Gregg Rosenthal, from http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001078444/article/week-11-takeaways-ravens-d-up-pats-eagles-offenses-down?campaign=Twitter_atn

The Ravens’ defense is a problem for the AFC. It’s obvious by now that the Ravens’ offense is the toughest group to prepare for in football. (More on that below in the MVP Watch.) But if the Ravens’ defense continues its incredible transformation, it will be safe to say the same about preparing for that unit.

Defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale was creative in manufacturing pressure early in the year, but the dramatic overhaul in personnel in the front seven did not take hold immediately. You can’t replace Terrell Suggs, Za’Darius Smith and C.J. Mosley (who departed via free agency this offseason) overnight, and the players needed time to understand what Martindale wanted — just as he needed time to find the right players. This was always going to be a difficult team to run against, with Brandon Williams and Michael Pierce clogging the middle. But the improved communication in the back end since trade acquisition Marcus Peters arrived, and the changes in personnel, have been dramatic. Four of the Ravens’ 11 starters in Sunday’s in Week 4 when they gave up a 40-burger to the Browns. Ten of the 26 total defensive players on the roster didn’t play their first game with the team until at least Week 5, per The Athletic.

Other longtime veterans, like former cornerback Brandon Carr, who is now playing free safety, are taking on different roles. Jimmy Smith’s snaps are limited because of Peters’ presence, ideally keeping the veteran Smith fresh. The Ravens can afford to take risks with creative blitzes up front because of their experienced secondary, and because of a No. 1 scoring offense that limits turnovers and routinely goes on long drives. Since Week 7, Football Outsiders ranks the Ravens as the best offense and the best defense in the NFL.

If there’s anything thing to worry about for Ravens fans, it’s that the team is peaking now. This is the definition of a good problem. They’d be the favorites if the AFC playoffs started today, but a lot can change over the next six weeks.

PFF, from https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-week-11-pff-senior-analyst-takeaways

There is no longer any gameplan to stop Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ offense
Last season in the playoffs, the Los Angeles Chargers broke out an unusual defense to combat Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens‘ offense. In place of linebackers, the team played with four safeties on the field to try and defend the run with speed as opposed to power, and it worked incredibly well. Baltimore gained just 90 rushing yards as a team, and Jackson wasn’t good enough as a passer to exploit any weaknesses that opened up as a result. The leaps he has made this season mean that right now, he is good enough, and I don’t think the same gameplan would enjoy the same kind of success. Jackson now ranks top-five in PFF passing grade and still remains one of the most dynamic rushing threats in the game. We have reached a point where I don’t know if anybody even knows what the gameplan to slow him down should be, regardless of whether you can execute it or not.

Albert Breer, from https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/11/18/lamar-jackson-kirk-cousins-tua-tagovailoa-colin-kaepernick-mmqb-week-11?utm_campaign=sinow&xid=socialflow_twitter_si&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com

The Ravens’ transformation defensively has been nothing short of remarkable. A group that was a liability earlier in the year (understandable with the departures of CJ Mosley, Terrell Suggs and Eric Weddle) has once again become a strength. Watson got shut out in the first half, something that didn’t happen to the QB in college and hasn’t happened to him since. And Houston wound up with just 232 yards from scrimmage. Good work by Wink Martindale.

Do the 6-4 Rams have what it takes to make the playoffs?@nateburleson and @KyleBrandt disagree on this one. pic.twitter.com/IBIRWiKE7U

— GMFB (@gmfb) November 18, 2019

Bill Barnwell from https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/28103551/making-sense-2019-nfc-playoff-race-eight-good-teams-six-spots

Tuesday is the one-year anniversary of what might go down as the stylistic peak of the Sean McVay era, the legendary 54-51 shootout between the Rams and Chiefs on Monday Night Football. That game was passing football on amphetamines in an environment in which it felt like either team was capable of scoring on every single snap.

Now, 363 days later, the Rams played out a game in which it seemed like both teams were more concerned about making a mistake than they were about scoring. Sunday’s stultifying 17-7 win over the Bears is a credit to Wade Phillips’ defense, which has turned things around after the Rams dealt most of their available draft credit line for cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

It’s also a reminder of just how notably things have changed for Los Angeles. This time last season, the Rams were still living off outside zone and the play-action opportunities their core run concept created. Against those Chiefs, it was mostly the latter, as Jared Goff dropped back to pass 54 times against 21 rushing plays. Goff fumbled twice, but he finished with 413 passing yards and four touchdowns without throwing a pick.

On Sunday, the entire offense was flipped. The Rams used the “duo” run scheme so frequently that commentator Cris Collinsworth called it out in the middle of the game. McVay took the game out of Goff’s hands after a dismal start against the Bears in 2018 and an ugly performance against the Steelers last weekend, running the ball on 34 of Los Angeles’ 52 snaps on offense. Goff finished 11-of-18 for 173 yards with an interception, although a long touchdown to Josh Reynolds was wiped away by an illegal formation penalty.

That missing touchdown came off a play fake, and while that used to be the most devastating element of the Rams’ offense, it’s come and gone. In 2018, Goff led the league with 2,026 passing yards off play-action, more than 200 ahead of any other quarterback, adding 15 touchdown passes against just two interceptions. He was seventh in the league in passer rating on play-action at 114.5. This season, Goff has a 66.3 passer rating on play-action passes, worst in the NFL by nearly eight full points. He has thrown five interceptions with just one touchdown.

Even in the abbreviated sample against one of the league’s best pass rushes, Goff underwhelmed. He did hit a pair of deep throws downfield, notably the near-touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp, but he looked lost for confidence in the pocket at times and continued to miss open receivers. He inexplicably whiffed high on what should have been an easy completion to Reynolds on a dagger concept. NFL Next Gen Stats suggested he had a 75% chance of completing this pass, which is remarkably high for a throw downfield. By those numbers, Goff has the largest negative gap between his actual completion percentage (60.3%) and his expected completion percentage (66.7%) of any quarterback in football with 200 attempts or more.

Goff isn’t playing well, but to some extent McVay might have been forced to make changes by his personnel. In that Chiefs game a year ago, the only Rams starter who was missing from the lineup was Kupp, who had torn his ACL. On Sunday, after Robert Woods was a late scratch for personal reasons, the Rams were down five of their offensive starters. Several of the players who are left look totally compromised, including Todd Gurley and Andrew Whitworth, whose slide might be one of the least-reported but most-important stories of the 2019 season. Whitworth on Sunday committed his seventh holding penalty of the season, a stunning number from a superstar who committed just seven holds across his first two full seasons in Los Angeles.

It remains to be seen whether McVay wanted to use this philosophy for one week to try to beat a Bears team that tormented Goff in Chicago last season or if the Rams will go run-heavy and try to win with a few shot plays in the passing game. (The Bears destroyed Goff last December when they went with the 6-1 front on defense, which came full circle on Sunday when the Rams used the same front against Mitchell Trubisky.) With the Ravens coming to town next week, the Rams will likely want to keep the ball out of Lamar Jackson’s hands and keep a devastating Baltimore offense on the sidelines, which would seemingly point toward the run.

The biggest game for the Rams might come against the Cowboys in Week 15. Los Angeles still has games it will want to win against the Seahawks (Week 14) and 49ers (Week 16), but its chances of winning the division are down below 2% at this point. The Rams’ best chance of getting in is as a wild-card team, and a tiebreaker victory over the Cowboys could loom large if Dallas doesn’t win the NFC East.

Patient work by Todd Gurley. pic.twitter.com/PDVvzZLD39

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) November 18, 2019

Rams finding ways to run different plays to the outside with Gurley that still sets up Jet Sweep and PA boots.

Good work by Cooper Krupp and Josh Reynolds as pullers. pic.twitter.com/Us3gRXR1xN

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) November 18, 2019

Aaron Donald loops inside. Gets outside arm into armpit of #69 and torques big fella to the turf on the way to Trubisky. pic.twitter.com/bq5MJ2wbPn

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) November 18, 2019

These teams have given up the least amount of explosive plays so far this season! #LARams #GoNiners #GoPats #Bears100 #BroncosCountry #BoltUp #FlyEaglesFly #HereWeGo #GoBills #Colts

Where will the Chargers and Chiefs end up after tonight? #MNF @gregcosell | @MattBowen41 pic.twitter.com/wBBicfxBMB

— NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) November 18, 2019

nittany ram wrote:

Goff’s numbers don’t reflect how well he played, IMO. He made some beautiful throws, and his numbers would have looked pretty good if not for a muff of a deep sideline pass that he dropped in over two defenders, and a 53 yard TD bomb that was called back.

Goff was clutch down the stretch.

“+1” as the kids say on the internets.

Rams rely on defense to defeat Bears and preserve playoff hope

Jim Trotter

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001078289/article/rams-rely-on-defense-to-defeat-bears-and-preserve-playoff-hope

LOS ANGELES — Who would have thunk it? A Rams team coached by offensive-wunderkind Sean McVay tying its identity to … defense?

“It’s the NFL, man,” said safety Eric Weddle. “It’s a year-to-year business.”

That reality was on full display Sunday night in the Memorial Coliseum, where the Rams relied on their defense to keep alive their playoff aspirations with a 17-7 victory over the Bears.

The idea of the Rams prevailing on an evening when the offense was without two of its top three receivers, started two rookies on the right side of the line, committed back-to-back turnovers to start the game, and completed only 11 passes would have been nonsensical a year ago, when Los Angeles rode the success of that unit to its first Super Bowl appearance in 17 years.

But a lot has changed in only one season. Injuries, inconsistencies and load management have sapped the unit of its otherworldly powers. Now instead of winning with glitz and glamour, they’ve accepted that grit and resolve are the best way forward.

That need for an identity shift hit home Nov. 10 in a 17-12 loss at Pittsburgh. Trailing by two early in the fourth quarter, the Rams allowed the Steelers to go on a 14-play, 60-yard drive that consumed 8 minutes and ended in a field goal, which left them with only one legitimate possession to win the game.

Afterward, defenders talked among themselves about the need to be better. Then on Monday, after the coaches addressed the team, members of the defense addressed each other in private.

“We talked about what we need to get done,” Weddle said. “Everyone was on the same page: Every snap, we’ve got to be great.”

It helped Sunday that they were playing an offense with its own issues. The Bears (4-6) have scored more than 21 points just once this season and were hurt early by missed field-goal attempts of 48 and 47 yards in the opening quarter. Chicago ran 41 plays in the first half yet failed to convert them into a single point. Some of that was its own ineptness, and some of that was a Los Angeles defense that was locked in.

It’s not a stretch to say that if the Rams (6-4) are going to make a push for the playoffs, the blueprint will look a lot like Sunday until and unless everyone gets healthy. Wideout Brandin Cooks missed the game while in concussion protocol, and fellow starter Robert Woods was inactive for personal reasons. That left McVay short-handed, so for the first time this season he leaned heavily on running back Todd Gurley, who has been on a pitch count much of the year due to concerns about wear and tear.

There appeared to be no such concerns on this night. Gurley carried 12 times for 64 yards in the first half, which surpassed his rushing yards in six of the first eight games this season. His average coming in was 13 carries, with a high of 18. But against the Bears he had 25 carries for 97 yards, which matched his season high.

As he walked up the tunnel to the locker room, he smiled in the camera and proclaimed: “I’m back! I’m back!” Quarterback Jared Goff, who benefits as much as anyone when Gurley is in a groove because it sets up play-action passes — like on the 50-yard completion to Kupp to set up the Rams’ first touchdown — ran up behind Gurley in the tunnel and grabbed his shoulders. He appeared to be emotional as he spoke in Gurley’s ear.

“I told him he fights,” Goff said later. “He fights, man. He’s been through the ringer and that dude fights. I couldn’t be more proud to be his teammate.”

With Gurley running well and the defense keeping the Bears out of the end zone, Goff was relieved of having to shoulder the load. His 18 pass attempts and 11 completions (for 173 yards) were both season lows. He did not throw a touchdown for the second straight week, but he walked away content because the team won.

“This is one of my favorite wins as a Ram, no doubt,” he said. “I think with all the circumstances, being at home in front of our home fans and the way that the game was going, I don’t care how many times I throw the ball, how many times we run the ball, how many completions, attempts, yards, touchdowns, interceptions — the way that game went, and the way that we fought, and the way that we continued to fight all the way until the end in that last drive … I think it’s up there in the top of my head as one of my favorite wins as a Ram, and again I couldn’t be prouder with the guys on this team.”

At some point Goff is going to be needed to carry a heavier load, perhaps this coming Sunday when quarterback Lamar Jackson brings the Ravens and their top-scoring offense to town. A third straight week with a negative turnover differential at his position likely won’t fare as well against Baltimore, which has been playing at an extremely high level of late.

But as much as the focus might be on Goff, who is expected to at least get back Cooks this week, the defense will face its greatest challenge to date.

“We have the players to step up,” said defensive end Michael Brockers. “Tonight we faced adversity, and we played through it. Our mindset is we have to play harder, we have to do more, our brothers need us.”

Added Weddle: “We know our identity; we’re a defensive-minded club and we’ve got to shut teams down to win. Our offense can control the ball and score when it has to, but we’ve got to hold teams down. That’s how we’re going to win.”

Rams still alive in playoff chase after beating the Bears

Lindsey Thiry

https://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/41021/rams-still-alive-in-playoff-chase-after-beating-the-bears

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams’ sideline erupted in celebration as running back Malcolm Brown plowed into the end zone late in the fourth quarter Sunday night, ensuring a 17-7 victory over the Chicago Bears and keeping their playoff hopes alive.

The Rams improved to 6-4, and they now turn their attention to the surging Baltimore Ravens, whom they will host on Monday Night Football on Nov. 25.

Playoff math and scoreboard watching have become part of the Rams’ game-day routine as they keep alive slim hopes for a wild-card spot. The Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings remain ahead in the race. The Vikings won Sunday to improve to 8-3, while Seattle, 8-2, was on a bye.

QB breakdown: Throwing clearly wasn’t part of coach Sean McVay’s game plan with receivers Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks inactive and an offensive line that featured three first-year starters. Quarterback Jared Goff completed 11 of 18 passes for 173 yards and an interception. On the Rams’ second possession, Goff threw a pass that was intercepted by Bears linebacker Roquan Smith. It was Goff’s 10th interception this season but his first thrown from outside of the pocket. Late in the second half, Goff completed a 50-yard pass to Cooper Kupp to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Todd Gurley II.

Gurley tracker: Gurley had his most productive performance of 2019 with 28 touches for a 133 all-purpose yards, both season highs. Gurley lost a fumble, his second of the season, on the Rams’ opening play, but he found momentum on their second possession, as he rushed for 16 yards on consecutive carries and caught a 23-yard pass, his longest reception of the season. Late in the second half, Gurley rushed 1 yard for a touchdown, breaking the Rams’ streak of 23 possessions — dating to the third quarter of Week 8 — without a touchdown. Gurley rushed for 97 yards, tying his previous season high, and a touchdown on a season-high 25 carries. He now has gone eight straight games with fewer than 100 scrimmage yards, the second-longest streak of his career. Gurley’s previous high was 101 all-purpose yards, which included 97 rushing yards, in a Week 1 victory over the Carolina Panthers. He had 19 touches in Weeks 2 and 7.

Pivotal play: In the second quarter, cornerback Troy Hill, who took over as a starter when cornerback Aqib Talib was injured and then traded, intercepted a pass by Mitchell Trubisky. The Rams converted the turnover into a 1-yard score by Gurley to take a 10-0 lead in the second quarter. Hill had six tackles and three pass deflections in the game.

Missing in action: Woods was a surprise scratch and did not attend the game because of a personal issue, a Rams spokesperson said. That left Goff without two of his three starting receivers. Cooks was ruled out early in the week, as the Rams continue to closely monitor his recovery from the two concussions he suffered last month. The Rams also played without right tackle Rob Havenstein, who was sidelined because of a knee injury. Rookie Bobby Evans, a third-round pick from Oklahoma, started in his absence.

Jalen Ramsey on Troy Hill’s productive night @usatodaynfl @DowntownRams @thrilll_32 pic.twitter.com/uD7UiHEm6I

— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) November 18, 2019