Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
McVay indicated Gurley would play this week if he got medical clearance, but McVay also acknowledged the delicate balance when it comes to keeping Gurley healthy for the playoffs.

J.B. Long@JB_Long
Sean McVay tells us live on @ESPNLosAngeles he was planning to go for two if @RamsNFL had completed the comeback against PHI.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 8 months ago by zn.

Bill Barnwell@billbarnwell
Five years ago:

Sean McVay was the TE coach for Washington
Matt Nagy was a rookie QB coach for the Chiefs
Anthony Lynn was the Jets’ RB coach
Frank Reich was the Chargers’ QB coach

RamsToday@RamsTodayIG
Pharoh Cooper cost us a playoff win. JoJo Natson cost us a regular season win.

Joe Curley@vcsjoecurley

Trying to figure out how Chargers (7), Pittsburgh (6), Kansas City (6) and Dallas (5), who are a combined 0-2 against the Rams, all have more Pro Bowlers…

For my money, the Rams biggest miss for the Pro Bowl is probably Robert Woods, who has played as well — all-around — at the position as anybody this season. He’s a fifth alternate?

Safety John Johnson not being named even as a Pro Bowl alternate tops my snubbed Rams list.

==

I saved y’all some seats on the bandwagon…don’t worry! 😉👹 pic.twitter.com/wjmUFH30Y4

— Marcellus Wiley (@marcelluswiley) December 18, 2018

==

Updated Head Coach Ranking for 2018:
1. Sean Payton, Saints
2. Andy Reid, Chiefs
3. Sean McVay, Rams
t-4. John Harbaugh, Ravens
t-4. Matt Nagy, Bears
6. Bill Belichick, Patriots
t-7. Anthony Lynn, Chargers
t-7. Gregg Williams, Browns
Here's 9-32:https://t.co/UUDGtOsfvr

— Head Coach Ranking (@HCRfootball) December 19, 2018

==

No idea what’s happened to Jared Goff’s mechanics. He’s also feeling pressure when it isn’t there yet. pic.twitter.com/6KD4vwWq2K

— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) December 18, 2018

==

This was not good defense imo. Not sure what Joyner and Talib saw underneath. pic.twitter.com/qoUmZoUs3R

— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) December 18, 2018

Is the Rams’ defense too reliant on Aaron Donald?

The Rams are 16-0 when Aaron Donald has a sack and 5-7 when he doesn’t.

Is the Rams' defense too reliant on Aaron Donald?

Cameron DaSilva

Aaron Donald might be the best overall player in the NFL. Few players, let alone defenders, in today’s game demand the amount of attention that Donald does. When an opponent begins setting its game plan for attacking the Rams’ defense, the first conversation is likely, “How do we stop Aaron Donald.”

There isn’t an easy answer to that question, but teams are beginning to realize that doing anything possible to slow him down often comes with positive results – even if it means leaving offensive linemen or tight ends in one-on-one situations outside.

The Rams simply don’t have another player who can consistently win those battles to make opponents pay for focusing so much attention on Donald. It’s become a real problem for Los Angeles, too.

Nick Foles wasn’t sacked a single time on Sunday night and was hit just three times – twice by Ndamukong Suh and once by Donald. Dante Fowler Jr. made two total tackles, Samson Ebukam barely had his name called and Michael Brockers did very little in the way of rushing the passer.

When Donald doesn’t get sacks, the Rams have a hard time winning. Since 2017, when Donald has a sack, the Rams are undefeated. When he puts up a bagel in that department, the Rams are just 5-7 – and 6-8 if you include games he didn’t play.

That’s no coincidence, either. Donald makes game-changing plays, often forcing fumbles or turnovers by either sacking the quarterback or pressuring them into poor throws. And when Donald doesn’t get a sack, other defenders hardly ever do, either.

In the six games that he’s been blanked in the sack column this season, the Rams have four total sacks. They don’t have a single game with multiple sacks when Donald doesn’t have one of his own. That just goes to show that the Rams have some serious trouble getting to the quarterback without the help of the Defensive Player of the Year.

Just looking at the season stats, that’s easy to see. Of the team’s 34 sacks, Donald has nearly half of them (16.5). The next-closest player is an off-ball linebacker in Cory Littleton (4.0), followed by Ndamukong Suh (3.5) and Samson Ebukam (3.0).

Until another Rams defender or two steps up and makes teams pay for leaving them on an island in order to double or triple Donald, this is how life is going to be for No. 99. And when he doesn’t get to the quarterback, the Rams’ chances of winning drop significantly.

Zooey wrote:

Knee inflammation.

Usually inflammations have root causes.

Knees don’t…you know…just inflame.

Most likely a sprain.

Common symptoms of knee sprains include…Knee swelling. A knee sprain is usually accompanied by swelling. The amount of swelling present will vary based upon exactly how severe the sprain is, as well as how long it has been since the injury was sustained.

https://www.sports-health.com/sports-injuries/knee-injuries/detailed-knee-sprain-symptoms

Ryan Clark@Realrclark25
Oline issues, Jared has been affected by pressure, even bad when having time, Todd hasn’t gotten enough carries, defense doesn’t have anyone making plays outside of 99

Myles Simmons@MylesASimmons
McVay: “I think we just haven’t played up to the standards that we expect.”

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
According to ESPN Football Power Index: Rams had 81% chance after starting season 8-0 to earn No. 1 seed in NFC. But since Week 9, they’ve gone 3-3 and now only have a 14% chance at that No. 1 spot.

==

According to my highly accurate calculations, Everett and Gurley wasted ~25 seconds by staying inbounds and gained 3ish yards. That's not a good ratio. pic.twitter.com/C8R74R0dny

— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) December 17, 2018

==

#Eagles–#Rams: Deep Quarters technique. LB matches to Gurley with the FS pushing to No.3 vertical vs. a 3×1 set. Force Goff to throw underneath — and tackle. @NFLMatchup pic.twitter.com/pawFC5Ko1C

— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) December 17, 2018

from Facebook

Okay folks, we can all log off. We have a winner for today:

“I heard there was a scarlet nose
That Rudolph had, and it even glowed
But you don’t really care for reindeer, do ya?”

-Some person on Twitter

Since bye week, defenses have been ‘trying out different things’ vs. Rams

Since bye week, defenses have been 'trying out different things' vs. Rams

In the first 11 weeks of the season, the Los Angeles Rams scored fewer than 30 points just twice. In the last three games, they’ve failed to reach 30 points twice, scoring a total of 59 – five fewer points than they had in Week 11 alone.

Defenses appear to have figured out how to slow down the Rams’ high-powered offense, or at least turn Jared Goff into his 2016 self. Goff has struggled mightily in recent weeks, throwing one touchdown pass and seven interceptions in his last three games with an NFL-low 51.3 passer rating.

After another ugly performance Sunday, Goff was asked if anything has changed since the Rams’ bye in Week 12. He didn’t say anything to suggest things have gone awry for the Rams, but rather that opposing defenses are changing things up.

“Teams are doing different things to us,” Goff said. “Yeah, teams are trying out different things. We just need to find a way to respond.”

It’s one thing if the Rams are struggling because Goff is inaccurate or because Aaron Donald isn’t getting much help. It’s another if teams are catching up to the Rams and figuring out how to slow down their offense.

With Goff almost admitting the latter, that should be a major concern for Sean McVay and the entire offensive staff. With their reliance on play-action passes, 11 personnel and jet motion, teams may be figuring out the Rams’ tendencies.

It’s unclear exactly what opponents are doing against the Rams, but the Lions, Bears and Eagles all had one thing in common: They got pressure on Goff. That has led to some errant throws and poor decisions in the pocket, which has caused problems for the entire offense.

“A little bit of everything. It’s a little bit of everything and it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but it’s just teams are mixing it up,” Goff said. “Teams watch our tape just like we watch theirs and are doing a good job. At the same time, we’re beating ourselves. They’re doing a good job, but we can be better and if we are better, we will have no problems.”

McVay expressed a sense of urgency in his postgame press conference, saying the Rams have to “figure this out and figure it out fast.” The clock is ticking with only two games remai

Rams and Jared Goff continue to struggle in home defeat to Philadelphia Eagles

RICH HAMMOND

link: https://www.ocregister.com/2018/12/16/rams-and-jared-goff-continue-to-struggle-in-home-defeat-to-philadelphia-eagles/

LOS ANGELES – That magical night against Kansas City is one that Rams fans will never forget, which is good, because it’s starting to feel more like a period than a comma, particularly for quarterback Jared Goff.

The Rams, right now, are broken. The level of external panic will be elevated beyond necessity, because poor play is now a trend, not a blip. The Rams can be fixed, and they have enough time to do it, but there’s a lot of work to be down after their mostly dismal 30-23 loss to Philadelphia on Sunday at the Coliseum.

The Rams (11-3) have lost consecutive regular-season games for the first time in two seasons under Coach Sean McVay and almost certainly have lost their chance to claim the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs with two games remaining. Their best hope now is a 2-0 finish and a first-round bye.

“We’ve got to be able to figure this out, and figure it out fast,” McVay said, “because these last couple weeks, we’re doing things that are totally uncharacteristic of what good football teams do, what we’ve done.”

Philadelphia (7-7), which came in as a 13-point underdog, broke open a game that was tied 13-13 at halftime with 17 consecutive points, as Goff threw a terrible second-half interception that caused the game to snowball against the Rams for a while.

The Rams scrambled back late and pulled within a touchdown on Todd Gurley’s 1-yard scoring run with 4:06 to play. The Rams’ defense held Philadelphia to a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, but JoJo Natson flat-out dropped the ball on a punt return and the Eagles took over at the Rams’ 36.

“Fluke play. I tried to switch the ball and it came out. Fluke play,” Natson said. “I’m just trying to make a play for the team. You know what I’m saying?”

Again, the Rams’ defense stiffened, and Goff and the offense got one more chance after the Eagles missed a 53-yard field goal attempt. The Rams took over with 1:08 to play and no timeouts, and Goff quickly got them down to the Eagles’ 18 yard-line. But his pass intended in the end zone for Josh Reynolds sailed high and incomplete on the game’s final play.

But until those two last-ditch drives, the Rams were clearly out of sync, especially on offense. During one stretch, they went eight consecutive possessions without a touchdown.

“We’ve got two weeks until the playoffs,” Goff said, “so we’ve got two weeks to figure it out. I don’t think it’s much. It’s little things here and there. I need to do a better job and we need to do a better job across the board.”

Where even to begin? The Rams followed that breathtaking victory over the Chiefs last month with a bye and they’ve been bye-bye ever since, certainly on offense, and with mixed results on defense.

Goff, beset by more porous offensive-line play that he’s become accustomed to since the start of 2017, looks lost – particularly when pressured – and the receivers, who not long ago dazzled with zig-zag routes all over the field, now look pretty run-of-the-mill. Gurley, who left the game in the second half with a knee injury but later returned, no longer is dominating games.

Gurley led the Rams with 76 receiving yards (on 10 catches) and had two rushing touchdowns, but ran for only 48 yards on 12 carries. McVay said after the game that Gurley would have his knee “checked out.”

“I returned, so I was fine,” Gurley said.

Perhaps this is some prolonged rope-a-dope by the Rams, since they’ve already clinched the NFC West and can secure a first-round playoff bye by winning season-ending games vs. Arizona and San Francisco. Yet it sure doesn’t feel that way for a team that seems to have lost its way, and that starts with Goff.

Since the bye, Goff has looked more like the tentative, battered 2016 rookie than last year’s All-Pro player and the MVP candidate of this season’s first two-plus months. Goff completed 35 of 54 attempts for 239 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions, one week after an awful showing against Chicago.

“We’ve all got to be better,” McVay said when asked about Goff. “He’s got to make some better decisions. … He’s trying to make plays. We learn from all our mistakes, and that’s players and coaches alike, but there’s certainly some things that we can look at and we’ve got to be better. Everybody.”

Rams quarterback Jared Goff loses the ball as he is hit by Philadelphia Eagles outside linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill in the second half of the game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Too often, an uncomfortable-looking Goff either threw off his back foot, looked like he was expecting to be sacked, or both. An offensive line that has allowed too much pressure to come up the middle certainly carries some responsibility, but for a third consecutive week, the Rams looked out of sorts on offense.

The worst moment came late in the third quarter, when Goff had his foot stepped on by center John Sullivan, then attempted an ill-advised, off-balance heave that was intercepted. The Eagles scored two plays later to take a 30-13 lead.

The Rams actually led 7-3 at the end of the first quarter Sunday. Then they failed to score a touchdown until the end of the game, and their defense didn’t look particularly impressive either.

For much of the game, the Eagles – with backup quarterback Nick Foles in for Carson Wentz – carved the Rams’ defense with off-tackle runs and deep balls to wide-open receivers. Foles, last season’s Super Bowl MVP, looked like a calm veteran in his first start since September and, after the game was tied 13-13 at halftime, the Eagles scored 17 consecutive points.

“I think we’re in a slump right now, but it’s been worse over here,” guard Rodger Saffold said. “Around this time last year, we had four or five losses. That’s something to think about. At the end of the day, everything is right in front of us and we still control our own destiny. We still have the playoff picture in mind.”

The Rams generated some hope late in the first quarter when they actually scored a touchdown. They’d gone 14 consecutive possessions without one, and it seemed they’d found a flow with a Gurley-led attack.

Not so much. Gurley had seven carries and three receptions on the Rams’ first two drives, compared to a total of 14 touches last week, and the Rams held the ball for 8:55 in the first quarter, but it didn’t last.

The Rams led 7-3 after Gurley’s 9-yard touchdown run with 1:16 left in the first quarter, and then 7-6 after a nice red-zone stand by the defense. The Rams then marched to the Eagles’ 14, but on first down, instead of giving the ball to Gurley, McVay called a pass play and the Rams were called for pass interference.

After that, Goff took a sack, the Rams went nowhere and they settled for a field goal and a 10-6 lead. The Eagles took the lead at 13-10 with a touchdown on their next possession, and the Rams tied the game with a field goal as time expired at the end of the first half.

Those looking for a bounce-back game from Goff, who threw four interceptions a week earlier at Chicago, were left waiting. Goff did join Jim Everett, Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger as the only Rams quarterbacks to throw for 4,000 yards in a single season, but he rarely looked comfortable in the pocket.

Perhaps it’s the pass rush, as teams increasingly seem to be getting interior pressure against the Rams’ line. Perhaps it’s the loss of receiver Cooper Kupp to a knee injury, because since he went out, Goff hasn’t seemed entirely comfortable with any target except Robert Woods, and hasn’t shown much chemistry with Josh Reynolds. Perhaps it’s just good defense and some malaise after the Rams clinched a playoff spot.

“That’s just part of the NFL,” Gurley said. “You’re going to have your ups, you’re going to have your downs. You’ve got to take it with a grain of salt and just move on. No one is going to have a great career, every game, every year. He will respond like he always does and he will lead us to win next week.”

Identity crisis: Can anyone truly tell who the Rams are anymore?

Vincent Bonsignore

https://theathletic.com/718465/2018/12/17/identity-crisis-can-anyone-truly-tell-who-the-rams-are-anymore/

LOS​ ANGELES — If​ you think of​ an​ NFL season​ like​ a masquerade ball,​ then​ the​ month​ of December is​ the big​​ reveal that occurs at the stroke of midnight.
It’s when the masks come off and everybody’s true identities are finally revealed.
For better or worse.
“I’ve played 13 years and I said it a month ago, this month is crazy,” left tackle Andrew Whitworth told The Athletic. “Every year you see teams that weren’t winning all of a sudden start winning and you see teams that were (winning), struggling against those teams.”
The big reveal is upon us. The masks are about to be lifted.
Can anyone truly tell who the Rams are anymore after stumbling the last two weeks in disturbing losses that’s left everyone scratching their heads? And who will be the leader they so desperately need to grab them by the necks and shake them out of the funk they find themselves in?
The Rams (11-3) have lost two straight games after dropping a 30-23 decision to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night at the Coliseum. At a time when teams are either trending up or down, the Rams are moving in the wrong direction.
There are MVP candidates — or were — throughout the locker room, from Todd Gurley to Jared Goff to Aaron Donald. Can one of them stand up and guide the Rams out of the darkness before the start of the playoffs?
That’s not really a question. It’s a challenge. The Rams’ postseason fate depends on it.
“We have really good leadership,” Goff maintained. “In a time like this, you need it — from players to coaches to strength staff to equipment staff to the training staff. There’s good leadership and it allows us to get through stuff like this. This is the first time since [head coach] Sean [McVay] has been here that we’ve lost two in a row. So, we’ll see how we respond – I have a pretty good feeling it’ll be in a positive way.”
The clock is ticking. The sense of urgency is real. The Rams are in danger of losing their grip on everything they held so securely.
It happens like that sometimes. And when it goes, it goes fast. Two weeks ago, the Rams were thinking about home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Now, they need to hold on to make sure they get a much-needed bye in the first round.
But with the way they are playing, nothing is guaranteed anymore.
“We’ve got to get it figured out in a hurry,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. “It’s guys that are making decisions that, typically, we haven’t seen. It’s guys that are making mistakes that we’ve typically haven’t seen. But, however you cut it, we’re all in this together. We’ve all got to do better and it starts with me.
“But, we’ve got to figure it out and that’s — all they know how to do is go back to work, work as hard as we possibly can to figure out the solutions and get better for next week. But this wasn’t good enough. It’s a tough pill to swallow.”
The Rams’ response will define the rest of their season.
For so long, they were the prince of the party after waltzing to a 10-1 record and swooning everyone into believing they were Super Bowl worthy.
Then November turned to December and it has all fallen apart. It started with an ugly win over the hapless Detroit Lions. Then came last week’s loss to the Chicago Bears, a somewhat understandable and acceptable misstep in the frigid cold off Lake Michigan against an up-and-coming team that treated the showdown like a quasi Super Bowl.
The Rams were disappointed but not deterred, vowing to immediately rebound. But against Philadelphia, they repeated some of the same mistakes.
Have the Rams been pulling the wool over our eyes the last three months? Are they really the team that routinely hung 30-40 points on everyone or toyed with opponents before delivering vicious knockout blows? Are they still the Rams who survived rough road trips to Seattle and Denver and came away with character-building wins? Is this still the team that beat the Kansas City Chiefs in an epic showdown against the AFC’s best?
Or are they the Rams that looked helpless against the Bears last week and did not fare much better against the Eagles, who landed in L.A. with faint playoff hopes (and starting quarterback Carson Wentz sidelined with a back injury) only to soar back to Philadelphia right smack in the middle of the NFC East chase?
The Rams could do no wrong the first 12 weeks of the season, but suddenly they can’t do much of anything right.
Goff looks unsure and tentative. The ball is no longer coming out of his hand decisively or with purpose. Far too often, he’s playing under duress, the result of an offensive line that’s suddenly sprung holes in pass protection and isn’t consistently opening holes for running back Todd Gurley.
It’s been four weeks and three games since Goff played like himself. That’s not a blip on the screen. It’s a disturbing trend. There are two weeks left in the regular season. Is there enough time to get him back on track?
“Just stay the course,” Goff insisted. “Just understand that there’s some things that we need to do better, especially offensively, that we will. Just get them fixed and stay the course.”
It sounds practical and prudent and convincing. But it’s the third straight week Goff has essentially uttered the same words.
The results have not reflected the conviction.
Donald has four total tackles the last two weeks and isn’t generating much heat on the quarterback. He has gone two straight games without a sack.
The rest of the Rams defense isn’t picking up the slack, registering just two sacks in the two losses while getting gouged in the run game and surrendering too many big plays through the air.

“We just have to get back into our groove,” Donald said quietly. “It’s tough, man. I hate losing so [we] just have to watch the film, correct it, just have to get better. From everybody, from defense to offense to special teams, we just have to play better.
“We have a great team. We’ve got great coaches. That [the losing] is on the players. That’s on us. I’m going to try to do better and I’m going to try and do more. I’ve got to try to find a way to get free no matter what they’re trying to do and slow me down. There’s no excuses. If you want to be great, you have to be great. You have to show up in big games and this was a big game for us.”
Meanwhile, the penalties are piling up — 14 in all the last two weeks and seemingly every one of them pushing the Rams off stride or adversely impacting them. The Rams have turned the ball over seven times over the last eight quarters, including five interceptions by Goff and a killer fumble by punt returner JoJo Natson on Sunday that all but sabotaged their comeback hopes in the closing minutes.
And if there are answers to be uncovered, McVay has not yet provided them. His team has looked flat, out of rhythm and uncertain for three straight weeks.
“I think we’ve still clinched a playoff berth,” Marcus Peters reminded everyone. “So we’re not tripping. We just have to get back to our P’s and Q’s.”
Peters is right, of course. The Rams are in the playoffs after wrapping up the NFC West division title weeks ago. And yes, there are still two weeks remaining in the season. That’s plenty of time to get back on track.
But the clock is ticking. And it grows louder by the day.
The New Year beckons. The postseason is nearly upon us. What was supposed to be a coronation has suddenly become uncertain and anxious times.
McVay is a second-year head coach. Goff is a third-year starting quarterback. The bulk of the team has only minimal playoff experience, and that was the one-and-done postseason appearance last year against the Atlanta Falcons in the divisional round.
Only Aqib Talib and Brandin Cooks have any real postseason awareness, each with a Super Bowl appearance on the resumes.
The Rams promise to make this a collective effort. It won’t be one or two players who lead the way. It will be the result of a unified front.
“I think it will be great,” Whitworth said. “I think in reality we’ll bounce back. We’ll be fine. We have plenty to play for and plenty of talented people in this locker room that all care and are all made of the right stuff. I look forward to how we bounce back.”
A month ago, we all believed.
But can we really be sure of anything anymore with the Rams?

.@eagles #CoachDougP with a great call on 3-4. Ask yourself; what do the @RamsNFL want to do in 3rd down??? Yep. So you sucker punch them with the “tackle trap”. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/2WJGM9nqYQ

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) December 17, 2018

Todd Gurley Cutback #Rams pic.twitter.com/VhAfq7VACn

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) December 17, 2018