The Los Angeles Rams weren’t close to full strength against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. They were missing Puka Nacua, Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson, Cooper Kupp and John Johnson III, leaving voids at wide receiver, along the O-line and at safety.
The Rams are relatively deep at each position, but filling the voids left by those five key starters isn’t easy. So how did Sean McVay and Chris Shula do it?
The snap counts tell part of the story of how Kupp and Nacua were replaced at wide receiver, and who filled in along the offensive line. Here’s a look at the playing time breakdown on each side of the ball.
Offense
Logan Bruss was inserted as the starting left guard next to Alaric Jackson, who returned from suspension, and rookie center Beaux Limmer. He missed a few plays while being evaluated by the training staff but he returned quickly. Justin Dedich filled in briefly in his absence.
At wide receiver, it was a mix of Tutu Atwell, Tyler Johnson and Jordan Whittington taking the place of Kupp and Nacua. Demarcus Robinson remained the No. 1 receiver based on playing time, while Atwell was the No. 2 wideout with a 74% snap share. Johnson played 50% of the snaps and Whittington played 22, a good portion of which were as a run blocker.
The Rams shifted their offense to utilize more 12 personnel, keeping two tight ends on the field for 26 of their 58 plays. Colby Parkinson played every snap and Hunter Long was on the field for 45% of the plays with him.
Kyren Williams continues to be the workhorse back, playing all but six snaps on offense. Ronnie Rivers played the other six snaps and Blake Corum did not play on offense for the second time in three weeks.
Defense
Defensively, Kamren Curl and Quentin Lake both played every snap once again. Rookie Kamren Kinchens helped fill in for Johnson, but he still only played 41% of the snaps. Jaylen McCollough played 11 snaps himself, so he was part of the rotation at safety, too.
At cornerback, Tre’Davious White played every snap and Cobie Durant missed just one play. They were the only corners to play more than a few snaps; Josh Wallace played two snaps as a backup cornerback.
Troy Reeder played all but two snaps and Christian Rozeboom was on the field 77% of the time as the Rams used their base defense a bit more to counter the 49ers’ rushing attack.
Kobie Turner continues to lead the defensive line group in playing time, staying on the field for 80% of the snaps. Braden Fiske played 63% and Bobby Brown III was out there for 42% of the plays. Neville Gallimore is eating into Brown’s snaps, while Tyler Davis is also getting some opportunities.
Byron Young and Jared Verse played the most snaps at outside linebacker, which has been the case all year. Michael Hoecht continues to be a factor, though, playing only 11 fewer snaps than Young and four fewer than Verse.