Cooper Kupp pass pro vs Olivier Vernon pic.twitter.com/AAg7nTj3pw

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) September 23, 2019

alyoshamucci

Well we haven’t played a decent first half yet, but we seem to get our junk together in the 2nd, and this was on the road with an up and coming team … so … yeah Im going ot be a bit lenient.

I skipped last week because it was an ugly game and nothing I was gonna say was more important then just watching Kupp’s TD over and over.

The Great

1) Winning games you’re supposed to win. It seems like a small thing, but it’s not. It’s the stuff we did in 2003, where we made things happen for us on ugly days.

2) Defensive back play … the complexity and subtleties of the coverages were really something.

3) Baker having to throw in 2.5 seconds or less to have any shot at a completion.

4) Woods lay out catch.

The Good

5) Robey Coleman was a great investment.

6) JJ3 2 INTs in 3 games … and poaching that last one to seal the deal was $.

7) Cut back runs.

8) Fowler.

9) Not even having to think about Talib and Peters even though they were going against Beckham and Landry.

10) Allen’s ability to get to the next level is something special.

11) Aaron and Clay getting home.

12) Knowing that Kupp will not just go down.

The Bad

13) Had some dropsies.

14) Jared made some poor throws.

15) I want more Malcolm Brown. (But not in the passing game, ya know?)

16) Letting them have a chance at the end … yeah it was a tipped ball, but there was a lot of traffic.

17) Not scheming enough to Everett and when we hit him it’s often late and he doesn’t get a chance to run … literally we could run sweeps to him.

The Ugly

18) First half woes. I’m not a fan. I’m not a fan of Jared not looking like he’s having fun. Not a fan of miscommunications.

19) Jamil Demby. Get Edwards up to speed, please.

20) How many penalties were there?

What Goff does under pressure that Mayfield would benefit to learn. pic.twitter.com/UqgIUnClCl

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) September 23, 2019

Aaron Donald high fived Drew Brees last week.

This week he felt like giving Baker Mayfield a hug. pic.twitter.com/z7KPaecMYB

— Rams Uncensored (@RamsUncensored) September 23, 2019

After having 10 holding penalties on Thursday, the NFL made a call to "De-emphasize" holding calls.@MikePereira and @DeanBlandino break down how we already saw the impact of that decision on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/c7N1Q0zJR6

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 23, 2019

So look, terrible call on the draw … but it’s actually blocked well and the unaccounted player, Weddle, makes the play. It might have had a chance had Weddle reacted slower pic.twitter.com/awLVOmnmcP

— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) September 23, 2019

Dallas/Schmelless. Rams are on the list too.

..

The Cowboys have gained a 1st down on 43.8% of their passing plays, while the Jets are at a miserable 20.6%. pic.twitter.com/4G7NCRp9Ft

— Football Perspective (@fbgchase) September 23, 2019

Sosa K@QBsMVP
It pays to play next to the best player on Earth. Just ask Clay Matthews and Dante Fowler.

Fowler – 1 sack on a stunt, 1 sack against a RB
Matthews – 1 sack on a TE, 1 completely free, 2 coverage sacks (one of which Mayfield ran right into yesterday)

ESPN Los Angeles@ESPNLosAngeles
“Anytime you can get a win in this league, you’re happy about that but when you have a team that looks inwardly & say we still gotta be better, I think that’s brewing something special & we do have to be better…”

@brandincooks with @keyshawn, @LZGranderson, & @TravisRodgers

LeCharles Bentley@64AMDG
Baker has NOT regressed. He’s STILL learning. Can’t misinterpret early flashes of excellence as a baseline of performance. He’s not there, yet. This is good for him, or any athlete that finds early success.

Jason Cole@JasonCole62
Exactly. People don’t understand that QBs play, get scouted, get attacked, then we see if they can adjust. He hasn’t learned enough to regress.

from PFF ReFocused: Los Angeles Rams 20, Cleveland Browns 13

https://www.pff.com/news/pro-nfl-week-3-pff-refocused-los-angeles-rams-20-cleveland-browns-13

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Jared Goff had a mixed game, throwing two interceptions, the second with 2:46 left in the game and allowed the Browns to drive down and have a chance to tie up the game. Goff rarely pushed the ball downfield and struggled to create enough big plays through the air to put the Browns away earlier in the game.

Cooper Kupp was the main target man, as the Browns played with two deep safeties for the majority of the game and allowed the Rams slot receiver to take advantage in the middle of the field. He finished the game with 11 catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns.

Aaron Donald registered his first sack of the season but also racked up more than half a dozen pressures to go along with that. Donald was also a force in run defense, as he continually penetrated upfield and disrupted cut lanes on the Browns’ outside zone plays.

Rookie Takeaways

Rookie safety Taylor Rapp had a rough evening, as he struggled in his run fits and was blocked at the second level quite often. In coverage, he struggled in his assignments, allowed multiple catches to be converted into a first down and was responsible for coverage on the Browns’ lone touchdown. He completely redeemed himself, however, when he broke up a pass at the back of the end zone on the Browns’ final drive, preventing a touchdown.

Peter King: from https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/09/23/daniel-jones-giants-nfl-week-3-fmia-peter-king/?cid=fmiatw

The Rams really impressed me Sunday, and they didn’t even blow out the Browns. Not an easy game, going into the emotional pit of the Browns stadium, where fans were celebrating hosting a Sunday-nighter for the first time since Mastadons roamed the earth. The Rams, per PFF, had 25 quarterback disruptions (sacks, hits, significant hurries), seven by Aaron Donald. Baker Mayfield’s going to have nightmares of Donald. But he’s not the only one. Two rushers acquired in the past year, Dante Fowler Jr. and Clay Matthews, combined for 12 disruptions of Mayfield. Particularly when Mayfield tried to roll right and throw—a staple of his mobile game—he could barely breathe. The final was 20-13, and the Rams have to feel good about three things: They’ve traveled to Eastern Time twice in the first three weeks and beaten competitive teams, Carolina and Cleveland. They haven’t played their best offensive football yet—which is slightly worrisome because the Cleveland secondary was so depleted Sunday. And the return of Cooper Kupp makes a good receiving corps superior. I’m buying Ram stock.

Browns Fall to Rams, Squander Opportunity to Earn Statement Victory
The Browns had a chance to protect home field and defeat the defending NFC champs on Sunday night, but Baker Mayfield and the offense failed to deliver when it mattered most.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/09/23/rams-defeat-browns-baker-mayfield-todd-gurley-jared-goff?utm_campaign=themmqb&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social

They had it.

For the entire first half and a majority of the third quarter, the Cleveland Browns were staring opportunity in the face. A second-straight primetime win, this time against the reigning NFC champion Rams, and a boost to 2–1 was in their hands. They were doing what they needed to do, putting forward a determined defensive effort and an offense that controlled the ball.

But then the shootout started. Sean McVay’s play designs got confusing. The pressure up front started mounting. And with 33 seconds left to tie the game, on a fourth-and-4 from the Rams’ 4-yard line, the Browns did what they knew they couldn’t during their biggest test of the season thus far: They failed, falling to the still-perfect Rams on Sunday night, 20–13.

There’s plenty of blame to go around for the loss, but none of it will be aimed toward the Browns’ defense. In what was the perfect chance to prove they were for real following their 23–3 primetime victory over the Jets in Week 2, the unit did its part, holding the Super Bowl runner-up Rams to just 149 yards and eight first downs in the first half. Todd Gurley, whose performances of late have resurfaced questions around his health, only managed 43 yards on 14 carries on the night.

The injuries the defense suffered coming into the night made the outing even more impressive. Yes, there were breakdowns in pass coverage. But they were hitting hard, prepared for the various formations used by the Rams. They were knocking the ball out and getting to Jared Goff, picking him off twice––all without five of their starters, including all four members of their usual starting secondary. It was enough to give Cleveland a 6–3 lead heading into the halftime locker room.

That’s when the jabs started––and when Cleveland’s offense, the real source of the team’s shortcomings, couldn’t keep up.

After Goff and the Rams capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a touchdown to start the third quarter, Baker Mayfield and the Browns responded with a 75-yard drive of their own to go up 13–10.

But while the Rams continued to run with pace and quick snaps to give Goff more opportunities, the Browns continued to look lost. The offensive line broke down. Mayfield (195 yards, one touchdown and one interception) couldn’t find any comfort, even in a clean pocket. The playcalling became inexplicable (a draw on fourth-and-9 from the Rams’ 40-yard line?!) and the creativity was lacking.

And even when the defense gave them another chance, intercepting Goff with a little over two minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Browns still couldn’t take advantage and capitalize on the opportunity. Mayfield, when faced with immediate pressure from an aggressive Rams front, retreated before launching a desperation heave in the endzone. The pass was intercepted. The comeback bid was over, and the Browns fell to 1–2.

It may start with Mayfield, who said as much after his pedestrian performance. It may be the offensive line, which has given up 11 sacks in three games so far this season. It may be Freddie Kitchens, whose game plans and play calls haven’t worked when they needed them most.

Whoever is to blame, the fact remains the same: Cleveland’s offense is in desperate need of some soul-searching––some effective, permanent changes––and it needs it quickly. The Browns have too much talent for them to remain unimaginative. Too much potential to continue to stumble.

Too much at stake to continue to fail.

dzrams

I think the Rams defense pressured the Browns into some mistakes. Mayfield did mostly have his way with the quick passing game but the counter to that is what the announcers mentioned all night. He literally did not have one successful play when he was forced to hold the ball for longer than 2 seconds. That’s a credit to the Rams. The secondary dominated in addition to the DL pressuring Mayfield all night. Chubbs did well but….13 points total. Who cares? If we’re gonna look and be concerned about the offense not being right, we should also acknowledge that the D looks near dominant. I’m not gonna just look at what’s going wrong because that’s not balanced.

This was obviously posted in twitter before AD got his sack.

==

Aaron Donald isn't playing well this year, he doesn't have a sack.

Please. pic.twitter.com/UjLhk869Br

— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) September 23, 2019

LMU93

Inconsistency and lack of rhythm remains on offense but the Rams have a budding top-5 defense which is just as, if not more, important to their long-term interests this year and beyond.

The offense has yet to put together a full 4-quarter effort. They flash but have faced three straight good defensive fronts and have had struggles. A few drops, a few bad throws, a few missed blocks- they all add up. Demby didn’t help them at RG and could have been part of the reason they didn’t go for it on 4th and 1 from the Browns 19 in the 4th quarter. They missed Higbee as a blocker last night as well. The offense is still working out answers to that 6-1 wide defense teams are throwing at them to prevent the outside zone runs. The answer, in my opinion, is pounding it up the gut but they’re very young on the interior OL so again inconsistency remains there. I’d like to see some wham blocks inside with Higbee once he returns. Heck, when Goff sees that look shift Higbee into a FB position and just pound straight ahead. Running game just wasn’t clicking Sunday- 17 carries for 50 yards between Gurley and Brown.

The OL did hold up fairly well overall in pass protection and Goff helped himself by being able to move around in the pocket- an underrated aspect of his game. Garrett was bound to get there once and the Browns smartly lined him up on Havenstein several times.

I see the offensive line as a work in progress more than a problem. For whatever his faults, the drop-off from Blythe to Demby was big. Allen and Noteboom are absolute works in progress. Allen, to me, has been the steadier of the two. He still needs to get stronger but that’s not happening until next offseason. Noteboom looks to me like a LT playing LG.

And I’m all for Noteboom starting at LG this year. He is clearly one of their best five best OL and playing next to Whitworth for a year is great for his development. I just think he looks more likely to slide to LT next spring. We’ll see.

It’s also hardly a bad or sputtering offense. 25.7 PPG is tied for 7th in the league. Last year (offensive scoring only) they were 28.7. In 2017 26.4.

Also 13th in red zone scoring right now. Only place they’ve dropped off is points-per-play. 10th so far this year vs. 3rd in 2018 and 1st in 2017. Fewer home run plays for sure.

2-of-3 in the red zone which is good. Goff made some good throws and some bad ones. His QB rating was just 79.8 but his ESPN QBR has risen since week 1.

Defensively they were outstanding in my opinion. Talib is an unsung guy on that unit. Played really well vs OBJ. The secondary as a whole has been excellent. Donald was Donald and overall pass rush was very good vs a weak (other than Bitonio) Browns OL. Giving up 16.3 PPG (7th in the NFL), less than 286 yards/game (3rd) and 9th in red zone scoring defense. Yards/rush allowed improved to 4.2 (16th). Matthews and Fowler 6 sacks combined off the edge in three games.

Opposing QB passer rating- they’re ranked 3rd. Yards/attempt allowed- 4th. They were bottom half of the league in both a year ago.

Where are the Rams right now? 3-0 is 3-0 even without any style points victories. TeamRankings.com https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/team/los-angeles-rams/projections projects them as 12-4 right now and they are heavy (10-point) favorites to go 4-0 before the annual presumably tough game @SEA on a Thursday night. I’ll settle for more 1st half scoring overall. The Rams overall scoring/game isn’t down much but it sure is in the first half. 7.3 PPG (24th) vs. 16.3/game last year (2nd).

Work to be done… Their points differential (+28) is 7th in the NFL.