Just finished film of #TBvsLAR and no joke that might’ve been the BEST game I’ve ever seen Jared Goff play. Under constant duress and still made a ton of big-time throws. Biggest issue was their o-line got dominated by Shaq Barrett and crew #LARams

— Chris Simms (@CSimmsQB) September 30, 2019

.@Buccaneers should give all 5 OL a game ball along with the RB’s for the efforts to keep the destruction of @RamsNFL @AaronDonald97 to a minimum . It was a huge key to setting a franchise record 55 points & @Jaboowins have a 3rd straight great game. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/pKl0RiLPsk

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) October 1, 2019

‘Burn the film,’ revisiting the Todd Gurley plan and thoughts on Jared Goff and the Rams’ line

Vincent Bonsignore

https://theathletic.com/1255785/2019/09/30/burn-the-film-revisiting-the-todd-gurley-plan-and-thoughts-on-jared-goff-and-the-rams-line/?=twittered

Eric Weddle stepped out of the Rams’ locker room Sunday and into the brilliant sunshine of an early fall afternoon. It was the perfect tonic after the frustrating 55-40 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the Rams had just suffered, and it elicited a small smile from Weddle. On a tough day for everybody involved, it was clear he was on his way to flushing the loss down the drain.

“You guys need me?” he asked a couple of media members as he prepared to make the long walk to his car outside the Coliseum.

Uh, yeah.

Who better to make sense of what had just happened than Weddle, the veteran Rams safety with the uncanny ability to put even the most complex situation into perfect perspective?

And sure enough, he did exactly that.

“Burn the film,” Weddle simply said.

He wasn’t minimizing what had just happened or making light of the Rams’ struggle to produce a run game or avoid turnovers, or the inability of the defense to get Jameis Winston off the field on third down. There were tough lessons to be learned from the loss to the Buccaneers and plenty of things to correct.

Weddle wasn’t pushing any of that to the side.

It’s just that he’s been around long enough to know that days like Sunday are sometimes inevitable in the NFL. The key is making sure that when they do happen, they don’t mess with you so much that you end up doing the same thing the following week, and the week after that.

Sometimes that requires selective memory and the ability to hit the delete button. That’s especially important now, with the quick turnaround ahead of the Rams’ Thursday-night division game at Seattle.

“Burn it and move on,” he reiterated. “Listen, we can’t let this affect us for this week, with a lot riding on it. Two 3-1 teams battling out. Honestly, move on, watch the Seattle game tonight, which is what I’m going to do. Get in (Monday), get in a lift and a run and get into Seattle. Because what happened (Sunday) is irrelevant this week. We sucked it up. It’s good that we’re (playing) Thursday night. We can move on and get ready for Seattle.”

And with that, Weddle turned and left the Coliseum. A condensed week ahead of an important divisional game awaited, and he wasn’t about to let the stink of Sunday compromise that process.

Not that there isn’t a whole lot to unpack from one of the weirdest losses in the Sean McVay era.

Here are some observations:

Offensive line still struggling

While Goff is to blame most for the three interceptions he threw and the fumble he coughed up that led to the game-clinching touchdown by former Rams defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, it’s impossible to ignore the struggles of an offensive line that is breaking in new starters Joe Noteboom and Brian Allen while also dealing with an injury to Austin Blythe.

Over the last two seasons Goff has been one of the NFL’s best-protected quarterbacks, but that is no longer the case, as he is continually operating in stressful pockets. It doesn’t help that there has been no run-game foundation to speak of for last three weeks. The Gurley factor plays into that, but the offensive line is to blame as well.

And as Sunday showed, it’s not just physical errors beating the Rams but mental ones as well, because the Rams’ offensive line committed five penalties.

“Until you get a chance to really — because you’ve got to move on in the flow of the game — until you get a chance to kind of look inward, figure out exactly what resulted in those, what was occurring, it’s hard to specifically put my finger on one thing,” McVay said. “But there were some things that were very uncharacteristic and things that we can’t do moving forward.”

Given the situation with Gurley, it’s on the rest of the Rams to lift their games. And it sure would help if the offensive line could get squared away.

Too much on Jared Goff’s shoulders?

It’s a new world for Goff right now, with an offensive line not yet in a groove and with an inability to lean as heavily into Gurley.

And that obviously shows up in Goff’s play.

After throwing three interceptions on Sunday, Goff is up to six for the year. He’s also coughed up the ball on fumbles in all four games.

The turnovers are an indication that Goff is being forced to make plays and decisions under more duress than he’s experienced the last two years. There is a fine line here, because without a steady run game Goff has to carry more of the burden. His play must be an advancement of the offense instead of a detriment to it.

Goff was brilliant at times on Sunday while throwing for a career-high 517 yards while completing 45 of 68 attempts. And clearly it’s absurd to ask him to throw the ball nearly 70 times without making some mistakes, including turning the ball over. But an argument can be made that Goff’s early-game gaffes helped put the Rams in the type of hole that required chucking it up on every play.

Now in his fourth season and the owner of a new contract that pays him like a franchise quarterback, Goff must find the balance between being asked to do more than ever but not pushing things to the point of danger. And he might have to do that without the benefit of the same help he’s received the last two years from the rest of the Rams’ offense.

“Ultimately we need to execute better on offense and I need to execute better personally,” Goff said. “I will and we will and I’m not worried about anything.”

Gary Klein@LATimesklein
Rams CB Marcus Peters is not on (estimated) injury report. Peters was evaluated for a concussion Sunday. He has been cleared, per a Rams spokesman.

Vincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
Are we really talking about “panic” with Jared ???? Seriously????!

The question posed was when do #Rams fans hit the “panic” button on Jared Goff. That’s a beyond absurd question four games into a 3-1 season in which he’s making an adjustment to a whole new world of operation between the (not as good) offensive line and Todd Gurley Lite.

Gary Klein@LATimesklein
At their current pace, Rams receivers Cooper Kupp (1,552), Robert Woods (1,228) and Brandin Cooks (1,184) each would finish the season with more than 1,000 yards receiving.

alyoshamucci

I was at a function as my oldest was home from college for something … so I couldn’t watch live, but I tracked the score.

I have a couple thongs to say before I start …
First, I can’t imagine the disgust y’all had to deal with watching that live.
Second, iI think it may have been the best thing that could have happened to our team for a number of reasons.
Third, it looked like we got 2 experienced coordinators (Arians and Bowles) on a day when they were totally ready for us, and a young team that was just starting to click after a hard loss. I’d expect Tampa Bay to threaten in the Southern division. I expect Carl Nassib (who should not have been drafted by a 3-4 team) to become a force on a Bowles’ defense.

So, knowing I had time to prepare emotionally to watch it, I will likely have a different view of the game.

The Great

1) Offense finally got in rhythm. We had to be forced to come back from 21 down for it to happen … and it doesn’t mean I think the offense PLAYED well … they didn’t. But they got in rhythm.

2) Robert Woods block on the Kupp TD. He had to start sprinting before Kupp broke that first tackle, he just assumed he would. I don’t know what to say about that mindset except that it gives me chills when I see it on any team.

3) Sebastian Joseph Day won the spot IMO. He was putting his men on skates over and over.

The Good

4) Gurley looked full speed and full power for the first time.

5) Everett showing a bit of what everyone was saying from preseason.

6) I didn’t have to see Jared Goff’s deflated face. He kept firing.

7) Im assuming Reeder replaced Hager without an injury, I like that call.

8) GZ from 58. Guy is nuts.

9) Being legitimately still in it after such a poor defensive showing up until the last drive.

The Bad

10) Holy cow on the penalties.

11) Goff missing Everett on the front corner route.

12) Everett not being prepared to play defender and knock the ball away on the 3rd INT. Ball was tipped he could have just tackled the guy.

13) Noteboom missed quite a few blocks.

The Ugly

14) COVER CHRIS GODWIN. Have they not read the fantasy stuff on him? He’s more of a true threat than Evans.

15) Havenstein, buddy. This was literally the worst game of your career. From penalties to protection. Dude. Whatever you ate and listened to before the game … goes on the “does not fly” list, just in case. Burn the underwear and socks … never take that route to the stadium again.

16) The 4th down play. How do you let an A gap free rusher in on that? What was that?

17) Peters on the Evans TD. Dude.

max

I just rewatched the game. All things considered, I think Goff played really well.

He made some amazing throws, under constant duress…The Bucs were kicking the crap out of him, and he was still making accurate throws late in the game.

He’s looked clearly better to me than last year.

I have to say, I completely agree with that.

.

This is how broken the NFL is. This is targeting. The play even was reviewed and they still didn’t boot him. pLaYeR sAfEty https://t.co/KdTSOjMZx1

— The Dizzle (@Nmartin55) September 30, 2019

Work smarter not harder! 🐶🐑🐑 pic.twitter.com/x2YSwe4lX1

— Sαbilα (@sabiila_) September 29, 2019

Joe Curley@vcsjoecurley
Its obvious McVay didn’t think they could run it today. They didn’t even try. That’s not a Gurley or Henderson issue. That’s an OL issue. Now is it because the Bucs front 7 is so good? Or because the Rams OL is not? That’s the question that came out of today.

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
Got to love Twitter.
On Thursdays, Twitter says: “Stop asking Todd Gurley all the dumb questions about his knee and performances, he’s clearly annoyed.
On Sundays, Twitter says: “Stupid reporters not doing their job and asking what’s really going on!!!”

Joe Curley@vcsjoecurley
Bucs have been by far the best team against the run this year. And they hurt Saquon. Anyone who didn’t see this wasn’t looking.

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
Sean McVay was asked if he’s preserving Todd Gurley early in games or for the season: “There’s none of that. We’re doing what we can to try to find a way to win games. It’s not about conserving, we’ve got to win right now.”

==

PFF ReFocused: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 55, Los Angeles Rams 40

https://www.pff.com/news/pro-nfl-week-4-pff-refocused-tampa-bay-buccaneers-55-los-angeles-rams-40

LOS ANGELES RAMS
Austin Blythe and Joseph Noteboom were both liabilities against Tampa Bay. Both Los Angeles guards struggled significantly in pass protection and did little to make up for it in the run game.

This was one of Jared Goff‘s worst games of the season. He had multiple turnover-worthy plays and really struggled to push the ball downfield.

Aaron Donald was limited against Tampa Bay’s offensive line. He rarely created pressure on passing downs and was generally kept quiet in the run game, at least more so than what we’ve come to expect from Donald.

Rookie Takeaways

Taylor Rapp gave up a handful of plays in coverage before going down with injury.

Where you’d love to see Goff but a tall order. pic.twitter.com/mkEMf2WI6T

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) September 30, 2019