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znModeratorNate Atkins@NateAtkins_
If the Rams lose today, hard not to put it on the offense and some decisions there. Davante Adams should have scored a TD that last drive. Another red zone whiff and they’ve left a lot of points on the board there today.znModerator#Rams WR Puka Nacua got hit with a taunting penalty for this.
Doesn't matter who you root for, it's stupid. He's pointing to the endzone. pic.twitter.com/aLVT2a3j48
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 21, 2025
znModeratorLOS ANGELES RAMS
OLB Nick Hampton
QB Stetson Bennett IV (3rd QB)
TE Terrance Ferguson
OL D.J. Humphries
OL Steve Avila
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
OLB Azeez Ojulari
QB Tanner McKee (3rd QB)
RB Will Shipley
OLB Ogbo Okoronkwo
OLB Patrick Johnson
OL Drew Kendall
G Kenyon Green
September 21, 2025 at 9:24 am in reply to: a late start…time for the thread on Trump atrocities, or “Trumpocities” #158143znModeratorSeptember 21, 2025 at 12:40 am in reply to: setting up “E-gals” game–roster stuff, injuries, comments, broadcast map #158142znModeratorIan Rapoport@RapSheet
#Rams DE Braden Fiske, who is questionable with an oblique injury, will play today against the #Eagles, per me and @MikeGarafolo
.September 20, 2025 at 8:55 pm in reply to: setting up “E-gals” game–roster stuff, injuries, comments, broadcast map #158141znModerator3 Keys to Winning for the Rams against the Eagles in Week 3
Stu Jackson
https://www.therams.com/news/3-keys-to-winning-for-the-rams-against-the-eagles-in-week-3-2025
Ahead of the contest, here are 3 Keys to Winning for the Rams.
1) Limit explosive runs
This was the biggest difference-maker in both the playoff game in January and last year’s regular season meeting, starting with running back Saquon Barkley. The additions of inside linebacker Nate Landman and nose tackle Poona Ford were meant to help shore that up, but it will obviously take all 11 on the field to ensure those explosive runs are erased.
2) Stay disciplined within both pass rush lanes and gap integrity
Along the lines of the first key, it only takes one missed gap assignment for Barkley to break off a big run. Similarly, undisciplined pass rushes can be a recipe for quarterback Jalen Hurts to make out-of-structure plays as a passer and a runner. Staying sound in both phases will be important on Sunday.
3) Give Stafford a clean pocket to operate from, especially along the interior
6-foot-6, 336-pound Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis and 6-3, 314 defensive tackle Jalen Carter await the Rams’ interior offensive line, which will have starting center Coleman Shelton and starting right guard Kevin Dotson, but has starting left guard Steve Avila listed as doubtful. Holding up at that part of the line of scrimmage will be especially critical if the Rams want to capitalize on a young Eagles secondary that, while talented, has still had some ups and downs through the first two weeks of the season.
September 20, 2025 at 8:52 pm in reply to: setting up “E-gals” game–roster stuff, injuries, comments, broadcast map #158140znModeratorđđ„đđđđđĄđ: The NFL has said that the Eagles should have been called for false-starting on the tush push Sunday against the Chiefs, per @MarkMaske
They are instructing officials to call âthese plays tightâ moving forward.
đđđ pic.twitter.com/rgUtaptcok
— JPA (@jasrifootball) September 18, 2025
znModeratorHIGHLIGHTS: Every Puka Nacua Reception in Week 2 Win Over Titans
September 20, 2025 at 6:04 pm in reply to: The Stafford thread…update 12/31: huge S.I. article #158137znModeratorTwo former Green Bay Packers coaches who battled with Stafford for years in the NFC North when he played for the Detroit Lions think Stafford is among the best to ever do it. Ex-Packers and Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy as well as ex-Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers both compared Stafford to John Elway, Dan Marino, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers.
âIâve personally seen enough ‘wow’ throws, particularly when he had Calvin Johnson and with his ability to go deep and give him a 50-50 ball,” McCarthy told Bob McGinn of Go Long. “Heâs definitely scratching the surface of that group. Without a doubt. Him and Aaron Rodgers on the field together, I donât know if you can get more arm talent in the building. Those guys had some great battles.â
âThose guys are rare. Iâve coached against every one of those guys,” Capers said about Stafford in relation to Elway, Marino, Favre and Rodgers. “Those guys make some unbelievable throws to win games. Stafford falls into that category. He really had the whole package in terms of arm strength, arm talent, accuracy.â
znModerator.@RamsNFL @Eagles @tae15adams is as dangerous as ever and he is playing with a QB that completely trusts him. Game On #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/gPO1jnxDTM
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) September 20, 2025
September 20, 2025 at 4:42 pm in reply to: setting up “E-gals” game–roster stuff, injuries, comments, broadcast map #158135znModeratorfrom Nate Atkins, To contend with Eagles, Rams must learn to solve their Saquon Barkley problem — https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6642172/2025/09/19/rams-eagles-saquon-barkley/?source=emp_shared_article
The Los Angeles Rams thought they had a plan for Saquon Barkley: Stack the box. Play 11 defenders as one. Wrap up. Force the pass.
And yet one explosive gain after another in two matchups last season â 70 yards up the middle with a jump cut to the right sideline, 72 yards off the left edge, 62 yards off the right edge, 78 yards up the middle and through the snow â brought a sinking reality as the Ramsâ defenders stared at his last name as he galloped to the end zone
…
Los Angeles suffered the worst of it by taking the stacked-box approach to an unhealthy extreme. The Rams used eight-plus defenders in the box on 17 of his 52 carries, per the NFLâs Next Gen Stats. And that was often when Barkley hit his explosive creases, such as the 72-yarder off the left edge in Week 12 when all but one Rams defender lined up within 7 yards of the line of scrimmage and between the tackles.
âYou try to load the box to stop the run and the next thing you know, he gets a seam and thereâs nobody else to tackle him,â Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. âYou need some levels and layers to the defense and vision on him that goes to the pursuit and the gang tackling with everyone there.â
The problem is that the Eagles defy the math it normally takes to stop the run. In addition to an elite offensive line, they have Hurtsâ rushing threat to freeze defensive ends on zone-read concepts. They also have a back in Barkley who, at 232 pounds, ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash and offers one of the best jump cuts in the NFL.
A stacked box can actually create those cutback lanes for him. âItâs a numbers game,â Barkley told reporters in January. âWhen you load the box and bring extra people into the box, itâs a beautiful thing. Because itâs hard to run, and you got to be gap disciplined, and if weâre in the right gaps â itâs hard to run against, donât get me wrong â but I feel like myself as a back, being patient and having that home run speed, if you load the box and we get through, thereâs no one back there.â
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Ford is here to make his life easier by demanding double-teams and keeping blockers out of his face. Heâs here to let the Rams play in less-stacked boxes. Through two games, heâs played 25 run snaps versus 27 against the pass, making him the kind of run-stopper an offense canât dictate playing time for based on personnel sets or downs and distances.
That doesnât mean the Rams suddenly have an answer for the Eaglesâ tush push in short-yardage situations, but they hope they have some of it for Barkley.
âHe has all the tools: home run speed, balance, breaking tackles, everything,â Ford said.
âJust keep my eyes on my key and donât try to do anything extra, nothing out of the ordinary,â Ford continued. âWherever he is, we all have to get to the ball and get hats on him.â
Through two games, the new-look Rams run defense has given up an average of 4.2 yards per carry but has not allowed a run of 15 yards or more. As a result, the defense ranks in the top five in yards per play and expected points added per play, according to Next Gen Stats. They have allowed just one touchdown.
But the running backs theyâve faced, Nick Chubb and Tony Pollard, arenât Barkley.
znModeratorSTEEL HERE@_STEELHERE
NFL teams with the MOST missed tackles entering Week 3âŠ1. Rams: 0
2. Lions: 2
T3. Falcons: 6
T3. Raiders: 6znModeratorLos Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse didn’t deny he deploys these tactics either, with a catch. While he noted he “always get disrespectful towards the person individually,” the second-year star added that his trash talk will never extend past the boundaries of the football field.
“I don’t talk about anybody’s relationships, anybody’s family. I don’t talk about anybody’s kids or anything like that,” Verse said this week. “That’s a whole separate thing that you never get into. I’ll get loud and in your face. I’ll be like, âYouâre this cuss word, youâre that profanity.â I’ll say a lot of stuff like, âYou suck,â or youâre all this stuff, like all disrespectful stuff towards you, but I’ll never bring anybody else into it.â
“There’s a certain line you don’t cross,” he added. “You just don’t get that disrespectful because at that point it’s like, what are you even thinking you’re doing? That’s just too much. I’m going to get disrespectful. I’m going to get in your face. I’m going to get loud. I’m going to throw you off your game, but I’m not going to talk about anything outside of football.â
znModeratorRams Bros.@RamsBrothers
Matthew Stafford has been under center 65% of snaps so far this season â with the league average being 30%.This new emphasis on the drop back game has been highly effective. The drop variations, PA, the run game all married.
Brett Kollmann@BrettKollmann
Benefit to straight dropbacks from under center rather than the gun is you can actually attack down the field in rhythm from the top of the drop and still only be 9 yards deep in the pocket.Drops from the gun can get out of hand fast on longer developing concepts and some quarterbacks get too deep too quickly, which then screws up the angles for pass pro.
That’s a big reason why you see so many little bullshit play action fakes from the gun on longer developing concepts. It’s not to suck up linebackers – those fakes don’t even work.
It’s a timing thing to hold the quarterback there so they don’t drop too deep too fast.
September 19, 2025 at 11:22 pm in reply to: setting up “E-gals” game–roster stuff, injuries, comments, broadcast map #158128znModeratorChris Long & company…they do the Rams at about 22:27.
znModeratorLos Angeles Rams PR@TheLARamsPR
Rams CB Cobie Durant ranks 3rd in coverage grade (86.1) among all NFL CBs (min 20% snaps played), according to @PFF. He also ranks 6th among all defensive players in passer rating against as the primary defender (6.3), according to TruMedia.znModeratorBut in my mind, if we used time travel and had Nacua drafted in 2003 by the Cards, then I think he would have put up comparable numbers.
Just SAY youâre a Cardinals fan and youâre jealous that the Rams got Puka, and be done with it. You will sleep with an easier conscience. (I wonât say âeasyâ conscience, because I know youâve got other stuff in there. Like the fact that youâre glad that the Cardinals eventually got Warner).
Not only am I a dedicated Rams fan, I’ve been one for so long I know more about the Rams than anybody.
I’ve been a Rams fans since back in the days when Jim Youngblood was the great defensive end who terrorized offensive tackles with his infamous head slip. All while being a tv star on Little House on the Prairie and also (mostly through guest appearances), Cheers.
znModeratorDarious Williams notched his first INT of the 2020 season in Philadelphia. Stalling a scoring drive. He had a spectacular year that season
With the loss of Witherspoon, DWill is back in the fray. He had a nice performance last week. Big matchup against AJ Brown & D. Smith ahead pic.twitter.com/HbAq6ZnEMV
— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) September 19, 2025
znModeratorThats high praise comparing him to Boldin.
I said “more gifted” though, and I’m not sure I stand by that. I think they are equals…so it’s that Nacua is as good as Boldin.
Here’s Boldin’s first 3 years, with Blake, then McCown, then Warner as his main qbs. He misses games his 2nd year.
Nacua
Nacua of course has Stafford. But in my mind, if we used time travel and had Nacua drafted in 2003 by the Cards, then I think he would have put up comparable numbers.
…
Can’t-Miss Play: Nacua soars through snow to catch Stafford’s 37-yard strike in the clutch
September 19, 2025 at 3:07 pm in reply to: setting up “E-gals” game–roster stuff, injuries, comments, broadcast map #158120znModeratorThey do the Rams at about 0:50 in.
znModerator…former NFL wide receiver-turned-analyst Andrew Hawkins had some high praise for Nacua just two games into the 2025 season.
“Puka Nacua is playing at a different level than every other receiver in the NFL right now,” Hawkins said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Thursday. “And, on top of that, his chemistry with Matthew Stafford is a thing of beauty. No one is playing as fast. No one is being as efficient. You get him the ball in space, he’s big, he blocks, he can run after the catch, he can run before the catch, he can get out of his break quicker than even some of the smaller receivers.”
In response, former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky had a similar take off of Hawkins’.
“Puka is the best receiver in football that no one says is the best receiver in football,” Orlovsky said. “He’s that good. If we want to have the conversation with Justin [Jefferson] and Ja’Marr [Chase], Puka is right there.”
Through two games this season, Nacua is on pace for an NFL record 153 receptions and a career-high 1,879 yards while Jefferson is on pace for 60 receptions, 1,063 yards and nine touchdowns and Chase is on pace for 136 receptions, 1,624 yards and nine touchdowns.
znModeratorLos Angeles Rams PR@TheLARamsPR
Rams Safety Kam Curl ranks 2nd in tackling grade (88.3) and 8th in run defense grade (79.9) among all safeties (min 50% snaps played), according to @PFF. He’s also T-2nd in tackles for loss (2) and T-7th in tackles (17) among safeties through two games, according to TruMedia.September 19, 2025 at 2:43 pm in reply to: setting up “E-gals” game–roster stuff, injuries, comments, broadcast map #158117znModerator.@RamsNFL @emmanuelforbes7 v @Eagles @1kalwaysopen_ a matchup to pay attention to now that Forbes is the starting CB for the Rams. It's an "Egg Bowl" matchup. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/ENZnSuYq7J
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) September 19, 2025
September 19, 2025 at 2:01 pm in reply to: setting up “E-gals” game–roster stuff, injuries, comments, broadcast map #158115znModeratorznModeratorHe’s not a “system WR.” Not in terms of how that is usually meant. He does have certain skills and abilities as a receiver that could fit into any system.
But…McVay takes special advantage of those skills and abilities.
He is not in the mold of an Ellard, Bruce, Holt, or Adams. He’s not “built” that way. Those guys were receivers in dancers’ bodies. Nakua is more like a tight end in a receiver’s body. But it’s also a bit more than that–for example, the way his feet work on sideline catches. I think of him as a more gifted version of a Hines Ward or Anquan Boldin.
He does things that go way beyond “being a system guy.” Along with his feet, his physicality and hunger for the ball are special attributes. You remember the great 37 yard sideline catch in the snow late in the Eagles playoff game? That’s not a system guy making that catch. He also has a very strong awareness of how to play against zone defenses (he shares that with Kupp and in fact Kupp probably tutored him with that).
September 19, 2025 at 10:29 am in reply to: The Stafford thread…update 12/31: huge S.I. article #158109znModeratorfrom Eagles Opponent Film Room: Scouting the Los Angeles Ramsâ offense — https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/eagles-game-preview/158792/eagles-opponent-film-room-scouting-the-los-angeles-rams-offense
Los Angeles Rams Offense
Deep Passes
The Ramsâ deep passing attack is still one of the best marriages of scheme and execution in the league. From under center, often in 12 personnel, Sean McVay builds everything off wide and inside zone looks. Receivers motion into the backfield or across the formation, holding defenders in place and creating just enough hesitation to open up shots down the field. When linebackers take a false step, Matthew Stafford is quick to fire into the void.
Rams Offense All22 Preview. 1) No surprises here, but the down the field passing game relies on outstanding accuracy from Stafford and a heavy dose of play-action, especially from under-center. Not many teams marry their passing game to their run games better than the Rams do! pic.twitter.com/AIZfl9EinG
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 18, 2025
Stafford remains devastatingly accurate downfield. He hits crossers and digs in stride, threading throws into tight windows even when the defense has the numbers. That gap between the second and third level of the defense is where Stafford makes a living. Heâs an exceptional thrower of the football.
2) Similar idea here with the under-center play-action. Stafford will hit that gap between the safeties/linebackers over and over again. When Stafford is kept unprotected there is no one better at slinging it down the field. pic.twitter.com/RA8hwZihyt
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 18, 2025
Add Davante Adams to the mix, and the offense goes to a new level. For years, this was a scheme-dominant passing attack, but now it can win with individual brilliance. Adams still wins one-on-one with precise route running and physicality, while Puka Nacua is more of a threat against zone coverage with his feel for space. The Rams can beat you both ways, and that duality makes them a very tough offense to stop. They only have two outstanding weapons, but they can win in different ways.
3) The biggest improvement between this year's offense and previous versions is the addition of Davante Adams. He's still awesome. The nuances of his route running and ability to get open is still fantastic. The Rams' can win down the field with scheme as well as individual⊠pic.twitter.com/ZBLIru8Bdl
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 18, 2025
The Eaglesâ secondary will be tested in discipline and communication. Motion and shifts change the picture late, and if safeties fly downhill too quickly, Stafford will make them pay. If I were the Eagles, I wouldnât be too aggressive early on against the run, and I would be more wary of throws over my head. I would trust my defensive line to stop a Ramsâ rushing attack that hasnât been that dominant so far this year.
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Some of the Ramsâ passing designs in the red zone, in particular, are exceptional. Just look at thisâŠ
6) This is so good. The Rams at their best. They show run and have the receiver come in like he's blocking the C-gap. The whole defense flows to the right, then Stafford rolls out and hits the TE on the corner route. Stafford can roll out to his right and left and still throw⊠pic.twitter.com/rkend4aHE2
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 18, 2025
Many of their scores are textbook McVay: play-action naked bootlegs where Stafford rolls out to find a receiver in the flat or on the corner. They love stressing the edge defender with a run fake, forcing him to choose between the back and the quarterbackâs rollout. Stafford can throw effectively, rolling either way, which makes their bootleg game incredibly effective. There are very few quarterbacks who can roll to their left and throw like this!
September 19, 2025 at 9:46 am in reply to: setting up “E-gals” game–roster stuff, injuries, comments, broadcast map #158106znModeratorâKevin Patullo is learning on the fly⊠The pass game has been very static, very conservative.â
âI thought there were 4 or 5 times where Jalen had his eyes in the wrong place.â@GregCosell on the Eagles offense so far this season: pic.twitter.com/GpqJCKA3vh
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) September 19, 2025
znModeratorThatâs great, but⊠honestly⊠Iâve NEVER allowed a sack. Iâm not saying that to brag. Itâs just a fact.
I want to see negative sacks on offense.
That is, where the Rams pass protection on offense is so good, it is the defensive pass rusher who is listed as having been sacked.
znModeratorLos Angeles Rams PR@TheLARamsPR
Rams’ Center Coleman Shelton ranks 7th in run blocking grade (79.7) among all offensive linemen in the NFL (min 50% snaps played), according to @PFF. He also hasn’t allowed a sack in his last 221 pass blocking snaps, according to TruMedia.znModeratorLos Angeles Rams PR@TheLARamsPR
According to @PFF, the Rams are one of two teams in the NFL that have two EDGE defenders who rank in the top-10 in pass rush grade – Byron Young (90.1) and Jared Verse (80.2) (min 50% snaps played). -
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