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znModeratorznModeratorznModeratorJ.B. Long@JB_Long
Kyren Williams ties Marshall Faulk’s Rams franchise record streak of 6 straight games with a rushing TD, which ended in 2001.15 rushing TDs in last 15 games for KW23.
LA back within a score, 3Q: 21-14.
Stu Jackson@StuJRams
Today was 4th Quarter Comeback No. 36 for Matthew Stafford, moving him into a tie with Drew Brees for fifth-most all-time in NFL historyMatthew Stafford also moved into 10th all-time in NFL history in career completions with his performance today
Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
The Rams have deployed a lot of 12 personnel today but shifted back into 11 in the red zone, which signaled they would pass…but Stafford handed off once to Williams and then dumped him a little “run extension” YAC pass. Smart plan there gets the Rams on the board.Stu Jackson@StuJRams
49ers K Jake Moody’s 55-yard field goal attempt MISSED wide left.Rams took over at their own 45 with 2:43 left
Matthew Stafford launched a 50-yard completion to Tutu Atwell the very next play. Wow
znModeratorJourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Josh Karty told me he had not been able to kick all week because he was held out of practice with the groin issue. He was able to warm up a little Friday and that was it. Wow.Xavier Smith always seems to step up when his number is called.
Special teams forces suddenly swing toward chaotic good
Cameron DaSilva@camdasilva
Jameson Williams
Marvin Harrison Jr.
Jauan JenningsAll have cooked the Rams with huge games this season
Brett Kollmann@BrettKollmann
McVay has had some great wins in his career but considering the circumstances, this is easily one of the most impressive coaching jobs he’s ever done.Absolutely remarkable that the banged up Rams won this game.
(and yes the Niners also blew it, two things can be true)
Blaine Grisak@bgrisakTST
Matthew Stafford has beaten the 49ers twice since joining the Rams in 2021.In both games, Stafford overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win.
znModeratorSan Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams Game Highlights | NFL 2024 Season Week 3
znModeratorI think it’s fair to say no one expected this. But, gutty great win from a beat up offense and young defense.
Special teams is helping them win this year.
When you have Stafford and McVay you always have a chance.
znModeratorRams Inactives:
WR Cooper Kupp
QB Stetson Bennett
TE Davis Allen
DE Brennan Jackson
OT Geron Christian
RB Cody SchraderLineup notes:
TE Tyler Higbee (knee) remains on the PUP
WR Puka Nacua (knee) remains on IR
WR Cooper Kupp (ankle) is out as well.znModeratorRams Bros.@RamsBrothers
Projected starting offensive line for Sunday:
• LT Alaric Jackson
• LG Logan Bruss
• C Beaux Limmer
• RG Kevin Dotson
• RT Rob HavensteinProjected starting WR’s:
• Jordan Whittington (F)
• Tyler Johnson (Z)
• Demarcus Robinson (X)Could be worse, honestly.
znModeratorJust curious, anyone blame the Rams for these injuries? Is it just bad luck, or are they doing something wrong?
I’ve wondered that myself.
znModeratorThat may have more to do with the lack of McCaffrey, Samuel, Mitchell, and Kittle than anything else.
It’s the injury bowl.
Winning team gets, to put on display in its headquarters, a special gold embossed crutch autographed by Sam Bradford.
znModeratorKam Kinchens among players in line for ‘elevated role’ with John Johnson III out
Stu Jackson
WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – With starting safety John Johnson III out for an extended period of time because of a Week 2 shoulder injury, rookie safety Kamren Kinchens is one of the players set to see more playing time beginning with Sunday’s Week 3 home game against the 49ers.
“Obviously when that happens, guys have to step up, so he’ll definitely take on an elevated role and so will some other guys too,” defensive coordinator Chris Shula said Thursday.
Kinchens’ playmaking in training camp and the Rams’ four joint practices in the preseason showcased his range and physicality. General manager Les Snead on one of the team’s preseason broadcasts said Los Angeles’ third-round draft pick has “definitely earned his equity and trust.” Likewise, pass game coordinator/assistant head coach Aubrey Pleasant said last month that Kinchens’ attention to detail is “probably a little bit above par” compared to normal rookies. Pleasant also praised Kinchens’ recall.
Kinchens has seen 14 snaps so far on defense; the other 23 of his 37 have come on special teams. Out of those 14 defensive snaps, he’s lined up at free safety on 13 and in the slot on 1. That split somewhat mirrored his usage at the University of Miami; 67.4% of his snaps came at free safety, 32.6% in the slot, according to Pro Football Focus data.
“Just playing where they want me to be at,” Kinchens said. “Kind of filling that role with JJ, or even if it was Q(uentin Lake) or Kam (Curl), just being a plug-in player. Wherever they need me to be, that’s where I’m at to help.”
Shula said Kinchens has been a “really mature rookie” since his first day with the team.
“Obviously, he’s a guy that we knew when the pads come on, he kind of comes to life,” Shula said. “Really good ball skills, really good communication. So really excited about him.”
znModeratorHoldenCantor@HoldenCantorJared Verse on not finishing the sacks on Kyler Murray: “That’ll never happen again.”znModeratorJourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Cooper Kupp (ankle) and Davis Allen (back) are ruled out for Sunday’s game, per Sean McVay.Josh Karty (groin), Bobby Brown (ankle) and Cobie Durant (toe) will be questionable.
Allen being out obviously impacts flexibility with different personnels w/ Kupp, Nacua also out.
znModeratorAdam Schefter@AdamSchefterThe 49ers and Rams play on Sunday in Los Angeles, and the game is likely to be without Christian McCaffrey, Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson, amongst others.znModeratorLos Angeles Rams PR@TheLARamsPRAfter Week 2, QB Matthew Stafford ranks second in completions (53), tied for second in passing yards (533), tied for fifth in passing first downs (24) and ninth in pass/interception rate (1.3%).…the proverbial “fwiw”znModeratorznModeratorznModeratorPFF LA Rams@PFF_Rams
Jared Verse among EDGE defenders this season:83.0 run defense grade (3rd)
4 run stops (T-3rd)
24.3% pass rush win rate (4th)znModeratorJourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigueSean McVay says they are not sure yet whether Cooper Kupp will eventually go on IR, though he does confirm injury is not season ending and no procedure will be needed. Indication is this recovery will have a fluid timeline – plus managing IR return designation allotment..Kupp will wear a cast this week then start to rehab, per McVayznModeratorOn paper, it sure looked like a good OL.
I’m going to hazard a guess. My bet is that the highest ranking OLs at the moment don’t have major injuries combined with suspensions. In ARZ the Rams were on their 4th LOT. I can’t remember any time where a team did well playing its 4th LOT.
I know you know this. But it never stops amazing me when some fans and some national reporters and analysts don’t account for that. It amazed me in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, and 2022.
znModeratorThis was a very promising season that is circling the drain in Week 3. Not only are their prospects dim for this week, they could well hit the bye week at 1-4, or even 0-5.
The hope, and it’s not far-fetched at all, is that they get the injured back and regroup at the bye. That’s what happened last year. In fact the timing of the bye is perfect this year. That could very well mean a wildcard, and once you have the wildcard you never know.
znModeratorNFL Stats@NFL_Stats
Most passing yards through week 2:Brock Purdy – 550
Matthew Stafford – 533
Gardner Minshew – 533
Jared Goff – 524
Lamar Jackson – 520
Geno Smith – 498
CJ Stroud – 494
Tua Tagovailoa – 483
Sam Darnold – 476
Baker Mayfield – 474znModeratorMcVay: Cooper Kupp, John Johnson III and Jonah Jackson to miss ‘extended period of time’ with injuries sustained in Week 2 against Cardinals, but injuries not season-ending
Stu Jackson@StuJRamsMcVay said none of these injuries are season-ending, but all three players are candidates for Injured Reserve McVay also clarified it’s an ankle sprain for KuppznModeratorStu Jackson@StuJRams
Interesting note from Week 2: OLB Jared Verse became the fourth Rams rookie to record three tackles for loss in a game (Chris Long – 2008, Michael Brockers – 2012 and Aaron Donald – 2014), tied for the most by a Rams rookie in a single game. Pretty good company
znModeratorIan Rapoport@RapSheet#Rams starting guard Jonah Jackson suffered a fractured scapula and is likely headed to injured Reserve, sources said. A similar injury to what he has in training camp.znModeratorJordan Schultz@Schultz_ReportGood news for the #Rams: The suspensions for QB Jimmy Garoppolo and starting LT Alaric Jackson were officially lifted today by Commissioner Roger Goodell and they can rejoin the team. Both players were suspended for the first two games of the year.znModeratorColumn: Rams’ failure to protect Matthew Stafford threatens to derail more than their season
Dylan Hernández
https://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/story/2024-09-16/rams-must-protect-matthew-stafford-future
GLENDALE, Ariz. — He didn’t have any protection. He didn’t have any weapons.
Matthew Stafford was a sitting duck in the Rams’ 41-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.Playing behind an offensive line decimated by injuries, Stafford was sacked five times at State Farm Stadium. Starting the game without Puka Nacua and ending it with Cooper Kupp in a walking boot, the veteran quarterback led the Rams on only one touchdown drive.
The season has barely started but already could be over, the Rams with a 0-2 record and the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers scheduled to visit them in Week 3.
This is starting to feel like a repeat of the Rams’ five-win 2022 season when Stafford was beaten and beaten and beaten some more until he was shut down for the season because of a bruised spinal cord.
How much more of this will Stafford be forced to endure?
How much more of this can the 36-year-old take?
The answers to these questions could have major Ram-ifications for the team, both in the short and long term.
Any effort to emerge from this 0-2 start has to start with Stafford, who barely had any time to throw against the Cardinals.
Four of the sacks were on third down, including early in the second quarter. Trailing 21-0, the Rams had the ball on the Cardinals’ seven-yard line when linebacker Zaven Collins ran around left tackle Warren McClendon Jr. and mauled Stafford from behind. The Rams settled for a field goal.
“You can’t really get anything going if you don’t have the opportunity to let stuff develop,” coach Sean McVay said.
The reasons were obvious. Starting left tackle Alaric Jackson was serving the back end of a two-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Fellow lineman Steve Avila and Joe Noteboom went down in a season-opening loss to the Detroit Lions and were placed on injured reserve.
Running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum combined to average just 2.7 yards per carry behind the makeshift offensive line, the absence of a viable running game allowing the Cardinals to key on Kupp — until the receiver injured his ankle on a 24-yard reception in the final minute of the first half.
Kupp picked up a combined 13 yards in his previous three catches. He didn’t play in the second half.
The Rams were already without Nacua, who suffered a knee injury in Week 1 and landed on IR. Kupp wore protective footwear in the locker room after the game.
Stafford played the entire game, taking the field for his team’s final possession with a little more than four minutes remaining. The Rams were down by 31 points.
Saying he didn’t want to place inexperienced backup Stetson Bennett in a compromising position, McVay selected to safeguard Stafford by exclusively running the ball.
“Felt like he was going to be out of harm’s way,” McVay said. “No matter what happened, we weren’t going to throw the football.”
The ability to protect Stafford could affect the Rams beyond this season. Stafford is technically under contract through the 2026 season, but in the wake of the most recent adjustment to his deal, he’s basically playing on a year-to-year basis.
Stafford said on a podcast last month that he hoped to play another three or four seasons but also acknowledged that he considered retirement after the 2022 season.
Stafford was sacked 29 times in just nine games that season and was twice placed in concussion protocol. Kupp also played just nine games, and the Rams didn’t have much of a ground attack.
Sound familiar?
Predictably, Stafford downplayed the pounding he endured against the Cardinals.
“I feel fine,” he said.
Stafford echoed McVay’s message about not using the missing players as excuses for the performance, saying that with Kupp and Nacua sidelined, he was looking forward to working with the likes of Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson, Tutu Atwell and Jordan Whittington.
“I got a ton of trust in them,” he said.
Stafford delivered the kind of message that any team would want its on-field leader to deliver, but it didn’t solve anything.
The Rams have to figure how to prevent their opponents from driving their old quarterback into their turf. The season will depend on it. The future will too.
znModeratorWyatt Miller@wymill07The Rams’ rookie duo out of Florida State has performed well in their first two games. Braden Fiske (4 pressures) and Jared Verse (9 pressures) are the only rookie pass rushers with at least 8 total tackles and 1 pressure thus far.Sosa Kremenjas@QBsMVP
Jared Verse is already the best player on the defense and a legitimately good player. When (if?) he learns to finish his pressures, he can leap from good/very good to great.znModeratorroberto clemente@rclemente2121week 1: the bills sacked murray 4 times, held him to 162 passing yards, strip/sacked him at his 21 leading to a bills td, and held the cards offense to 20 points. murray had a career day vs a very suspect rams defense. -
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