For most of the night, the Los Angeles Rams looked like the much better team at Mile High. They outplayed the Denver Broncos, putting up 482 yards of total offense in their 30-26 loss. The problem was, they committed far too many penalties – 13, to be exact – and Matthew Stafford threw a game-changing pick-six in the fourth quarter.
As frustrating as this loss is for the Rams, they did get some quality performances from a handful of players. Here's how Pro Football Focus graded the Rams in their loss (min. 10 snaps).
(Note: PFF grades are subject to change.)
Top 5 offense
- RB Kyren Williams: 84.5
- TE Tyler Higbee: 82.6
- WR Davante Adams: 68.5
- WR Konata Mumpfield: 66.4
- TE Terrance Ferguson: 63.0
Williams was outstanding in this game, forcing seven missed tackles – his most since Week 9 of last season when he forced eight misses.
Higbee had his best game in a long time, catching eight
passes for 62 yards and a touchdown.
Adams and Mumpfield were the only wide receivers to catch a pass against the Broncos, combining for 11 receptions, 230 yards and a touchdown. They each had one drop, though.
Ferguson caught one pass for 9 yards before re-injuring his ankle and exiting the game for the second time.
Top 5 defense
- LB Omar Speights: 89.7
- CB Jaylen Watson: 83.5
- DT Aaron Donald: 78.9
- OLB Byron Young: 78.7
- DB Quentin Lake: 78.7
Speights was great in this game, recording a team-high six tackles with one forced fumble and a sack. He had two pressures and did not miss a tackle.
Watson had been playing well before injuring his shoulder, allowing just one catch on three targets for 10 yards with one pass breakup.
Donald finished with two pressures, including a quarterback hit, and one tackle. His pass-rush grade was 70.2.
Young dominated as a pass rusher off the edge, notching a team-best seven pressures. None of those were hits or sacks on the quarterback, though.
Lake continues to have his best season yet, allowing only three catches for 15 yards with two pass breakups.
Bottom 5 offense
- TE Colby Parkinson: 54.1
- WR Xavier Smith: 52.8
- WR Jordan Whittington: 52.2
- RB Blake Corum: 49.8
- RG Kevin Dotson: 37.9
Parkinson battled through a shoulder injury after going down early in the game, which certainly hurt his effectiveness as a receiver and blocker.
Smith and Whittington were non-factors on offense, combining for zero targets or catches.
Corum had his worst game of the year, only rushing for 15 yards on six carries. His two receptions went for a combined 0 yards, and he dropped one pass, as well.
Dotson struggled in this one, allowing four pressures and finishing with a 45.5 run-blocking grade, which was the worst by any Rams lineman.
Bottom 5 defense
- DL Tyler Davis: 53.6
- CB Josh Wallace: 53.3
- LB Nate Landman: 52.2
- S Jaylen McCollough: 51.5
- OLB Wesley Bailey: 42.5
Davis had one pressure and his run-defense grade was only 43.2.
Wallace had been playing really well before getting called for a controversial pass interference penalty. He allowed just one catch for 27 yards and had an interception.
Landman only had two tackles and missed on one attempt, a surprisingly unproductive game for him.
McCollough continues to be called upon with Kamren Kinchens out, making one tackle and allowing two catches for 23 yards.
Bailey only played 13 snaps, six of them as a pass rusher, finishing with zero pressures and one tackle.
Other notables
- CB Emmanuel Forbes Jr.: 72.5
- QB Matthew Stafford: 62.6
- LG Steve Avila: 59.5
- DT Kobie Turner: 59.1
Forbes' grade was much higher than expected considering the way he played. He allowed a touchdown in coverage, was called for defensive pass interference and, though it doesn't affect his defensive grade, he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on punt coverage.
Stafford didn't have his best, nearly throwing an early pick to Talanoa Hufanga before throwing two more to him later – including the game-changing pick-six. He had three turnover-worthy plays.
Avila surprisingly had a 69.4 pass-blocking grade despite allowing a team-high five pressures, including three hits on Stafford.
Turner was second on the team with three pressures and tied for second with three tackles.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams PFF grades: Best and worst performers in loss to Broncos
