Rams tweets etc. … 9/21 – 9/23

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/rams/2026/09/21/rams-matthew-stafford-touchdown-passes-history-franchise/91882791007/?taid=6ab20b9714be170001b918ce&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

Matthew Stafford is only in his sixth season with the Los Angeles Rams and he’s already approaching the top of the team’s all-time leaderboards. On Monday night against the New York Giants, Stafford threw two first-half touchdown passes to give him 143 in his Rams career.

That moved him into second place all-time in Rams history, behind only Roman Gabriel, who had 154 touchdown passes with the franchise. Stafford has only played 65 games with the Rams, which is half as many as Gabriel played (130) to reach 154.

from ESPN, Ben Solak: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49999213/week-3-seven-things-solak-thinks-baker-mayfield-patriots-chargers#lar

… Aaron Donald’s ridiculous retirement workout regimen has paid off

Thirty-two snaps? For a 35-year-old defensive tackle who hasn’t played in 2½ years? I really can’t believe it. Even if you remind me that this guy is a supervillain athlete, I still would have guessed 15, maybe 20 snaps in his debut game.

Only three defensive tackles at least 35 years old have taken at least 30 snaps in a game since the start of last season: John Jenkins, Calais Campbell and Cameron Heyward. Donald could have easily gotten to 40 if forced to contribute in the second half; he took four snaps in the fourth quarter.

The Rams didn’t give Donald long strings of plays. They subbed their lines consistently, especially as they used four- and five-man fronts to combat various personnel groupings from the Giants. So, I still have conditioning questions, though those will exist with any big man playing at his age; it’s hard to keep that engine humming for four quarters.

The Giants also wanted to test that motor, and they went tempo in the third quarter when Donald was on the field, though they weren’t good enough on offense to pick up first downs and keep him trapped.

But how did Donald look with fresh legs? I was impressed. He’s still quick as a cat off the line of scrimmage. Watch here on the final play of the first quarter. The Giants are trying to pin him with the right tackle and pull the center and guard around the block. Donald is so quick upfield that he forces the center (John Michael Schmitz Jr., No. 61) to take a wide path around his disruption (and he gets a little tug on the jersey as a bonus) while running back Cam Skattebo is accelerated by the blitz behind. The timing of the play is ruined.

pic.twitter.com/XkzQBcX5sM

— Good Clips (@MeshSitWheel) September 22, 2026

Late in the first half, the Giants ask tight end Isaiah Likely to block down on Donald so they can run a puller in behind. This is a very silly idea. Donald again gets too far upfield and disrupts the puller, and Najee Harris is forced to burrow his head into the line of scrimmage and eat a TFL.

pic.twitter.com/H5yiONHRZu

— Good Clips (@MeshSitWheel) September 22, 2026

As long as that first step is still kicking, Donald will be a problem for opposing offenses. Next Gen Stats had Donald with a 0.75-second get-off in this game, tied for the third-fastest get-off for a defensive tackle in a game this season. That sort of upfield disruption, even if it comes with fewer finished rushes and sacks, or comes on a lower snap count, still matters a great deal.

Were this a random game in 2023, I’d call it a bad performance for Donald’s pass-rushing presence. He ate a lot of double-teams, which opened up other rushers. But he struggled to separate from offensive linemen and create pressure on the quarterback. He had only one pressure on the day, which occurred late in the fourth quarter, when the Giants were down by 22 and in desperation mode. In the Next Gen Stats era — from 2016, 134 regular-season and playoff games — Donald has had only one pressure in eight games. This was a rare sight.

I’d be worried about that if it weren’t a weird game script: Jaxson Dart out (knee), good Giants offensive line, no real reason to play Donald in the fourth quarter. The pressures will come as Donald gets back into the flow of pass rushing against real offensive linemen. That’s the sort of thing that no shirtless Instagram workout can really replace.

"The Rams' problems are rich people problems. Like, 'My Porsche is in the shop' and 'My private jet is delayed'"@colincowherd thinks the Rams aren't clicking yet… and they still dominated the Giants pic.twitter.com/Pt6lHinNGI

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) September 22, 2026

Bad coaching
Good coaching
Great coaching@RamsNFL pic.twitter.com/oDGrBNIOk6

— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) September 22, 2026

Rams Wire@TheRamsWire
No QB has more games with 4-plus TD passes than Matthew Stafford since 2021

One more different angle…

Absurd throw from Matt Stafford. pic.twitter.com/hjNu2SMTpB

— Chris Cooper (@ChrisCooper_NFL) September 22, 2026

Sosa Kremenjas@QBsMVP
Jared Verse vs. Josaiah Stewart this season, per @SumerSports:

Verse:
4.3% pressure percentage
4.3% pass-rush win rate
2 pressures

Stewart:
16.2% pressure percentage
10.8% pass-rush win rate
6 pressures

Cameron DaSilva@camdasilva
Highest coverage grades in the NFL this season, per PFF:

1. Trent McDuffie: 93.2
2. Quentin Lake: 92.2

8 pass breakups and 2 interceptions combined.