Forum Replies Created
-
AuthorPosts
-
znModeratorWell, Stafford didn’t ‘ball out’ against the Broncos. He through a terrible pick6 to lose that game. Had to be one of the three worst passes he’s thrown as a Ram.
He’s a big part of the problem this year.
w
vI see him getting into his groove. IMO? Special teams/defense lost the Denver game. They led 19-0 at the half.
And we know Stafford overcomes INTs, meaning he will have down spells for a few games then come out OF it. He has done that many times before in his career. Heck in 2021, Rams lost 3 in a row in November, with MS throwing 5 INTs in those games. At that point they were 7/4 as a team. But Stafford came out of it. That postseason he led 3 consecutive 4th quarter comebacks, culminating in the win over the Bengals.
znModeratorHARRISON MEVIS IS THE RAMS' OVERTIME HERO! DOWN GO THE BEARS! THE RAMS ARE ADVANCING TO THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME! 😱 pic.twitter.com/yf7Hw8p2ub
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 19, 2026
znModeratorJosh Wallace, who has been forced to step up because of injuries to Kam Kinchens and Watson, is playing some exceptional football. He’s played in the slot and outside, showing the type of versatility that has made McDuffie great throughout his career.
Pro Football Focus put into perspective just how well McDuffie and Wallace are playing right now, sharing that they rank first and second in passer rating allowed among all NFL cornerbacks.
strong>PFF@PFF
Lowest passer rating allowed by CB this season
(min 150 snaps)Trent McDuffie 21.1
Josh Wallace 29.2
Isaiah Rodgers 43.8
Christian Gonzalez 44.0
Nehemiah Pritchett 44.0znModerator1st & Tuna@1standtuna
This is from an exceptionally compounding issue since 2024. McVay has dedicated the least amount of time and resources to special teams.The hiring of Ventrone and allowing him to bring in his own people like you mentioned are actually signs of change needed in the right direction we’re asking for.
Not saying it’s enough yet nor do I think McVay believes it is either. But objectively, that was the intention.
znModerator@speed_kills@speedk1lls
You gotta win those games against the Broncos and Bills. And I’ll say it again they keep losing these games where Stafford balls out and puts them in position to win only for them that lose anyhow. Sean McVay needs to get it togetherznModeratorThe Rams are great—last night they were selfish and undisciplined football#nfllive pic.twitter.com/GHX0kGBsVX
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) October 13, 2026
znModerator.@RamsNFL @tae15adams everyone is frustrated in RamLand but some of their execution is beautiful to study; with the precision of a diamond cutter #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/dOV1pmKoIA
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) October 14, 2026
znModeratorWarren Sharp@SharpFootball
red zone touchdown rate this season:87.5% – San Francisco 49ers
83.3% – Dallas Cowboys
81.3% – New Orleans Saints
77.3% – Detroit Lions
73.7% – Baltimore Ravens
71.4% – Buffalo Bills
69.2% – Atlanta Falcons
68.4% – Los Angeles Rams
66.7% – Indianapolis Colts
64.7% – Carolina Panthers
64.3% – Jacksonville Jaguars
64.3% – New York Giants
64.3% – Philadelphia Eagles
63.2% – Kansas City Chiefs
61.5% – Los Angeles Chargers
61.1% – Arizona Cardinals
57.9% – Seattle Seahawks
57.1% – New England Patriots
56.3% – Denver Broncos
55.6% – Houston Texans
55.6% – Las Vegas Raiders
54.5% – Pittsburgh Steelers
52.9% – Cincinnati Bengals
52.9% – Green Bay Packers
50.0% – Minnesota Vikings
50.0% – Washington Commanders
47.1% – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
46.2% – Miami Dolphins
46.2% – New York Jets
46.2% – Tennessee Titans
45.5% – Cleveland Browns
42.9% – Chicago BearsznModeratorNate Atkins@NateAtkins_
The Rams will not open Myles Garrett’s practice window this week.He’s eligible to come off of injured reserve but isn’t ready yet.
The Rams will open third-round rookie OT Keagan Trost’s practice window this week. They’re hoping to get him back soon to give another tackle option.
David Quessenberry will start at left tackle with Alaric Jackson suspended the next two weeks.
***
znModeratorJackson Durham@JDurham_FBall
I get frustrated with the Rams defense, especially on the ground, coming out of Monday night’s lossBut the amount of people insisting that Shula is the reason the Rams lost is just wildly inaccurate in my opinion
Special teams is easily the most directly responsible for the loss, 6 points lost off missed or blocked field goals and 3 handed right to Buffalo on a 70-yard kick return, despite your defense holding them to a 3 and out
That was inexcusable and it will lose you a game like that against a team like the Bills every time
‘
RAMS ON FILM@RamsOnFilm
Sure, the Mevis release is necessary. But this is not the bigger picture here – Coach McVay has proven since the loss of INHERITED coach Bones Fassel (and his solid core of personnel), that he has an absolute inability to assess & hire a competent coordinator/correct personnelHis lack of care of a returner dates back to when he would simply have Kupp fair catch the ball for almost 2 seasons. The uncanny amount of blocked kicks/punts is beyond sheer bad luck. McVay is an all time great but his faults on special teams are solely on his coordination
He asses, he hires, he signs the players, he makes the decisions on practice time spent etc. It has lost us crucial games for years. Maybe even a Super Bowl last year. Not just kicking aspect, all of the above. This starts with coach. Is he aware of this?
znModeratorI dunno, but he also said the Rams are ‘the leaning tower of Pisa’
He also said the ‘Rams are a new house without a radon detector’
Personally, i think he’s way off. The Rams are obviously a wooly mammoth without a door knob.
w
vIn 5 games we “know” what the Rams “are”?
I wish Long were as sympathetically insightful of the Rams as he is with the Eagles.
znModeratorKyren Williams hit a legit Arn Anderson spinebuster on the blitzing LB pic.twitter.com/upiQIOv1Y0
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) October 14, 2026
znModeratorLowest Passer Rating allowed among DBs:
Trent McDuffie has been worth every penny. pic.twitter.com/Mmcd5nP6Ch
— Cam (@42Cyc) October 13, 2026
znModeratorRams yet again a Super Bowl contender that’s missing something essential
Nate Atkins
LOS ANGELES — They say football is a game of inches. For a Super Bowl contender on a national stage, those inches can feel the size of an elevator shaft between dreams and nightmares.
There the Los Angeles Rams were on “Monday Night Football” against the Buffalo Bills, grabbing hold of a rope ripping so fast through their fingers it could burn them right off. Matthew Stafford was dotting up the sidelines on the final drive of regulation, zipping a third-down pass that Kyren Williams grabbed from behind with one hand to set up his own game-tying touchdown run. Kam Kinchens was sprinting more than 21 miles per hour to clip the heel of Khalil Shakir, keeping the Bills receiver from an overtime touchdown. The play then allowed Nate Landman to punch the ball out and into the arms of Aaron Donald and give the Rams’ sideline life again.
Moments later, they let go of the rope. The Rams had a foot on the throat of a whimpering Bills defense with a third-and-5 at the Buffalo 30, only to run Williams into the wall of an all-out blitz. Kicker Harrison Mevis was left to boot the ball with all his might, but it was blocked by the Bills’ 6-foot-6 Greg Rousseau and fluttered into the end zone. Josh Allen then took over, using more signature scrambles to set up his team’s own field goal attempt that cleared the uprights for a 37-34 Buffalo win.
“I’m sick,” coach Sean McVay said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been this pissed after a game.”
The Rams posted a 99th-percentile offensive EPA per drive on Monday night. They became the first team in NFL history to amass 400 offensive yards, 30 first downs, five touchdowns and a 50 percent third-down conversion rate with no turnovers and lose a game, per Opta Stats.
Was this a Super Bowl preview between the Bills and Rams, a setup for Round 2 back at SoFi Stadium in February? Or was this actually a window into how no amount of superstar talent can save a team with an Achilles’ heel on special teams?
That is the question after a crushing loss that dropped the Rams to 2-3. Left tackle Alaric Jackson threw a right hook at Bills outside linebacker Bradley Chubb before he left the field. And McVay stewed about a loss that felt all too much like last season.
Only McVay did something different after he left the podium this time. He took a lap around the locker stalls, pinging from position to position, where, in between choice words, he thanked players for their fight and told them he felt sick with the result.
“That just tells me how much he cares and how much I want to get this right so he can be even more proud of us,” cornerback Trent McDuffie said. “It makes you want to fight a little bit harder.
“We didn’t win in the big moment. It’s going to hurt.”
Asked if he regretted not going for a two-point conversion and the win after Williams’ 1-yard touchdown plunge with five seconds remaining in regulation, McVay simply said, “No.”
The decision that did stick with him was running Williams into a zero blitz on that third-and-5, right after Stafford hit his 40th completion for Puka Nacua’s franchise-record 17th catch.
“I’ll be regretting kicking that and not having a better play to be able to go for it on third down or go to fourth (down),” McVay said. “That’s on me.”
The Rams went toe-to-toe with Allen and arguably the AFC’s best team, staying upright despite the self-inflicted wounds. Kinchens’ shoestring tackle on Shakir, Landman’s latest punchout, Donald’s throwback Defensive Player of the Year performance, and the way Stafford and Nacua became unstoppable once again all had the Rams well positioned to win. Stafford finished 40-of-54 for 383 yards, three touchdowns, zero turnovers and a 111.9 rating. Nacua turned his 17 receptions into 138 yards and a touchdown.
“In my opinion, if he’s not the greatest thrower in football, he’s number two, and he’s an absolute stud,” Allen said of Stafford.
There was also the pass defense, which has successfully remade itself around a bona fide superstar in McDuffie. Another heroic Williams performance in crunch time and Davante Adams scoring two touchdowns, giving him 18 scores in 19 regular-season games in a Rams uniform, helped immensely.
But those mistakes did the Rams in, along with a run defense that got exposed for the first time in weeks, with Allen and James Cook combining for 232 yards and three touchdowns on 6.6 yards per carry. Defensive coordinator Chris Shula paid for selling out to take away the deep ball, at times leaving easy scramble lanes for Allen. And so, the finality awakens a familiar feeling: a shootout, followed by the sound of a kick hitting a defender’s hand.
“We know what we have at quarterback,” guard Steve Avila said. “When we have an offense that can move like we do, we have trust in every situation that we can get it done. We just fell short on special teams.”
The Rams are talented enough to go up against anybody, yet they’re still being held back from being the superteam its collection of stars says it should be.
In Week 5 last season against the San Francisco 49ers, the Rams lost in overtime on missed kicks and a decision to take the ball out of a red-hot Stafford’s hands to run Williams into a brick wall. They channeled that loss into fuel for a six-game winning streak and a run to the NFC Championship Game.
“You use it as motivation,” Williams said. “You use it as something you can fall back on when it’s later in the season and you’re going through more adversity. It’s how you choose to handle it that’s going to make you better at the end of the day.”
These Rams have a chance to go on a similar run in the next five weeks. They will play the Arizona Cardinals twice, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Los Angeles Chargers and the Washington Commanders. The Rams expect to get reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett back during that stretch, too.
What they must figure out if they want to make another Super Bowl in their home stadium is the same old conundrum: the special teams. Those issues range from penalties to explosive returns allowed to missed field goals, including the two Mevis missed Monday night.
“I felt like I hit it good. That’s all I can tell you. I thought I gave it a chance,” Mevis said of the overtime attempt. “… I know who I am. I know the mentality that I have as a kicker. I have a next-kick mentality, and I’ll respond in the next game.”
The Rams know this isn’t the season to work through issues too patiently.
“I’m going to evaluate everything,” McVay said of his kicking game.
Problems on special teams can be the hardest for a team to fix in-season. It involves many moving parts resulting from roster construction. The league doesn’t have proven and consistent kickers, punters and return men looking for jobs in October. Rarely does a coordinator change work with such an undertaking, either.
The Rams can tweak the starting spots and must explore trade opportunities like Seattle did last year to acquire star return man Rashid Shaheed. But this is a dilemma that has haunted McVay throughout his head-coaching career.
The Rams know who they are and who they aren’t by now: thrilling on the high end and terrifying in the details amid a season as important as this one.
“It hurts so much,” Avila said, “because of the expectations we have for ourselves and what we know we can do as a team.”
znModeratorWarren Sharp@SharpFootball
pressure rate faced this season:47.5% – Carolina Panthers
47.2% – Los Angeles Chargers
45.6% – Philadelphia Eagles
45.0% – Miami Dolphins
42.7% – Cleveland Browns
41.9% – New England Patriots
41.4% – Seattle Seahawks
40.2% – Buffalo Bills
39.9% – New Orleans Saints
39.3% – Denver Broncos
38.3% – Washington Commanders
38.1% – Las Vegas Raiders
37.5% – Baltimore Ravens
36.8% – New York Jets
36.7% – Green Bay Packers
36.7% – Minnesota Vikings
36.3% – Indianapolis Colts
36.0% – Chicago Bears
35.6% – Pittsburgh Steelers
34.7% – Houston Texans
34.2% – New York Giants
34.1% – Tennessee Titans
33.8% – Detroit Lions
33.1% – Kansas City Chiefs
33.0% – Dallas Cowboys
32.8% – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
32.7% – San Francisco 49ers
32.3% – Jacksonville Jaguars
31.9% – Los Angeles Rams
29.9% – Cincinnati Bengals
27.2% – Atlanta Falcons
26.5% – Arizona CardinalsznModeratorI’m a generational hater on the Goal Line Fade…
But it’s a really good play if you have Matthew Stafford 😂😂😂
Dude is out here hitting fadeaway jumpers pic.twitter.com/SUActDu6Zb
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) October 13, 2026
znModeratorDion Dawkins says Aaron Donald hasn't lost a step after going up against him last night on MNF:
“I had asked him, 'Bro, how does your body feel after not taking all of these hits?’
He was basically saying it takes repetition. With primetime games and commercials, you have a… pic.twitter.com/7goIH9r9IT
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 13, 2026
znModeratorRamsoholic@ShayTweetedThat
Stafford showed why he’s the most clutch QB in the league . He was slinging that ball all over the field, threw it wherever he wanted , no looks, poised in pocket. We are blessed and should enjoy this as he’s the last of a dying breed (pocket gun slingers)znModeratorAJ Schulte@AJSchulteFB
Per PFF, Trent McDuffie wasn’t targeted all game, while Watson was targeted 3 times and allowed one catch for…5 yards.znModeratorI’ve been the TE on FG protection. It’s a difficult ass job. Watch the 3rd Bills rusher from the right and how he “hooks” the facemask with his elbow. A savvy way to hold the TE that won’t be flagged. https://t.co/Efa1rNobaP
— marshall newhouse (@MNewhouse73) October 13, 2026
znModeratorQuentin Lake was brutal last night, but this is winning football by Kam Kinchens, man. All out effort to save a TD and the very next play the Rams got the ball via turnover.
Incredible effort that got lost in the mix. pic.twitter.com/ftlNq8NbKo
— Sosa Kremenjas (@QBsMVP) October 13, 2026
znModeratorCameron DaSilva@camdasilva
With Alaric Jackson suspended 2 games, Sean McVay says David Quessenberry will start at left tackle for the Rams.It will be his first start since the 2023 season.
znModeratortrey wingo@wingoz
Under Sean McVay, the Rams have used 10 kickers since he became the head coach in 2017… 10! They also had 81 missed or blocked kicks since then third most in the NFL. It seems there might be a procedural issue as well as kicking issues here.znModeratorHoldenCantor@HoldenCantor
Blake Grupe did not miss for the Colts last season, their original kicker Spencer Shrader got healthy and that’s why he’s no longer there.
znModeratorScouting Jets kicker Blake Grupe
Taking a look at the latest Jets kickerby Bent Double
Sep 17, 2026, 2:30 PM EDThttps://www.ganggreennation.com/new-york-jets-analysis/96571/scouting-jets-kicker-blake-grupe
After final cuts, the Jets claimed a few players, including kicker Blake Grupe. Despite being on the 53-man roster, Grupe was inactive for the team’s opener, as Jason Sanders was elevated from the practice squad and handled the kicking duties, but he may get an opportunity in due course. Today we take a look at Grupe in more detail.
The 27-year old Grupe is listed at 5’7” and 156 pounds and was undrafted out of Notre Dame in 2023. Having won the Saints’ job as a rookie, he kicked for them for two and a half seasons before being released in November, then ended last season with the Colts but failed to win their placekicker role in training camp.
Grupe was originally a walk-on at Arkansas State, having been unranked as a high school recruit. He redshirted his first season in 2017, but then took over as the team’s kicker early in the 2018 season.
Having made 14 of 21 field goals in his first season, Grupe showed a dramatic improvement in 2019 and was named as an all-Sun Belt Conference first teamer after making 19 out of 22 field goal attempts.
He was just 11 of 18 in 2020 but bounced back to make 20 of 25 in 2021, earning second-team all-conference recognition.
Ahead of the 2022 season, Grupe transferred to Notre Dame and he made 14 of 19 field goals for them, but was perfect on 49 extra points.
Grupe’s NFL career began as he was picked up by the Saints as an undrafted free agent and made a game-winning kick in his first ever preseason game. He built on that to win the kicker job and had a solid first season that saw him make 30 of 37 field goals and all 40 of his extra points.
In 2024, he had another good year as he made 27 of 31 field goals, although he did also miss two extra points.
Last season didn’t go so well for Grupe initially, as he missed eight field goals in the first 12 games and was released by the Saints in November. However, the Colts claimed him following an injury to Spencer Shrader and he excelled down the stretch as he was 11 of 11 on field goals and 10 for 10 on extra points over the last five games.
He was hoping to hold onto the job in preseason but missed a couple of kicks, including a 36-yarder.
The Jets claimed Grupe off waivers following final cuts, after the Colts had opted to stick with Shrader as their full-time kicker.
Now let’s break Grupe down in a variety of categories, based on in-depth research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
Grupe is the smallest kicker in the NFL based on listed weight and there are only currently two players in the league who have a lower listed weight than he does. He did not work out at his pro day.
In high school, Grupe played soccer and baseball.
Leg Strength
Despite his diminutive size, Grupe has good power, and has creditable numbers of 19 made field goals on 27 attempts from beyond 50 yards.
He has made a 60-yard field goal at the NFL level and it should have been a game-winner but the Colts’ defense gave up a late score to lose.
Grupe’s leg strength on kickoffs is difficult to judge. As a rookie, he put up some of the best numbers in the NFL on kickoff metrics, with 76 touchbacks on 85 attempts.
However, the change in rules has not been good to him as his numbers dropped precipitously in his second season and were among the worst in the league last year.
This may not reflect on his leg strength, though. Perhaps he has been instructed to lay his kicks short of the end zone and his coverage units haven’t been pulling their weight.
If this is a concern, punter Austin McNamara could kick off instead, as he was continuing to work on this in camp, having done it at times last year.
Accuracy
With an 82 percent success rate on field goals at the NFL level, Grupe has hit the all-important 80-percent benchmark in his career so far. However, he’s been a little inconsistent and streaky with that.
2025 in particular was a tale of two seasons for Grupe, who missed 6 of 11 kicks from beyond 40 with the Saints to lose his job, but then was perfect on 21 kicks in five games with the Colts.
In college, he was below 80 percent overall and only exceeded 80 percent in one of his five seasons.
Clutch
As noted above, Grupe had a game-winner in his first ever preseason game and hit a go-ahead 60-yarder in a game with the Colts, albeit that this ended up being a loss.
Otherwise, he hasn’t had a lot of significant success in clutch situations. He had a 42-yard game-winner with 77 seconds on the clock in a 2021 game, hit a game-winning extra point with 32 seconds left in a 2019 win over Coastal Carolina and made an overtime field goal in 2018, although again this ended up being a loss.
His first three games at the NFL level were all high pressure situations as each was decided by three points or less. He handled the pressure well initially but missed a key go-ahead field goal attempt in week three.
He also missed a 48-yarder as time-expired as Arkansas State lost their season finale 24-22 to Texas State in 2021.
Tackling
Grupe only had one tackle in his college career, but has been credited with three at the NFL level. However, his lack of size is detrimental in this area.
Intangibles/Miscellaneous
Grupe has shown good character to start off as a college walk-on and then win a couple of kicking competitions. He was respected in New Orleans for his ability to bounce back from tough stretches and was even named as a team captain.
He was good academically, finishing his degree in the spring before his redshirt junior season and then moving on to do a masters. He was a two-time member of the Arkansas State athletic director’s honor roll and was an academic all-district 6 selection in 2020.
He has limited experience of kicking in cold weather climates at the NFL level, although a couple of his 2025 games were in heavy rain and windy conditions and he mostly fared well under these conditions.
Grupe hasn’t had major injury issues during his NFL career but did deal with a minor groin issue during his rookie season.
Over the course of his NFL career, Grupe has been a teammate of several current Jets: Demario Davis, Adonai Mitchell, Kene Nwangwu and Jack Heflin.
Grupe has never punted at the NFL, college or high school level and has yet to be involved in a fake field goal.
Conclusions
For now, the Jets seem to prefer Sanders, despite his preseason struggles and an embarrassing miss in the opener. Aside from that miss, Sanders did a good job, but the Jets won’t tolerate too many more mistakes before they give Grupe a shot instead, assuming Grupe is kicking well in practice. An inflection point may come after week three, at which point the option of elevating Sanders from the practice squad may have been fully exhausted.
Grupe has some good leg talent, and a decent track record, but we’ve seen recently how difficult it is to get someone you know you can rely on.
In light of their recent history, it seems unlikely the Jets will stick with Sanders all year, so Grupe should get a chance at some point but we’ll have to wait and see. If he does, hopefully we get the 2025 Colts version and not the 2025 Saints version.
znModeratorI don’t agree about the drive in OT, though. They did drive with urgency and focus. Until the last 3 downs. But I was talking about Stafford’s play. Stafford didn’t call the plays on those 3 downs. It wasn’t Stafford who took his foot off the gas pedal at that point
I edited that. I didn’t mean last 3 downs, I meant the last 3 plays.
znModeratorThey had no answer for Josh Allen scrambling. Haven’t seen a QB carve up the Rams scrambling like that in a long, long time.
Agreed.
I don’t agree about the drive in OT, though. They did drive with urgency and focus. Until the last 3 plays (before the FG). But I was talking about Stafford’s play. Stafford didn’t call those 3 plays. It wasn’t Stafford who took his foot off the gas pedal at that point.
znModeratorSaw this on a vid: “despite being 2-3, the Rams remain co-favorites (with the 49ers) to win the Super Bowl” (according to Draftkings)
It speaks to how powerful the offense is.
On a day when the Rams could not run the ball, and Stafford was still just a bit “off,” Rams got 383 yards passing while completing 74.07% of his passes and getting 3 TDs and O INTs. Rams went 5 for 5 in the redzone.
There were a few series in the 2nd half where the Rams just drove down the field play after play, in spite of often starting with poor field position. In his last 2 series, Stafford went 13 of 16 and got a TD then set up a FG (that should have won it). One of those drives tied it with less than a minute on the clock when the drive started. Both drives were masterful examples of 2 minute offense. Only of course to be marred by the missed FG in overtime.
znModeratorJosh@JoshiosTweets
Rams special teams ranking this year by EPA:..The 6th worst start to a special teams unit since 1999 through Week 5.
1999? Vermeil had lousy special teams that year? I dont remember that.
…That was Tony Horne’s big year wasnt it?w
vHe didn’t name the team. But it wasn’t the Rams. Under Vermeil, STs were a strength.
-
AuthorPosts
