what happened in the Jets game? (good stuff here)

8 biggest plays that cost the Rams in their loss to the Jets

Cameron DaSilva

* https://theramswire.usatoday.com/lists/rams-jets-biggest-plays-week-15-loss-video/

When the Los Angeles Rams flip on the tape this week after their loss to the Jets, they won’t have to dive too deep in order to find out where things went wrong. Very clearly, this game came down to only a handful of plays.

They weren’t all preventable mistakes by the Rams, but there were plenty of self-inflicted wounds suffered by L.A. in this embarrassing 23-20 loss at home. Whether it was penalties, special teams mistakes or defensive blunders, the Rams shot themselves in the foot too many times on Sunday.

Looking back on the loss, these eight plays had the biggest impact on the outcome for the Rams, essentially costing themselves a win over the 0-13 Jets.

8 Blown coverage on Jets’ first TD

After the Rams went three-and-out on their opening possession, the Jets came right back and hit L.A. with a right hook, scoring a touchdown on their first drive to take a 7-0 lead.

It was a surprisingly impressive drive, spanning 74 yards in 13 plays and ending in this touchdown. Ty Johnson was left wide open due to a blown coverage as both Kenny Young and Troy Reeder went with the tight end across the field, failing to cover the running back.

It was only a 7-0 lead, but the Rams never recovered and even pulled back within a tie.

7 Jets’ blocked punt

It was believed that if the Jets were to win this game, it would take something crazy happening. And in the first quarter, they got an unexpected boost on special teams when J.T. Hassell blocked Johnny Hekker’s punt.

It set up the Jets with good field position, leading to a field goal and a 10-0 lead. Hekker had previously gone 120 straight punts without having one blocked, so this was certainly out of the ordinary.

Nick Scott was out due to COVID-19 protocols, and he’s typically Hekker’s protector up front. Without him on the field, the Rams had a gaffe – and it was a costly one.

6 Jared Goff’s interception to Bryce Hall

On the Rams’ next possession after Hekker’s blocked punt, Goff made a mistake of his own. Rolling to his right, he threw downfield for Robert Woods, who was almost wide open.

Except, there was one problem: He didn’t see Hall sitting underneath. Hall picked off Goff’s pass and gave the Jets excellent field position, once again leading to a field goal and a 13-0 lead.

The Rams could do nothing right on offense in the first half, and this was one example of that. It was just a bad throw by Goff, which he admitted after the game.

5 Frank Gore’s 1-yard TD run on fourth down

There are a couple of reasons this play was costly for the Rams. Not only did it give the Jets a 20-3 lead, but it also came after Sean McVay inexplicably burned a timeout – right after the Jets had called a timeout of their own.

A’Shawn Robinson was late to come on the field before the Jets’ fourth-down play, but he was still in position before McVay raced down the sideline to call a timeout. After regrouping and getting the exact play they wanted, the Rams still failed to keep Gore out of the end zone.

This was a back-breaker for L.A. If the defense had held on fourth down, it would’ve taken seven points off the board and maybe provided a spark when the Rams desperately needed one. But Gore pounded his way into the end zone and gave the Jets a 17-point lead.

4 Tyler Higbee’s block in the back penalty

Poor Cam Akers. He had 50 yards rushing called back due to penalties, including this infraction by Higbee. The tight end did a nice job getting on his man, Marcus Maye, but he couldn’t sustain the block long enough.

Once Maye shook loose, Higbee turned and blocked him in the back, preventing the safety from tackling Akers. Granted, Akers may have broken the tackle anyway, but Higbee’s shove was clearly a penalty.

It nullified a 22-yard run by Akers on the Rams’ final offensive possession. So instead of having a first down at the Jets’ 17-yard line, trailing by three points with 4:45 left in the game, the Rams were faced with second-and-10 from New York’s 43-yard line.

Obviously, they failed to convert on their next three plays and never got the ball back.

3 Fourth-down incompletion to Gerald Everett

Needing only 4 yards on fourth down with four minutes left in the game, Goff attempted his second pass of the game of at least 20 yards.

I repeat: The Rams needed just 4 yards and were trailing by three.

It was a good throw by the quarterback, but an even better play by Maye in coverage against Gerald Everett. The problem is, it was a low-percentage play to a tight end in the biggest moment of the game.

With the Rams turning it over on downs, the Jets took the ball back and were able to milk the clock by picking up two first downs and burning the Rams’ timeouts.

Equally costly was Goff’s incompletion to Akers deep down the left sideline one play earlier. Again, the Rams needed just 4 yards on third down, yet that was the moment Goff decided to attempt his first deep pass of the game.

It was an infuriating sequence by the Rams, who were having success on the ground but decided to air it out.

2 Gore’s 6-yard reception to seal the win

When the Jets needed a play most, they went to 37-year-old Gore, the ageless wonder. With the Rams out of timeouts and the Jets needing 6 yards on third down to ice the game, Gore came up big.

But it wasn’t necessarily a good play by Gore. It was once again a bust by the Rams. Troy Reeder and Jalen Ramsey both went with Jamison Crowder across the formation, leaving the middle of the field wide open. And no one picked up the tight end on the right side, either, as he was open for an even bigger gain.

The Rams played it to the sticks but simply couldn’t make the tackle quickly enough after Gore caught the pass. It was indicative of the way the game went for L.A.

After this play, the Jets kneeled it down three times and ran out the clock.

1 Austin Corbett’s touchdown-canceling penalty

This was the biggest play of the game and the costliest for the Rams. It looked like they’d finally take their first lead against the Jets on Akers’ 18-yard run up the middle, but a penalty nullified the rookie’s terrific scamper.

Corbett got on the linebacker at the second level, but his left hand got outside the defender’s pads as he tried to tackle Akers. Corbett took him to the ground and was called for holding, bringing back Akers’ long run.

It may not have looked like an obvious hold from that angle above, but if you take a look from the end zone view, it’s clear that Corbett grabbed hold of the defender’s jersey and prevented him from making a play.

The Rams would’ve gone up 24-23 (or at least tied it at 23, depending on the PAT) and would’ve continued to shift the momentum. Instead, they settled for a field goal to make it 23-20 and never scored again.