Final: Cardinals 25, Cowboys 22
NFC West remains up for grabs in Week 18.

— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) January 3, 2022

Aaron Donald has no time for that lateral nonsense pic.twitter.com/hlX3abXr7g

— x – 𝕋𝕠𝕞 (@TL_LARams) January 2, 2022

6 takeaways from Rams’ 20-19 win over Ravens

Cameron DaSilva

* https://theramswire.usatoday.com/lists/rams-ravens-week-17-takeaways-win/

The Rams have shown a ton of resilience in their last two games, winning both of them on the road against the Vikings and Ravens. However, they’ve also run into some turnover problems and beat a depleted Ravens team on Sunday with a touchdown in the final minute.

It wasn’t pretty and this should’ve been a much easier win than the 20-19 final score indicates, but it was still positive and encouraging to see them come from behind to beat a tough Baltimore team.

Here’s what we learned from the victory in Week 17.

1
Rams can’t expect to overcome frequent turnovers in playoffs

This was the second straight week where Matthew Stafford turned the ball over three times. And for the second week in a row, he was bailed out by his defense and running game. It’s great that the Rams won this game in ugly fashion, but it’s hard not to be worried about the play of their quarterback with the playoffs right around the corner.

His turnovers led to 13 points for Baltimore, including a pick-six that he threw deep in the Rams’ own territory – something he has a knack for doing. The Rams have the defense and running game to win it all this season, but Stafford is currently holding them back.

He must take better care of the football because against good teams, the Rams will really struggle to win games in which he turns it over constantly. They’re fortunate these two wins came against the Vikings and the Lamar Jackson-less Ravens.

2
Miller and Beckham leave their mark

Both Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr., who the Rams added mid-season, came up with big plays against the Ravens and helped Los Angeles secure the win. Miller had two sacks and five tackles, hitting Tyler Huntley three times and making three stops behind the line of scrimmage. his sack late in the fourth quarter all but ended the game, too, taking Huntley down for an 8-yard loss.

Beckham made a 5-yard catch on fourth-and-5 to keep the Rams’ game-winning drive going, and on the next play, he hauled in a 7-yarder for a touchdown to give LA the 20-19 lead. His catch on fourth down was in the biggest moment of the game because had he not come down with it, the Rams would’ve given the ball back to Baltimore while trailing 19-14.

3
Defensive front is among best in the NFL

The Rams’ defensive line and edge rushers played a great game against Baltimore. Huntley was sacked five times on the afternoon and as a team, the Rams made seven tackles for a loss. That put the Ravens in tough third-down situations a bunch, which is why they were just 4-for-14 on that critical down. Leonard Floyd and Aaron Donald split a sack, Miller had two of his own and A’Shawn Robinson finally got on the board with his first sack of the season, so it was a complete effort from the big guys up front.

It’s truly one of the best defensive fronts in the league, and not just because Donald is absolutely dominant on a weekly basis. Robinson is playing well. Greg Gaines has become more than just a run-stuffer and the two edge rushers, Floyd and Miller, are applying constant pressure on quarterbacks. If the Rams can get Sebastian Joseph-Day back soon, too, watch out.

4
Rams could use a third-down back

Sony Michel is a really good running back for the Rams and has changed the look of the offense. But he’s not a perfect back and is best on first and second down, not necessarily third down when he’s asked to catch passes and block for Stafford.

Michel dropped an easy checkdown pass from Stafford in this one and with no one near him, it likely would’ve gone for at least a 10-yard gain. It was his second straight week with a drop, showing some inconsistency as a receiver. He did catch three passes for 25 yards but that doesn’t mean the Rams couldn’t use a receiving back on third down.

That player could be Cam Akers when he returns as early as this coming week. Akers is a reliable receiver with breakaway speed, making him a better third-down option than Michel.

5
Reeder stepped up for Jones at ILB

Although he did miss a tackle early in the game, Troy Reeder settled in nicely and played a good game against a tough offense to defend. He finished the day with 10 tackles, one sack and a tackle for a loss, playing well in place of the injured Ernest Jones.

His sack was at a key point in the game, too, helping hold the Ravens to only three points on a last-second field goal before halftime. He found a way to bring Huntley down with one hand for his first sack of the season.

6
49ers game will set the tone for the playoffs

Next week’s game against the 49ers will be a strong indicator of how the Rams are going to play in the postseason. If they come up short and lose their sixth straight game to San Francisco, it’ll be hard to feel confident entering the playoffs. If they finally break through and take out their division foes, they’ll ride a six-game winning streak into the postseason and be in great shape for a deep run.

The 49ers are nowhere near the best team in the league but they’ve had the Rams’ number – and it’s very possible that these two teams will square off in the first round of the postseason.

Sean McVay explained what happened between Jalen Ramsey and Taylor Rapp during their scuffle in the Rams’ huddle. https://t.co/Zw5drB5PZ1

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) January 2, 2022

All hands team. 👐

Coach McVay on @obj's clutch catches to take the lead. pic.twitter.com/H8NlNkbmDg

— x – Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 2, 2022

chris long@JOEL9ONE
Robert Quinn just broke the Bears single season sack record on Mike Glennon. He also once broke the Rams single season record on Mike Glennon.

Micah Parsons also thinks @CooperKupp should win #MVP pic.twitter.com/SYIupkfOnO

— x – HoldenCantor (@HoldenCantor) January 1, 2022

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Sean McVay said Cam Akers is unlikely to play this week, which is not surprising considering timeline for a possible return to play laid out by McVay here in October (despite recent gamesmanship). To recap, if there’s a return, it has always been set for as close to postseason as

possible. Akers was activated with 3 games left in order to qualify for a pension credit for this season, sources said at time of activation (and McVay alluded to publicly afterward). There is no delay in progress to assess yet, because that would imply the timeline changed, and

it did not change. Sharing these public details again flatly in noting some confusion.

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
“Hell yeah, absolutely!” Sean McVay says, when asked if they’d really delay taking off from Baltimore to see the end of the Cardinals vs Cowboys game, which if the Rams defeat the Ravens, would clinch them the NFC West.

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Odell Beckham Jr has mentioned a few times this season that he’s actively tracking and counting down the yard markers during Cooper Kupp’s historic run. “I’m campaigning for him to get to 2k,” he said this morning. “We’re witnessing greatness.”

…

Amazing how players come to the Rams, and they are no longer considered an issue in the locker room/on the field.

Maybe give some credit to McVay and his staff for the culture they’ve instilled after a full decade of losing. https://t.co/pqUJNdVFYM

— x – Rams Brothers (@RamsBrothers) December 31, 2021

x – 𝕋𝕠𝕞@TL_LARams
Cooper Kupp’s 2021 season is currently 7th all time for yards, 5th for receptions and 36th for TDs.

There’s two games left.

No one has ever put up this combination of receptions, TDs and yards ever in NFL history. Every other big yardage season has fewer receptions or TDs. To do that with two games to go is just stupid.

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Rams’ Brandon Powell is the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, after he scored the first punt return for touchdown that the team has had in six years (did it with style, too).

Rams will probably see Lamar Jackson this weekend https://t.co/MfjgpBJmEX

— x – HoldenCantor (@HoldenCantor) December 29, 2021

JackPMiller wrote:

I still say, there are 4 positions to be concerned about, going into next year. In alphabetical order.
Center
Cornerback – Opposite of Jalen Ramsey
Inside Linebacker
Left Offensive Tackle

They have their center. It’s Shelton.

They have their LOT if they can sign Noteboom. Too soon to say how good Jackson is, but he did start without a hitch last Sunday.