big articles on the Denver game

Rams find best selves in win over Broncos as they play for pride in lost season

Jourdan Rodrigue

https://theathletic.com/4035006/2022/12/25/rams-best-selves-win-broncos/?source=emp_shared_article

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — In the most technical of terms, what happened at SoFi Stadium on Christmas Day was such a butt-kicking, it probably shouldn’t have been broadcast on a children’s network.

Think of the children!

With CBS and Nickelodeon sharing national broadcast duties, the Rams shellacked the Broncos, 51-14, in a Week 15 win, a game that got so lopsided that at one point, popular cartoon character Patrick Star from “SpongeBob SquarePants” fame was roasting Denver quarterback Russell Wilson for throwing an interception. Can one recover after being insulted by a marine invertebrate? Perhaps not. The Los Angeles defense intercepted Wilson three times Sunday, and the takeaways effort was led by rookie cornerback Cobie Durant, who picked off Wilson on his second throw of the game. Durant’s second interception came against Broncos backup Brett Rypien in the fourth quarter, which Durant returned 85 yards for a touchdown and helped the Rams cross the “50 burger” (Krabby Patty?) mark for the first time since a famed 2018 game against the Chiefs.

“Man, I gave up the touchdown in the scramble drill,” said Durant, referring to the Broncos’ lone touchdown of the day in the fourth quarter. “I’m like, ‘I gotta get my get-back before the game is over with.’ We called a play, they were attacking my leverage. I was holding my leverage, and when I saw the ball, I just broke on it. The rest is history.”

What was all the more rewarding for the defense, which set an early tone with interceptions on back-to-back drives by Durant and inside linebacker Bobby Wagner, was that the offense responded with points on the other side. The Rams scored 23 points off those four takeaways, including two offensive touchdowns, after entering the week with only one touchdown scored following a takeaway all season. In fact, the Rams entered the week with the fourth-worst three-and-out rate in the NFL, and the fifth-worst three-and-out on series immediately following a defensive takeaway.

“It was nice,” said Wagner. “When you watch that defense, I don’t know what they’re ranked, but I’m pretty sure they’re a really, really good defense. And so we knew that we were gonna have to be the best defense on the field today. We came out and created a lot of turnovers, and (those) put us in good situations. We played complementary football.”

A key to settling the offense into an early groove was how frequently and efficiently the Rams ran the ball. Third-year running back Cam Akers capped off an outstanding December with a three-touchdown performance, rushing for 118 yards off 23 carries and adding two catches for 29 more yards. He has six touchdowns in four December games.

“I just need everybody to know I’m not here to play games,” said Akers. “I’m here to take care of business, I’m here to do my job at a high level.”

Akers’ day marked the first time all season the Rams have had a single 100-yard rusher, yet they kept an even run-pass balance throughout the game.

“He’s playing like the guy we all knew he was capable of,” said head coach Sean McVay. “He ran tough, I thought he leveled things off, I thought he finished physical. Great to see him be able to get a few touchdowns. He was outstanding.”

Punter Riley Dixon didn’t have to take the field at all other than to hold for kicks and extra points. It was his first zero-punt game, so he and quarterback Baker Mayfield took a picture afterward to commemorate the occasion. Not only did the Rams not punt at all, but all eight of the Rams’ meaningful possessions (excluding a final-seconds kneeldown) resulted in at least three points. Kicker Matt Gay notched field goals of 55, 30 and 53 yards — his sixth and seventh made kicks from 50-plus yards this season.

Mayfield, by the way, was terrific. Entering Week 16, he had thrown passes of 5 air yards or less at a 10 percent higher rate than he had for the rest of his career, and he was recording an 11.4 percent off-target throw rate, according to TruMedia. All week, Mayfield, McVay and offensive coordinator Liam Coen stressed the importance of patience, in taking what the defense gives them, of settling for the smart and efficient play instead of playing hero ball as Mayfield ultimately did in a fourth-quarter upset of the Raiders in Week 14, just hours after joining the team. The staff, and Mayfield himself, instead wanted to seek the mean of what him playing quarterback should look like in this system, and show more balance.

On Sunday, Mayfield made every throw he needed to make, including the checkdowns or outlet passes that kept the ball moving at an efficient clip, and he trusted the run game. He recorded 18 dropbacks on passes of five air yards or less, with a 0 percent off-target rate, according to TruMedia. He finished 24-of-28 for 230 yards and two touchdowns, both of which went to tight end Tyler Higbee, who also added nine catches for 94 yards and broke the Rams’ franchise scoring record at his position.

“I thought he had great command,” McVay said of Mayfield. “Thought he played really quickly, thought he saw the field outstanding. … I was always a fan of him, and I think he’s played really well.”

While the Broncos have tilted toward disaster on offense all season, their defense has largely been outstanding. Led by former Rams assistant Ejiro Evero, they are an attacking, aggressive group with a similar foundational philosophy to the Rams and their Vic Fangio/match zone base system. They entered Sunday’s game with few weak spots other than a run defense that was about average.

The Broncos entered Sunday’s game with the No. 1 red zone defense in the NFL and the No. 3 scoring defense. The Rams went 5-for-6 in the red zone, more than doubling Denver’s previously allowed success rate. Their 51 points scored in Week 16 equates to about one-fifth (20 percent) of the total points the Broncos had previously allowed in their season (253).

The Rams have nothing to play for at this point, except pride. They’re missing nine starters to injuries. They’re mathematically eliminated from the postseason.

Don’t undersell that. This is a team still full of spit and vinegar and a lot of reasons to believe the kids — on Sunday sparked by Durant, defensive tackle Larrell Murchison (who had 2.5 sacks despite being on the team for less than two weeks), Akers and a host of others usually in backup and rotational roles — may just be all right.

They’re also being led by the veterans around them. Higbee is playing through a few different injuries, but has stayed the course even on the uglier days. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey had more than a few big plays not go his way earlier this season, but kept showing up for his teammates behind the scenes and Sunday played one of his better games of 2022, with five tackles, three pass breakups, an interception and a pressure off the edge.

Wagner, who now has recorded at least one interception and one sack in games against either his former team or his former quarterback, has been the backbone.

“We’ve grown a lot through all of the challenges,” he said. “I love that (we) continue to fight, regardless of the situation.”

That has been Wagner’s message to teammates since their season’s historic slide began: Show up with everything you’ve got.

“When you look at what the team did today, I think that’s a great reflection on the leadership (and) the way Bobby Wagner has influenced this whole locker room, and really, the coaching staff,” said McVay, his voice cracking just slightly with emotion. “I can’t say enough about — I have always respected him from afar. But watching the way that he has been so steady and so consistent with the way he has handled a season that has gone totally different than what any of us expected … His consistency, to me, says everything you need to know about the human being.”