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October 9, 2024 at 10:12 am #152568
znModeratorRams head into their bye week planted firmly in their own way
Jourdan Rodrigue
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — It’s the end of Week 5, the start of the bye, and the worst start by a Sean McVay-led team since he took over the Los Angeles Rams head coaching job in 2017.
They are 1-4, and perhaps the most frustrating part is that each game has highlighted a different failure or discombobulation or genuine unluckiness.
From early-season injuries to star players and starters along their offensive line to defensive breakdowns (the unit did play better in a 24-19 Week 5 loss) to poor red zone play to Sunday’s two third-quarter turnovers that both led to Green Bay Packers touchdowns, the Rams are playing a morbid version of whack-a-mole — flailing at any one problem in any one week, all while sinking deeper.
“We’ve got to be able to finish games and play consistently throughout,” McVay said after Sunday’s loss, during which quarterback Matthew Stafford and the offense got the ball back with 2:57 to play and down five points. “You look at it (and) we’re a 1-4 football team. Three of those four losses come down to one-possession games. You go into overtime. You lose (to Chicago) last week. You end up having the result that we did today. In the (Week 2) Cardinals game, we didn’t do anything reflective of what we want to be. But this is football, this is where we’re at.”
He added a few moments later: “Before you can start winning games, you have to start learning how to not beat yourself.”
Yet if there’s any one theme connecting the Rams’ four losses, it is that. They can’t get out of their own way.
Sunday, a defense that looked much better than in previous weeks (and even notched its second interception of the season, a pick six by undrafted free-agent rookie safety Jaylen McCollough) extended a Packers drive late in the second quarter because of a penalty for having too many players on the field. The Packers eventually kicked a field goal to cut their deficit to three points at halftime.
“Hated for us that we had a substitution error that extended a drive,” McVay said. “That’s on us as coaches, we’ve got to be better.”
On the Rams’ first possession of the second half, the offense cruised down the field before running back Kyren Williams fumbled at the Green Bay 27-yard line. The Packers recovered and scored a touchdown two plays later. Quarterback Jordan Love hit tight end Tucker Kraft for a 66-yard catch-and-run and defensive backs Darious Williams and Quentin Lake couldn’t bring Kraft down as he rumbled into the end zone.
Again, the Rams got the ball back — now down 17-13. Again, they turned it over. Stafford threw an interception to safety Xavier McKinney that was intended for receiver Tutu Atwell, who was covered by two players. The crowd at SoFi Stadium — split dramatically in the Packers’ favor — erupted so loudly that the press box shook.
Stafford has had to shoulder more than promised, minus the two star receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua and his starting center and left guard. The other through line in the Rams’ 1-4 start has been generally outstanding play by the veteran quarterback despite those injuries.
Stafford entered Week 5 with the sixth-best adjusted EPA per play, a measurement that includes the caliber of pass protection, receiver drops, dropped interceptions, luck on interceptable passes, fumble recoveries and interception returns and excludes yards after the catch over expectation (meaning the quarterback specifically is graded on the yards he creates), according to NFL data analyst Ben Baldwin. Basically, it measures how well a quarterback is playing despite any number of variables outside his control that can affect a play.
Sunday, Stafford had his worst game of the season. He was too high on a couple of passes, though one touchdown try clipped tight end Colby Parkinson in the hands and he appeared frustrated he didn’t catch it; officials threw a pass interference flag anyway. With his receivers covered downfield, Stafford held the ball too long on one of his sacks (a third down). He finished the game 29-of-45 passing with 260 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
“I thought there were some really good things, and some things that we’re going to want back,” McVay said. “But he gives us a chance, he’s so tough. … There will be some things where we want to collectively play more consistent overall. That goes for all of our offense.”
The touchdown was a thing of beauty, an arc from the 1-yard line that floated over a defender and dropped like a stone into Demarcus Robinson’s hands.
Of course, the corresponding two-point conversion attempt failed. The Rams wanted to exploit Atwell’s speed on an end-around toward the left pylon. Perhaps in considering that, they failed to acknowledge that Atwell would possibly have to churn across the goal line through some contact on the play. The ultra-fast, but small-framed receiver was knocked back and short of the conversion.
Defensive tackle Kobie Turner, a bright spot in the loss with two sacks and a forced fumble, batted Green Bay quarterback Love’s first-down pass attempt on the next possession and then helped stuff a run on second down. Veteran cornerback Williams prevented a likely touchdown with a deep pass breakup on third down.
Usually, this sets up the quintessential Stafford comeback drive moment. A soul snatched here, finger guns flying there, and a couple of relieved expletives from McVay at the lectern postgame.
But remember, this team can’t get out of its own way. A sack on second-and-5 dropped Stafford back seven more yards. He got seven of them back on third-and-12 with an outside throw to Parkinson, but the two couldn’t connect on the fourth down and Stafford took a shot at the end of the play.
The Rams defense is improving with time, though not without some big lapses. Sunday, the group forced three-and-outs on three of the Packers’ first four possessions. Kraft’s touchdown felt like a backbreaker, even more so than a perfectly placed 53-yard pass from Love to receiver Jayden Reed that set up Green Bay’s first touchdown in the first half. The Rams have given up 22 explosive passing plays through five games, which is tied for eighth-worst in the NFL according to TruMedia.
In speaking with defensive players in the locker room postgame Sunday and over the last few weeks, the prevailing sentiment is that communication at each level needs work — that players are capable of making the plays they are asked to make. McVay and defensive coordinator Chris Shula have adjusted the secondary (which in turn also changes certain responsibilities in the middle of the defense because of how often the Rams are in their sub packages).
Tre White, who had been targeted 18 times for 12 catches and a 138.4 opponent passer rating plus four touchdowns and no interceptions in four starts, was a healthy scratch. McVay called it a “coaching decision” and that White had handled it like a “pro in every sense of the word.” Williams, who missed the first four games with a hamstring injury, rotated with Cobie Durant and Ahkello Witherspoon at the outside cornerback spots.
The Rams moved Quentin Lake, who had been playing the “star” (a coverage and assignment-diverse version of a nickel) whenever the Rams moved into a five defensive backs or more package, into a more traditional safety role (positioned deeper in the defensive backfield) and also moved Kam Curl, who had been playing deep, closer to the line of scrimmage at times (inclusive to certain passing downs). Josh Wallace got snaps at the nickel/star instead, so that Lake could man the deep areas of the field and the Rams also got McCollough more reps instead of rookie Kam Kinchens.
Outside of Kraft’s touchdown and Reed’s deep catch, the new combination of players seemed mostly effective. It’s fair to wonder whether more changes are on the way. White being inactive, while not personal, could serve as a message to everybody including on offense because he’s a respected veteran. The coaching staff certainly has some soul-searching to do at every position group during the bye week.
“We’ll evaluate everything,” said McVay. “We’ll observe everything. When you’re in these situations, we have to do a good job of making sure that we look at the totality of everything, regardless of position.”
October 9, 2024 at 6:18 pm #152572
wvParticipant“…the Rams are playing a morbid version of whack-a-mole — flailing at any one problem in any one week, all while sinking deeper.”
Indeed.
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October 12, 2024 at 3:48 pm #152586znModeratorWhen can Rams expect injured players to return after bye week?
While the Week 6 bye week for the Los Angeles Rams could have been seen as coming too early before the season, it likely came at the perfect time. For a team that has dealt with a lot of injuries, they will be looking to get healthier out of the bye week. NFL teams can designate up to eight players to return. The Rams used one on Darious Williams and another on Larrell Murchison, meaning that they have six left. With players like Puka Nacua, Steve Avila, and Jonah Jackson all on injured reserve, those will likely go very quickly. Let’s take a look at the Rams injured players and when they can be expected back.
WR Cooper Kupp
The Rams played in smart with Cooper Kupp when it comes to not putting him on injured reserve. Had the Rams placed Kupp on injured reserve after Week 2, he would have had to miss four games, not four weeks. That would have put the wide receiver out until Week 8 against the Minnesota Vikings.It’s possible that Kupp is still out against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7, but now he’ll at least be able to in the case that he is ready. Said McVay last Monday before the bye week,
“Here’s what I would say, that is something that in an ideal world, yeah, he’s ready to go. He had some specific work that he was doing with over the last couple days and we were planning on visiting with him but the Raiders was always an optimistic target date based on a few weeks back that we had set, but by no means is that guaranteed.”
It’s possible that McVay has some gamesmanship with Kupp’s status next week to keep his status up in the air. However, according to Adam Schefter’s report, the Rams were planning to have Kupp back for the Raiders game.
Target Return: Week 7 vs. Raiders
WR Puka Nacua
After Kupp is where things get a lot dicier for the Rams injuries. That’s the case when it comes to Nacua as there isn’t a firm date on when he’ll be back. When Nacua re-injured his PCL, there was a 5-7 week timetable given. However, McVay said last week,“Just really what specifically in his knee was aggravated and the typical timeline that is usually accompanied with that. Based on his feedback and his rehab, there was always kind of a target date that they had tentatively set on when he could get back and we’ll see if we’re exactly on that. It was really the nature of the injury and the significance of that sprain to the particular ligament that we’re talking about.”
Based off of that, it doesn’t seem like Nacua will be back for the Raiders game which would be the five week mark. The Rams would like to remain optimistic for Nacua’s return against the Vikings the next week. We’re probably looking at the Vikings or Seahawks game here for Nacua’s return at the earliest. The Seahawks game in Week 9 would put him around the seven week mark for recovery.
Target Return: Week 8 vs. Vikings OR Week 9 @ Seahawks
iOL Steve Avila
The estimated timeline for a MCL injury is six weeks, but the Rams may play it safe with Avila given how important he is to their success moving forward. Before leaving for the bye week, McVay said that Avila was making good progress but wasn’t sure about the timeline for his return. The Rams head coach also noted that it would be a couple more weeks.Ideally, Avila is also back for the Week 8 matchup against the Vikings. That would put him at around the 6.5 week mark. However, the Rams could also keep him out an extra week to make sure he is good to go for the rest of the season.
Target Return: Week 8 vs. Vikings OR Week 9 @ Seahawks
iOL Jonah Jackson
Jackson fractured his scapula following the loss the Detroit Lions. This was the same injury that he suffered in training camp. Nothing was said about Jackson before the bye, meaning he could still be a few weeks away at minimum. The Rams offensive lineman will be eligible to return for the Raiders game, but will likely miss more time.
A fractured scapula can take 6-12 weeks to heal. Week 8 against the Vikings would meet the six week mark. Something more realistic would be the Seahawks game or later. Jackson bruised his ccapula in early August and missed the entire preseason. Given the history of the injury, the Rams could play it safe.
Target Return: Week 8 vs. Vikings BUT probably a week or two later
Tyler Higbee
Not much has been said about when or if Tyler Higbee will return this season. Depending on the recovery process, the timeline is typically around 8-12 months. It’s worth noting that Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams tore his ACL at Alabama prior to his rookie season in early January. The Lions kept Williams out until December.We are currently at about the nine month mark on Higbee’s injury. If the Rams tight end was only a few weeks away from returning, it’s likely something would have been said at this point. Higbee may not get back on the field until December and if he waits that long, coming back following the mini-bye after the 49ers game on December 12 could make sense. That would make his first game back against the New York Jets on December 22 and back for the final three games. This is still very TBD, but the guess here is that Higbee doesn’t return until December.
Target Return: TBD but potentially December
Others
John Johnson III
Much like Jackson, Johnson is also out 4-6 weeks with a fractured scapula. Johnson was put on IR after Week 2 and will be eligible to come off after the Raiders game. That would be five weeks since his injury.Target Return: Week 8 vs. Vikings
Larrell Murchison
The Rams took Murchison off of injured reserve before the bye week, but he immediately broke his foot. Murchison could return for the Miami Dolphins, but could miss more time if the Rams opt to designate him to come back.Target Return: TBD
Joe Noteboom
Last and certainly not least is Joe Noteboom. Noteboom would be eligible to return for the Raiders game coming out of the bye. The Rams offensive lineman suffered a high ankle injury in Week 1. The Rams could designate Noteboom to return next week, but it will all depend on where he’s at in his recovery.
Target Return: Week 7 vs. Raiders OR laterOctober 14, 2024 at 4:39 pm #152604znModeratorSarah Barshop@sarahbarshopSean McVay said he doesn’t expect to see WR Puka Nacua (PCL sprain) or OL Steve Avila (MCL sprain) practice this week. McVay said T Joe Noteboom (ankle) also has a big workout scheduled today and if that goes well, the Rams could think about starting his 21-day practice window..McVay said WR Cooper Kupp is “making good progress” and will have a big workout today that will help determine whether he can practice this week and ultimately whether he can play on Sunday against the Raiders.….McVay said Kupp’s workout Monday will determine what his availability looks like the remainder of the week and whether he’ll return this week from his ankle injury. Kupp will not practice Monday.
“He’s making good progress,” McVay said prior to Monday’s practice. “I’ll have an injury update in regards to how today goes for him. What does that affect? There is a possibility he could be ready this week. There’s also a possibility that he might not be ready. So today is a big day for him.”
McVay said Kupp “knows what it looks like to have his body in alignment with return to performance, not just return to play, and so we do want to be smart with that. McVay also noted the short turnaround with next week’s Thursday Night Football home game against the Vikings being a factor they weigh in that decision as well.
October 18, 2024 at 11:13 pm #152638znModeratorRams sticking with changes in secondary with more potential adjustments on both sides
By Jourdan Rodrigue
LOS ANGELES — Two weeks ago, the 1-3 Los Angeles Rams made a few not-so-subtle changes to their secondary.
Veteran cornerback Tre White was a healthy scratch in Week 5 against the Green Bay Packers after starting each previous game. The Rams got another veteran, Darious Williams, back from a hamstring injury, so the cornerbacks rotation featured Williams, Cobie Durant and Ahkello Witherspoon.
White, who was signed to a one year, $4.25 million deal this spring, was targeted 18 times for 12 catches and a 138.4 opponent passer rating, plus four touchdowns and no interceptions, according to Pro Football Reference. Rams coaches gushed about White’s leadership and work ethic the moment he arrived in Los Angeles — though often added the caveat that they wouldn’t rush the 29-year-old to the field as White continued recovering from the Achilles repair he underwent the previous fall.
It’s possible he still wasn’t quite ready to return, a point head coach Sean McVay alluded to this week. Williams couldn’t start the year due to his injury, and backup Derion Kendrick tore his ACL at the beginning of training camp. The Rams lagged in signing Witherspoon until Sept. 11, and because he had not been with a team during the spring or in training camp he needed a couple of weeks to get his legs under him. That meant a full-time role for White was immediately necessary.
“Oh yeah, it did,” said McVay, when asked whether injuries accelerated White’s timeline. “(He is) a pro’s pro. A guy that has continuously responded and shown the work capacity (and) the character capacity to be able to handle a lot of different situations. … A lot of the plans that we had relative to this team or as it relates to what you’re asking about were very different from what’s unfolded. That’s our reality. Because we were so injury prone at that spot, defensively in particular (and at) some other spots offensively, that did accelerate the amount of snaps that he was going to play.”
McVay said this week the Rams will stick with Williams and Durant, and with Witherspoon. Durant, a third-year cornerback, is awed by the way his veteran teammate White is handling the situation — and learning from him.
“I see how he’s attacking each day, he didn’t take (any) steps back,” said Durant, “he just keeps going forward. Not being an a-hole about the position he’s in. He’s still coaching us. He’s still practicing hard, giving it everything he’s got. It’s just like, the way he’s going about it … you want leaders in that room that (if there is) a time when you’re going to be in that position, you never know, seeing him and how he handled it — that’s the way you want to go about it.”
More changes: Third-round rookie Kam Kinchens had been in the safety rotation in the two games after veteran safety John Johnson III hurt his shoulder and went on injured reserve. But Kinchens got no defensive snaps in Week 5 against Green Bay, and instead undrafted free agent Jaylen McCollough substituted in for certain packages and played 15 snaps (including an interception for a touchdown) against the Packers. Where the Rams initially leaned on their safeties in sub packages such as nickel/star (five defensive backs) and dime/dime linebacker (six defensive backs), previous nickel/star Quentin Lake, a team captain, was moved back into a deep safety role opposite Kamren Curl; the latter rotated more often against Green Bay than in previous weeks toward the line of scrimmage and even in pressure packages. Rookie cornerback Josh Wallace then moved into the slot, playing 31 defensive snaps.
Lake was playing well at nickel and rotated between there and traditional safety, but was moved to a deeper-field position where he can view and help organize the entire defense at once after coaches and players noted communication issues throughout the unit. He doesn’t wear the “green dot” — the player with the microphone in his helmet who receives the calls from defensive coordinator Chris Shula; inside linebacker Troy Reeder opened the season in that role — but Lake will share some of the responsibility.
“That’s the biggest thing that I had talked about with everybody, is the communication aspect,” he said. “When you’re in the back end, and sometimes there can be a communication drop-off, it can lead to bigger plays. For us, if you look at all of our games, we have to minimize those explosive plays.”
Lake told the coaching staff to play him wherever they most need him.
“Now, my role has changed a little bit just to primarily play safety,” he said. “To me, it’s fine. … For me, it’s (about) high-level communication and minimizing explosive plays and the deep balls, and making plays too — not just batting it down, (but) interceptions, all those things. And then it’s getting everybody in the right position so that everybody can play fast.”
The Rams have showed some improvement on defense since the season began, but still rank No. 30 in defensive DVOA, rank No. 31 in defensive rushing success rate (teams can successfully run the ball against them at a 52.7 percent rate) plus 35 combined explosive passing and rushing plays (No. 23). A whopping 12 explosive plays allowed in Week 2 against Arizona slightly skew these numbers.
McVay indicated Monday that many of these adjustments to the defensive backfield — only some of which are injury-related — will remain intact with more changes coming on both sides of the ball.
The Rams re-signed defensive tackle Jonah Williams off the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad, and he may soon get more snaps as he’s previously familiar with the defense. Second-year defensive tackle and captain Kobie Turner, whose 20 pressures rank fifth among all interior defensive linemen, according to TruMedia, was supposed to play more three-technique this season but has rotated at times back into nose tackle where he spent his rookie season.
Asked ahead of Week 5 what younger inside linebackers Jake Hummel or Omar Speights — the latter player about whom Rams coaches expressed their excitement right before trading veteran captain Ernest Jones IV to Tennessee — could do to earn more opportunities, McVay said, “you continue to give those guys opportunities throughout the course of these practices, and if it got to a point where we felt like that was the best option for us, then those guys would be out there.”
On offense, injuries have led to most personnel changes but the coaching staff could still make more. Top receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua have been out, but Kupp could possibly return from his ankle injury in Week 7 against the Raiders and participated in individual drills on Wednesday (but did not practice fully).
McVay wants to keep building competition at receiver and other offensive positions. Second-year receiver Xavier Smith could see an increased role, because he’s versatile enough to impact the screen and sweep concepts the Rams like to deploy to complement their run game and help mitigate pressure (quarterback Matthew Stafford has been hit 40 times, third-most in the NFL).
Just three weeks ago, Smith was playing the role of opposing receivers as a practice squad player on the Rams’ scout team — but he never took himself out of the offense’s playbook, spending extra time to stay looped in on game plans and assignments.
“Sticking to the basics, sticking to what got me to this point. … If it got me here, I’m pretty sure it can take me all the way through,” said Smith this week. “Even before, I was doing this already. I was already preparing. … Now it’s just repetition and doing what I’ve been doing.”
Guard/tackle Joe Noteboom, who has been on IR (ankle), had his 21-day practice window activated Wednesday and could play as early as Sunday. McVay mentioned on his weekly “The Coach McVay Show” appearance that he wants to see competition along the interior offensive line in practices, which currently features rookie center Beaux Limmer and third-string left guard Logan Bruss (it’s unlikely that McVay was referencing starting right guard Kevin Dotson here; the indication could be that Noteboom may compete at left guard).
Running back Kyren Williams is only averaging 3.8 yards per carry, a deceptively poor statistic that is more reflective of the Rams’ game situations and their offensive line play than his actual production. Williams’ rushing success rate actually ranks second among all running backs who have 60 or more carries this season (47.4 percent), his 360 yards rank No. 11 and six touchdowns tie for second.
Still, rookie third-rounder Blake Corum could get more touches as the season continues — keeping Williams fresh down the back stretch of the season with Corum in complement was the plan entering the season, thrown into chaos because of all of the injuries along the offensive line. Against Green Bay, Corum got five carries to spell Williams and ripped off 25 yards with a 12-yard long run.
Other adjustments have to go beyond personnel changes if the Rams want to really put their season back together. Poor red zone execution and at times odd call sequencing have saddled the Rams with a 24th-ranked touchdown rate there, although they have gotten into the red zone the 11th-most times in the NFL this season despite only having played five games. Turnovers, including a baffling interception thrown by Stafford in Week 5, have also swung close games.
“With the exception of one game, we had opportunities where there are moments to be able to execute (and) to come out with different results in three of our four losses,” McVay said. “That’s true because the film illustrates that. … The gap isn’t as far away. Ultimately, this league is about margins and so how do we really do that? Whether you look at it as a positive or negative, we’ve been in this situation before. What we are going to choose to do is swing and continue to focus on the things that we can improve.”
October 19, 2024 at 9:14 am #152639wvParticipantAt this point, i guess i dont care about the record so much. I’d just like to see a healthy Ram team on the field for about 3 or 4 games in a row, toward the end of the year.
Just to see. Just to see what they really have.
I’d also like to see Stafford finish the year alive.
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