The challenges the Los Angeles Rams faced in Sunday’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders were symbolic of their early season results. After jumping out to a 28-6 halftime lead, the Raiders scored 15-straight to start the fourth quarter.
For most of the season, the Rams have lacked obvious leadership and execution. Falling to 2-5 would have put their playoff hopes on life support. Instead, Matthew Stafford, Tyler Higbee, and Blake Corum stepped up to stop the bleeding and keep LA on the path to victory.
That is exactly what the Rams have been missing up to this point. Sunday’s win could be a sign they’ve dispelled their demons and are ready to become the team we expected them to be at the start of the year.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There is still much work to be done.
Before we turn the corner, let’s review the individual performances that helped LA finish in the win column.
Winners
Kyren Williams & Blake Corum, RB
Any time two running backs earn a spot on the “winners” list we should also credit the offensive line. The big guys up front cleared running lanes for Williams and Corum. They also protected Stafford well in what might have been the quarterback’s most efficient game of the season.
Corum received the bulk of the work, even though the box score reflects a relatively even split. Williams received a handful of carries at the end of the game that brought the workload closer to 50/50.
Williams: 16 rushes for 99 yards (6.2 avg), 1 TD, 1 fumble lost; two catches for 22 yards
Corum: 17 rushes for 93 yards (5.5 avg), 1 TD; one catch for eight yards
With Davante Adams expected to miss significant time, it was clear the Rams needed to renew their commitment to the run game. Fans knew that. The Raiders knew that. The duo were still effective even if the outcome was predictable. Credit to them.
Colby Parkinson & Davis Allen, TE
Speaking of Adams, it was unclear who would step up in the receiver’s absence. The Rams lack depth at receiver. It makes sense that the team attempted to replace Adams in the aggregate from the tight end position.
Colby Parkinson finished with five catches for 48 yards. That’s close enough to Adams usual output in a game where Puka Nacua is healthy, although the tight end was held out of the end zone.
And the Rams also found ways to replace Adams’ touchdown production. Davis Allen caught four passes for 20 yards and found the end zone twice.
Both outcomes are encouraging, and Terrance Ferguson should be nearing a return to health if the Rams can keep their playoff hopes alive long enough.
Shaun Dolac, MLB
I don’t like pouring salt on the wound in light of an injury. However, second-year linebacker Shaun Dolac may actually be an upgrade over entrenched starter Nate Landman. Dolac was reliable in run defense and stingy in coverage. Most importantly, you didn’t really notice him on the end of negative plays. Landman usually finds himself on the opposite end of that spectrum.
Jaylen Watson, CB
Tre Tucker is Vegas’ receiver that is primed for the big play. He poked through for a 41-yard touchdown in the second half. LA kept him bottled up in the first half and for most of the game, especially when Kirk Cousins and company needed to score late.
Jaylen Watson deserves credit for locking Tucker down in the first half. The result was often an incomplete pass was Cousins looked Tucker’s direction with Watson in coverage.
Matthew Stafford, QB
Stafford won’t be proud of his box score in this game. He finished with 23 completions on 29 passes (79.3%) with 195 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. The Rams allowed only a single sack, which came on the opening drive.
But this was the most accurate and efficient performance we’ve seen from Stafford on the season yet. The short passing game isn’t his or Sean McVay’s bread and butter. They want to kill you with a deep shot rather than death by a thousand cuts. Stafford kept to the script, minimized mistakes, and made key plays when his team needed him to most.
It was a winning performance by LA’s signal caller today.
Losers
Special teams (a weekly entry)
Again the Rams allowed a long kickoff return to open the game. The Raiders averaged nearly 40 yards on two returns. They also operated at a 13 per clip in the punt return department.
The Raiders also caught LA by surprise for a fourth down conversion. Punter AJ Cole completed a 13-yard pass that setup a score for Vegas. Former Rams coordinator Joe DeCamillis was the architect of the play. It’s fitting after McVay has seen his coordinators come and go through the revolving door in recent years. Maybe coordinators are not the main problem.
Josaiah Stewart & Wesley Bailey, EDGE
Myles Garrett cannot return fast enough. The defense is treading water and holding up in bend-don’t-break fashion. They don’t yet feel lethal. The main reason for this is the lack of consistent production from the EDGE rushers who are playing in place of Garrett: Stewart and Bailey.
Stewart is usually sound in run defense. He missed multiple assignments Sunday. The Rams also asked him to drop into coverage often, which is probably a telling sign about his pass rushing prowess. Does the coaching staff feel that they are better bringing a blitzer and dropping Stewart in their place? It’s a possible explanation.
And Bailey was fine in run defense but he offers very little upside as a pass rusher. I don’t follow why he’s ahead of Desjuan Johnson on the depth chart. Both are strong run defenders. Johnson should offer more in the pass game.
The Rams sacked Cousins only once while Vegas has an open competition on their offensive line. Not great.
