tweets … 12/21 thru 12/25

Despite horrendous loss to Jets, Rams can still win NFC West https://t.co/cK8fQAqzXp

— RamsNewsNow (@RamsNewsNow) December 21, 2020

Things can change FAST for an NFL RB.

🔹 2017-19: Todd Gurley leads RBs with 54 TD (15 more than any other RB)

🔹 April 2020: Rams cut Gurley

🔹 December 2020: Falcons announce Ito Smith has passed Gurley on depth chart pic.twitter.com/iNg3reAUbL

— NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) December 21, 2020

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
RB Cam Akers battled through a high ankle sprain yesterday per McVay, and he is going to be out for Sunday

SeattleRams@seattlerams_nfl
Rec yards needed over the next two games in order to hit 1K on the season again.

Cooper Kupp -92
Robert Woods -148

I’d be ok if they both reach these numbers against Seattle.

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Rams held a walkthru today so injury report will be an estimation. RT Rob Havenstein is dealing with a shoulder injury but he is expected to play on Sunday at Seattle.

Sean McVay says that things are looking pretty good for OLB Terrell Lewis this week.

Rams Wire@TheRamsWire
Pete Carroll says Aaron Donald is ‘as good as there’s ever been in the game’

Is this the week for Terrell Lewis?

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
I think it just might be! I got the sense last week, when the rookie outside linebacker was not on the injury report but also was not active against the Jets, that the Rams were giving him a little extra time to rest his knee ahead of a pretty crucial final stretch. Lewis’ knee issues have popped up a couple of times this year (and they caused him to drop in the draft), but if the Rams can figure out a good way to manage it, he should be OK.

How badly does not having a true deep threat hurt the passing game?

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
It seems many Rams observers believe a lack of a deep threat at wide receiver is the biggest hindrance to this offense’s production, and others believe it’s turnovers, lack of rhythm and execution, etc.

I’m in the second camp. Turnovers especially have been the biggest reason why this offense has not been successful. Despite having one of the most efficient and productive defenses in the NFL, the Rams are still minus-1 in turnover margin. That’s terrible. The Rams’ offense has turned the ball over at least once in every game this season. Please read that again, because it’s important. Turning the ball over at that rate affects every piece of what they’re able to do on offense. It wrecks the rhythm of the run game. It prevents them from getting deeper into their playbook, and from transitioning into different personnel looks that they’d like because they basically have to start over in their sequencing. If the turnover leads to opponent points, they have to change the game plan to make up for it, especially if they face a deficit.

The Rams don’t have a technical “deep threat,” and that’s obviously by choice because they traded receiver Brandin Cooks before the draft and with plenty of time in free agency. They made this choice because, as it’s now clear, they knew they were going to change the direction of their offense and rely more on high-probability plays instead of low-probability plays like the “deep ball.” High-probability plays mean catch-and-run plays off short passes, a strong run game, and pre-and-at-snap motions and reverses to help widen a defense before punching downfield after the catch. They did this in part because they knew their offensive line was going to be about the same in pass-blocking — Goff averages 2.5 seconds of time in the pocket this year, compared to 2.6 seconds in 2019, according to Pro Football Reference — and because they know Goff struggles against four-man pressure. Therefore, longer-developing plays become even lower-probability.

And, get this: The Rams, through much of the season, ranked among the top six in the NFL in explosive plays, because of their run game and the yards after catch from receivers and tight ends. So they were still “stretching the field,” just in a different way than we’ve come to expect.

Now, could they use a guy who can stretch out the back end of a defense through the air? Sure. When used in the right situation, and with the right player, that can be an incredibly useful play. But if they already knew they wouldn’t be throwing that type of ball much this year, it didn’t make sense from a roster or financial perspective to use resources there. Remember, you always need to give something up to get something. But considering all of this, it was even more frustrating to see them abandon the high-probability options on those third- and fourth-down plays at the end of Sunday’s game. That hasn’t been Goff’s game all year. Commit to a plan.

To me, most of the Rams’ issues would get fixed if they stopped giving the ball away. It seems like there should be a more complicated fix, but really, it’s simple. Get the ball to your playmakers with smart decisions and let them do the rest. Don’t give it back to the other team.

What is the glaring thing to you that has to be fixed for us to finish strong and be competitive in the playoffs that can be fixed?

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. If I could only pick one thing to fix, among all that has bothered this offense (and special teams) this season, and that I believed would get the Rams on their way to a deep playoff run, that would be it.

Here’s something telling, and depressing, about the turnover issue: The Rams’ defensive players who spoke postgame on Sunday all lamented not scoring points of their own. Now, they meant that they had hoped to continue a three-game streak of scoring a defensive touchdown. But I felt like it was kind of sad that they put it on their own shoulders, because the Rams’ offense has been turning the ball over so much and has averaged just 20 points per game over the last four. The Rams’ defense is tied for fifth in the NFL in takeaways with 21 and the team still has a turnover margin of minus-1, which ranks 20th.

Do you feel like the locker room has lost confidence in Jared Goff?

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
I don’t get that sense, no. I think things would have to get a lot worse for that to happen. The fact that Goff is so even-keel and has historically rebounded from poorer games bodes well for him, too. Something I admire about this team is that the players seem to have each other’s backs, even when things get difficult.

Brad Holmes, Rams' director of college scouting, will interview for general manager positions https://t.co/EcAvTG4DPO

— RamsNewsNow (@RamsNewsNow) December 25, 2020

Rams DL Sebastian Joseph-Day, a sixth-round pick in 2018, is making a name for himself on and off the field. “I have a vision to help people out. It’s a huge goal of mine, and a huge part of why I long to leave a legacy here." https://t.co/JX69aQyU0s

— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) December 25, 2020