wv wrote:

Heard this from a talking head:

The Eagles scored 26 second-half points against the Rams.

The Eagles have scored 27 second-half TOTAL points against all the other teams they have faced.

w
v

The Rams are a 2nd half team.

I mean, you know, except for the Eagles game….

wv wrote:

Geez, Atlanta looked like the superior team against Buffalo.

Zooey wrote:

I most definitely had this game down as a Loss for atl before the season started, and I did my calculations for how high their draft pick would be.

zn wrote:

Atlanta is not cooperating.

Jordan Schultz@Schultz_Report
It’s time to put the #Falcons in the conversation among the NFC’s elite.

Atlanta ranks first in rushing and total defense — and is second in total offense. As we saw vs the Bills, Michael Penix Jr. has developed a lethal connection with Drake London (10/158/1), who’s become one of the premier young receivers in football. Meanwhile, Bijan Robinson (238 total yards, 1 TD v. Buffalo) has been running wild all season.

This is the team Falcons’ fans have envisioned for so long.

Atlanta is not cooperating.

They should have said so honestly during the trade. “Hey, justa heddz up. So you know, we’re not gonna be a losing team.”

It would have been the right thing to do.

from https://www.therams.com/news/5-interesting-stats-from-the-rams-road-win-over-baltimore-l-a-dominates-the-line-of-scrimmage-on-both-sides-defensive-turnovers-lead-to-victory

According to ESPN Research, the Rams’ three points allowed were their fewest in a road game since 2014
The Rams’ defense kept Baltimore out of the end zone all day long. That included three-straight run stuffs from the one-yard line to end the first half, which “kind of revived” the team, said outside linebacker Jared Verse. Inside linebacker Nate Landman contributed to two of those stops, and his 17 total tackles set a Rams franchise record.

The defense also adjusted to slow down the run more effectively in the second half by putting more (and bigger) bodies on the inside. As a result, running back Derrick Henry had just 32 yards on the ground in the second half compared to 90 in the first half. In the pass game, defensive coordinator Chris Shula brought the pressure, blitzing on 40% of Baltimore’s dropbacks, according to Next Gen Stats.

Eric W@biggs_73
I’m from Baltimore, and went to the game. Reeder seems to get to the right spot, but just can’t make a play. Dolac was everywhere and produced! You can see his talent. Thinking he deserves to be the starter even when Omar comes back.

Jim Youngblood 53@53_jim70721
Rams D forced 10 fumbles last year
They have forced 6 this year so far

Sosa Kremenjas@QBsMVP
Thought Josaiah Stewart played a great game yesterday. Interesting because he was drafted as a designated pass rusher but his ability to set the edge in the run game was awesome.

He’s also clearly athletic enough to drop in coverage.

Adam Grosbard@AdamGrosbard
Some notable Rams data from PFF:
-Terrance Ferguson had a season-high 17 offensive snaps vs Balt
-Steve Avila allowed 0 pressures in his return
-Warren McClendon 0 pressures allowed
-Jared Verse 8 pressures
-Byron Young 6 pressures
-Darious Williams season-best 39.6 QBR allowed

Jared Verse keeps head on right side, keeps his leverage, uses super-human strength to keep his base —

this play crushed Ravens … could have gone up 10-3 at half …

the last DL–Hampton gave little help

this was a one-man show at edge

Baldy will be all over this pic.twitter.com/dpmcxBKAxm

— Jim Youngblood 53 (@53_jim70721) October 13, 2025

Jared Verse and Byron Young have been one of the best edge rusher duos in the NFL this season through 6 games.

They each rank top 10 in pressure and win rate on true pass sets among edge rushers with 50+ rushes in that context. pic.twitter.com/64hslqQ8Xy

— Wyatt Miller (@wymill07) October 13, 2025

…

Wyatt Miller@wymill07
In addition to their pass rush success, Verse and Young have both been impactful tacklers and run stuffers.

Young’s 29 stops rank 1st among edge rushers and are tied for 6th overall. Verse’s 22 stops are tied for 2nd among edge rushers and 28th overall (via NGS).

Sarah Barshop@sarahbarshop
Sean McVay said the Rams missed WR Tutu Atwell (hamstring) on Sunday, but that he should be good to go against the Jaguars in Week 7.

Zooey wrote:

It’s just odd the way Stafford can nail a house fly from 40 yards away and miss somebody in the flat. That’s football, though

Did you notice last year that Garoppolo could effectively run screens and short passes that didn’t quite work as well with Stafford? That fits what you’re talking about.

All this is of course IMO.

I think it’s because Garoppolo sets out to maximize himself (for obvious reasons) and in doing that, he pays attention to issues of precision and micro-timing. Coaching says do it exactly this way, so he does it exactly that way.

Stafford is just generally sloppier with those micro aspects of detailed short plays. Timing, everything, can be a bit off with him. I think it’s because he doesn’t work on being precisely precise with those kinds of plays. His head is almost all downfield. His shorter plays are not fine-tuned examples of being what I am calling precisely precise. He also seems to make jerkier, less robotically exact movements and decisions sometimes with the short game. He also seems to be doing something to give those plays away in advance, so the defense can see it coming with him and not with Garopollo, who works on being so precise that he eliminates obvious “tells” in his posture and stance etc.

With Stafford, on the short game, it’s almost as if you’re asking a star heavy-weight boxer to do some fine, detailed scalpel surgery.

In fact if you combined Garoppolo’s short game with Stafford’s medium and long games, you might have the greatest qb who ever played.

wv wrote:

Rico Dowdle, who gained over 100 yards in 4 of the Cowboys last 6 games in 2024, and who gained over 1000 yards for Dallas — was released. And now he goes and gets over 230 yards from scrimmage two games in a row, including Sunday against Dallas.

"They weren't buckled up" – Rico Dowdle 🥶pic.twitter.com/6nhQkl8eh3 https://t.co/RBJQT7A3xx

— Covers (@Covers) October 12, 2025

from Warren McClendon leads Rams PFF offensive grades at RT: https://www.turfshowtimes.com/los-angeles-rams-scores-results/128410/pff-grades-is-it-time-to-replace-rob-havenstein-at-rt

Warren McClendon, RT: 75.9

I will preface all the offensive line grades with a note that the Ravens do not have much of a pass rush. PFF grades do not account for strength of competition, so it’s not surprising to see three linemen crack the top five.

With that said, it’s time to have a difficult conversation. Rob Havestein is one of the worst tackles in the NFL this season by nearly any measure. Warren McClendon has filled in for two games and performed better than Haventein has at any point this year. The Rams must ask themselves in McClendon should be the starter moving forward, which does make sense for the future since he’s on a cost-controlled rookie deal and Havenstein is slated to become a free agent this offseason.

McClendon graded better in run blocking than in pass protection at 82.3 and 60.2, respectively. He did not allow a single pressure on Matthew Stafford.

Kevin Dotson, RG: 74.4

Dotson allowed one pressure and earned an average pass blocking grade of 55.9. He made his mark in the run game and drew a grade of 76.3.

Alaric Jackson, LT: 73.7

One of the most underdiscussed Rams this season has been Alaric Jackson. He’s performing at the bar he set last year before the Rams rewarded him with a multi-year contract extension. He was near-elite in pass protection in this game at 85.6 and did not allow a single pressure. You have to give credit for not letting his play dip after cashing in on a big deal.

17 tackles in one game! 🤯@RamsNFL's @_Nate_Landman is @TomBrady's #LFG Player of the Game after a monster day on defense! pic.twitter.com/T9tl0LJWUe

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 12, 2025

HIGHLIGHTS: Rams Top Plays In Win vs. Ravens – Quentin Lake’s Big Game, Jared Verse’s Sack & More

Rams-Ravens takeaways: Turnovers doom Baltimore amid disastrous slide

Nate Atkins, Jeff Zrebiec and Devon Henderson

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6711319/2025/10/12/rams-vs-ravens-takeaways-results-nfl/

The Lamar Jackson-less Ravens continued their disastrous slide Sunday in Baltimore, falling to 1-5 in a Week 6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

The Rams were nearly without star receiver Puka Nacua, but he returned from a second-quarter injury in a limited role as his team handed Baltimore a 17-3 loss.

Turnovers and inconsistent quarterback play sealed the Ravens’ fourth straight defeat. Backup quarterback Cooper Rush completed 11 of 19 passes for just 72 yards and an interception before being replaced in the fourth quarter by third-stringer Tyler Huntley.

Receiver Zay Flowers lost two fumbles in the second half, giving Matthew Stafford and the now 4-2 Rams extra chances to put the game away. Ravens running back Derrick Henry had been held under 50 yards for four straight weeks before breaking through against Los Angeles, rushing for 122 yards to mark his 49th career 100-yard game.

But even that effort came with frustration. On one Ravens red-zone trip, consecutive quarterback sneaks by tight end Mark Andrews from the 1-yard line were stuffed before Henry got the call on fourth down — only to trip over his own feet and fail to score.

Nacua, who had caught 10 or more passes in four of the Rams’ first five games, entered Sunday leading the league with an NFL-record 52 catches through that stretch. Limited by injury and game flow as the Rams led most of the second half, he finished with just two receptions for 28 yards.

Stafford went 17-for-26 for 181 yards and one touchdown.

Injuries notwithstanding, the Ravens are a bad football team

The Ravens are hoping to get Jackson, fullback Patrick Ricard, middle linebacker Roquan Smith and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie back after their Week 7 bye week. That should help, but this is a Ravens team that looks broken.

They are mistake-prone on both sides of the ball. Their three turnovers Sunday are the latest example. They are losing in the trenches pretty much every game. John Harbaugh and his coaching staff have had no answers to everything that has ailed this team since Week 1. Baltimore talks about the importance of getting healthier and playing an easier post-bye schedule, but it has many issues to fix. — Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens Beat Writer

This will be a long bye week for Harbaugh & Co.

When the Rams took a 17-3 lead in the third quarter, a brief and relatively quiet “Fire Harbaugh” chant broke out at MT Bank Stadium. The Ravens have lost four in a row to fall to 1-5, and a season of great expectations is circling the drain. It seems unlikely that patient Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti will fire his 18th head coach in the middle of the season, but the calls to make drastic changes will only increase after Baltimore’s latest desultory effort.

Zach Orr’s defense played reasonably well at times Sunday and was let down by a sloppy offense. However, the criticism of him isn’t going away. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken will hear plenty of it, too, after managing just three points against the Rams and not being able to punch the ball in on three straight plays from the 1-yard line late in the second quarter. — Zrebiec

Rams defense dominates … despite Derrick Henry

The defense won this game despite allowing its first 100-yard rusher of the season. Henry finally broke through as Baltimore took advantage of the absence of Omar Speights at linebacker. But outside of that and a couple of bad offsides penalties, the Rams’ defense dominated. The pass rush harassed both Rush and Huntley in the backfield, and Quentin Lake had a breakout performance with an interception and a fumble recovery.

Byron Young racked up two sacks and five quarterback hits. The turning point was the fourth-down stand the Rams made at the goal line to end the first half, where they swallowed Henry in the backfield. They’re fortunate to have faced some lacking backup quarterbacks, but this was the bounce back the pass defense needed after getting shredded by San Francisco 49ers backups last week. — Nate Atkins, Rams Beat Writer

Rams’ offense does enough

Los Angeles’ offense merely survived a game where the injuries piled up quickly and Stafford wasn’t at his best. They came in without slot receiver Tutu Atwell and right tackle Rob Havenstein and then lost Nacua and running back Blake Corum for stretches.

It showcased how much Nacua is the engine for this offense, as this was the first game he had fewer than eight catches or 85 yards. He posted just two catches for 28 yards Sunday. But it worked in a lower-scoring game and with a crazy play from running back Kyren Williams, when he made an acrobatic 30-yard reception on fourth down to set up the Rams’ first touchdown.

The good news is Nacua checked back into the game and should be good to play next week against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. — Atkins

Special teams remains an issue

The Rams’ special teams issues are ongoing and have gotten troubling. The unit had multiple penalties, including one that wiped out a forced fumble and recovery, one of their only explosive plays in that phase this season. On the next snap, they gave up a 36-yard punt return. Joshua Karty also missed a 26-yard field goal, and Rams coach Sean McVay passed up kicking another short one to instead go for it on 4th-and-3 in the fourth quarter.

McVay said the Rams are scratching and clawing to find solutions in this phase, but it’s become a weekly issue and has arguably cost them two wins this season. — Atkins