A win is a win—no matter how ugly.
The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Baltimore Ravens on the road 17-3 and moved to 4-2 on the season. It was an effort led by the defense, and Nate Landman finished with a franchise record 17 tackles.
Let’s take a look at the top five players on each side of the ball according to the Pro Football Focus (PFF) game grades along with a few additional notes.
Top five grades on offense
1 – Warren McClendon, RT: 75.9
I will preface all the offensive line grades with a note that the Ravens do not have much of a pass rush. PFF grades do not account
for strength of competition, so it’s not surprising to see three linemen crack the top five.
With that said, it’s time to have a difficult conversation. Rob Havestein is one of the worst tackles in the NFL this season by nearly any measure. Warren McClendon has filled in for two games and performed better than Haventein has at any point this year. The Rams must ask themselves in McClendon should be the starter moving forward, which does make sense for the future since he’s on a cost-controlled rookie deal and Havenstein is slated to become a free agent this offseason.
McClendon graded better in run blocking than in pass protection at 82.3 and 60.2, respectively. He did not allow a single pressure on Matthew Stafford.
2 – Kyren Williams, RB: 75.5
The most impressive aspect of Williams’ game on Sunday was a 90.6 receiving grade, likely bolstered by his 30-yard downfield catch to move the chains on fourth down and give LA the ball in the red zone. We don’t often see the Rams take downfield shot to Williams, but this play came in a high leverage situation and was one of the most important individual moments on the day.
As a rusher Williams created 33 yards after contact (2.54 per rush). Both he and Blake Corum each had rushes for over ten yards.
3 – Kevin Dotson, RG: 74.4
Dotson allowed one pressure and earned an average pass blocking grade of 55.9. He made his mark in the run game and drew a grade of 76.3.
4 – Alaric Jackson, LT: 73.7
One of the most underdiscussed Rams this season has been Alaric Jackson. He’s performing at the bar he set last year before the Rams rewarded him with a multi-year contract extension. He was near-elite in pass protection in this game at 85.6 and did not allow a single pressure. You have to give credit for not letting his play dip after cashing in on a big deal.
5 – Tyler Higbee, TE: 72.9
Higbee was the Rams’ leading receiver with just 40 yards. He also led the team in receptions with four on the same amount of targets, and was tied with Davante Adams (who received more than double the targets of Higbee at nine). Most importantly, the veteran tight end was wide open for a catch and run touchdown that effectively put the game out of reach for Baltimore.
Other notes on offense
In terms of PFF grade, this was Matthew Stafford’s worst game of the season with of offensive mark of 68.2. This grade is still considered above average.
The veteran signal caller made one big-time throw (likely the downfield shot to Williams) and put the ball in harm’s way twice with two turnover-worthy plays (a fumble in the pocket, and the end zone pass to Puka Nacua that was almost intercepted). This was Stafford’s second-least accurate performance of the season behind the Week 3 contest at the Eagles. He posted an adjusted completion rate of 69.2%, which partly explains why the targets to Adams were inefficient.
Stafford held the ball for the longest average time of any game this season at 2.79 seconds, which suggests the offensive line is getting healthy and rounding into form. This could have been a good game for Tutu Atwell if the speedster was healthy (Atwell was inactive with a hamstring injury that he suffered during the practice week).
Top five grades on defense
1 – Quentin Lake, DB: 87.3
Lake recorded his first career interception and recovered a fumble. He earned a positive mark in run defense at 77.2, and more importantly was stellar in coverage with a grade of 85.2. When targeted as the nearest defender in coverage, he allowed just four receptions on six targets for 32 yards and a passer rating of 40.3.
Lake is on pace for a career season by nearly any measure. He’s set to become a free agent this offseason and the Rams must consider re-signing him.
2 – Shaun Dolac, MLB: 84.2
Omar Speights has been a problem area of late for the Rams defense. They were forced to make a change at linebacker because Speights was inactive due to injury.
Dolac might have just won Speights’ job moving forward. The rookie UDFA split time with Troy Reeder before taking over most of the snaps late (Dolac played 35 and Reeder 30). Dolac posted a near-elite overall grade and fared well in run defense (81.4) as well as coverage (68.0). He did not miss a tackle.
3 – Darious Williams, CB: 80.8
The Ravens targeted Williams early with little success. The veteran looked as good as he has all season. He allowed just a single reception for four yards on five targets with two pass breakups.
It’s worth mentioning that Emmanuel Forbes played 48 snaps and just missed the top five grades, though he missed a tackle on only two attempts. This has long been a concern for Forbes given his slight frame.
4 – Nate Landman, MLB: 78.3
Landman was everywhere in this game. He graded well across the board.
The longer the Rams wait to re-sign him, the more his price tag will increase. He’s the best Rams linebacker we’ve seen in a long while, and LA should consider keeping him and bringing long-term stability to the position.
5 – Josaiah Stewart, EDGE: 77.6
Stewart played 23 snaps but only seven as a pass rusher. The Rams are deploying him in a hybrid-type role and dropped him into coverage as often as he rushed the passer. He graded well across the board with his highest mark coming in run defense (nine snaps, 80.8 grade).
Despite the minimal pass rushing opportunities, Stewart pressured the opposing quarterback twice.
Other notes on defense
With Stewart surprisingly grading higher than Jared Verse and Byron Young, let’s take a look at the pressure totals from this game:
- Verse – 8
- Young – 6
- Kobie Turner – 3
- Stewart – 2
- Braden Fiske – 2
- Poona Ford – 2
- Landman / Murchison / Curl – 1 each
