Category: Latest Rams news

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.

Studs and duds from Rams’ bounce-back win vs. Cardinals

Jared Goff and Robert Woods helped carry the Rams offense to victory.

The Rams went into Arizona for the third time in as many seasons Sunday and once again showed their dominance over the Cardinals. They blew out Arizona 34-7 on the road, moving their record to 7-5 on the year.

Though their playoff chances remain slim, the Rams are still alive in the NFC after this victory. It was their most impressive win of the season, racking up 549 yards, including 424 yards by Jared Goff.

Here are our studs and duds from Week 13.

Studs

TE Tyler Higbee

Higbee had a career day in Arizona, and all of his work occurred in the first half. He finished the game with seven catches for 107 yards and one touchdown, all of which came before the halftime break. He set career-highs in receptions and yards, doing everything for the Rams against the Cardinals.

QB Jared Goff

Goff bounced back from an underwhelming November, throwing two touchdown passes and racking up 424 yards. He set season-highs in completion percentage and passer rating, leading the Rams to victory with his best performance of the year. He really didn’t make any mistakes, either, committing zero turnovers and hitting open receivers when given the chance.

WR Robert Woods

Woods ran wild against the Cardinals. He gained 172 yards on 13 catches (19 targets), and although he still hasn’t scored a touchdown, he continued what’s been a very good season. He’s effective at every level, whether it’s on screen passes or routes over the middle. His block on Todd Gurley’s 9-yard run on the opening drive helped spring the running back free, too.

S Taylor Rapp

Rapp broke up two passes, including a pick-six that he returned 31 yards. He could’ve had two other interceptions, too, but he dropped one and another was called back due to a pass interference penalty on Nickell Robey-Coleman. Rapp only had two touchdowns, but his pick-six was icing on the cake for the Rams.

RB Todd Gurley

Gurley carried it 19 yards for 95 yards with one touchdown, and his longest rush was only 11 yards; that shows how consistently he picked up chunks of yardage. He also had a 20-yard reception and broke a handful of tackles on a run in the red zone. The Rams don’t lean on him the way they used to, but he’s still a playmaker when given the football.

OLB Dante Fowler Jr.

It was a quiet November for Fowler, going the entire month without a sack or quarterback hit and only one tackle for loss. He was impactful on Sunday, though, recording one sack, two tackles for loss and two passes broken up. His sack was particularly impressive, containing Kyler Murray in the pocket and using one arm to corral the shifty quarterback.

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Rams made NFL history with yet another lopsided win over Cardinals

The Rams are the first team in NFL history to accomplish this feat.

Before Sean McVay took over as head coach, the Rams had lost five of their last seven games against the Arizona Cardinals. Since he was hired, though, the tables have turned in a big way. It’s looked more like a David versus Goliath matchup since 2017, with the Rams being the latter instead of the former.

They’ve won five in a row over the Cardinals, each one in dominant fashion. The Rams have scored at least 30 points in each game and kept the Cardinals under 17 points in all five meetings, capped off by Sunday’s 34-7 victory by Los Angeles.

With it, the Rams made league history. They’re the first team ever to win five straight against a single opponent, scoring at least 30 points and allowing fewer than 17 in each game.

Here are the last five games between these two teams:

  • 10/22/2017: Rams 33, Cardinals 0
  • 12/03/2017: Rams 32, Cardinals 16
  • 9/16/2018: Rams 34, Cardinals 0
  • 12/23/2018: Rams 31, Cardinals 9
  • 12/1/2019: Rams 34, Cardinals 7

In total, the Rams have outscored Arizona 164-32. That’s about as lopsided as it gets between two franchises.

The Cardinals were no match for Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon, being held to 81 yards on their first nine possessions before gaining 117 yards in garbage time. Kyler Murray was held completely in check, and Kenyan Drake proved to be a non-factor.

The Rams offense was equally impressive, scoring on five of their first seven drives. Jared Goff had his best game of the season, throwing for 424 yards and two touchdowns, while Todd Gurley added 95 yards rushing.

5 takeaways from Rams’ 34-7 victory in Arizona

The Los Angeles Rams dominated the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13. Here are a few takeaways from the victory.

The Los Angeles Rams flashed back to last season on Sunday against the Cardinals, looking like the team that made it all the way to the Super Bowl. They dominated Arizona for the fifth straight time, winning 34-7 in Arizona. The Rams were in control the entire game, jumping out to a 34-0 lead before garbage time began.

It wasn’t until midway through the fourth quarter that the Cardinals got on the scoreboard as Kyler Murray led a touchdown drive with his back against the wall. He capped it off with a nifty 15-yard touchdown run, giving the Cardinals their first score of the day.

Here are a few takeaways from the Rams’ dominant win over the Cardinals.

Defense smothers Cardinals’ offense

Other than Murray’s aforementioned garbage time drive, Kliff Kingsbury and his quarterback had a miserable day against the Rams’ defense. It was an unrelenting performance by the Rams through the first three quarters. The Cardinals failed to score points on their first nine drive, which included four three-and-outs and just one drive of at least 30 yards.

It was a return to form for a defense that had been dominant for most of the season before being dismantled by Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in primetime last week. Murray was sacked six times and six different Rams were credited with sacks. Everybody on the defensive side deserves credit for this win.

It was the fifth time this year where the Rams held an opponent to 10 points or less. If they want to have a shot at the playoffs, it hopefully won’t be the last.

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Twitter reacts to Rams’ blowout win over Cardinals

Twitter was thrilled with the way the Rams played on Sunday

The Los Angeles Rams pulled no punches on Sunday at State Farm Stadium, absolutely dominating the Cardinals on the road. They blew out Arizona 34-7, continuing their strong play against the Cardinals since Sean McVay took over as head coach.

At 7-5, the Rams are still very much alive in the NFC, even though they need help from other teams in the conference – mainly a handful of losses by the Seahawks and Vikings.

Twitter was understandably happy about the result from Sunday’s game as the Rams avoided another losing streak. Here’s how Twitter reacted to the win in Week 13.

After ugly November, Jared Goff starts December with best game of 2019

Jared Goff had his best game of the season when the Rams needed it most.

“No Shave November” is a fun tradition for many men, but for Jared Goff, last month was more like “No Touchdown November.” He went all three games in the month without scoring a single touchdown, limping to a 1-2 record and nearly dragging the Rams out of playoff contention.

The end of November couldn’t come soon enough for Goff, and to open the month of December, he looked like a completely different quarterback. Against the Cardinals on Sunday, Goff had his best game of the season, completely picking apart the defense.

Although he didn’t play half of the fourth quarter, Goff still finished with some eye-popping stats. He completed 32 of 43 passes for 424 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t turn it over once, either, which is a huge step for the struggling quarterback.

His 74.4% completion rate is the highest he’s had in any game this season, as are his 424 yards. The two touchdowns he threw also tied a season-high for Goff, and his 120.7 passer rating is the highest he’s had all year.

Additionally, he laid a block for Robert Woods on this 48-yard catch-and-run, which padded the numbers for Goff.

As far as throwing the ball goes, Goff was sharp. He made tight-window throws several times, and was excellent rolling both to his right and left.

The Rams’ receivers did a great job of getting open for him at every level of the field, but Goff also threw receivers open and was sharp against zone and man coverage.

This throw to Cooper Kupp for a touchdown was especially good, fitting it into a small window.

This is exactly the type of performance Goff needed. In his last three games combined, he completed 61.4% of his passes for only 628 yards with no touchdowns and five interceptions. He fumbled it four times in that span, too, which has been a problem for him all year.

Perhaps with this step in the right direction, Goff and the Rams offense can get back on track in time for a playoff push.

Rams crush Cardinals 34-7, stay alive in NFC: Instant analysis of win

The Rams were in complete control all game long on Sunday.

The Rams were in grave danger of falling way behind in the NFC playoff race, desperately needing a win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. They got exactly what they needed, blowing out Kliff Kingsbury’s squad on the road, 34-7.

It was an unusually dominant win by the Rams, who went 1-2 in their last three games, including a 45-6 loss to the Ravens. They were in complete control of this game from start to finish, keeping the Cardinals off the scoreboard until there was 8:35 left in the fourth quarter.

The Rams offense was hot out of the gate, but the scoreboard didn’t reflect that as they led 3-0 after two drives. Then they broke through with a touchdown pass to Tyler Higbee and scored on three of their following four possessions.

The Rams looked like the team we saw in the last two years, but it was against the Cardinals, whose defense has not been great this season. Still, it was an encouraging performance by Los Angeles.

Player of the Game: Jared Goff

There were a lot of players to choose from, but Goff had arguably his best game of the year. He racked up 424 yards on 32-for-43 passing with two touchdowns and a passer rating of 120.7. He sat out half of the fourth quarter, too.

Stat of the Game: 27

The Rams had 27 first downs in this one, which is exactly how many they had in the previous two games combined. They also totaled 549 yards, their most of the season.

Game notes:

  • Goff looked like a completely different quarterback than he did the last three games. He was making every throw to every part of the field, whether he was in the pocket or rolling out to one side or the other. His touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp was one of his best throws of the game, fitting it into a tight window for six.
  • Todd Gurley once again nearly reached the 100-yard, gaining 95 yards on 19 carries with one touchdown. He also caught one pass for 20 yards, giving him more than 100 yards from scrimmage. If not for David Edwards’ holding penalty, he would’ve had another touchdown and 30 more yards rushing.
  • Tyler Higbee and Robert Woods did the heavy lifting in the passing game. Woods caught 13 of his 19 targets for 172 yards, while Higbee finished with seven receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown. Higbee had those numbers at the half, and set new career-highs in receptions and yards.
  • Taylor Rapp could’ve easily had three interceptions, but he finished with just one. He dropped a pick-six and had another interception called back by a pass interference penalty, which was only called after Arizona challenged the non-call. The pass that he did pick off he returned 31 yards for a touchdown.
  • The defense as a whole was stout on Sunday. Outside of the garbage-time yards and points the Cardinals picked up, Los Angeles essentially shut down Arizona’s offense. Prior to the fourth quarter, seven of the Cardinals’ nine drives went for fewer than 10 yards and only one had more than six plays. The Cardinals picked up 117 yards on their final three possessions and finished with 198 total yards in the game.
  • David Edwards did not have a good game, committing four penalties on the afternoon. One was a false start, while the other three were holding penalties, one of which negated a 30-yard touchdown by Gurley.