“It's SUCH a struggle…”

“I'm not the only one who sees it…there’s no motion or very little. You don't see stacks, you don't see bunches, you don't see route concepts and combinations where 2 or 3 receivers are running routes that complement one another…”@GregCosell gives… pic.twitter.com/Oz0o6qTYwd

— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) November 27, 2025

Zooey wrote:

Yeah, I know. You’re right. I’m not complaining about Shelton, or any of the other centers over the past 40 years, but right now, we have two dream guards, and the OTs are also holding up well, and I think a dream center would have made Vita Vea invisible last week. And the Rams didn’t need to make Vea invisible. IIRC, they won handily. But I grew up in the 60s and 70s, and the Rams’ OLs and DLs just mauled everybody, and I recall those days with affection

+1

I didn’t provide all that info on Shelton “to be right,” btw, it was genuine curiosity/interest in how he was doing. Truth is, I didn’t know quite how well he was doing till I looked that stuff up.

“I don't think Lamar Jackson looks anywhere NEAR as explosive as we've seen him in the past.”

“Derrick Henry, I think is just not quite the same…”@GregCosell shares some harsh realities about the Ravens’ offense: pic.twitter.com/XdFCVC4NJc

— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) November 27, 2025

wv wrote:

Carolina RB Rico Dowdle.
When he carries the ball 10 or more times: Panthers are 6-1

Apparently they can’t or don’t run him as much when they are behind.

The exception was week 10 against NO. The Saints pulled ahead in the first half and Panthers were playing catch-up. Dowdle got the ball 18 times but was ineffectual that game, getting just 2.9 per carry.

In week 12 against SF the 9ers led the whole game. Dowdle got 6.3 a carry but only ran 6 times.

He only has 34 passing targets with 27 receptions on the season so apparently isn’t that valuable as a receiver. He averages 19.4 yards receiving a game.

So it just looks like that as a rule, they need a close game to give him carries.

The formula to beating him and them seems to be get ahead early and make them play from behind.

from Nate Atkins: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6841364/2025/11/26/rams-ahkello-witherspoon-returns-ir/?source=emp_shared_article

Witherspoon’s return creates a good problem for the Rams at outside cornerback. Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and Cobie Durant have surged in recent weeks, combining for five interceptions and a defensive touchdown over the past four games.

“You definitely don’t want to take those guys out of their flow,” defensive coordinator Chris Shula said.

“(Witherspoon) has a skill set that we definitely want to use.”

But Witherspoon adds a dimension in his own right, too. At 6-foot-2, he offers more length than most of their cornerbacks and has shown an ability to handle physical matchups and make plays on the ball. He has 23 passes defended and four interceptions in his 24 starts with the team.

Durant is an option to play at nickel cornerback, which becomes more likely after the Rams lost Lake and McCreary to injured reserve. Los Angeles runs one of the highest rates of dime personnel in the NFL, opening up six spots for defensive backs, with safeties Kam Kinchens and Kam Curl as the mainstays of the group with Lake out.

from Rams bring Tutu Atwell and Ahkello Witherspoon off injured reserve

Gary Klein

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2025-11-26/rams-bring-tutu-atwell-ahkello-witherspoon-off-injured-reserve

The Rams, the team with the best record in the NFC, are getting stronger.

On Wednesday, the Rams designated receiver Tutu Atwell and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon to return from injured reserve. Both could play Sunday against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., coach Sean McVay said.

…

McVay said last week that Atwell, who has recovered from a hamstring injury, was expected to play on Sunday. But Witherspoon was thought to still be several weeks from returning from an injury suffered in the second week of the season. Witherspoon said Wednesday that he suffered a left scapula injury, not a broken collarbone as McVay initially described to reporters.

McVay on Wednesday said the results of a scan, and Witherspoon’s work with trainers, put him ahead of schedule.

“To get Ahkello back, we’ve got some flexibility,” McVay said.

…

From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: #Rams standout CB Emmanuel Forbes Jr. joined the show to discuss his recent success, why he's meshed with his defensive coaches, and how many points Mississippi State is going to win by in (maybe) Lane Kiffin's final Egg Bowl. pic.twitter.com/yXLYHWGvwE

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 27, 2025

Ahkello Witherspoon back at practice for Rams. pic.twitter.com/MYh1NJWG3a

— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) November 26, 2025

Sarah Barshop@sarahbarshop
When asked about being a candidate for a head coaching job, Rams DC Chris Shula said while he thinks that’s the gaol for any NFL coach, “that doesn’t mean you’re just going to walk away for any single opportunity.”

“I love it here, my family loves it here,” Shula said.

Greg Beacham@gregbeacham
Rams DC Chris Shula on the head coaching speculation around him: “I’ve been here 9, 10 years while coaching with my best friend, a great group of players, a great staff. For the right opportunity, we’ll see, but I’m not thinking about it too much right now.”

from Nate Atkins: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6837547/2025/11/26/rams-stats-six-game-win-streak/?source=emp_shared_article

22-9

That’s the record of the Rams’ past three opponents in games other than against Los Angeles. Those opponents were the 49ers, Seahawks and Buccaneers.

The story of the early portion of this six-game winning streak was about the Rams overwhelming undermanned teams. They faced the Ravens without Lamar Jackson and a Saints team that is now 2-9 and had quarterback Tyler Shough making his first career start.

But the past three weeks, the Rams have outscored three playoff-caliber teams by a combined 45 points.

Los Angeles Rams PR@TheLARamsPR
Kevin Dotson has not allowed a pressure or hurry in his last two games. He’s allowed only 2 quarterback hits and 1.0 sack all season, according to TruMedia.

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/rams/2025/11/26/rams-panthers-week-13-stats-facts-preview/87470443007/?taid=69274c137f6a9b0001082367&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter

Panthers struggle badly on third down

It’s no surprise the Panthers rank 28th in points per game this season. They can’t sustain drives because of how poorly they perform on third down. They only convert on third down 36% of the time, ranking 26th in the NFL. Defensively, they’re even worse.

They allow opponents to convert 44% of the time, 30th out of 32 teams. The Rams are by no means automatic on third down (16th in NFL) offensively, but they’re stout defensively, ranking fourth in the league with an allowed conversion rate of 35%.

wv wrote:

“..Curl, a team source said, was particularly vocal in his assessment of Forbes. Position coaches leaned on Curl’s analysis and endorsement when speaking with the pro scouting department about whether to make the claim. Curl also picked Forbes up en route to his first practice on Wednesday..”

This bit was a little mysterious out of context. I couldn’t tell if that was Curl speaking negatively about Forbes while they were both with Washington, or Curl speaking positively of Forbes after Curl became a Ram. Turns out it’s the latter. As a Ram, Curl apparently beat the drum for the Rams signing Forbes.

As a skinny guy, in Washington they had doubts about Forbes’ physicality and playing the run. I always saw it as a confidence issue. Confidence issues are interesting with pro players. It can look like they just lack the physical talent. After Goff lost his confidence in 2020, there were fans and analysts who swore he was just not an NFL caliber qb. They couldn’t distinguish confidence issues from seeing him as a “just plain ole bust.” I think the same happened with Forbes.

On the other hand, Quinn actually encouraged Forbes when they released him.

from https://commanderswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/commanders/2024/12/02/washington-commanders-release-emmanuel-forbes-dan-quinn-why-nfl/76699281007/

Quinn then said that he told Forbes a change of scenery could do him good.

“And I had a chance to visit with him, and I explained to him sometimes that the change of scenery is good, and I’ve seen other players go to other clubs, and it turns out differently, and sometimes that’s a good thing. And I said that that can happen with you too. And so, I wanted to make sure he heard that from me, and there was even guys on his own team here that had started somewhere else as a first-round player and all of a sudden, just a different scenery and different shift. The new system can help. And so, we wanted to wish him best on this football journey wherever that goes from here.”

…
The primary knock on Forbes coming out of the draft was his slight frame and inability to tackle consistently. That showed up repeatedly, but to make matters worse for Forbes, he struggled in coverage. He was never the same after Eagles star A.J. Brown beat him for multiple touchdowns in Week 4 of his rookie season.

…Rivera’s disastrous coaching staff last season didn’t help Forbes; they ruined his confidence and benched him. Quinn and his staff had their work cut out trying to rebuild Forbes’ confidence while also trying to scheme around the concerns about his size.

…

Among other things, Washington this year ranks 27th in pressure percentage. Rams rank 10th. That could be a huge difference too.

Panthers could be without half of their starting secondary Sunday against the Rams, depending on how Jaycee Horn progresses through concussion protocol. https://t.co/ZAhcs4StfR

— Joe Person (@josephperson) November 25, 2025