Sound. On. 🔊@marcuspeters checks in with @AqibTalib21 after the win! pic.twitter.com/5Fj5BqZ37Y

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 11, 2018

Zooey wrote:

On Mack, Adam Schefter says the Rams offered a 1st and 3rd with the idea they would trade him after the year for approximately the same thing. And just get him for a year.

Not a bad gamble, imo.

I thought about that.

The only way it works is if Mack agrees to play without an extension.

Unless they intended to sign him to an extension and then trade him contract and all.

Three takeaways from the Rams’ win over the Raiders

Alexis Mansanarez

http://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/three-takeaways-from-the-rams-win-over-the-raiders/1dphomvm1yi1x1babsxulodbvo?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=

The slow start just gave Los Angeles time to fire up its weapons, finally unleashing Todd Gurley, Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp to help lead the Rams to a 33-13 win over the Raiders and silencing an electrifying crowd.

Questions surrounded the second game of Monday Night Football’s doubleheader, mostly regarding Jon Gruden letting Khalil Mack slip through his fingers, but for a defensive unit missing its most explosive player things weren’t all bad — that is until the Rams came out to do what they do best.

Beast Mode topples Aaron Donald and company

The first touchdown of the Gruden era came from Oakland native Marshawn Lynch, who went full Beast Mode with the help of his offensive line to help put the Raiders up.

HOW?!

BEASTMODE carries the WHOLE defense into the end zone! #LARvsOAK #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/KF12UVZ9jQ

— NFL (@NFL) September 11, 2018

The Raiders eventually carried a 13-10 lead into halftime, continually breaking through the Los Angeles defense with passing routes to veteran tight end Jared Cook and Jalen Richard, mixing in Lynch on the ground.

While Lynch scored Oakland’s only touchdown of the first half, quarterback Derek Carr managed to keep the Raiders’ offense on the field for over 21 minutes, but it wouldn’t take long for the visitors to respond.

The Rams just needed a warmup
Los Angeles entered the game as the NFL’s reigning No. 1 offense but didn’t look like it in the opening half.

Praised as Super Bowl contenders, the Rams mustered up a four-play touchdown drive and a field goal to keep up with the Raiders but still seemed unable to piece together plays needed to have substantial drives down the field.

The break at halftime helped as they returned to outscore Oakland 10-0 in the third quarter. By the time Los Angeles entered the final quarter, they were up 20-13 and began to steadily wear out the defensive unit that is reeling from the loss of Mack.

Goff finished the game 18-of-33 for 233 yards and two touchdowns, with the bulk of his production coming late, like this late touchdown to put the Rams up for good.

Goff ➡️ Kupp…#LARAMS TOUCHDOWN! #LARvsOAK

📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/xX2I6QfMwF

— NFL (@NFL) September 11, 2018

The question mark surrounding the Jon Gruden era has shrunk

Before kickoff, arguably the biggest storyline was Gruden’s failure to keep Mack. It was talked about ad nauseam and questioned by nearly everyone, but when the Raiders took the field those questions quickly dissipated.

Under Gruden, who returned to the sidelines for the first time since 2008, the Raiders fared well against a high-scoring Los Angeles team. Both sides of the ball tested whether or not the team is buying into Gruden and well, there’s still a ways to go.

The hot start quickly burned out and Carr couldn’t keep the same energy against the Rams’ defense. The lack of discipline Carr showed in some of his throws, which resulted in three interceptions including a pick-six, also followed the team in other ways. The Raiders racked up 11 penalties for 146 yards — 10 of which came in the first half — something Gruden will surely have to clean up.

“In a lot of ways I’m proud of our football team and they way they competed,” Gruden said after the game. “It was a tale of two halves.”

Cook is playing like everyone has hoped him to play…10 years ago. pic.twitter.com/jxoYOV1BcJ

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) September 11, 2018

JackPMiller wrote:

I’m predicting Rams 34-Raiders 6

From now on the predictions thread is yours to start. Okay?

#Rams Jared Goff and #Robert Woods warming up pic.twitter.com/5cl8ID1LlC

— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) September 11, 2018

Schefter said Rams were very serious about trading for Mack after Donald was signed and that they had a plan to pay him for this year and then trade him at end of the year

Expanding on that.

Rams could have been facing former Raiders Khalil Mack tonight; instead, after they signed Aaron Donald, they offered Oakland 1st- and 3rd-round picks, which Raiders rejected.

Rams would have paid Mack, then traded him after this season because they couldn't afford him in 2019.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 10, 2018

Downtown Rams@DowntownRams
#Lions claim ex-#Rams G Jamil Demby. Tried to get sneaky and get him on the practice squad. Not a good move.

Rampage2K-

On NFL Live just now…Schefter said Rams were very serious about trading for Mack after Donald was signed and that they had a plan to pay him for this year and then trade him at end of the year to get the picks back. Would have been a hellava one year rental…can you imagine Donald, Mack, Suh and Brock on the same line???

==

Vincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
As bleak as things looked for #Rams after stumbling their 1st season back in L.A., there was quiet confidence in organization they hit home runs with Jared Goff & Sean McVay. A year later the duo looks like the kind of tandem championships are built around

Tonight? I think as long as the O-line plays well: Explosive plays. Consistency. Efficiency. New wrinkles from last year. A lot of different players getting touches.

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Ryan Kartje@Ryan_Kartje
When I asked the Rams secondary about Marcus Peters, they universally noted that Peters doesn’t get enough credit for his intelligence.

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Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
Spotted Sean McVay walking outside the hotel, some paperwork in hand. I presume he was exercising and not pacing for hours, but I wouldn’t guarantee it.

==

View this post on Instagram

Great day to let it fly. #MobSquad taking the show on the road in Oakland tonight. Excited to see the guys in horns flying around having fun together. #HornsUp 🤘🏼🤘🏼

A post shared by Johnny Hekker (@jhekk) on Sep 10, 2018 at 11:58am PDT

Game Preview: Rams, Raiders Square Off in Monday Night Showdown

Clarence Dennis

https://www.therams.com/news/game-preview-rams-raiders-square-off-in-monday-night-showdown

The Rams are set to open the 2018 season against the Raiders on Monday Night Football.
For Los Angeles, the matchup means a primetime stage for the debut of coordinator Wade Phillips’ newly stacked defense, Jared Goff’s first chance to air it out to newly-acquired wide receiver Brandin Cooks, and the first opportunity to live up to a defending NFC West Champion and Super Bowl-favorite level of hype.
For the Raiders, Week 1 arrives at the end of a whirlwind summer in the Bay Area. The Raiders recently traded away the anchor of its defense in linebacker Khalil Mack. Monday also marks the return of head coach Jon Gruden, who will be on NFL sidelines this season for the first time in 10 years.
The game comes with some historical significance for pro football in California. The Rams are making NFL noise in L.A. for the first time since 1990’s Raiders playoff pushes, and the Raiders are awaiting another franchise move to Vegas.
Monday night will also bring a showdown between two offensive minds in Gruden and Rams’ head coach Sean McVay. In 2008, Gruden offered McVay his first job in the NFL as an assistant in Tampa Bay. Ten years later, McVay’s biggest season yet starts with his former boss standing in the way.
On Wednesday, Gruden said he looks forward to facing McVay’s nationally-hyped Rams in primetime.
“I thought that’s a hell of an opportunity for us to play a team everybody’s talking about. We’ll see exactly where we are in a great stage – Monday Night Football. I look forward to competing with everybody with the NFL, I’m sure he feels the same,” Gruden said.
McVay also talked about the chance to play Gruden on Monday night.

“Looking forward to playing against the Raiders on Monday night. It’ll be the Raiders versus the Rams and it certainly is a humbling experience. You would never have a chance to be in an opportunity like what we’re at here in L.A. if it wasn’t for what the Gruden family’s done for me,” McVay said.
The Rams’ defense has dominated headlines this offseason. General manager Les Snead and the Rams front office made a handful of significant moves during pro football’s break, adding All-Pro corners Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters, as well as a five-time Pro Bowler in veteran defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.
The three defensive newcomers made it a goal to become one cohesive unit in Phillips’ defense throughout the offseason, and just were joined by defensive tackle Aaron Donald in the nick of time for Week 1, following contract negotiations.
Now that the gang’s all here, all eyes will be on the Rams’ defense — that currently is impressive only on paper. Donald and company will do everything they can to slow down Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr and his cast of veteran playmakers, led by receivers Amari Cooper and Jordy Nelson, and running back Marshawn Lynch.

The only major personnel question mark entering game day is inside linebacker Mark Barron. McVay said on Friday that Barron is battling a sore achilles and it’s “fair to be concerned” that he may not play against Oakland.
Backup linebacker Ramik Wilson said he is ready to fill-in if necessary.
“I’ve been playing behind Mark since OTA’s and I’ve been there a while — all camp — started every preseason game, so I’m ready to go,” Wilson said.
On Thursday, defensive tackle and newly named team captain Michael Brockers said his defense must be prepared for the Raiders’ talented backfield. But readying for Week 1 is especially challenging, since Oakland’s new staff is rolling out a largely unseen playbook.
“You got to be prepared for everything. We don’t actually know what they’re going to come out in, we just got to come out and play great-execution ball,” Brockers said.

The Rams will be preparing for Carr, who finished 2017 with 3,496 yards passing, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in 15 games. Monday night will also be Carr and Gruden’s first regular-season opportunity to deliver together on offense. Carr can expect pressure from any one of the three main Rams’ rushers in Suh, Donald, and Brockers, who combine for 109.5 career sacks.
“They’ll have a complicated offense that’ll try to take advantage of defenses,” Phillips said of Oakland’s new offense.
Phillips also expects Gruden to try to shake things up on the line of scrimmage.
“He’ll audible, I mean that’s what he did before. He’s a quarterback guru. He’ll have the quarterback all over the place that he feels like are good against whatever looks we give him, so I expect all that from him.”
It will be up to Gruden’s largely veteran offensive line, with the addition of rookie left tackle Kolton Miller, to protect Carr’s pocket. If Carr is forced to rush throws into the Rams’ secondary, or Miller’s NFL debut goes poorly, Phillips’ heavily-hyped unit could get off to a hot start.

Peters and Talib will lead the secondary against familiar foes in the Raiders. Both corners were AFC West competitors in 2017, Peters — who has two career interceptions against Carr — with the Chiefs, and Talib, the Broncos.
“We’ve got a slight idea, but we really don’t know what they’re going to come out and run,” Talib said. “It’s going to be different than it was in the past.”
On the other side of the ball, Monday night will be the very first look at the Rams’ 2018 offense. McVay elected to sit his offensive starters for the entire preseason, including preseason Week 2 against Gruden’s Raiders, and then again in preseason Week 3, which typically thought of as a “dress rehearsal” week for starters across the league.
Goff said on Tuesday that he is ready for football that counts.
“Very excited to get out there and finally get some competitive — truly competitive — action with our offense,” Goff said. “It’ll be fun. We’re really excited. It’ll be under the lights — big-time game, Monday night. Like I said, against a good team with the Raiders and it’ll be really cool.”
Goff, Gurley, and Cooks will attack a different-looking Raider defense, following the well-documented Khalil Mack trade. Oakland traded their star linebacker just days ahead of Week 1, ending a drawn-out defensive contract negotiation of their own.

Mack’s departure leaves Oakland’s defense punctuated with another question mark on top of the uncertainty that comes with coaching-staff changes.
Oakland’s defense may have their hands full with the league’s highest-scoring team from a year ago. McVay’s only major change on offense — besides backup center Austin Blythe standing in for suspended guard Jamon Brown in the first two weeks of the season — is the addition of wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who essentially replaces now-Chief Sammy Watkins.
Cooks rounds out the Rams’ receiver corps, made up of second-year receiver Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods. Cooks has posted three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and is expected to provide a deep-ball threat in McVay’s offense.
Finally, Cooks and the Rams are expecting a rocking atmosphere on Monday night. The primetime opener against the defending NFC West champs should bring Raider Nation to full volume in Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, in what could be the final Raiders home-opener in Oakland.
“It’s a great atmosphere to play at,” Cooks said. “Their fans, they love their team — they’re loyal. The ‘Black Hole’ is a great place to play and being the away team, it’s fun going out there.”
Kickoff for Monday’s game is set for 7:20 p.m. PDT. For more information on how to watch, click here.

wv wrote:

I saw the Patriots won. I believe they had 3 grade-school kids playing the WR positions.

How long can one team be this good?

Am i ever going to get to see them implode?

Their excellence gnaws at my soul.

w
v

I can’t watch the Patz. I live in Patz territory and get enough of them as it is. I don’t hate them the way I did the old Staubach Cowboys, but to quote the movie Barfly, I don’t hate the Patz, but I seem to feel better when they’re not around.

The GREAT game yesterday was Bears/Packers. Did you catch any of that?

Adam Schein@AdamSchein
2018 Bears are the 2017 Rams. What a difference a coach makes!

==

Alden Gonzalez@Alden_Gonzalez
Bears should send the Raiders another first-round pick, just as a thank you.

==

Matt Bowen@MattBowen41
Awesome performance by Rodgers. Banged up. Has to stay in the pocket. And he takes over the 2nd half.

==

Ian Rapoport@RapSheet
Aaron Rodgers is a magician. But: 1. At one point last year it was a foregone conclusion that Randall Cobb would be released, except they kept him and he’s still got juice. 2. There is no way the #Packers secondary of 2017 could’ve covered at the end like this version did. Big W.

==

Steve Wyche@wyche89
I got to see Tyreek Hill show out today against the Chargers. Didn’t think anyone would show out more than him today, then @AaronRodgers12 played and that was that. What a Week 1.

—

A thing of beauty pic.twitter.com/iyUUti6zgy

— Brandon Bate (@NoPlanB_) September 9, 2018

Career 4th Quarter Comeback/Game-Winning Drive Percentage through Week 8, 2017 (min. 16 opportunities)

Agamemnon wrote:

I watched the 9ers, Cards, and seattle lose.

Looks like Bradford is done don’t it.

Alden Gonzalez@Alden_Gonzalez
Brandin Cooks is a better fit as a vertical threat in Sean McVay’s offense, but the Rams will miss one thing about Sammy Watkins — his downfield blocking. Showing some of that for the Chiefs today.

—

Larry Holder@LarryHolder
Sean Payton on what happened on defense: “Take your pick.”

—

Bill Barnwell@billbarnwell
The Browns are +5 in takeaways today. Since the Browns returned to the NFL, teams with a turnover margin of +5 or better in a game are 132-4-1. The Browns are responsible for two of those losses and the tie.