NFL Week 5 PFF ReFocused: Los Angeles Rams 30, Washington Football Team 10

https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-week-5-pff-refocused-los-angeles-rams-30-washington-football-team-10

Alex Smith played in his first game since suffering a gruesome leg injury in Week 11 of 2018, coming in after Kyle Allen was injured in the second quarter. Dwayne Haskins, who just lost the starting QB job last week, was unavailable due to illness.

Smith’s return was the only highlight for fans in the nation’s capital, as Jared Goff and the Rams bounced back from a poor performance last week to torment the Washington defense.

Editor’s note: All of PFF’s grades and advanced stats from this game will be finalized and made available to ELITE subscribers within 24 hours of the final whistle.

STORY OF THE GAME
Washington defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio appeared to have no answer for Rams tight end Gerald Everett. The beneficiary of Sean McVay’s creativity, Everett racked up 80 yards on three catches in the first half off screens and as a mismatch on the outside at wide receiver.

While Goff played comfortably from the pocket, facing pressure on 6.3% of his dropbacks, Aaron Donald repeatedly made his way into the lap of the Washington quarterback. Los Angeles generated 15 total pressures — Donald led the way with three sacks.

After posting a 66.6 passing grade last week against the Giants — 15th among all 32 starting quarterbacks in Week 4 — Goff looked sharper today. With an average time to throw of 2.51 seconds and an average depth of target of 6.3 yards, the Rams QB flourished as a dink-and-dunk passer.

Excluding Everett, no other Rams pass-catcher averaged more than 2.64 yards per route run. The offense produced 196 yards after the catch, suggesting that McVay’s formula through the first five weeks is to get the ball quickly into the hands of his best playmakers.

ROOKIE WATCH
After a groin injury held him out last week against the Baltimore Ravens, Chase Young returned today to play 43 snaps and looked like a work in progress.

On the Washington offense, third-round running back Antonio Gibson turned in a relatively quiet performance with 16 total touches for 51 yards.

Serving as a backup to second-year pro Darrell Henderson, Cam Akers carried the ball nine times and rushed for 61 yards.

wv wrote:

Politics calls to us.
Like Sauron’s Ring.

My Presh-us.

w
v

Atlanta Falcons@AtlantaFalcons
BREAKING NEWS: General Manager Thomas Dimitroff and Head Coach Dan Quinn have been relieved of their duties, effective immediately.

Who remembers that "The Rams are dead"?

😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂 https://t.co/1WMbJ2UViI

— jonah (@j_OH_nah) October 11, 2020

Big Day for Aaron Donald and Rams Defense

John Turney

https://nflfootballjournal.blogspot.com/2020/10/big-day-for-aaron-donald-and-rams.html

The Rams defense set a few small records, but overall it was one of the better performances in Rams franchise history today versus Washington.

Aaron Donald had 4 sacks, talking him to 79.5 for his career, surpassing Joe Greene on PFJ’s sack list :shock:, and tying his own team record (shared with Sean Gilbert) for most sacks by a defensive tackle in a single game.

Inside linebacker Troy Reeder fell into three sacks of his own, setting the Rams record for most sacks by an inside/middle linebacker in a single game in team history, and that goes back to the late-1950s at least.

Previously inside ‘backers Cory Littleton, Will Witherspoon, and London Fletcher each had a game with two sacks (the latter two had two each). In fact, Reader puts himself in very rare company of inside linebackers with three sacks in a game.

Exactly how many (since 1982) is debatable since some of the players on the 3+ sack list were inside linebackers in base defenses and edge rushers in nickel (such as Chad Brown, Charlie Clemens, Mathias Kiwanuka, and others). Still, Reeder is etched in the record books with the likes of Jack Lambert and Mike Singletary and other inside linebackers who each had three sacks once each. So there is that.

The eight sacks the Rams amassed today are tied for 12th for the most sacks in a game (since 1963) in franchise history.

The Rams allowed 38 yards rushing, which is tied for 36th all-time in Rams history (since 1940)—

The Rams also allowed just 70 yards passing, which is tied for 38th all-time.

Of course, tying for 36th and 38th in rushing and passing does not sound all that impressive but when a defense does it on the same day, it IS impressive. The total for 108 yards tied them for 12th all-time in fewest yards allowed.[

𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥American football@NFL_Journal
Rams tied for 11th best defensive performance ever-in terms of total yards in franchise history. Yes, rainy, yes #3 Qb.

tied 12th most sacks in a game=8
t-12th fewest yards game, allowed
(t-36th fewest rush, t-38th fewest pass yds)
Most sacks, ILBer-Reeder = 3
Most sacks by DT, Donald (tied own record. W. Sean Gilbert)

Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
Sean McVay now has beaten every NFC team as a head coach except Tampa Bay. The Rams visit the Bucs on Nov. 23. McVay started his career as an offensive assistant in Tampa in 2008.

Rams Brothers@RamsBrothers
We’re a questionable PI call away from being 5-0. What a year it’s been so far.

We’re onto San Francisco!

Los Angeles Rams UK@LARams_UK
The Rams are 29-0 under Sean McVay when they lead at halftime.

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
“It slipped out of his hand, oh yeah, I saw that… Terrible spike attempt,” Sean McVay says about Jared Goff’s spike-attempt gone astray after his 2-yard touchdown.

Whatever one thinks of the Dwayne Haskins' benching, the move certainly did not pay off in a 30-10 loss to the Rams Sunday. Washington managed just 108 yards of total offense and failed to gain a first down in the second half. It was the worst showing… https://t.co/zpJkwntOgy

— John Keim (@john_keim) October 11, 2020

J.B. Long@JB_Long
Can’t wait to see how Rams utilize Terrell Lewis in his debut.

Is he in on early downs to bookend the running game with Leonard Floyd? Or is he a situation pass rusher on 3rd and long?

John Keim@john_keim
Can’t agree w/narrative Wash OL has played poorly. group has played well last two weeks. In re-watching, tape shows some excellent holes missed in run game. Gibson maturation will help. He said as much after the game. a few people in org have said played good enough to win.

Cameron DaSilva@camdasilva
If I were the Rams, I’d use more nickel/dime packages than usual with Micah Kiser out.

They have the safety depth to make it work, too.

Wade Phillips@sonofbum
My picks today. Atlanta,KC,Rams,Texans,AZ,Pitt,Ravens,S F,N O,Seattle,Browns.

Field Yates@FieldYates
For the first time since his devastating leg injury in November, 2018, Washington QB Alex Smith is active.

Simply remarkable progress in his comeback.
==

Rams game clinching drive vs Giants went 91 yards for a TD.

Goff went 6/7 for 86 yards capped by a 55 yard TD to Kupp.

JG16➡️CK10 💨
pic.twitter.com/C0owx8RjWB

— Alvin L (@alfsbones) October 11, 2020

Plenty of rain in store for the Rams today pic.twitter.com/cNcXwVOK1e

— SeattleRams (@seattlerams_nfl) October 11, 2020

Unheralded Morgan Fox and Darious Williams contributing mightily to Rams defense https://t.co/Oqsv6GHDU2

— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) October 10, 2020

Game Preview: Terrell Lewis to make his NFL debut as McVay and Rams head to Washington in Week 5

J.B. Long

https://www.therams.com/news/game-preview-terrell-lewis-to-make-his-nfl-debut

With a win this weekend, the Los Angeles Rams will clinch the NFC East and become the first NFL team to secure a playoff spot in 2020.

Ah, if only that were true.

It appears the Rams – like all the teams in their division – caught a scheduling break by drawing the East this year. Any way you slice it, the East is… not good. So win or lose, some will question L.A.’s strength of schedule going into San Francisco next week; and that’s fine. (The 49ers haven’t faced a winning team.)

Sweeping a division is never something to apologize for in the NFL.

In fact, it’s been a trend for McVay’s championship seasons. The Rams beat the entire AFC West in 2018 and the whole AFC South in 2017.

If they go 4-0 against the East with a win in Washington this weekend, it would be even more valuable because of the NFC playoff tiebreaking implications.

On Thursday’s Between the Horns, I tried to make the case that one division actually did have a preseason in 2020: the NFC East.

Because after four weeks, it’s wide open and only one division game has been played.

By virtue of winning that game, the opener against Philadelphia, Washington has every right to believe they can finish atop the pile, especially considering the deteriorating state of the Cowboys.

The Football Team’s next five opponents only have five combined wins, and three of those belong to the Rams.

So no wonder they’re making a change at quarterback now. Wipe the slate clean, start anew. Which means the Rams are walking into an environment where their opponent has wiped the slate clean and started anew.

It may be Week 5 for L.A. But in D.C., this game is the WFT opener.

30 For (Less Than) 30 Seasons

Per the Washington Post, Kyle Allen will be the 30th starting quarterback for the franchise since 1993, a stretch that started with Mark Rypien, whose nephew is now a fill-in starter for the Broncos.

More recently, Allen will be the eighth Washington starter since Jared Goff took over for the Rams in mid-2016.

Defensive Gauntlet

Starting Sunday, the Rams play three straight games against defenses ranked in the top seven of Football Outsider’s efficiency ratings. And according to that metric, Washington (fourth) is the most efficient defense Sean McVay’s offense will have faced this season. San Francisco (sixth) and Chicago (seventh) are next.

Spin Cycle

“Hold up. Washington’s given up 30-plus points the last three weeks,” you say.

And you’d be right.

This is a nice case study in why points allowed isn’t necessarily a great measure of a defense’s performance.

Take the Week 3 loss in Cleveland, for example.

The Browns scored 24 of their 31 points on drives that started at the +28, +24, +35, and +41 yard lines.

The conclusion should not be “That WFT defense is no good.”

Instead, you might say, “Four turnovers by that offense led to 77% of Cleveland’s scoring.”

The Young and The Retire-less

After practicing Thursday and Friday, Chase Young would seem likely to return to the Washington lineup following a groin injury that cost him most of Week 3 and the loss versus Baltimore.

Whether or not Young plays is huge. First of all, it would make for a fascinating matchup between the second overall selection and the oldest lineman in the game. Andrew Whitworth hasn’t given up a hit on the quarterback this season.

And without Young, Washington’s pressure stats are a bit misleading. The team’s pass rush win rate is actually 27th in the league, according to ESPN.

Eight of their sacks came against Carson Wentz, who refused to let go of the football in the opener. Then they got Kyler Murray, who’s also known to extend plays. And Baker Mayfield after him.

Jared Goff better not be in the positions those quarterbacks were in, late in downs.

Tyler Time

Since his hat trick in Philadelphia, Tyler Higbee’s been quiet – only six targets and 60 yards receiving – though he did collect the two-point conversion in Buffalo.

Higbee might be a solid fantasy option this week, however. Washington has surrendered five touchdowns to opposing tight ends, including a pair to Mark Andrews in their most recent loss.

PFF@PFF
Aaron Donald this season among DI:
27 total pressures (1st)
87.7 PFF Grade (4th)
90.0 PAss-Rush (3rd)

—

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/lists/rams-washington-key-matchups-week-5/

Rob Havenstein vs. Chase Young

Young returned to practice Thursday and is trending in the right direction ahead of Sunday’s game. If he’s able to play, it changes things up front for Washington. He’s the team’s best pass rusher, recording 2.5 sacks in just three games. Despite being a rookie, he’s a handful for offensive tackles to handle.

Havenstein will need to be at his best against Young in order to keep Goff clean in the pocket, which helps the quarterback immensely. Sweat is no slouch on the other side, but Young is the bigger threat to the Rams’ offense.

=

Wade Phillips@sonofbum
Offenses have always been helped by favorable rules. Now they have a bigger advantage because officials are not calling holding penalties.18 teams are on pace to have fewer holding calls than any of the 32 teams had last season!

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
“You played good enough to win but you didn’t feel real good about how well we were executing even though you were winning,” Rams LT Andrew Whitworth said of 2019. “In this situation, we feel pretty good about the way we’re executing as a football team.”

PFF@PFF
Andrew Whitworth:
130 pass-blocking snaps
0 QB sacks + hits allowed
3 QB hurries allowed

Why hasn’t Sean McVay attempted any real deep shots? Even if (Jared) Goff doesn’t hit them, they will still be producing because they will force a defense to respect the deep half of the field and open up some things for them underneath.

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
It’s a good question, and one asked of McVay a lot this week. Basically, he says they have not gotten the looks they want in order to take the actual shots, although more often than we might see, there is a receiver downfield. Goff has only attempted five passes of 20-plus yards, and completed two (with one going for a touchdown).

Offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell thinks it’s a good thing Goff has not forced the issue here, because it points to better decision-making on statistically risky throws.

“I think Jared has been really, really good about being smart about putting the ball in play, throwing completions,” O’Connell said. “He’s been really accurate. As the season progresses, I’m sure those plays will present themselves. But it’s never anything you want to press or try to force because normally when you do that, the defenses in this league can take advantage of that and bad things can happen.”

Meanwhile, the Rams are doing very well in terms of explosive plays — which is one reason you’d throw the deep ball — with 19 plays of 20-plus yards this season. This is because their receivers are quite good at compiling yards after the catch. In fact, nearly half of Goff’s passing yards have been recorded after the catch. In the Rams’ analysis of their offense in terms of a series of large buckets, “explosive plays” — no matter whether they are all air yards or mostly YAC yards — are all in one bucket. However, McVay added the Rams do want to stretch the vertical space of the field more in the future, as well as the horizontal space, which we have seen more often thus far.

One more good reason to throw a deep ball: To try to draw a defensive pass interference call. Goff unfurled one of those last week against New York on third down — no luck.

From @Cali_dmac: With Fuller back, does he go back to starting? What do you think will happen to Taylor Rapp’s snaps?

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
I definitely see Fuller starting in his center-field safety role, and I would think Rapp will go back to playing in that dime package. Keep in mind, the Rams may lean a lot on that package this week because their linebacker corps is really banged-up. Starting middle linebackers Micah Kiser (groin, pectoral) and Kenny Young (knee) were limited this week in practice. If the Rams don’t have their stable presence in the middle, it’s smart to flood the area with bigger-bodied defensive backs who have a physical presence, such as Rapp. Before Fuller’s injury, Rapp was playing approximately 20 snaps per game. Even with Fuller back, if the Rams stay in dime more often, that total could still increase.

From @FFVulture: What on earth happened to Van Jefferson’s snaps?

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
I still think we will see Jefferson move into the wide receiver No. 3 role before this season ends and I’m telling you guys, the ceiling is the moon for this guy. But the answer might be simple: That Josh Reynolds, the more veteran receiver, is playing really well right now and the Rams have not necessarily needed to rush the rookie into action.