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December 21, 2023 at 3:42 pm in reply to: plays, highlights … Wash game, w/ Baldinger on Wms #147725
znModeratorThese are some of the important plays made by Kyren Williams. Robinson misses his chip, leaving Williams 1-on-1 with the edge player.
Fights for every yard. Rams offense stays ahead of the chains. pic.twitter.com/rOsK5xqXyj
— Blaine Grisak š (@bgrisakTST) December 20, 2023
znModeratorBlaine Grisak@bgrisakTSTNot sure how this got swept under the radar after Kyren Williams rushed for 152 yards last week, but… By rushing for 114 and 152 yards in back-to-back weeks, Williams became the first running back in Matthew Staffordās career to rush for consecutive 100-yard games.znModeratorLove this breakdown from @GregCosell of what makes Sean McVay so good: pic.twitter.com/YIxIuszQa4
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) December 21, 2023
znModeratorI was surprised the margin isnāt wider. The Rams owned the Saints for a couple of decades, winning 14 of the first 17 matchups. Since 1977, the Saints have the upper hand.
Yeah I remember when the great “king linebackers” Saints with Rickey Jackson were a big division rival of the Robinson Rams.
Then the Haslett Saints were a big division rival of the Martz Rams. Until they re-aligned the divisions in 2002.
December 21, 2023 at 10:20 am in reply to: as Rams emerge, praise for Snead…+ Snead interview #147718znModeratorDecember 21, 2023 at 9:56 am in reply to: as Rams emerge, praise for Snead…+ Snead interview #147716znModeratorRams Brothers@RamsBrothersit feels like there are two VERY important moves that Les Snead made that are ratherā¦ unorthodox?He released Van Jefferson & Cam Akers in the last year of their deals. The Rams took on more dead cap, but it made room for Kyren to excel in the new scheme, and allowed Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell own the āXā. It has made all the difference offensively.ā¦Me@moiThough to be fair, itās not clear how much of that is Snead and how much of that is Snead and McV collaborating and thinking it through together.I donāt see it quite that way. Akers has been in the process of Unwelcoming himself on the team for quite a while, and became worthless to them in a āremodelā year anyway. His departure opened up the backfield. Not sure that was wizard work. Tutu outperformed VJ who just didnāt show up this season. VJ worked himself into expendability. And Demarcus took advantage of Tutuās concussion.
Yeah it’s more along the lines of “stuff outsiders couldn’t know when they judged the Rams off-season harshly.”
The harsh judgments neglected a few things. Like, the fact that they weren’t really dumping everyone for rookies–they were promoting a lot of 2nd and 3rd year players who were ready to step up (Lake, Bobby Brown, Williams, etc.).
And also that they were always pretty good at finding low-cost veteran trades and signing cheap “ronin” type vets (Witherspoon, Dotson, D.Robinson).
znModeratorSome interesting bits from this article: “Four things to watch for in Saints-Rams,” which is on the board here (and recommended): https://theramshuddle.com/topic/setting-up-the-saints-game-2/#post-147711
The bits:
Ā Rams have only eight interceptions this season, but half of those have come in the past five games.
Aaron Donald has generated at least four pressures in five consecutive games
Stafford has been great versus pressure in the Ramsā 4-1 streak, with a league-high -0.03 EPA on pressured dropbacks in that span.
The Saints have allowed the fourth-most yards to running backs before contact per carry (2.0) in the NFL this season, and Williams ranks third in the league in yards before contact per carry (2.0).
znModerator2023 NFL season, Week 16: Four things to watch for in Saints-Rams on Prime Video
The Saints and Rams meet Thursday night at SoFi Stadium, with both teams playing pretty good football. The Rams have won four of five. The Saints have won two straight comfortably. As it currently stands, the Rams hold the seventh and final playoff spot, while the Saints are the second team out of the mix in the ninth overall position in the conference.
Through 15 weeks, both teams are all square at 7-7 and in desperate need of a victory to get firm upĀ postseason positioning.
For the Rams, there might be slightly more on the line in this game. A loss wonāt end their chances, but they can only get in as a wild card, with San Francisco sewing up the NFC West last week. As of Tuesday,Ā Next Gen StatsĀ gave the Rams a 52% chance of making the playoffs heading into the game. A win increases it to 73%, but a loss would knock them down to 15%.
New Orleans can still win its division. The Saints remain even with the Buccaneers, record-wise, in the quest of an NFC South title, although the Bucs currently hold the head-to-head tiebreaker prior to their Week 17 meeting in Tampa. Although the Saints currently have a lesser postseason chance (41%) than the Rams, this game carries less relative weight, with a win raising their likelihood to 70% and a loss dropping them to 24%.
Both teams know how fortunate they are to be in this position to fight for the playoffs. The Rams went into their bye at 3-6. The Saints had to win their past two just to have a chance. The winner receives a potentially huge head-to-head tiebreaker in the wild-card race, too.
Here are four things to watch for when the Saints visit the Rams on Thursday night on Prime Video:
1) Carr looks to attack vulnerable Rams secondary.Ā Carr is coming off arguably his best game as a Saint and has played solid ball since midseason. He’s rarely had all of his weapons at his disposal this season, but the Saints are starting to put together a more complete group offensively, and, last week, Carr hit tight endsĀ Juwan JohnsonĀ andĀ Jimmy GrahamĀ for touchdowns, along with wideoutĀ Keith KirkwoodĀ for his first TD in five years.Ā Chris Olave, who missed last week, will return from an ankle injury andĀ Rashid ShaheedĀ is back to form, so the Saints should be able to attack all parts of the field. The Rams have only eight interceptions this season, but half of those have come in the past five games. CornerbackĀ Ahkello WitherspoonĀ has been excellent this season, and though he left last week’s game with a groin injury, he has no injury designation. The bigger worry might be at the other outside CB spot.Ā Derion KendrickĀ was flagged twice late and allowed six catches on seven targets for a career-high 134 yards and a touchdown against Washington last week, struggling in man coverage. The Rams’ pass rush can help alleviate some of that.Ā Aaron DonaldĀ has generated at least four pressures in five consecutive games, and rookieĀ Byron YoungĀ has been a pleasant surprise heating up on the edges. The Saints have had trouble pass blocking, but if Carr has time, he might have chances to hit some big plays.
2) Stafford heating up, but Saints’ strong secondary awaits.Ā Don’t look now, but Stafford is turning back the clock with a strong season at age 35. Since returning from a thumb injury, he has played his best ball down the stretch, with a 12-1 TD-INT ratio in his past four games. The return ofĀ Cooper KuppĀ has been a big boon, as he’s logged consecutive 100-yard receiving games and has scored in three straight.Ā Puka NacuaĀ hasn’t faded, but he’s taken on more of a complementary role in recent games. Even still, this duo is cooking, andĀ Demarcus RobinsonĀ has stepped up as a legitimate No. 3 option in recent weeks. That, plus the return of tight endĀ Tyler HigbeeĀ and the breakout of fifth-round pickĀ Davis Allen, and the Rams have myriad options in the passing game. The Saints are a heavy press-man defense, and the secondary by and large has done a good job this season. CornersĀ Paulson Adebo,Ā Alontae TaylorĀ andĀ Isaac YiadomĀ have held up well in coverage, andĀ Tyrann MathieuĀ has been a playmaker. The Saints tend to generate more pressure than their 25th-best sack rate (6.56%) would suggest, but Stafford has been great versus pressure in the Rams’ 4-1 streak, with a league-high -0.03 EPA on pressured dropbacks in that span.
3)Ā Alvin KamaraĀ is Saints’ best weapon, but Rams will be ready.Ā Kamara has zero 100-yard rushing or receiving games this season. Yet since his return from a three-game suspension to start the season, Kamara has been a model of consistency for a sometimes offensively starved Saints team, averaging 97.8 yards from scrimmage per game and leading all NFL backs in targets (78) and receptions (68) despite missing three games. He’s had only one game in 2023 with fewer than 70 total yards and hasn’t fumbled all season. The Saints have workedĀ Jamaal WilliamsĀ into the RB rotation since his return, but Kamara has been the workhorse. The Rams struggled to contain similar playmakers inĀ Christian McCaffreyĀ andĀ Deebo SamuelĀ against the 49ers in Week 2 and had some issues containingĀ DāAndre SwiftĀ in Week 5, but by and large they’ve contained dual-threat backs pretty nicely this season. The Rams deploy a lot of five-man fronts, and linebackerĀ Ernest JonesĀ has been good in coverage underneath this season. The Saints also feature another multi-use tool inĀ Taysom Hill, who can run, throw and catch. He was mostly a decoy against the Giants on Sunday but has four double-digit-touch games.
4)Ā Kyren WilliamsĀ has spurred Rams’ offense, but ball-security questions have arisen.Ā Williams ran for a touchdown and 152 yards on Sunday, coming up seven yards shy of a career high. That raised his league-leading rushing average up to 95.3 yards per game, as Williams has caught fire since October — even while missing four games with a high ankle sprain. But Sunday also was a tough day for Williams early on, as he lost two fumbles in the first half, both deep in Washington territory. Sean McVay showed trust in Williams, who had only one fumble in his first 19 NFL games, by giving him 15 second-half carries. But the Rams can’t afford to cough up scoring opportunities in this key game like they did against the Commanders. This is actually a good matchup for Williams, as the Saints’ run defense has taken it on the chin at times, especially since midseason. The Saints have allowed the fourth-most yards to running backs before contact per carry (2.0) in the NFL this season, and Williams ranks third in the league in yards before contact per carry (2.0). The Saints’ run defenders just aren’t making enough disrupting plays in the backfield, and the Rams quietly have been an able run-blocking operation. McVay knows Williams is a difference maker, and his post-fumble trust in the second-year back suggests the coach viewed Sunday’s first-half errors as aberrations rather than a worrisome trend.
December 21, 2023 at 12:26 am in reply to: as Rams emerge, praise for Snead…+ Snead interview #147709znModeratorRams Brothers@RamsBrothersĀ it feels like there are two VERY important moves that Les Snead made that are ratherā¦ unorthodox?He released Van Jefferson & Cam Akers in the last year of their deals. The Rams took on more dead cap, but it made room for Kyren to excel in the new scheme, and allowed Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell own the āXā. It has made all the difference offensively.…Me@moiThough to be fair, it’s not clear how much of that is Snead and how much of that is Snead and McV collaborating and thinking it through together.znModeratorRams Brothers@RamsBrothersThe Saints are allowing 131.5 rushing yards per game, which is 26th overall. Kyren Williams just so happens to average 131 rushing yards per game in his last 5 startsznModeratorthe rams first thursday game – 1945
the road rams beat the lions 28-21, and two games later beat the redskins to win the nfl title.
the next year the rams moved to los angeles and became the first nfl team to break the color barrier by signing ucla greats washington and strode. pic.twitter.com/ZAal8ZSXr4
— roberto clemente (@rclemente2121) December 21, 2023
znModeratorRams O: 8th in yards, 9th in points, 10th in YPA passing, 8th in YPC running
Rams D: 18th in yards, 19th in points, 14th in YPA passing, 15th in YPC running, 29th in pressure %
Saints O: 14th in yards, 12th in points, 17th in YPA passing, 29th in YPC running
Saints D: 11th in yards, 6th in points, 5th in YPA passing, 27th in YPC running, 20th in pressure %
Saints can neither run very well nor stop the run very well.Ā
To give some perspective, since the bye Rams have put up 30+ points each on these 2 defenses:Ā
Browns: 1st in yards, 11th in points, 2nd in YPA passing, 12th in YPC running, 5th in pressure %
Ravens: 2nd in yards, 1st in points, 1st in YPA passing, 21st in YPC running, 26th in pressure %
znModeratorJAKE ELLENBOGEN@JKBOGENThe best 5 QBs the Saints have played against have beenĀ Trevor Lawrence, CJ Stroud, Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield and Jordan Love. The Saints lost all 5 of those games. Here are the QBs they beat:
Ryan Tannehill
Bryce Young x2
Mac Jones
Gardner Minshew
Tyson Bagent
Tommy DeVitoDecember 20, 2023 at 9:45 pm in reply to: as Rams emerge, praise for Snead…+ Snead interview #147704znModeratorfrom
Which NFL GMs and front offices helped or hurt their teams the most in 2023?
https://theathletic.com/5149666/2023/12/20/nfl-gms-front-offices-best-worst-rosters/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nfltw&source=nfltw
Los Angeles Rams
Few expected the Rams, with no premium picks and little salary cap flexibility, to be very competitive this season. But GM Les Snead used a bevy of mid-round draft picks to fill roster needs, and seven of those 14 rookies hold starting positions or key rotational roles.Ā That includesĀ fifth-round selectionĀ Puka Nacua, who has 1,163 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile, bargain free-agent acquisitions like cornerbackĀ Ahkello Witherspoon, offensive guardĀ Kevin DotsonĀ and wideoutĀ Demarcus RobinsonĀ also have made key contributions for the Rams, who are 7-7 and hold the seventh, and final, NFC playoff spot.
znModeratorAre the @Saints destined to land atop the NFC South? š¤ pic.twitter.com/MnvfQgVg4A
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 21, 2023
znModeratorLos Angeles Rams PR@TheLARamsPRWith a sack in Sunday’s contest against the Commanders, LB Ernest Jones recorded sacks in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.znModeratorPFF grades, Washington game. From: https://theramswire.usatoday.com/lists/rams-pff-grades-week-15-commanders-best-worst/?taid=65832bc92c161b0001f071e0&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter
Top 5 offense
- QB Matthew Stafford: 90.4
- LT Alaric Jackson: 82.0
- C Coleman Shelton: 76.6
- WR Cooper Kupp: 73.2
- RT Joe Noteboom: 71.0
For the third time this season, Stafford finished with an overall grade of at least 90.0, improving his season grade to 85.2. He had three big-time throws and zero turnover-worthy plays in the win Sunday.
Jackson earned a stellar 89.3 pass-blocking grade on Sunday, allowing zero pressures.
Shelton was equally good as a run blocker as he was in pass protection, earning a run-blocking grade of 75.0 and pass-blocking mark of 75.5. He only allowed one pressure.
Kupp went over 100 yards receiving for the second straight week, also scoring a touchdown for the third game in a row.
Noteboom filled in for Rob Havenstein at right tackle and played pretty well, allowing only two pressures and one sack.
Top 5 defense.- LB Ernest Jones: 87.8
- NT Bobby Brown III: 83.7
- S John Johnson III: 77.9
- LB Christian Rozeboom: 75.8
- DB Quentin Lake: 74.2
Jones was everywhere on Sunday, so itās not surprising that he had the highest grade on defense. He led the team with seven tackles and also added one sack.
Brown finished with four tackles and though he didnāt have any pressures, he earned a pass-rush grade of 83.8.
Johnson pulled in his second interception of the season off a deflection by Terry McLaurin and Christian Rozeboom.
Speaking of Rozeboom, he missed one tackle and allowed just one catch for 4 yards in coverage.
Lake returned from a three-week absence and didnāt miss a beat as the slot defender, allowing only four catches for 23 yards on seven targets. He had a key third-down pass breakup on the opening drive, too.
znModeratorRams Tapes @RamsTapesonly 47 rushing yards away from being the first rams RB to reach 1,000 rushing yards since Todd Gurley in 2018Ā with 4 games missed this season as wellā¦ Kyren Williams is the future of the rams backfieldDecember 20, 2023 at 1:05 pm in reply to: plays, highlights … Wash game, w/ Baldinger on Wms #147693znModeratorAvila has been EATING this year when uncovered and gets another full slab here pic.twitter.com/0WceesgPy4
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) December 20, 2023
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Avila reestablishes the LOS & uproots Jon Allen in the 2i to create an alley. Big boy block right here that not many guards can replicate. pic.twitter.com/NcICHleLTq
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) December 20, 2023
December 20, 2023 at 1:05 pm in reply to: plays, highlights … Wash game, w/ Baldinger on Wms #147692znModeratorKyren Williams is such an asset in pass-protection. The amount of help he provides to the OL as a chipper adds up over the course of a game in a major way. Rushers need to keep their head on a swivel when he's on the field.. pic.twitter.com/inQBJnXphr
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) December 11, 2023
December 20, 2023 at 1:03 pm in reply to: plays, highlights … Wash game, w/ Baldinger on Wms #147691znModeratorNacua digging out the DB on the crack to open a lane pic.twitter.com/GdcjBmZ60Y
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) December 20, 2023
December 20, 2023 at 1:03 pm in reply to: plays, highlights … Wash game, w/ Baldinger on Wms #147690znModeratorCasual no look screen pass from Stafford pic.twitter.com/2CRrYZUGlo
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) December 20, 2023
December 20, 2023 at 1:01 pm in reply to: plays, highlights … Wash game, w/ Baldinger on Wms #147688znModeratorThis is quickly turning into a Kyren Williams thread but for good reason. Hammer not the nail šØš«” pic.twitter.com/aDr5BocaNr
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) December 20, 2023
znModeratorAndrew Siciliano@AndrewSicilianoFlacco, asked if he should be considered for “Comeback Player of the Year” : “Comeback from not going to training camp and busing kids around?”znModeratorStu Jackson@StuJRams
Via Next Gen Stats: Matthew Stafford leads the NFL in passing EPA (+34.6) & success rate (55.2%) when in rhythm since returning from injury in Week 11. He was able to find open receivers as he threw into a tight window on just 6.1% of his throws, 5th-lowest among QBs in Week 15.Next Gen Stats defines “in rhythm” as between 2.5 – 4 seconds time to throw.
He completed 16 of 17 passes when in rhythm last week for 196 yards & 2 TDs
znModeratorJAKE ELLENBOGEN@JKBOGEN
Just how good is Kyren Williams? Hereās the #Rams starting RBs compared under Sean McVay since 2020:Darrell Henderson: 41 Gs, 403 ATTs, 1,707 YDs, 15 TDs
Cam Akers: 30 Gs, 360 ATTs, 1,443 YDs, 10 TDs
Kyren Williams this year: 10 Gs, 186 ATTs, 953 YDs, 8 TDs
Sony Michel: 17 Gs, 208 ATTs, 845 YDs, 4 TDs
…
ME@moi
Averages:
Henderson = 41.64 YPG, 0.365 TDsPG
Akers = 48.1 YPG, 0.208 TDsPG
Michel = 49.7 YPg, 0.235 TDsPG
Williams = 95.3 YPg, 0.8 TDsPG
znModerator@speed_kills@speedk1llsgreat interview JB… that was awesome. smart smart kid and great insight to Stafford in the huddle and how he trusted Allen in a huge moment!!!..
I think many of you were already becoming Davis Allen fans.
If you're anything like me, you'll be even more optimistic about his future in L.A. if you join us for this week's @RamsNFL Revealed:https://t.co/NlUY53DLe8
— J.B. Long (@JB_Long) December 20, 2023
znModerator“business is booming” and the cap could exceed $240 million when set.
If the cap is 240 M (and the message says it could exceed that) then next year, the Rams would have this much in space: 43 M or so. Strangely, while that’s good, it’s actually not that much. They can maybe get 2-3 FAs out of that, including their own, and they have to think about guys like Dotson and Witherspoon.
Though depending on how they use the June 1 designations, they could get up to another 20 M by releasing Noteboom and Allen.
The estimated league cap number was higher previously, but analysts have been sobering up on that.
This for example is from Over.The.Cap:
My expectation was that the salary cap has continued to be deflated due to the Covid impacts (without Covid, for example, the cap should have been $228-$229M this year without any new TV money) but that there would be a catch up period that would start in 2024, which would also coincide with the new TV money kicking in and push the cap significantly up. Per multiple sources within the NFL that does not appear to be the case and many are working with a salary cap limit for next year of about $242 million and so I will be adjusting the numbers accordingly on OTC.
znModeratorThe NFL Management Council informed clubs that it wonāt provide a salary cap projection this week. But "business is booming" and the cap could exceed $240 million when set.
My story with @TomPelissero: https://t.co/T20YZGpDBMhttps://t.co/T20YZGpDBM
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 10, 2023
znModerator -
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