reactions to the Saints game

This topic has 17 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 7 years ago by zn.

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November 26, 2017 at 10:25 am #77941

zn
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Actually I am still watching it. My brother phoned halfway through the 4th quarter and I had to take the call. I turned it off just after the Watkins free giveaway INT. I know they won so this should be fun.

November 26, 2017 at 8:02 pm #77959

InvaderRam
Moderator

game not as close as the score. at the same time, they should have just blown this saints team out.

only got to see the second half, but that’s how it appeared to me. too many field goals. gotta complete these drives.

November 26, 2017 at 8:21 pm #77961

Eternal Ramnation
Participant

Rams dominated . Gave up the sidelines but Kumara scored on a play up the middle some I’m okay with it we got the W.

November 26, 2017 at 8:23 pm #77962

InvaderRam
Moderator

josh reynolds. possibly another find in this draft.

November 26, 2017 at 8:37 pm #77963

Agamemnon
Participant

The Rams did good. They are doing more of the things that winning teams do and less of the things that losing teams do. They are showing that they can play with the other good teams.

Agamemnon

November 26, 2017 at 9:30 pm #77969

joemad
Participant

I loved the time consuming drive in the 4th qtr

Rams got up off the mat in Minnesota and beat the red hot Saints

IR and ER are correct… the Rams were in control today…

The Rams are a very good team

November 26, 2017 at 10:33 pm #77972

JackPMiller
Participant

Had some issues with pass blocking. Mainly with Havenstein. Can’t let teams go down the field that quickly on our D. I’m talking about, 42 seconds with like a minute plus. Glad Sammy Watkins got that onside kick, though.

November 26, 2017 at 10:58 pm #77973

canadaram
Participant

After watching last week’s loss live I am nothing but happy about this win. I honestly expected that the Rams would have to score in the high 30s to win this game. A non losing season? I’ll take that. A winning season? Well, I’m too scarred from the last 14 years to just assume that that’s automatically going to happen.

November 27, 2017 at 5:05 am #77990

PA Ram
Participant

A great game, a great win. I have to say that I was REALLY hoping to get this 8th win. There was just something about getting past that 7 win mark that seemed important.

Okay–first a couple of negative things. Too many field goals. I’ll take them, of course. But this game is not as close if they made touchdowns instead of field goals. That’s my little offensive rant of the day. On defense–the last drive by the Saints was way too easy. They just seemed to let Brees hit those sideline passes at will. There never should have been an onside kick with any meaning.

That’s it.

The positives:

Goff continues to grow and looks like he really knows what he’s doing out there. The pass to Reynolds shows how much he has grown–directing him to the spot where he was throwing the ball. That’s calm, cool and in control.

Gurley had a quietly good game. He had 74 yards rushing on 17 carries and 54 yards receiving. I thought that Tavon struggled a bit today but they seemed determined to get him involved. I don’t know if defenses have figured him out but he just had no real impact. Oh–and tear that Cooper Kupp pass out of the playbook. He’s no Jared Goff.

Speaking of Kupp–great game. I was very happy for him.

Watkins also had a nice game but I think Woods is just better in how he fits with the team.

On defense a shout out to Kayvon Webster who had a fantastic game and made play after play.

They got great pressure on Brees and that really hurt the passing game for the Saints. I was honestly surprised the Saints didn’t run the ball more.

Overall just a great win.

Next week won’t be easy. The Cards have confidence after beating the Jags and they are at home and will want revenge for London. Hopefully the Rams do not look past them to the Eagles. They really need to secure this one.

5 games left–they are squarely in the hunt. But this won’t be locked up until the end. I think they need 11 wins to make sure they are in. That means they have to find 3 more wins in this tough schedule. That starts next week with a game they SHOULD win and can’t let get away.

"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. " Philip K. Dick

November 27, 2017 at 6:06 am #77992

PA Ram
Participant

One other quick point. The crowd in LA sounded loud yesterday. The crowd had their best performance so far this year.

The crowd will get a bye week next week as the team travels and hopefully come back strong against the Eagles.

Game ball to the crowd.

"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. " Philip K. Dick

November 27, 2017 at 9:42 am #77998

zn
Moderator

I posted this already but it had an error in it so I deleted the first version and corrected the error and in the process expanded it a bit.

It’s true Goff had a very good game. It’s true Brees wasn’t as good as normal. A lot of that though was pressure–though that’s not really it. It’s not pressure, it;’s the qb’s REACTION to pressure. Goff was pressured more than usual yesterday, and never lost his composure. For the season, the Rams offense has been 8th in sack percentage with 4.9%…yesterday, they allowed 9%. Yet the passes kept coming out the same.

In contrast the Rams have long since shown that they can rattle Brees with pressure. Brees was more erratic than his norm yesterday, and that’s not new when playing the Rams. Counting today and going back to 2011, the Rams have beaten the Saints 3 out of the last 4 times they played.

Brees was sacked 3 times yesterday, which is the most he has been sacked in a game all year. That’s a 9.375 sack percentage when up to this game, the Saints offense was 1st in sack percentage, with 2.8%. And of course that doesn’t count hurries, hits, ie total pressures.

That has happened a couple of times previously.

The Rams pass rush gets to Brees and throws him off. The Rams beat the Saints in 2011 with AJ Feeley at qb, and they sacked Brees 6 times in the process. That was the most he was sacked in 2011 (the 2nd most was 3). They beat them again in 2013 with Clemens at qb. They sacked Brees 4 times in that game, the 2nd most times he was sacked in 2013.

They lost to the Saints in 2016 and only sacked him twice.

November 27, 2017 at 10:13 am #78000

zn
Moderator

saints_alive wrote:

Congrats. That was a frustrating game to watch for the Saints. I knew our d was going to struggle without our starting corners but I thought our offense would play better. 3 of 13 on 3rd down, tons of penalties…it was ugly, outside of Kamara and Cam Jordan (who might own the title of Best Player Ever On a Terrible Defense, for whatever that’s worth. No idea why Payton went away from Kamara until the very end. Dumb.

Rams d won the battle against our O line, which hasnt happened much this year. Drew looked bad – even in his ‘lesser’ games this year he wasnt forcing the ball into coverage or missing wide open guys.

Rams were just better in all 3 phases. I hope we pull it together – our next stretch is critical – Panthers and Atlanta (x 2) in the next 4 weeks

November 27, 2017 at 11:45 am #78003

wv
Participant

I havent seen it yet. I’m using an old slow computer at the moment till my other computer gets fixed. This one wont do video.

But i read some of the articles and its a great win. A big fat meaningful win for this new team, in this new McV-era.

I wasnt sure what to expect. Payton is a fine coach. A Super Bowl winning coach. And McV didnt get himself outcoached.

I guess this proved the Rams can slow down a great offense, and they can win games against great-offense/mediocre-defense teams.
The Viking game proved they can stumble against great-defense/ordinary-offense teams.

I guess the Card game is a classic ‘trap’ game? Everyone is talkin about the Eagle game. Lets hope the players can focus on that ugly, brutish, nasty, mean, low-down, bastard Cardinal team.

w
v

November 27, 2017 at 3:54 pm #78017

zn
Moderator

CraigMatson wrote:

Game observations v Saints

Attended game yesterday and wanted to post a few quick notes .
Todd Gurley was running with intensity . Seeing #30 cutting back and accelerating out there doing his best when the Rams where backed up deep in thier own territory or near the opposition’s end zone.
It was a noticible effort and his talent is ascendant ,,kinda reminded me of McCutcheon at his best.
Shout out to Robert Quinn .I’m daring to give him credit for his flash plays yesterday.
Was surprised to see Quinn dancing in Defencive Huddle’s on breaks ? . That ..compared to rumors of his constant pain. He showed speed to the QB around the corner on more than one occasion ,,,and he didn’t go down at the average punch of a OT ..Rather he attacked the pocket and made an impact on the game .

Without stat watching it was hard to know Goff had that great a game ,,,very good game yes though . Passes that stood out to me in accending order ,,,

In route to Watkins ,, the timing on that was a thing of beauty.
Pass to Watkins down to right sideline and the juggling catch for 31 yards ..Sammy that catch with defenders close showed why he should be resigned just as much as any other. Good accurate throw by Goff and impressive effort on Watkins part in a show of strength in securing that catch.

19 yd roll out sideline tippy toes precise throw to Kupp . That was a perfect strike on the run and perfect show of work between Kupp and Goff as well as Kupps ability to shake loose in zones . Wouldn’t be a thing without the bullseye throw though.

The flair to Gurley . Sometimes the smart quick throw to your RB in space out of the backfield is straight money . With Gurley s ability to turn the Jets and put a ankle breaking move on you never know when a 7 yard pass could go 20 ,and when the timing and form is so perfect you gotta like that.

The throw to Higbee downfield .Lol .. Goff found him so wide open and Higbee made a couple effort moves for more yards after .. gotta give to both of them .

Last (extra ) the simple short out to Reynolds at the marker . Pass on point great quick catch under duress by Reynolds showed toughness .Kid will make the dirty clutch catch .He’s not just the the deep ball threat and Goff made the great throw that play.

Webster s tackle on Thomas was huge . That may have been the game if the Saints score six .
Wow what a difference.

Mind you Thomas was probably as motivated as any Saint coming back home to his prep area (Taft High alum ala Fisher ). Somebody had to cover that man before he had a career day.

Over all the experience was great . Second game this year and walking amongst the crowd Coming into gates immediately I felt the intensity between the fan base… And the playoff vibe . I knew it was a hugely meaningful game.

Overall I felt like we controlled the game dominated time of possession and had a semi comfortable two score lead although that got a bit nervous at the end .

Whitworth was a bit challenged by Jordan this game and so be it the ex Cal Bear is recognised top NFL player

Glad I made the made the game.

Keep going Rams
Winning season is a lock now !!!.
Hoorah

November 27, 2017 at 8:18 pm #78023
InvaderRam
Moderator
so josh reynolds. wow. he looked pretty good for his first start in the nfl. i know there was a lot of hype surrounding him even since training camp, but it was nice for him to show it in a game that actually counts. and a pretty important game as far as regular season games go.

i decided to look up reynolds’ combine numbers. i didn’t remember how well he tested there. he only ran a 4.54 40. but his explosion and agility numbers were exceptional.

vertical – 37″
broad – 10’4″
short shuttle – 4.13s
3 cone – 6.83

those agility numbers are especially impressive when you consider how tall he is. those are numbers you’d expect from a guy 5 inches shorter than his 6’3″ frame.

his arms are a little short, but that’s not exactly a deal breaker. this draft class looks better and better.

ebukam has looked good too. 2 sacks in his last 3 games. very very explosive. off the charts explosiveness. reminds me a little of leonard little – frame wise and where he was drafted.

hopefully, he starts to get more playing time these last 5 games.
- This reply was modified 7 years ago by InvaderRam.
November 27, 2017 at 10:41 pm #78027

zn
Moderator

alyoshamucci wrote:

Man, what a sweet game (minus the nail biting at the end).

Had My Mom here watching and my brother (Sun Tzu) on the phone … so we had a blast. I really think it’s a blessing in disguise that Woods was out. Got Reynolds some meaningful reps and and got Kupp on track.

The Great

1) Goff. I was right to draft him in fantasy ball … I watched him in college and he had the best footwork I had ever seen … I felt vindicated when Romo highlighted his feet.

2) Kupp comeback.

3) Quinn getting around the corner to keep his streak of terrorizing Brees going.

4) Sammy on the hands team. Great move to have the vice grips on the field.

5) Gurley’s ferocity.

The Good

6) Just good enough pass protection. Just … good … enough.

7) Sammy on the first play of the game, that’s what I wanted.

8) JOSH!!!! Way to go buddy! And he does his thing, double catches and almost drops a crosser and corrals a tough pass in the end zone.

9) Brockers had another really good game.

10) Higbee’s run after the catch …

11) Greg the freaking Leg.

12) Aggressive playcall on the back shoulder to Sammy at the end of the game.

The Bad

13) 2 dropped INTs … really?

14) Barron took some bad angles.

15) Our OTs didn’t just get beat by Jordan (Who is great, no shade) … they got torched.

16) Ohhhh the INT … Sammy … c’mon man.

17) Where is Everett? Can we have some news on him? He having playbook issues?

The Ugly

18) How did they go down the field AND get out of bounds 3 times that fast?

19) HOW MANY MISSED TACKLES ON KAMARA? There was 6 on one run.

November 29, 2017 at 11:06 am #78070

Zooey
Moderator

Obviously a great win. It was very important to get that win, especially after losing to Minnesota last week. It proves that the Rams actually belong in the playoffs, belong in the conversation about the best teams. They erased some doubts even if doubts remain about their chances in the postseason.

But – as convincing a victory as that was – it came too close to being a disaster. They had that game in hand from the opening kickoff, but…what if the Saints had come up with that squib kick? The Saints had no timeouts remaining, but Drew Brees with 1:45 left, and a defense that just matadored the previous drive…. They could have suffered an agonizing defeat.

In this team’s growth, one of the areas that has been clearly in need of improvement has been that the offense does not finish enough drives in the end zone. I mean…they are scoring a lot of points. And one could look at it as a big positive…they are extending enough drives to get into field goal position instead of crapping out earlier and having to punt. But I don’t think they are very highly ranked in their Red Zone opportunities.

I will be watching for that stat to show up. But 4 more FGs this week? They need to push one or two more of those into the end zone.

November 29, 2017 at 11:41 am #78071

zn
Moderator

Zooey wrote:

But I don’t think they are very highly ranked in their Red Zone opportunities.

There actually is a stat for that. It’s Red Zone Scoring Percentage (TD only). https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/red-zone-scoring-pct

There’s a related stat. It’s %Touchdowns/Attempt, Inside the 10. This one is always a game or 2 behind. http://stats.washingtonpost.com/fb/leaders.asp?range=NFL&rank=050&type=Passing

On stat #1, Rams rank 21st. Last 3 games only, they rank 23rd. So your instincts are right. As a team, they are not finishing drives. Almost all the other 8/3-and-better teams are 58% or better. Rams are at 50%.

On stat #2, Goff ranks 8th (tied with Brady). This is an an in-season improvement. Previous games, he was less good at this. I think they worked on this during the bye.
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