As others have mentioned, that muffed punt did them in. But I’d say their coverage was poor in the secondary, and they didn’t pressure Darnold nearly enough. Gotta find a corner or two in the draft and/or FA. They can upgrade linebacker too. Never should have traded Ernest Jones.

Agreed with those who say the Rams will be contenders to get back to the final four, next year at least. But the competition will be severe. But if Stafford decides to retire, all bets are off.

Too close for comfort!

They tested my belief, but I still held on to hope. Put the ball in Stafford’s hands at the end and there’s still a good chance to pull out the victory. Two more to reach the big show!

To say the least, tough loss. Special teams killed them again. Plus, situational awareness miss on the two-point backward pass play. Early in the game, not being able to get 7 twice was obviously crucial. I was happy that they at least made it a game in OT by scoring a TD.

Anyway, they still have a shot at a bye, but they can’t sleep on the Falcons or the Cards. Gotta win out and get some help from Chicago, looks like.

Echoing the posts about McClendon. Excellent to have found a young starter so late in the Draft, especially in a position of need. Not as golden as uncovering Puka, but still exceptional.

The Rams really answered the bell Sunday, and for most of this season. Bravo!

Good reactions from all. I was happy to be able to watch them, and see them dominant for at least a half. The right half, too. Roaring out to a big lead early is better for my health than come from behind victories. Macro case is better too. Sitting on top of the standings now as opposed to needing the last game of the year to make the playoffs, etc.

They’re clicking on all cylinders, as the cliche goes. The only thing missing is more touchdowns for Puka.

I wish I could have seen this one live. Was O-2, going to the games in SF.

I agree with Canadaram about the Seahawks. They may be the Rams’ toughest competitor now.

Great win!

Finally, a dominant win! Looks like Adams and Stafford solved their connection issues.

Rams are positioned really well going into the bye.

A shame they couldn’t win. Fumbles were crucial, and the kicking game is still a mess. Silver lining is they came back after laying an egg in the first half. Made it a game. Though as decimated as the Niners were, due to injuries, they never should have been able to hang with the Rams. The defense didn’t play well for much of the game, and made the Niners look good.

Williams and Karty, especially, have some work to do, and Adams and Stafford have to get in sync. Oh, well.

Game not televised locally, but it’s a lousy loss, regardless. Sounds like they need to work on red zone offense and field goal protection.

Silver lining is that Philly is arguably the best team in the NFL, and they were at home. Chances are the Rams beat them in LA.

ZN,

Yes, doing okay, all things considered. Thanks for asking. Just haven’t been posting online lately.

Hard to understand their overall strategy. But it doesn’t look like they’re drafting for need. Guessing it’s more like BPA, as they see it.

Hoping they can still find some late round gems at corner, tackle, and inside backer.

I don’t get paying Tutu 10 mil while letting Kupp go. But what are ya gonna do? He’ll be missed.

Anyway, Nacua is the man now, and Adams should be a strong #2, if he stays healthy.

It will be interesting to see if the wideout room retains its emphasis on selfless play, blocking, etc. They lost a lot of “intangibles” with Kupp going, just as they did with Woods . . .

wv wrote:

…so, is the front four now the ‘strength of the team’? Is it becoming the identity of the Rams?

Maybe it depends on how the front four does against the best OLines. Like Philadelphia. And Detroit.

If they get bludgeoned again, then what do we say about them?

Eagles are SIX point favorites.

w
v

With the way they played yesterday, yeah, Strength of the Team. Which leads to this: How good would they be with Aaron Donald added to the mix? Same guys who played Sunday, plus AD? Sheeesh. It wouldn’t have been fair to the Vikings.

;>)

Again, Eagles may be the best team in the NFL, and they certainly have a top three O-line. If the Rams can get to Hurts, it will confirm the D’s stunning success — coaching, player personnel, drafting, etc. It also likely means a Rams’ win.

zn wrote:

Billy_T wrote:

Basically trained like a Martial Artist.I don’t think any of the guys from the 1960s and 70s did that.

You know who did literally train with a martial artist? D’Marco Farr. He used that training to improve his hands in fighting blocks. It was one of the reasons he had a great year in 99.

Not that Farr, as good as he was in his own way, is on the list of all-time elite DTs. Just mentioning that Farr literally did train with a martial artist.

Did not know that about Farr. Good player. Good as an analysis guy after his playing days were over too.

One would think that Martial Arts would really help pretty much anyone playing in the trenches. Real wraslin’, as well. Leverage, quickness, precision, hand/eye, etc. Attack the sport holistically, and use it all.

I’m still amazed at how hard Donald worked. Makes his early retirement more understandable . . . He went out on top. Was not in decline, etc. So many players choose otherwise . . .

Some other factors of import:

Olsen was amazingly consistent, but he played in an era with fewer games per season and fewer pass attempts, as did the rest of the author’s Mount Rushmore. Aside from no official sack tally until 1982, you also didn’t have many teams dropping back to pass 40-45 times a game. The NFL was dominated by running teams, so the DT generally was responsible for stopping the run, and that doesn’t show up in the headlines as much.

I think the lack of elite support for Donald may be the biggest factor in his favor. He did more with less than the other guys. Am glad I got to see the old school players and Donald.