Category: Latest Rams news

Watch: Todd Gurley hits Tre Flowers with vicious stiff-arm on TD run

Todd Gurley would not be denied.

The Rams have been giving Todd Gurley more opportunities lately and it’s worked beautifully. He once again eclipsed 20 carries on Sunday night against the Seahawks and his 20th was one of his best.

With the Rams 7 yards from the end zone, Gurley took the handoff and punched it in for six points – stiff-arming Tre Flowers to the turf en route. It was one of the best stiff-arms this season, keeping Flowers from making the tackle.

With that touchdown, Gurley moved up to 76 yards rushing on the night, adding another 34 yards receiving to give him 110 yards from scrimmage. He’s had an extra pep in his step the last month or so and the Rams are rightfully riding the hot hand.

Rams finding their groove with 21-point first half vs. Seattle

The Rams had their best first half of the season on Sunday.

Outside of their 3-0 start, the Rams have looked like a shell of their 2018 selves this season. They’re a respectable 7-5 through 12 games – which isn’t good enough for a playoff berth in the NFC – but the offense hasn’t been the same as it was the last two years.

They appear to be finding their groove at the right time, though, dominating the Cardinals last week and lighting up the scoreboard in the first half against Seattle on Sunday night. The Rams scored a touchdown on three of their four drives to open the game, jumping out to a 21-3 lead over the NFC West-leading Seahawks.

They did it with a precision passing attack and a powerful running game, all led by Jared Goff and Todd Gurley, respectively. Goff went 15-for-18 on those four drives with 184 yards and two touchdowns, barely missing any throws. Gurley carried it 13 times for 43 yards, and despite only having a long rush of 12 yards, he looked explosive and ready for a heavier workload.

Robert Woods was especially good for Goff, catching five passes for 62 yards and his first touchdown reception of the season.

Cooper Kupp chipped in with three catches for 34 yards, including a conversion on third down and a touchdown reception of 10 yards. Woods and Tyler Higbee did most of the damage with 141 yards combined, but Kupp was good when given chances.

The Rams’ 21 points were their most in a first half this season and more than they scored in five total games.

All of this came after the Seahawks got out to a 3-0 lead. The Rams answered with 21 straight points and get the ball to start the second half, and they’ll certainly have the chance to blow this game open with a touchdown.

Maybe – just maybe – the Rams are hitting their stride and becoming the team we thought they would. It’s just a matter of whether it’s too late for them to make any noise in the NFC playoff hunt.

Watch: Robert Woods finally catches first TD pass of season in Week 14

Robert Woods caught his first TD pass of the year on Sunday night.

Christmas is just a few weeks away and Robert Woods just caught his first touchdown pass of the 2019 season. Woods has been one of the Rams’ most productive players this year, but he’s simply had trouble finding the end zone.

In the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Seahawks, Woods got open in the end zone for a two-yard score from Jared Goff.

After going off for 13 catches and 172 yards last week against the Cardinals, Woods once again got off to a red-hot start. On just two possessions, Woods caught five passes for 62 yards and that touchdown to put the Rams up 14-3.

Before this score, Woods was the only wide receiver in the NFL with at least 50 catches and zero touchdown receptions. Leonard Fournette is the only other player in that same company, but he’s also a running back.

Woods did have a rushing touchdown earlier in the season, though.

Watch: Jared Goff fools CB with pump fake on 33-yard pass to Higbee

Goff got off to a hot start against the Seahawks.

Jared Goff hasn’t exactly had a good season in 2019, regressing from the way he played a season ago. He looked much better last week against the Cardinals, though, and seems to have carried that over into Sunday night at the Coliseum.

He was sharp on the Rams’ opening drive against the Seahawks, leading Los Angeles to a touchdown on the first possession. The biggest play of the drive came when Goff hit Tyler Higbee for a 33-yard gain, which was set up by this perfect pump fake.

Malcolm Brown had a great blitz pickup on that play, and he was rewarded with a carry on the very next play. He punched it in for six, putting the Rams up 7-3.

Rams Week 14 inactives: David Long a healthy scratch vs. Seahawks

The Rams announced their seven inactives for Sunday night against the Seahawks.

The Los Angeles Rams still don’t have their starting right tackle as Rob Havenstein will miss another game. He was ruled out for Sunday night’s matchup with the Seahawks, which isn’t much of a surprise considering he came into the game as doubtful.

In addition to Havenstein being inactive, so too is tight end Gerald Everett. He was ruled out on Friday as this will be the second straight week he’ll be sidelined. He’s currently dealing with a knee injury, which occurred when he hyperextended his leg against the Ravens in Week 12.

Here are the Rams’ other five inactives for Week 14 against the Seahawks, including David Long, who’s a healthy scratch.

It’s worth noting that both Greg Gaines and Tanzel Smart are active for this one, which suggests the Rams will be gearing up to stop the Seahawks’ third-ranked rushing attack. That’s likely why Long is inactive instead.

The Seahawks are without linebacker Mychal Kendricks, who came into the night listed as doubtful. Seattle runs its base 4-3 defense the majority of the time, but that will be a challenge with Kendricks out.

Rams vs. Seahawks: Time, TV and streaming info for Week 14

Everything to know about this Week 14 matchup.

The Rams are back in prime time this week, hosting the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night at the Coliseum. Depending on what the Vikings do earlier in the day, this game could be a must-win for the Rams, needing to keep pace with Minnesota in the NFC wild-card race.

To get you ready for Week 14 of the regular season, we’ve compiled all the important game day information – from streaming options to the officiating crew on Sunday night. And be sure to follow along on Twitter with @TheRamsWire and @camdasilva.

You can live stream the game on fuboTV (try it free).

Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks – Sunday, Dec. 8 at 8:20 p.m. ET

TV channel: NBC

Live stream: fuboTV (try it free)

Radio: ESPN LA 710 AM

Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

Forecast: Partly cloudy, 59 degrees, 4 mph winds

Referee: Shawn Hochuli

Odds: Rams -1.5, O/U 47.5 points

Report: Rams to use Todd Gurley extensively the rest of the season

The Rams plan to unleash Todd Gurley on Sunday night and the rest of the season.

The Los Angeles Rams offense went through Todd Gurley the last two years, but this season, they’ve leaned more on Jared Goff and the passing attack. As a result, Gurley’s workload has been reduced significantly.

Sean McVay says he hasn’t been on any sort of snap count, but the numbers say otherwise. In two of the last three weeks – excluding the Rams’ blowout loss to the Ravens – Gurley has gotten at least 20 touches and been a productive player.

The team hopes that sort of play continues for the two-time All-Pro running back, and according to Ian Rapoport, he’ll get the chance to return to his 2017 and 2018 form. The Rams will use Gurley extensively the rest of the way, according to Rapoport, and will “treat Gurley like the bell cow that he is.”

“Enough of the pitch count. They’re going to use him extensively, starting tonight,” Rapoport said.

Rapoport also reported that Gurley is as fast now as he was in Week 1, which he suggests is the result of the Rams limiting the running back’s workload. Gurley hasn’t necessarily looked as explosive as he did last year, but he’s still been productive when given the chance.

We’ll see how many touches Gurley gets on Sunday night against the Seahawks, but with Mychal Kendricks doubtful, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Rams to ride Gurley’s hot hand.

Final score prediction for Rams vs. Seahawks in Week 14

The Rams will keep it close, but come up just short.

This time last season, the Rams were vying for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. This year, it’s been a different story. They most likely need to win at least three of their remaining four games, none of which will be particularly easy matchups.

It all begins with the Seahawks on Sunday night, who are leading the NFC West and hold the No. 2 seed in the conference. They’ve won five in a row, have the league’s third-ranked rush offense and look like one of the most complete teams in the NFL.

All indications point toward the Rams being underdogs in this one, which is how they opened the week. But since then, the betting line has flipped from the Seahawks being 2.5-point favorites to Los Angeles now being favored by 1.5 points.

The Rams winning wouldn’t technically be an upset, but they sure seem like the underdogs in this one. Can they pull it off and beat the division-leading Seahawks? That’s a difficult question to answer because of how close these teams always play. Most likely, this game is going to come down to one possession, potentially whichever team has the ball last.

The Seahawks won the first meeting this season, 30-29, after Greg Zuerlein missed a field goal in the final seconds. A lot has changed since then, including the additions of Jalen Ramsey to the Rams and Quandre Diggs to the Seahawks.

Los Angeles’ top priority has to be containing Russell Wilson, which is easier said than done. He has a league-high 26 touchdown passes and has only thrown four interceptions, so he’s not going to give this Rams offense many extra opportunities to score.

Los Angeles is on the other end of the turnover spectrum, giving the ball away 20 times this season – 22nd in the NFL. The Seahawks have forced 27 turnovers this season, which is the third-most in the league, including 11 in their last three games.

The Rams will need to take care of the football if they want to win this game, but I’m not so sure last week was a real indication of this team’s offense. More than likely, Jared Goff will have a turnover or two that will hurt the Rams in a big way.

Ultimately, I think the Seahawks will come away with a win, continuing to roll as the season goes on. It’ll be close, but Los Angeles will come up just short again.

Final score prediction: Seahawks 31, Rams 27

Why Rams could force Seahawks out of defensive comfort zone Sunday

The Seahawks are unlikely to have Mychal Kendricks, which will force them to play more nickel defense.

With how frequently offenses are throwing the ball and putting three receivers on the field, few teams still play their base defense a majority of the time. Nickel packages have become the preferred defense of many teams, putting five defensive backs out there to match the opposing personnel.

The Seahawks are one of the exceptions to that rule, often staying in their base 4-3 defense this season. With three quality linebackers in Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright and Mychal Kendricks, why wouldn’t they play their best defenders most of the time?

Each of those three linebackers has played at least 71% of the snaps this season with Bobby Wagner never missing a single play. Wright has played 94.7%, too, hardly ever coming off the field.

The Seahawks could be forced out of their comfort zone by the Rams on Sunday night for two reasons. Not only do the Rams use 11 personnel (3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 RB) 77% of the time – the second-highest rate in the NFL – but the Seahawks will most likely be without one of their top three linebackers.

Kendricks is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game, which is certainly notable for the Seahawks. But even if Kendricks plays (and is healthy), Seattle will still have to get away from its base 4-3 scheme.

Matching the speed of Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp and Brandin Cooks with only two cornerbacks and three linebackers would be tough. With Kendricks injured, the Seahawks essentially have no choice but to use nickel packages often.

Pete Carroll said as much Friday ahead of the game.

It remains to be seen who the Seahawks’ nickel defender will be on Sunday night. Cornerback Akeem King handled those duties last week against the Vikings, but he’s better against tight ends than he is wide receivers.

Instead, we could see rookie Ugo Amadi get some looks in the slot. Cooper Kupp is one of the best slot receivers in the league, so containing him could be a challenge – especially if it’s a fourth-round rookie with 21 defensive snaps played in his career lining up across from Kupp in coverage.

The Rams have the advantage in this aspect, because of how comfortable the Seahawks are in their base defense, but executing and capitalizing on opportunities is another story. We’ll see if they can do that in a near-must-win game this weekend.

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Rookies to be in the special teams spotlight Sunday vs. Seahawks

Darrell Henderson and Nsimba Webster will be the Rams’ kick and punt returners this week.

The Rams lost JoJo Natson for the season last week against the Cardinals after he suffered a hamstring injury that landed him on IR. Natson doesn’t contribute on offense, but he is a contributor on special teams.

He’s been the Rams’ primary punt and kick returner this season, so with him sidelined, the coaching staff will need to find a replacement (or two) on those units. It didn’t take them long to decide who will fill in, leaning on two rookies.

Sean McVay confirmed Friday that Darrell Henderson will be the kick returner and Nsimba Webster will return punts, simply saying “yes” when asked if that’s the plan.

Henderson was a third-round pick by the Rams and has carried the ball 37 times for 140 yards – at times looking like the explosive player he was at Memphis. With the Tigers, he was a dynamic runner, but he also returned 25 kicks for 487 yards with one touchdown. He hasn’t returned any in the NFL, but he’s more than capable of making a big play or two in that phase of the game.

On punts, it’ll be the undrafted rookie Webster, who was a preseason standout. He’s not as shifty as Natson, but his speed is evident and he gets downhill quickly. He should be able to help the Rams out immediately beyond just calling for fair catches.

“Nsimba was a guy that did a really nice job with that in the preseason,” McVay said this week. “Consistently caught the ball and he’s a guy that can do a really nice job creating after the catch, getting vertical immediately.”

It’s somewhat of a risk to go with two rookies as their returners, but the Rams have almost no other options. The roster is full and there aren’t any better candidates on the team right now. Neither player has done much of anything on offense, so maybe this is their time to have an impact on special teams.