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ZooeyModeratorBTW, did anybody get a good look at the XP that Karty missed? They didn’t show a replay of it. I thought the snap/hold was botched, but…no replay or comment from Tom the Genius Brady.
ZooeyModeratorThe SFO people said this morning on the radio that the only way SF makes the playoffs is if the division ends in a 4-way tie.
ZooeyModeratorSo, is Chris Shula a mediocre Defensive Coordinator?
Or is he getting the most out of mediocre LBs and Secondary? People keep saying the DLine is pretty good, so I’m assuming the problems are in back of the DLine, mostly.w
vI’ve been wondering the same thing all season, but there was a lot of turnover on the roster, and there is considerable youth. And, you know, not having Aaron Donald makes a DC a few points dumber on the IQ scale.
They added Forbes, FWIW.
ZooeyModeratorThat has to come in second behind the game against KC for the most insane game. I kept thinking the Rams were going to be able to put a lid on Buffalo. Up 3 scores. Eventually, one would think, a TO or a couple of sacks would just bury them, but…no.
The Rams go up 38-21 after 3 quarters, and I’m thinking that oughta do it, but…no.
Good to see the offense put together its best performance of the year. They needed every point.
This improves the Rams’ prospects considerably. They have a one game lead over both SFO and AZ, and are only 1 back of Seattle. The Rams have only the Jets and a game against each of their division opponents left. Seattle has Green Bay next week, followed by Minnesota, and end the season in Los Angeles. The Rams might not even need that last game. I’d be surprised if they don’t win the division now.
ZooeyModeratorMan, oh, man, I have things to say.
ZooeyModeratorWait a minute — they signed the 16th pick in last years draft?
How did ‘that’ happen? Is he a head-case or what?
w
vKam Curl vouches for him, fwiw.
ZooeyModeratori like the move. he needs to bulk up. but athletically he’s as good as it gets numbers-wise. maybe another les snead under the radar pickup that pays off down the road.
and if it doesn’t work out, you haven’t really lost anything.
Yeah, I’m pessimistic about this. I’m sure WASH also knew he needs to “bulk up,” and has enough knowledge around the building to work on that with him. My guess is the dude is just scrawny, and will never be an NFL player. But I’d be happy to be wrong.
In any event, it only cost them…{checks notes}…Charles Woods?
ZooeyModeratorBTW, KNBR canned Tom Tolbert… he was my favorite host on that station and he grew up a Rams fan… and deep down, I think he still is…
Yeah, that was a surprise. KNBR was bought by one of those big corpse…Sinclair, I think. I don’t know why they would can Tolbert, though. He was very popular.
ZooeyModeratorI thought Rozeboom looked awful against Philadelphia.
ZooeyModeratori got this marked as a loss. probably not a very controversial opinion.
but the rest of the games the rams should be able to win.
Yeah, sounds right.
Funny thing. I’d rather they win this game, and lose one of the others that they SHOULD win, then lose this game, and win all the others. I’d like to see them play well against one of the Tier 1 teams.
Seems to me that the Rams’ ceiling is just pretty low. Nothing we’ve seen this season would make me think they have a chance to make the NFC Championship game. The Divisional Round looks like the highest possible ceiling.
ZooeyModerator
ZooeyModeratorRams Bros.@RamsBrothers
Since Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp returned from injury in Week 8, Matthew Stafford has 1,591 passing yards and 14 passing TD’s.Both top-3 in the league since then. Doing it with an offensive line who’s been struggling to protect him all season.
Wow. I would not have guessed that. Put to the test, I would have guessed they were in the middle of the pack, or slightly lower.
This Sunday would be an excellent time for them to hit high gear.
ZooeyModeratorI am enjoying the hell out of the 49ers window slamming shut.
w
vMe, too, although I would love to hear more crying on the radio during my commute. Unfortunately, the NoCal talkers wrote the season off a week or two ago, so they’ve pretty much already moved into the Acceptance stage.
ZooeyModeratorRams at 6-6. Game behind Seattle.
Bills at LA
49ers
Jets
Cards at LA
Seahawks at LA
===Intriguing schedule. I certainly see zero reason to trust this Ram team, but there is a path to the division title there. They can still take it. Or they can finish Last.
w
vI think the 49ers have the inside track on last place, though. They have lost Aiyuk for the year, and possibly McCaffrey. Purdy has a problem with his shoulder. Then they have
CHI
Rams
@ MIA
DET
@ AZI think they’re done.
Arizona, meanwhile, has it comparatively easy:
SEA
NE
@ CAR
@ Rams
49ersI think we have to hope Seattle beats the Cards again because I think they will be favorites against NE, CAR, and SFO.
Seattle has
@ AZ
GB
MN
@ CHI
@ Ramsand that doesn’t look real good for them. They could beat Arizona twice this season, and still lose out on the division.
The Rams have a decent pathway to win the division, and if they don’t win it, then they have no business being in the playoffs anyway. Winning 10 games is possible, and a decent playoff team should be able to accomplish that. If they can’t win 4 of the last 5, then we’ll be discussing draft needs.
ZooeyModeratorSeems like the Rams lost the battles at the LOS which usually loses the game, but somehow they managed to win anyway. Stafford seemed to be under constant pressure, and the Rams got a few pressures, but nothing much.
They figured something out at halftime, and got their guys into better positions in the second half, thought it seemed to be mostly Williams.
They did enough to win it.
Concerns:
McVay’s lack of confidence in Karty
Offense does not seem to be synced up still.
Defense still makes a lot of rookie mistakes.
Whittington at KR seems to be an unexpected find. (based on 2 returns)Still, hoping the 9ers and Bills inflict multiple season-ending injuries on one another. Nothing serious, but… you know…high ankle sprains, and the like.
ZooeyModeratorZooeyModeratorThe Saints are coming off a bye, and they are at home in front of a crowd which does not care much for the Rams, and they’ve won two in a row since firing their coach. They also appear to be relatively healthy.
ZooeyModeratorThe Bills are great but they aren’t the physically dominating freaks the Eagles are. I think the Rams have a chance at SoFi. I was going to say “at home”, but the stadium will look more like Orchard Park’s western annex – but at least the Rams won’t have jet lag.
You make a good point. There is also the fact that the Bills will be playing on shorter rest, since they don’t play until the Sunday night time slot.
ZooeyModeratorI got the Rams winning this one by about 45 points, and I hope I don’t have to face all the accusations against me as a pessimist again. So fatiguing.
November 27, 2024 at 11:17 pm in reply to: Rams injuries & roster stuff, for week 13/game 12 #153542ZooeyModeratorJourdan Rodrigue @jourdanrodrigue.bsky.social
Rams LT Alaric Jackson did not practice today with a foot injury.Did he practice without one?
ZooeyModeratorif you can’t protect QB or stop the run you have nothing.
The first rule of football.
ZooeyModeratorI agree on SF.
They’re done this year, and probably done for a while.
They are 5-6, and have BUF, CHI, LA, MIA, DET, and AZ left to play. That’s 3-3, probably, maybe even 2-4. They are going to wind up a game or 2 under .500 this year. Kittle, McCaffrey, and Samuel all have their best years behind them. They may not “jenga,” as Colin puts it, but I don’t think they are back in the championship mix next year. If Pearsall comes through, and they rebuild their OL, and Aiyuk returns in top form, they can do better than they did this year, but they are a couple of drafts away from being a threat again.
It’s funny that Colin got the business from 9er fans for making this observation. The principal radio heads have folded on the season, at least, and started doing the math on a rebuild.
ZooeyModeratorSigh. 5-6.
Saints
Bills
49ers
Jets
Cards
SeahawksTo have a winning season, they have to go 4-2, now.
This is officially, a ‘disappointing season’ btw.
w
vLooks like 5-1 to me. Honestly. They are better than all of those teams except the Bills, who will undoubtedly crush the crap out of them.
ZooeyModeratorDidnt see the game. Saw the box-score. Barkley had 255 yards??
Jeezus.Rams iz mediocre, i guess.
Rushing yards. 302 total yards.
The Eagles are better. That was clear by the 2nd quarter. The first two drives the Rams put up were impressive, but the Eagles tweaked something, and that was the end of it. Clearly better at the LOS on both sides, and the Eagles fixed their secondary problems in one draft. Cooper Dejean is everything he was hyped up to be going into the draft. That is a complete team. They got a great QB, RB, and WR, and excellent lines. The Philly-Detroit Championship game is one I will watch start-to-finish.
Last night, the absence of Ernest Jones was glaring. I can see the Rams playing better than they did last night. Getting Havenstein back will help, and Higbee. But the Rams are not a threat to the top tier teams, even if the D continues to mature.
I blame Aaron Donald.
ZooeyModeratorI do want the Patz to beat Miami.
May the other wishes you have for today’s games bear better fruit.
ZooeyModeratorWhen the Rams got their OL all beat up before the bye, it took a couple of games for decent replacements to come through. When they did–with Limmer and Dedich–it worked fine. That was the OL against Minn.
Then when, for no gawd damm good reason whatsoever, they played 3 OL replacements with all 3 just coming back from having been out with injuries, that’s when we got the Miami game.
They fixed that by bringing back Limmer. Avila has had a couple of games now and so should be settling in. McClendon is better than Mr. “Lesson The Rams Can’t Seem to Learn” Noteboom. This OL ought to be approaching the level of play they had in the Minn. game. Avila is the best lineman they’ve had since Whitworth and so as he gets into game shape, they ought to improve as a unit.
Right. Yeah. So, theoretically, the Rams OL should be on the same Gel course that they were entering MN, only with superior players. And that’s what the Rams are gonna need today if they plan on scoring more points than Philadelphia does.
ZooeyModeratorI will add… the NFC West games are important this week. If the Cardinals beat Seattle, while the 9ers lose to GB and the Rams lose to Philly – which is a pretty strong possibility – the Cardinals are 7-4 while the other teams fall to 5-6. They would take command of the division. I think SF and SEA would then absolutely kiss the season goodbye. They would both be 1-3 in the division and with harder schedules in front of them than AZ has.
And it would leave the Rams in longshot position.
This game against Philly is really important, in my view. They have to steal one down the stretch, and it’s either Philly or Buffalo, and I think Philly is lower-hanging fruit.
ZooeyModeratorI remember that play bc I’m a Dodgers fan, and I watch the postseason. Mookie is my favorite player right now, both bc he’s so damn good, and bc he just loves what he’s doing. He’s always smiling and laughing. Just seems to love life. It’s good to have those people around.
ZooeyModeratoris it safe to say that the rams offense and defense are both in a better position now than they were in those games against the vikings and lions?
One would think. But I don’t think it’s shown on the field. Part of that was reshuffling the OL again, imo, even though the players they inserted were better (though they lost Hav). But I think the victory over MN was their most impressive of the season. I keep waiting for them to hit top gear now that they’ve had Coop and Puka back for a bit, but they still seem out of sync to me. On offense, anyway.
The defense has steadily improved all year, but this will be a big test because Philly has a really good OL, and Hurts is better at evading the rush. I’m afraid that when the Rams streak into the pocket, they will run right past Hurts. The Rams have improved at contain, but they’re still a work in progress there.
And Barkley might just be too much. Especially with that OL.
Tonight’s game is going to be a serious progress report for the Rams. I think this game will be the most revelatory one of the season to date. The Rams are, like you say, probably in their best position of the season so far, and the Eagles are a real football team. Losing to them won’t kill the season, but beating them would certainly prime the pump for the playoff push, and make up for that loss to Miami.
It’s good that the game is in LA. Not that that is an advantage so much as it is the absence of a disadvantage. Same with Buffalo in a couple of weeks. At least the Rams aren’t travelling 3K miles to play in an ice rink.
ZooeyModeratorPhiladelphia Eagles @ Los Angeles Rams
Defenses know what’s coming when they face the Eagles in short-yardage situations, but that hasn’t made stopping them any easier. Jalen Hurts leads the NFL with eight rushing touchdowns and 23 total rushing conversions on plays with one yard or less to go. In contrast, the Rams defense has struggled in short-yardage scenarios, allowing a league-high 79% conversion rate on plays with one yard or less.
Matthew Stafford has thrived when working outside the pocket, earning an 86.6 passing grade and throwing six touchdown passes—both second-best among qualifying quarterbacks. However, the Eagles defense has effectively limited such opportunities, facing just 49 dropbacks outside the pocket, the third-fewest in the league. When quarterbacks do escape, though, Philadelphia has struggled, allowing a 136.5 passer rating—the fourth worst in the NFL.
Well, that all sounds ominous, and has shaken my hopes. So I retreated into my Strength of Schedule refuge, and did a little research. Found this interesting article by Sharp Football Analysis, the Eagles began the season with the 8th easiest schedule in the NFL, and…their schedule has emerged as even easier than that.
Here is the part I found interesting:
How accurate is Warren Sharp’s model for determining strength of schedule?
Looking at last season’s strength of schedule model:
Of the 15 teams predicted to have the easiest 2023 schedules, 11 finished with winning records (Saints, Colts, Texans, Lions, Jaguars, Steelers, Packers, Buccaneers, 49ers, Browns, and Bengals)
Of the 15 teams predicted to have the hardest 2023 schedules, only 5 finished with a winning record (Bills, Chiefs, Dolphins, Cowboys, and Vikings)
Of the 7 teams forecast to have winning records and predicted to have easier than average schedules, all 7 had winning records (49ers, Bengals, Lions, Jaguars, Saints, Browns, and Steelers)
Of the 7 teams forecast to finish at or below .500 and predicted to have harder than average schedules, all 7 had losing records and 6 went under their win total (Vikings, Broncos, Giants, Patriots, Commanders, and Cardinals)
Are strength of schedule projections accurate?Short answer: YES
Is strength of schedule important?
Of the 15 teams that actually had the easiest 2023 schedules, 10 went to the playoffs (Cowboys, Packers, Texans, Bills, Dolphins, Buccaneers, Eagles, Lions, 49ers, and Chiefs) with 9-of-15 going over their win total
Of the 17 teams that actually had the hardest 2023 schedules, only 4 went to the playoffs (Steelers, Browns, Ravens, and Rams) with 4-of-17 going over their win total
Trying to overachieve against a brutal schedule rarely happens (4 out of 17 in 2023).
Likewise, winning against an easy schedule and overachieving compared to expectations happens often (9 out of 15 in 2023).
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