Category: Latest Rams news

Sean McVay loved Jared Goff laying a block for Robert Woods

Sean McVay had no issue with Jared Goff blocking for Robert Woods: “Hell yeah. Go make that block, man.”

Jared Goff earned some respect from his coaches and teammates on Sunday, not by throwing for 424 yards and leading the Rams to a 34-7 win, but by what he did when the ball wasn’t in his hands.

On a busted screen pass to Robert Woods, Goff laid a block for his wide receiver after Woods had to reverse field and go completely across the formation. Goff got in Patrick Peterson’s way, who essentially stiff-armed the quarterback, but it freed Woods up to gain big yardage.

The play went for 48 yards and Sean McVay loved it.

“Hell yeah. Go make that block, man,” McVay said on Monday. “I think what’s as fun as anything is the excitement that you hear from the teammates. When you get a chance to show the things that we did well or that we can do better collectively, and you hear how fired up guys get. I think you pick and choose if that’s a different player out there, I think he told you guys yesterday. Peterson got him good around the neck right there, but he ended up getting that block and Robert went inside. I think those are things that sometimes is just reactionary.”

McVay never expected the play to go for 48 yards, but there are a lot of instances where a play doesn’t go as planned and it winds up working out.

“This is still a game that is full of a bunch of different things that you don’t know how to exactly a play is going to play out,” he said. “If you told me that that screen was going to cut across the grain for a 48-yard gain, I would have told you there’s no way. That’s why when you’ve got 22 moving parts on each snap, sometimes things play out and I think that was a natural reaction for him. I think his guys love that and so did we.”

Goff already had the respect of his teammates, but it never hurts to make a play like that one to fire everyone up. Cooper Kupp would rather his quarterback not block downfield, though.

“I heard about that. I heard ‘PP’ gave him a little shot on that one. I typically discourage Jared from blocking as much as he can,” Kupp said after the game.

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How Rams can take over No. 6 seed on Sunday after Vikings’ loss

The Rams are still very much alive in the NFC.

The Rams got a little help from their bitter rivals on Monday night at CenturyLink Field. The Seattle Seahawks beat the Minnesota Vikings 37-30, not only taking over the NFC West lead, but also pulling the Rams one game closer to catching the Vikings for a wild-card berth.

Los Angeles went into Week 13 two games back of Minnesota and handled its business by beating the Cardinals 34-7, moving to 7-5 on the year. With the Vikings losing and falling to 8-4, the Rams are now just one game back for the sixth seed in the NFC.

Incredibly, after it seemed like the Rams had very little chance of making the playoffs, their chances are still alive and well. In fact, they can take over the No. 6 seed in the conference as early as Sunday night. It’s fairly simple, too.

They move to No. 6 in the NFC if:

  • Rams beat Seahawks AND Vikings lose to Lions

Both teams would be 8-5 and the Rams would hold the tiebreaker based on conference record. They don’t play the Vikings this season, so head-to-head won’t come into play, but Minnesota has one fewer game against the NFC remaining so the Rams are technically in control of that tiebreaker.

If the Rams happen to lose to the Seahawks in Week 14 and the Vikings beat Detroit, which many expect to happen, it’ll set Los Angeles back significantly. They would have to overcome a two-game deficit in three weeks, having to face the Cowboys, 49ers and Cardinals to close out the year.

The Rams would need to win at least two of their last three and have the Vikings lose at least two of their final three games, too. Minnesota faces the Lions, Chargers, Packers and Bears the rest of the way.

Todd Gurley, Taylor Rapp among highest-graded Rams by PFF in Week 13

Check out the five highest-graded Rams from Week 13.

The Rams finally put it all together on Sunday against the Cardinals, blowing out their division rivals 34-7 at State Farm Stadium. It was a much-needed bounce back after getting crushed by the Ravens at home, keeping their playoff chances alive in the NFC.

The Rams were great on both offense and defense, which isn’t something that can be said about many of their performances this season. Todd Gurley had a productive day with 95 yards rushing, Jared Goff put up 424 yards in about three quarters of action and Robert Woods racked up 172 yards receiving on 13 catches.

Defensively, Aaron Donald was once again a menace, while Taylor Rapp broke out with a pick-six and another pass defensed. The rookie safety earned some high praise from Pro Football Focus, which gave him an 86.4 overall grade – second-best on the Rams defense this week.

Gurley had the highest offensive grade (90.6), followed by Tyler Higbee (85.8) and Woods (85.2).

The Rams can’t expect to win by 27 every week, but they are certainly capable of putting together performances like this one more regularly than they have. The offense had very little trouble moving the ball against Arizona’s underwhelming secondary, but the defense completely shut down Kyler Murray and a unit that was gaining momentum.

It’s good to see Goff and the offense back on track after an ugly November.

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Analyzing Rams’ snap counts in Week 13 win vs. Cardinals

The Rams dug deep on their depth chart in Sunday’s blowout.

The Rams were able to give their backups some playing time on Sunday afternoon in Arizona, blowing out the Cardinals 34-7 on the road. It was their fifth straight win over the Cardinals dating back to 2017, all of which were by at least 16 points.

As a result of the lopsided score, the snap counts were impacted and starters didn’t get as much run as they typically do. Many of the starters on offense were replaced in the fourth quarter, as was the majority of the defense.

Blake Bortles and Darrell Henderson handled the offense on the final few drives, giving Jared Goff and Todd Gurley a rest. Here’s how the rest of the snap counts broke down on that side of the ball.

Offense

Tyler Higbee was the starting tight end with Gerald Everett out, and he made the most of his opportunity. He played 91% of the snaps, which was the same number as Jared Goff and the other starters who were pulled in the fourth quarter, turning his extended playing time into a career-high seven catches for 107 yards and one touchdown.

Robert Woods led all wide receivers with 67 snaps played, followed by Brandin Cooks (61) and Cooper Kupp (57). Josh Reynolds played 29 snaps, while Mike Thomas got in for seven snaps at the end of the game. Woods was targeted 19 times in the game, so when he was running routes, Goff was looking his way.

Todd Gurley got a little bit of a breather, playing only 68% of the snaps. Malcolm Brown spelled him on occasion, while Henderson closed out the game with four carries for 17 yards.

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Rams open as home underdogs vs. Seahawks in Week 14

The Rams are home underdogs for just the second time since Week 17 of the 2017 season.

The Los Angeles Rams went the entire 2018 season without being a home underdog once. The Ravens were road favorites against the Rams in Week 12, marking the first time the Rams weren’t favored at home since Week 17 of the 2017 season.

Next week against the Seahawks, the Rams will once again be underdogs at the Coliseum. According to BetMGM, the Seahawks are favored by 2.5 points over the Rams in Week 14. The over/under is set at 46.5 right now.

The Seahawks still have to play the Vikings on Monday night, which could very well change this line. If Seattle gets blown out or wins by a wide margin, it could push the spread in either direction.

The Rams lost to the Seahawks earlier this season, falling 30-29 on the road in Week 5. Greg Zuerlein missed a 44-yard field goal by inches, sailing it over and wide of the upright to give the Rams their second straight loss.

Seattle is 9-2 and in control of a playoff berth at the moment, potentially jumping up to the No. 2 seed and overtaking the 49ers for the NFC West lead with a win on Monday night. The Seahawks have looked like one of the best teams in the league and will be a real test for the Rams in Week 14.

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Bad roughing the passer penalty cost Jalen Ramsey first INT with Rams

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo was called for roughing the passer, which negated Jalen Ramsey’s first INT with the Rams.

Jalen Ramsey has made a huge difference for the Rams since coming over in a midseason trade. While he may not be creating big plays the way Marcus Peters has for the Ravens, his man-coverage ability has allowed the Rams to be more aggressive on defense – and it’s shown in the numbers.

Outside of last week’s 45-6 loss the Ravens, the Rams have yet to allow more than 17 points in the other five games since acquiring Ramsey.

Los Angeles was particularly good defensively against the Cardinals on Sunday and Ramsey nearly came away with his first interception as a member of the Rams. unfortunately, the play was negated by a penalty on Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, which was questionable, to say the least.

Here’s the play in full-speed, which shows off Okoronkwo’s ridiculous spin move to beat the left tackle.

Even when you slow the play down, it doesn’t look clear and obvious what Okoronkwo did wrong. He made contact with Kyler Murray’s helmet, but it wasn’t intentional or initiated by Okoronkwo lowering his own helmet.

He was simply leaping over D.J. Humphries in an attempt to tackle Murray.

Okoronkwo didn’t seem to agree with the call, posting a thinking emoji on Twitter after the game.

Officiating has been highly criticized by everyone from players to fans to coaches this season, and this appears to be yet another example of a blown call.

Fortunately, it didn’t change the outcome of the game, but it did take a turnover for the Rams and QB hit off the board for Okoronkwo. Still, it was a great performance by the defense.

In the locker room afterwards, Ramsey said this about the way the defense played.

“The defense played a really good game,” he said. “There were a lot of sacks, guys played well, guys got opportunities, stepped up and played well.”

He would’ve loved to nab his first interception with his new team, but he’ll have to wait at least one more week. Perhaps it’ll come against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks on Sunday night.

NFC playoff picture: Why Rams should root for Seahawks to beat Vikings

The Rams need the Seahawks to win on Monday night in order to improve their playoff odds.

The 2019 season is winding down with 30 teams only having four games remaining on their schedules. The Seahawks and Vikings will join that group after Monday night’s showdown, which has huge postseason implications – especially for the Rams.

At 9-2, the Seahawks are currently the No. 5 seed in the NFC. The Vikings are close behind, sitting at 8-3. The Seahawks can overtake the 49ers for the division lead with a win on Monday night, while Minnesota can move up to the No. 5 seed by knocking off Seattle.

The Rams are in the near distance at 7-5, needing some help in order to make the playoffs. Monday’s game will go a long way toward determining the Rams’ postseason chances, but before we get into who they should root for, let’s take a look at the current playoff picture.

  1. West: 49ers (10-2)
  2. South: Saints (10-2)
  3. North: Packers (9-3)
  4. East: Cowboys (6-6)
  5. Wild card: Seahawks (9-2)
  6. Wild card: Vikings (8-3)

In the hunt

Rams (7-5)
Bears (6-6)

As difficult as it is for the Rams and their fans to root for a division rival, it’s absolutely necessary on Monday night. Los Angeles needs the Seahawks to beat the Vikings to improve their playoff odds.

According to the New York Times’ playoff machine, the Rams currently have a 20% chance to make the postseason. If the Seahawks win tonight, that number will increase to 26% – not a significant amount, of course, but any improvement is a plus.

However, if the Vikings win, the Rams’ odds will decrease to just 13%. The reason is obvious, too.

With a win, Minnesota will push two games clear of the Rams for the sixth wild-card spot. It’ll drop the Seahawks back to 9-3, too, but the Rams have already lost to the Seahawks and face them next week. If the Vikings lose, they’ll only be one game ahead of Los Angeles, which isn’t an insurmountable deficit to overcome.

In that scenario, the Rams would need to win in Week 14 against the Seahawks and the Vikings would need to lose to Detroit in order for Los Angeles to slide into the No. 6 seed. Again, something that isn’t impossible.

But it all starts with the Vikings losing tonight. If they win, the Rams would need to beat the Seahawks and Cowboys, and Minnesota would need to lose to the Lions and Chargers. Week 16 and 17 would then be in the Rams’ hands, but they’d much prefer to take control of the sixth seed next week.

Robert Woods showed why he’s underrated with 172 yards vs. Cardinals

Robert Woods had the most yards after catch Sunday of any player this season.

Robert Woods missed Week 11 due to a personal issue, but he hasn’t missed a beat since returning to the team. Last week, he had six catches for 97 yards, and on Sunday against the Cardinals, he nearly doubled his yardage total in three quarters.

Woods tallied 172 yards on 13 catches in Week 13, setting a new career-high in yards and tying the best mark of his career in receptions. He still hasn’t scored a touchdown yet this season, which is a bizarre fact, but he remains one of the NFL’s most underrated receivers.

His versatility and ability to do everything at wide receiver makes him so valuable, which showed on Sunday in Arizona. He did most of his damage after the catch, picking up 137 of his 172 after hauling in a reception. That’s the most yards after catch by any player this season.

That long green streak down the right sideline came on a broken screen pass to the left side, which forced him to reverse field. Jared Goff threw a block to spring Woods free for 48 yards, all of which came after the catch.

This was the second time in 2019 that Woods caught at least 10 passes for 150 yards, doing so in Week 4 against the Buccaneers (13 catches, 164 yards). He’s just the third receiver in Rams history to accomplish that feat, joining the great Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce.

Woods probably won’t make the Pro Bowl, especially without having a touchdown, but he’s still vastly underrated and outplaying his meager contract with the Rams.

On the season, he has 64 catches for 835 yards in 11 games, which rank second on the team.

Watch highlights from Rams’ Week 13 win over Cardinals

The Rams made easy work of the Cardinals, rolling to a 27-point win with some highlight-reel plays.

Needing a win to keep their playoff chances alive, the Rams came away with a huge victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. They made it look easy, too, winning 34-7. It’s their fifth straight win over the Cardinals, all of which have come by at least two touchdowns.

It was a game filled with highlight-reel plays, from Jared Goff throwing a block for Robert Woods on a 48-yard gain, to Todd Gurley shaking off multiple tacklers on a run in the red zone. Goff, Woods and Tyler Higbee all had their best games of the season, leading the Rams to victory in Week 13.

Taylor Rapp also broke through with a pick-six and another near-interception, while the Rams sacked Kyler Murray six times as a team.

If you couldn’t watch the game, the highlight package below will catch you up on everything that happened in the game, which was never really close.

Watch: Sean McVay hands out game balls after Rams’ win vs. Arizona

Four players received game balls after Sunday’s win.

The Rams put it all together against the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon in Arizona, rolling to a 34-7 victory. It was their most complete game of the season, maintaining control from start to finish with very few blemishes on the day.

It was a much-needed win after being blown out by the Ravens, especially considering how tight the NFC playoff race is.

After the game, Sean McVay handed out game balls to four players for their roles in the win. None of them are particularly surprising, given the impact they had on Sunday.

But before doing that, he gave a speech in the locker room to fire up his players.

Taylor Rapp certainly deserved a game ball for his pick-six, while Tyler Higbee’s career day warranted one, too. Robert Woods’ 172 yards were a big part of the win, as was Jared Goff’s near-perfect performance.