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

So far on the day…Arizona lost, Seattle won.

Tampa and SF in a dogfight.

5 Observations From Rams Win Against Ravens
The Los Angeles Rams made a statement in their fourth win of the 2025 NFL season

Brock Vierra

https://www.si.com/nfl/rams/los-angeles-sean-mcvay-matthew-stafford-ravens-kyren-williams

The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Baltimore Ravens in week six action. Here are five observations from the game.

1. Matthew Stafford is playing at an MVP level

Not every game is going to be a beauty but Stafford made critical throws when needed and once again guided the Rams towards victory. Solid day for Stafford.

2. It’s time to ask questions on Sean McVay’s in-game decisions

The Rams were able to manage situations well throughout the game but despite their functional play, there were a few questionable decisions but no decision was more controversial than Sean McVay’s decision to go for it on fourth and three up 14 points on the Ravens’ six yard line.

The Ravens were done and dusted. They were defeated and all McVay needed was to take three and make the contest a three possession game with under 14 minutes of game time left. Instead, McVay went for it, Stafford got sacked, and the Ravens nearly turned the momentum into six before the defense halted the Ravens’ offense once they entered the red zone.

3. Nate Landman and Quentin Lake need extensions immediately

Landman set the franchise record for tackles in a single game, including another punch out of the football and Lake not only recovered the fumble, he also recorded an interception, helping keep Zay Flowers at bay.

Both men are on one year deals and it is time to open negotiations towards extensions. They’re captains, leaders, and playmakers. They’re pillars of the defense and no executive ever lost their job paying pillars.

4. It’s time for tough questions on the Special Teams Unit

Joshua Karty had two field goal attempts on Sunday, shanking one and barely hitting the other despite both kicks being within 37 yards. McVay stated he thought the protection was good. On top of Karty’s issues, poor execution by Shaun Dolac negated a fumble recovery on a punt, plus other issues.

5. Kyren Williams proved he’s a legitimate pass catcher

Since training camp, Kyren Williams has been nearly begging to be used more in the pass game and when I asked McVay about increasing his involvment, he stated that’s something the Rams have continued to look into.

Over the past two games, Williams’ usage in the pass game has cracked the code in the Rams’ red zone operation.

***

Rams Defense Answer Five Important Questions in Win Against Ravens
The Los Angeles Rams defense showed up in a big way on Sunday

Brock Vierra

https://www.si.com/nfl/rams/los-angeles-byron-young-quentin-lake-ravens

Before the Los Angeles Rams took on the Baltimore Ravens in midseason action, I posed five questions the defense must answer. Here’s their response.

1. What happened last week and is it fixable?

It is. The Rams needed one drive to feel the Ravens out and after their opener, they would threaten to score again but every time Baltimore entered the red zone, they walked away without a touchdown, including the Rams’ stopping the Ravens three times on their own one yard line to take a tie into halftime.

2. Can the Rams stop Zay Flowers?

Yes and his name is Quentin Lake. In fact, what the Rams did against Flowers was the main reason why they won. Lake secured an interception while guarding Flowers, the Rams forced out the football from Flowers that Lake recovered, and Flowers would end up fumbling a jet sweep untouched.

Three turnovers that he was involved in and for the two that Flowers was responsible for, the Rams turned into a touchdown and another red zone trip.

3. Will Byron Young etch his name into Rams history?

He did. Two sacks on the Ravens final drive of the game saw Young become the owner of most consecutive games recording at least half a sack in franchise history, a record dating back to last season.

On top of that, Nate Landman set the record for most tackles in a game for the franchise.

4. Should the Rams re-sign Quentin Lake?

Yes. There’s no question about it. Lake was massive again today for the Rams and when we start getting into what the future of the Rams’ defense looks like, Lake could easily walk away from the Rams as he will be a sought after player.

Lake is Los Angeles through and through. A LA native who played his prep ball in Southern California and his collegiate ball at UCLA, he’s everything that makes a Ram a Ram and thus, it’s time for a new deal.

5. Is it time to make a move in the secondary?

Not yet. The Rams secondary did enough to set up next week. If the Rams make a move, it will be based off what they do against a true NFL starting quarterback and a legitimate passing offense.

Nate Atkins@NateAtkins_
It’s an ankle injury for Puka Nacua, not a foot. Sean McVay isn’t sure yet if he’ll be able to play next week in London. He pushed through pain to give a few snaps late today.

real life Oklahoma drill, but with two blockers, not one

Jared Verse is Godzilla, whips pulling guard, and lead blocker and makes tackle

kills the lead power pic.twitter.com/yQJ2cxBH8B

— Jim Youngblood 53 (@53_jim70721) October 12, 2025

InvaderRam wrote:

hopefully the rams can stop shooting themselves in the foot. should win this game.

Well, they shot themselves in the foot plenty, but won anyway. 😎

RAMS
QB Stetson Bennett
WR Tutu Atwell
TE Colby Parkinson
OL Beaux Limmer
OL Rob Havenstein
LB Omar Speights
DE Desjuan Johnson

RAVENS
QB Lamar Jackson
RB Patrick Ricard
WR Devontez Walker
OT Carson Vinson
DT Aenas Peebles
LB Roquan Smith
CB Chidobe Awuzie

roberto clemente@rclemente2121
the rams are currently -7 point favorites @ ravens:

mcvay era – the rams are 6-0 when favored by 7 (including 2-0 on the road), and 28-5 when favored by 7 or more (including 9-0 on the road).

Anthony Reinhard@reinhardNFL
There are three teams this season that currently have more than 70% of their players back from last season (GB, LAR, and DEN)

Between the Horns: Detailing the Rams' first five weeks of the season + more with @JB_Long, @DMarcoFarr1 + @StuJRams » https://t.co/C7yivdBr4S pic.twitter.com/E8DWZappC7

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) October 10, 2025