media & twitter on the Falcons game

RAMMAN76

Wow; that was a rough one.

A good 3 quarters and a crappy 4th.

At least the O line held up.

The run game was good.

Kudos to Ramsey for making a huge play.

I hope they play 4 full quarters next week.

Rams Winners & Losers:
Where did mixed performances by Stafford and Ramsey land them on our list? https://t.co/wiURI26RWa

— TurfShowTimes (@TurfShowTimes) September 19, 2022

Sunday’s Rams/Falcons game was the football equivalent of that dude from Mad Max barreling through the desert and shredding on his guitar through all kinds of chaos and crisis. Which also kind of describes a fullback. If you’re up, so is this week’s Pile: https://t.co/25YwMjBebS

— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) September 19, 2022

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link above

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How the Rams squeaked by the Falcons in chaotic, mind-bending win: The Pile

By Jourdan Rodrigue

https://theathletic.com/3606070/2022/09/18/rams-week-2-victory-falcons/?source=emp_shared_article

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — “It was a pretty dull game today,” said Rams head coach Sean McVay drily, with a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes as he exhaled at the lectern following a narrow 31-27 win against Atlanta on Sunday.

Los Angeles turned the ball over four times, including twice in the fourth quarter on near-consecutive plays: A blocked punt returned for a touchdown, and a rare fumble by No. 1 receiver Cooper Kupp after a third-down conversion that the scrappy Falcons nearly turned into a game-winning drive. The Rams had a 28-3 lead with 5:38 left in the third quarter, and couldn’t close out the game as Atlanta scored 24 points over the next 15-ish minutes of regulation.

“I mean really it was turnovers … we gave them a lot of opportunities,” said McVay, of what he called “self-created adversity”. “We’ve got to be more poised and more resilient.”

The Rams opened with a well-designed game plan that featured nearly all of their receivers and both running backs in a variety of looks and formations (more on that in a moment). They had 14 first-half first downs and were 2 for 2 on third down. But in the second half, their efficiency dipped significantly and they had just 10 first downs and dropped to a 60 percent conversion rate on third down as the Falcons clawed their way to just a six-point deficit with 3:17 left to play.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford, who threw three interceptions in the Rams’ Week 1 loss to Buffalo, threw two more Sunday alongside the turnovers in other phases of the Rams’ effort. He finished the game 27 of 36 for 272 yards and three touchdowns, with the two interceptions.

“Are there two plays from this game that I can clean up? Absolutely. Are there a lot of good plays to take from it? Yes,” Stafford said after the game. “But I’m my worst critic, to be honest with you. Those plays are frustrating for me, and I know frustrating for our team. I want to make sure that I’m doing everything I can to help our team move in the right direction, move forward, win games, play great, all that kind of stuff and try to limit the times that I’m pulling us backwards with an interception or a tough play in the pocket, whatever it is.”

Cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who will be the first to admit he had a rough start to his season in the opening loss to Buffalo (and a rough start Sunday due to a long pass-interference call) sealed the game for the Rams with 1:18 left. At the goal line, he leaped over the top of receiver Bryan Edwards and snatched quarterback Marcus Mariota’s pass out of the air, then returned it 25 yards.

“He made a similar play like that in practice, where he kind of jumped over a guy,” said inside linebacker Bobby Wagner of Ramsey’s game-saving interception, his first of the 2022 season. “He does it all the time. So, when I saw the ball go up, I knew he was coming down with it.”

Wagner later added, “being able to be up 28-3 is a big-time response (to the Week 1 loss), but now we have to finish it. I think all signs are encouraging.”

Still, it should be noted that the Rams’ offense couldn’t close out the game itself and ultimately resorted to what appeared to be an intentional safety to shave time off the clock, hence the odd-looking score. It was a fitting end to what turned out to be a chaotic game.

“We’re not going to run away from some of the things that we didn’t do well today,” McVay said. “But we’re also not going to allow ourselves to do anything other than appreciate being able to come away with a win and what we know is such a competitive league. … Unless they tell me that you get more points for being able to win by more points, I don’t really care if we found a way to be able to get it done.

“That’s how I know I’m maturing because I would’ve been grumpy before (about this). But holy hell, I need a couple drinks.”

The Rams may have barely scraped out of the corner Sunday night, but they’re also 1-1. Welcome to The Pile — let’s start poking around.

Fullbacks, receivers, mixed formations — oh ‘I’

On Sunday, the Rams — who largely play in 11 personnel, meaning three-receiver sets — technically were still in 11 personnel … but only if you adhere to such societal constraints as “the position a player is listed at on the roster.” Because, well, second-year receiver Ben Skowronek played fullback in the I-formation for a majority of the Rams’ run plays against Atlanta, so while technically, technically they were in 11 personnel, they actually were in 21 personnel for much of the game.

And it worked. The Rams’ usage of Skowronek — hinted at in various alignments throughout camp, and a noted part of his past in middle school and high school — lent dimension not just to their run game, but also the Falcons still had to account for 11 personnel looks even with the Rams showing 21 personnel pre-snap, because he’s a receiver and could release into various routes. It was completely different than anything the team had done previously under McVay, especially in such volume, and it was so totally 1980s-hair-metal neck-roll–gnarly.

Skowronek found out he’d be playing the position officially Wednesday, and only had a few reps to practice. McVay, smiling wryly postgame, alluded to other teams (such as San Francisco) that use fullbacks in the passing game where they’ve traditionally been blockers, but Skowronek is a different hybrid in that he’s doing it in the inverse.

“Historically, (fullbacks) also have a different physique than me, but it’s a torch I’m proud to carry,” he said, grinning.

Skowronek detailed the leverage techniques he had to deploy, as a player who is physically longer and thinner than the stereotypical beefy stoutness of a fullback. As he came out of his three-point stance when aligned in the I-formation, Skowronek worked to stay low and push up under chests and arms in his blocks while maintaining power in his shoulders, to keep the defender off-balance. One of his best blocks of the day was a 13-yard run by Darrell Henderson, in which the Rams ran a “toss” play (similar to what the 49ers ran against them last year, with Skowronek coming out of the I-formation as the twist).

“Try to get as much power as you can, because you’re going against other grown men out there,” said Skowronek, who said he watched film of 49ers fullback (actual fullback) Kyle Juszczyk for inspiration and technical points to prepare for his role Sunday. “They’re ready for contact.”

Skowronek then pondered if it was the first time in history where a team went into the I-formation out of 11 personnel.

“It’s unique, fun, transcending,” he said. “Whatever (McVay) asks me to do, I’m gonna execute it to the best of my ability.”

The Rams worked several of their receivers into a variety of looks in the run and pass game — a total departure from their stodginess in Week 1 (though the Bills’ pass-rush was an influencing factor in that). Both Kupp and Brandon Powell showed pre-snap double-backfield looks opposite whichever running back was in at that given time, and ran routes from that position or went in motion before the snap. Kupp had 11 catches on 14 targets for 108 yards and two touchdowns, aside from the costly fumble, and one of his best plays of the game was a block in the “trash chute” of the stack that helped spring open Henderson’s touchdown run. Tight end Tyler Higbee rumbled for 7 catches and 71 yards and Skowronek got a couple of looks as well. Really, the only receiver who didn’t factor into the Rams’ game plan as much Sunday (as opposed to getting looks last week) was Tutu Atwell.

Meanwhile, after a quiet debut in Week 1, the Rams got Allen Robinson going early and often. Robinson scored his first touchdown as a Ram (a floating fade from Stafford) and caught four passes for 53 yards, including a 29-yard long.

“I felt we truly kept them off-balance, I felt like that through the first half. … For the most part, I felt like we kept them on their toes, felt like we moved the ball. Just have to fine-tune some things here and there,” Robinson told me after the game.

“We love that,” added Kupp, of some of the blocking he and Robinson did, as well as Skowronek’s position adjustment. “Playing receiver as an L.A. Ram, you’ve got to stick your nose in there and be an extension of the offensive line. We got receivers lining up at fullback now … Benny Sko’s out there getting his fullback on. It’s fun. We love that.”

Containing a complex run game

The Falcons run some run-pass option concepts behind the mobile Mariota and versatile, dynamic Cordarrelle Patterson. They try to leverage “positionless” players mathematically against defenders, and use a lot of pre and at-snap misdirection as well.

The Rams’ defensive linemen prepared for this all week, and their effort was commendable: A week after the Falcons rushed for almost 200 yards against the Saints, the Rams held them to just 90 rushing yards and racked up four tackles for loss. Defensive linemen A’Shawn Robinson and Greg Gaines were especially active, with Robinson at one point shedding a two-armed block to wrap up a running back, and Gaines making two crucial run-stops on the same drive, including on a fourth-and-1.

“That was a big thing this week, really studying those formations this week — a lot of adjustments and everything,” Gaines said. “It was a pretty complex week for us up front. It took a while, just to get used to it and to be on the P’s and Q’s, getting us in the right position for the right play at the right time.

“Fourth-down stops, that’s probably my favorite thing in football. That’s better than getting a sack, is getting a good fourth-and-1 stop. It’s my favorite thing in the world.”

Cobie the ‘landshark’ has splash debut

Rookie cornerback Cobie Durant, whose nickname is aptly “landshark” (he even wears a bracelet with sharks on it), was thrown into Sunday’s game early on after veteran Troy Hill injured his groin. Durant promptly recorded an interception that he returned for 51 yards, and then a sack, in his first meaningful defensive snaps.

“It felt amazing, a dream come true,” Durant told me after the game. “I wanted it all my life.”

Durant would have largely contributed on special teams, had Hill not gotten hurt. But he’s been preparing and getting early-team reps with the defense since the start of training camp, and his readiness in a “sudden change” situation showed.

“I know that they trust me to be out there (and) handle my own,” he said. Durant laughed when talking through his near-touchdown return after the interception, where he avoided a tackle by Mariota but got smothered by a lineman.

“I’m just like, man, just get to the end zone, just get your first career pick-6,” he said. “Ah, then I see Mariota. So I’m like, ‘I’m gonna give him a move.’ I give him a move, broke the tackle and as I’m spinning around I see an offensive lineman. So I’m like, ‘Man, this is gonna end bad.’”

The hardest to celebrate with Durant, he said, was Ramsey — who, while recovering from shoulder surgery this summer, coached Durant one-on-one quite a bit.

“He was like, ‘Man, you just don’t know how hyped I was, seeing you catch your first career interception, and you got a sack.’ He was like, ‘Man, I’m so happy for you,’” Durant said.

Bottom of The Pile

• After a brutal first week, the Rams’ offensive line rebounded despite personnel shuffling (center Brian Allen is out 2 to 4 weeks following a knee procedure) — even in-game. Guard Tremayne Anchrum got his first start Sunday, and the Rams immediately ran it behind his side (a sign of confidence). But Anchrum had to be carted off the field in the first quarter with an ankle injury, his teammates visibly sick for him as they ran over to offer some encouragement as he was helped onto the cart. Alaric Jackson slid into his spot in replacement.

“We feel for ‘Tree’ (the linemen’s nickname for Anchrum). AJ did a great job of stepping in and he really filled his shoes,” said center Coleman Shelton. “We had great energy all week, going into the game. We felt good.”

McVay didn’t have an official update on Anchrum’s status, but he was in a walking boot in the locker room postgame.

• Wagner had his second sack in as many games as a Ram, on a walk-up designed pressure early in the game that left him untouched as he got to Mariota.

“I heard them slide the protection, and so I knew I was going to be free,” he said. “It’s the easy ones (that are) the hardest ones, because it’s so much space and opportunity.”

Fellow starting inside linebacker Ernest Jones led the Rams in tackles (12) with one tackle for loss, while safety Jordan Fuller was second with eight tackles.

• Hill (groin) and David Long (apparently shoulder, never announced by team) both left the game at various points due to injuries. Durant came in after Hill got hurt, and Hill did not return. Long re-entered the game late. Robert Rochell took his place for a bit, but that wasn’t likely an ideal option because Rochell had some tightness pre-game that almost landed him on the inactive list.

• Kupp was visibly upset at himself in the locker room after the game for his fourth-quarter fumble (he hasn’t slipped up like that in a regular-season game since 2020).

“A lot of things (were running through my head),” he said. “You obviously just don’t want to put your team in that position, that’s the biggest thing.”

History (and social media) may be kinder on Kupp than he is to himself, considering this filthy move he pulled earlier in the game that went viral:

Coop with the juke! 🕺 @CooperKupp | @ramsNFL

📺: #ATLvsLAR on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/bM69Jy3G4O pic.twitter.com/dvFP6y5EUE

— NFL (@NFL) September 18, 2022