dime” formations and ‘Spoon spotted in when the Rams used four cornerbacks on the field together. Wallace gets a lot of underneath work more like a slot corner or even box safety.
“People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestors.”
My apologies to Edmund Burke, but at 3-4, the Los Angeles Rams sit in the very same place as last year. The 2023 edition went on from there to lose badly in two consecutive before roaring down the playoff stretch dive with an 8-1 record and a WildCard playoff berth.
Who did the Rams beat to get off the schneid and start that improbable run?
L.A.’s next opponent, the Seattle Seahawks. Now just one game ahead of the Rams for the NFC West top spot.
