Rams open as 3.5-point underdogs vs. Lions in wild-card round https://t.co/Qz3fNrB60f pic.twitter.com/J6jirPg1ht

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) January 8, 2024

Stat comparisons.

Rams offense: 7th in yards, 9th in points, 7th in YPA passing, 12th in YPC rushing, 8th in 3rd down conversion %

Rams defense: 20th in yards, 19th in points, 14th in YPA passing, 17th in YPC rushing, 25th in pressure %

Lions offense:  3rd in yards, 5th in points, 3rd in YPA passing, 5th in YPC rushing, 11th in 3rd down conversion %

Lions defense: 19th in yards, 23rd in points, 29th in YPA passing, 3rd in YPC rushing, 3rd in pressure %

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On paper, it gets down to (1) run O & run D on both sides, though Lions have an advantage, (2) the Rams OL and pass protection against a good pressure team. The Lions distinct disadvantage is their pass coverage–they can pressure but not cover.

In terms of the “ideal match-up” that’s only partly true. The Rams know Goff. None of the current Lions coaches or personnel people know Stafford.

from https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2024/1/8/24030186/rams-49ers-pff-grades-carson-wentz-russ-yeast

Top PFF five grades on offense:

1 – Brycen Hopkins, TE: 82.2

There has maybe been no bigger mystery across the Rams’ roster since Super Bowl LVI in how the franchise has not gotten more out of Brycen Hopkins. When he’s on the field and given opportunities he tends to make plays, and i’s possible that he can be a difference maker for another team in 2024. By hauling in two receptions for 47 yards (long of 29), Hopkins made the most of his “audition”.

Wentz willed the Rams to victory in this one. The broadcast announced that his 17 rushing attempts were the most by a Rams QB since 1950, and he accumulated 56 yards and a touchdown on those carries. He also completed 17 of 24 passes for 163 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception that was deflected at the line of scrimmage.

What does the future have in store for Wentz? Could he return to Los Angeles to backup Stafford in 2024, or did he show enough to warrant a potential starting job somewhere else?

Shelton played a clean game in pass protection and did not allow a pressure. The offensive line overall allowed only four pressures: three by Alaric Jackson (mostly against Chase Young) and one by left guard Steve Avila.

4 – Davis Allen, TE: 73.7

Los Angeles involved rookie tight end Davis Allen early and often. He was given several catch and run opportunities and totaled four receptions for 25 yards. Allen is a natural catcher of the football, which he displayed when given the chance in the preseason.

5 – Kevin Dotson, RG: 73.6

Dotson is a member of this top five nearly every week. He’s proven to be one of the best and most consistent guards in all of football. He played 23 snaps before being replaced by Tremayne Anchrum.

Other notes on offense:

Tremayne Achrum played at right guard in replacement of Dotson. While he finished with the lowest offensive grade at 48.6, he earned a very good pass blocking grade of 83. 5(highest of any Ram in this game). Anchrum seemingly struggled in run blocking and earned a lowly mark of 43.2.

Top five PFF grades on defense:

1 – Russ Yeast, DB: 79.1

Jordan Fuller suffered an ankle injury last week against the New York Giants but managed to suit up for San Francisco. He played 12 snaps on defense before being ruled out for the remainder of the game with either the same or a different ankle injury. That thrust second-year safety Russ Yeast into action, and he rose to the occasion

Yeast broke up two deep passes late in the game while LA was defending a one-point lead. Completing either of those passes would have put San Francisco in likely field goal territory. He also finished with six tackles.

Hummel appeared on only 17 snaps but made his presence felt. He was targeted once in coverage and allowed a catch for only one yard and a PFF coverage grade of 76.0. He fared much better than his middle linebacker counterpart, Christian Rozeboom, who was graded at 35.7 and the second-lowest player on the defense in Week 18.

3 – Bobby Brown, NT: 72.7

The Rams will need a strong performance from Brown next week against the Lions in order to slow down Detroit’s physical running game. Brown proved against the 49ers that he excels in that department. He finished with a run stop and two total tackles on 24 snaps.

4 – Byron Young, OLB: 72.4

Byron Young led LA in total pressures in this game with four. Kobie Turner, Michael Hoecht, and Jonah Williams all had three. Trent Williams played about a dozen snaps for San Francisco at left tackle, and then you could feel Young come on after that point. He had several well-timed hits on Sam Darnold to force incompletions.

While you can debate how strong of a 2023 season Witherspoon has had and whether he should come back on a new contract next season, he’s still the best outside corner that the Rams have currently. He played 49 snaps on the game (second behind only Hoecht at 50), so it’s good he came away without any bumps or bruises.

Witherspoon was targeted five times in coverage and allowed just three catches for 17 yards and a passer rating of 66.3.

zn wrote:

JAKE ELLENBOGEN@JKBOGEN

The Sean McVay #Rams are 3-6 when Craig Wrolstad officiates the game. They’ve lost their last 3 games with him as the head referee. He’s the official for the Rams and Lions game this Sunday.

I’m gonna guess that has more to do with how many points the Rams scored compared to their opponents rather than who the head referee was.

zn wrote:

Zooey wrote:

I’m gonna guess that has more to do with how many points the Rams scored compared to their opponents rather than who the head referee was.

Well bad calls can limit your scoring relative to the other team and/or give the other team points relative to you. I don’t know if that ref is bad for the Rams but the basic premise that a bad ref can change your fortunes ain’t completely illogical. I’m not advocating that in this case per se, I have no opinion, just posting things that are out there.

I know how the dots are connected, and it isn’t without “logic.” It’s just without evidence.

And the fact is that the Head Referee isn’t the only guy out there with a yellow handkerchief in his pocket, anyway, so the logical insinuation is a bit rickety to begin with.

To suggest there is a possibly an anti-Rams bias at work here based on the Rams’ record implies that he single-handedly tilted multiple games against the Rams for some inexplicable reason.

I think the presence of “Logic” is stronger in the “That’s crap” camp than in the “anti-Rams bias” camp.

I don’t know how anybody finds out who refereed what games, but I’m gonna guess there are a few refs out there with something similar to a 6-3, or even 7-2 record in favor of the Rams, and I doubt anybody is going to suggest that is pro-Rams bias.

And I know that you know that, and I know that you know that I know that you know that, and so there’s no problem. You posted an interesting tidbit and I threw out something to counterbalance it.

I’m going to go to a staff meeting now because they are always more interesting than reading the Rams board leading up to an unexpected playoff game.

He talks about the Rams at about 8:13 in.

…

This is crazy https://t.co/AYPcoDN6me

— JAKE ELLENBOGEN (@JKBOGEN) January 9, 2024

Zooey wrote:

Of course, that leaves out that Goff has played more games, and Stafford can make every throw Goff can make, but Goff cannot make throws Stafford makes, and that Stafford has a Lombardi.

That tweet of course comes from twitter, where “the trade” debate was heavy. Here, at Le Huddle, there was a general consensus that (1) McV was the problem with Goff & Goff just had a confidence issue because of it, (2) yet there’s nothing wrong with the trade because if your qb and HC are not a good match one has to go and if the result is getting Stafford that’s good for the Rams and good for McV, and (3) it would be no surprise if Goff did well with the Lions, and (4) it would be no surprise when Stafford did well with the Rams.

On twitter? It was open war. Here are some of the positions:

1. Goff absolutely sucked as a qb and any talk about “confidence” was just namby-pamby player coddling
2. oh and btw Campbell was clearly an idiot…knee-caps?
3. Stafford was no good cause if he was any good why couldn’t Detroit win anything the whole time he was there
4. and 2022 just went to show how bad he was, in spite of the post-season streak in 2021…and don’t talk to me about OL injuries, a good qb elevates his OL
5. then…hey surprise Goff can play
6. not so fast he falls apart under pressure, there are still collapse games
7. the Rams are tanking why didn’t they trade off Stafford when they had a chance now he’s just going to struggle on a stripped down team
8. that’s okay they will be picking a qb in the top 10 of the 2024 draft
9. oh wait look they’re the only NFC west team Baltimore didn’t just slaughter like baby seals…and, 7-1 since the bye? 😲
10. etc.

The nuanced and to me factual take is that Goff is good, Stafford is at another level because I mean just watch him, but Goff is still good, and Goff has a better overall situation in Detroit in 2023 (built team v. re-tooling team) but Stafford can do things no one else in the league can do…you can both see Goff’s strengths as a qb and see Stafford as the HOFer that he is and the trade was a good thing for the Rams.

Plus it’s nice to see Holmes do well as a GM.

But. As for this week? Nuance shmu-ance. Go Rams.

wv wrote:

Does that mean the Rams are… Tankies?

I think we established pretty clearly that when it comes to tanking, the Rams had no idea how to do it right.

Well to be fair, not entirely though. The special teams tanked just fine. At times, so did the secondary.

Anyway by not tanking the Rams lost out on high draft picks this year, and getting high picks would have been the only way they could have built a playoff team. But apparently they don’t care about that.

Oh well. I hope they’re happy.

Zooey wrote:

I wondered if Matt Gay and Jalen Ramsey would have made this team a Super Bowl champion.

jalen ramsey on this team would be really interesting.

Really great crossover episode with @colton_pouncy and @nickbaumgardner covering ALL of the delicious Rams vs. Lions storylines – from Stafford’s return, to McVay and Goff, to Snead and Holmes and more!

11 Personnel links:
🟢 https://t.co/0l9DZ9kGyk
🔴 https://t.co/zFh0zpkxdg

— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) January 9, 2024