Category: Latest Rams news

Rams’ 3 biggest causes for concern vs. Seahawks in Week 14

The Rams have to be worried about Russell Wilson’s wizardry.

(Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

The Rams may not have a legitimate chance to win the NFC West for a third straight year, but they are still int he playoff hunt. On Sunday night, they’ll play their most important game of the season, hosting the Seahawks at the Coliseum.

A win will move the Rams that much closer to a wild-card berth. A loss will set them back, especially if Minnesota takes care of business against the Lions.

Sean McVay’s team is focused on Seattle right now, and the many threats the Seahawks pose. Here are the Rams’ three biggest causes for concern in this matchup.

Russell Wilson’s wizardry

The list of concerns when facing the Seahawks always begins with Wilson. He’s been one of the best quarterbacks in the league this season – and for several years, really – finding himself in the midst of the MVP race. He picked apart the Rams secondary last time around, throwing for 268 yards and four touchdowns, only getting sacked once. His passer rating of 151.8 is his best of the year so far.

The Rams talked about his ability to make plays off-schedule all week, which is what makes Wilson so good. It’s also something you can’t exactly plan for. There’s really no game plan for defending Wilson outside the pocket, other than plastering receivers in the secondary.

The only way Los Angeles is going to win this game is if Wilson is held at least somewhat in check.

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NFL Week 14 picks: Who the experts are taking in Rams-Seahawks

The majority of experts are taking the Seahawks this week.

The Rams and Seahawks are very likely to play a close game on Sunday night, given the way their last 11 meetings have gone. Eight of those games were decided by one possession and the largest margin of victory in their last three games is just five points.

The week opened with Seattle being favored by 2.5 points, but the betting line has since flipped to the Rams being 1.5-point favorites on Sunday. Los Angeles is projected to win based on the spread set by oddsmakers, but do NFL experts feel the same way?

It turns out, they do.

According to NFL Pick Watch, which tracks expert predictions from across the country, the majority of pundits are taking the Seahawks to win outright on Sunday night. Only 38% of experts are picking the Rams to defend their home turf with the other 62% going with Seattle.

That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, considering the Seahawks have won five in a row and look like one of the best teams in the league. The Rams were also blown out by the Ravens two weeks ago and haven’t beaten a team with a winning record since Week 2 against the Saints.

This is a huge game for Los Angeles, not only for its playoff hopes, but when it comes to making a statement to everyone that a postseason run isn’t out of the question.

Rams injury report: Bad news for Gerald Everett, Rob Havenstein in Week 14

Gerald Everett remains sidelined with a knee injury suffered in Week 12.

The Rams will once again be without Gerald Everett on Sunday against the Seahawks. Coach Sean McVay said on Friday that Everett has been ruled out as he continues to recover from a knee injury suffered two weeks ago against the Ravens.

Everett missed last week’s game against the Cardinals, as well.

Rob Havenstein is listed as doubtful with a knee injury, which has sidelined him since leaving Week 10’s loss. Everyone else is healthy for Sunday’s game against Seattle, though.

“We’ll rule Gerald Everett out today. With Rob, he’ll be listed as doubtful. Everyone else is good to go,” McVay said.

Everett has been considered day-to-day for the last two weeks, but he doesn’t seem to be making any progress. He hasn’t practiced at all, not even in a limited capacity. McVay was asked if it’s a long-term injury, but he couldn’t give a definitive answer.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “We have been day-to-day with him and he’s a skilled athlete so when you’re talking about something like the knee, you want to make sure he feels fully functional, able to put his foot in the ground and separate and we’re just not at that point yet. But that doesn’t mean he can’t make a turn quickly.”

Tyler Higbee will once again get the lion’s share of snaps at tight end this week, likely playing nearly every single snap. Everett has 37 catches for 408 yards, setting career-highs in both categories.

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Cory Littleton deserves to make Pro Bowl for breakout season

Cory Littleton has ascended to become one of the best linebackers in the NFL.

Undrafted rookies have an impact in the NFL each season. It’s not often they become one of the best players at their respective positions, though.

Cory Littleton signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent out of Washington in 2016 and has slowly worked his way to become a top linebacker in the league right now. He has a Pro Bowl on his resume from 2018, but that was as a special teams player.

In 2019, he’s deserving of making it as a linebacker.

He’s a do-it-all player for the Rams, playing every single snap in each game but two: blowout wins over the Falcons and Cardinals. He’s doing everything at a high level, too, from defending the run to dropping back in coverage to rushing the passer.

Just look at his stats: 102 tackles, 2 INTs, 8 PBU, 2 FF, 2.5 sacks and 4 TFL.

He ranks among the best linebackers in the league in all four of Pro Football Focus’ major categories, too.

Littleton has improved significantly in the tackling department, which was sometimes a weakness for him in 2018. He’s missed just four tackles this year, good for a missed-tackle rate of only 3.8% – nearly half of his mark from last season (7.4%).

Even better for him, he’s doing all of this in a contract year. Littleton returned to the Rams as a restricted free agent this year, but he’ll be an unrestricted FA in 2020. That’s great news for him and bad news for the Rams.

With Los Angeles having very little cap space next year, re-signing him to the contract he’s going to command will be difficult. It will likely prevent the Rams from keeping Dante Fowler Jr. and Michael Brockers, who could both depart after this season.

The coaches have to love what they’re seeing from the former undrafted free agent, but the front office will have a hard time keeping him around on an affordable contract after his breakout campaign.

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Rams’ familiarity with Russell Wilson won’t make it any easier to stop him

Sean McVay and Wade Phillips lauded Russell Wilson as “probably the best off-schedule quarterback in the league.”

Russell Wilson has faced the Rams 15 times in his career. He’s thrown 24 touchdown passes and only eight interceptions, posting a passer rating of 99.9. The only underwhelming number from his stat line is his record: 7-8.

The Rams are more familiar with Wilson’s game than 28 other teams that have faced him – excluding the Cardinals and 49ers, who have also played him 15 times – but will that help them at all on Sunday when he comes to the Coliseum?

In short, probably not.

The Rams know how good Wilson is, but what makes him one of the best QBs in the league is his ability to make plays off-schedule. When forced to leave the pocket, or when his receivers simply can’t get open, Wilson is often able to use his mobility to either create other throwing lanes, buy time for his receivers or scramble for big yardage.

Having faced Wilson twice a year for the last two-plus seasons, Wade Phillips knows how good the Seahawks QB is when plays break down. He heaped praise on Wilson during his press conference Thursday ahead of this Week 14 matchup.

“All kinds of accolades for Russell Wilson. Probably the best off-schedule passer in the league,” Phillips said unprovoked. “Once he gets out of the pocket, he throws it, and he throws it great – on the run, on the move, makes big plays there. You say, ‘Well you’ve got to keep him in the pocket.’ Well, he’s still going to get out. He’s a challenge that way. He’s a great player and obviously helped them win a lot of games.”

The Rams have faced two of the most elusive and mobile quarterbacks in the league the last two weeks, getting blown out by Lamar Jackson and dominating Kyler Murray’s Cardinals. Wilson is mobile, but he isn’t as fast or shifty as the other two. What is does better, though, is create big plays through the air when he escapes the pocket.

“The difference in Russell Wilson, he’ll will run to make first-downs, certainly, but he runs around to make big plays in the passing game,” Phillips said. “The receivers do a great job, they do a great job of coming back to him and crossing the field. We talk about plaster, which means once he’s out of the pocket, you’ve got to find the nearest guy and get on him or he’ll complete it to him. He’ll throw it deep, he’ll throw it short, he’ll throw it crossing – whatever it is. He made one of the great throws I’ve seen against us in the first game. That one, he scrambled to his left and threw it, the (Tyler) Lockett, touchdown. We actually had really good coverage and he throws it running to his left – a dime – whatever they call it. It seemed like about a $20, $100.”

Outside the pocket this season, Wilson has a passer rating of 110.3 – a mark that ranks him third in the NFL and is higher than most quarterbacks’ ratings from inside the pocket.

Sean McVay has gotten a good taste of Wilson’s talent since joining the NFC West in 2017, and he knows better than most people just how dangerous he can be. Like Phillips, McVay lauded Wilson for his ability to create off-schedule plays – and big ones, at that.

“He does a great job of using his athleticism to buy time, but still remain a passer. A lot of those off-schedule plays too – now that you’re seeing – occur in the pocket,” McVay said. “There’s a timing and rhythm that you want to operate with, but then certain things break down. He’s got such a good feel that if the protection is there or there’s nobody that got edge, he can just move and be able to keep his eyes down the field and be able to hitch in place. He’s got such a great spatial awareness that you see him – and then guys have a good feel for being able to work. Then, when he does break contain, that’s where you’re really thinking, ‘Man, there’s a chance for him to create big plays all the time.’ They’ve got the weapons to be able to do that with him running the show.”

The Rams need a win in the worst way this weekend, but Wilson will do everything he can to prevent that from happening. The Rams know how good he is, having faced him twice a year, but that won’t make it any easier to slow down the MVP contender.

Rams now 1.5-point favorites over Seahawks after opening as underdogs

The Seahawks-Rams line has flipped from Seattle favored by 2.5-points to the Rams now giving 1.5 points.

The Rams came into the week as 2.5-point underdogs against the Seattle Seahawks, even with the game being played at the Coliseum. It was just the second time in the last two seasons that the Rams weren’t favored at home, but that line has since flipped.

According to BetMGM, the Rams are now actually 1.5-point favorites over Seattle. That’s a four-point shift in a matter of days, which is unusual, to say the least.

It’s likely that a large contingent of bettors were taking the Rams with the points, which caused the oddsmakers to make the line less enticing for those backing Los Angeles. By shifting it to 1.5 points in favor of the Rams, it should level out the number of bets coming in on each team.

Los Angeles is coming off a big win over the Cardinals, but the week before was a 45-6 blowout at the hands of the Ravens. The Rams haven’t won back-to-back games since Weeks 7 and 8, and have been one of the most inconsistent teams in the league.

The Seahawks, on the other hand, are 10-2 and leading the NFC West after winning five games in a row – including wins over the Vikings and 49ers. All of those victories came by no more than one possession with the biggest margin being an eight-point win over the Eagles in Week 12.

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Todd Gurley responds to Sean McVay calling himself an idiot for lighter workload

Todd Gurley didn’t have much to say about Sean McVay calling himself an idiot.

Todd Gurley hasn’t had the Pro Bowl season everyone’s come to expect from the two-time All-Pro running back, gaining just 642 yards on the ground in 11 games. He hasn’t been involved much in the passing game, either, catching 22 passes for 134 yards; he had at least 59 catches in each of the last two years.

It seems like the Rams were trying to keep his touches down in an attempt to keep him healthy in the future, which is something Sean McVay vehemently denied. Gurley’s workload has grown in the last few weeks, surpassing 20 touches in two of the last three games for the first time all year.

McVay said it’s the result of “me not being an idiot,” admitting he was wrong for not getting Gurley more involved – especially in the loss to Pittsburgh. Gurley was asked about McVay’s comments Thursday and didn’t have much to say about it.

“He said it, I didn’t,” Gurley said laughing. “That’s all I got to say. I don’t have anything else to say.”

When asked if he wants to continue getting more touches, Gurley repeated what he’s said in the past: It’s a team sport and there’s only one ball.

“It doesn’t matter. Hit you with the same answer: team sport, man,” he said. “Only one person gets the ball. We’ve got great running backs in Malcolm (Brown) and Darrell (Henderson Jr.) as well. Four great receivers and some good tight ends. (Tyler) Higbee had a great game last game. Whatever he calls, I’ll do my part and be ready.”

Against the Bears and Cardinals in the last three weeks, Gurley had 97 and 95 yards rushing, respectively. And his performance Sunday against Arizona included a 28-yard touchdown run that was called back due to a holding penalty.

He’s certainly running better, and the offensive line has improved, so maybe McVay has noticed that and will continue feeding the running back.

Rob Havenstein may not get starting RT job back when he returns

The Rams will evaluate the RT position when Rob Havenstein is healthy, but he isn’t certain to replace Bobby Evans.

Rob Havenstein has missed the last three games with a knee injury, which he suffered in Week 10 against the Steelers. Initially, it looked like a big blow to the offensive line, given Havenstein’s pedigree and how well he played last season.

He struggled to replicate his success of 2018 before going down with the injury, though, and regressed to just average levels. Rookie Bobby Evans has stepped in for Havenstein and played relatively well, keeping opposing pass rushers at bay for the last three games.

Havenstein is nearing a return and could be back as soon as this weekend, but he may not get the starting job back. After saying Thursday that Havenstein is still “day-to-day,” Sean McVay was asked if there will be any hesitation to put him back into the starting lineup when he does return.

His answer was telling, based on the lack of conviction in his response.

“Bobby’s done a really nice job and Rob’s put a lot of really good film on display for the last couple years, so when he’s ready to go, we’ll evaluate that deal,” McVay said. “But he’s done a great job mentoring Bobby in the meantime and I think that says a lot about just the type of guy he is and we know what a productive player he’s been for us.”

It sure doesn’t sound like the Rams are set on plugging Havenstein back in at right tackle, despite the fact that he’s one of the highest-paid players at his position in the NFL and played at a Pro Bowl level last year.

It’s understandable that the Rams won’t commit to Havenstein returning as the starter, given the way A) he played before the injury and B) how well Evans has stepped up. Evans has gotten a lot of help on the right side with tight ends and guard help – more so than Havenstein did – but he’s also held his own in one-on-one situations.

Todd Gurley’s lightened workload had ‘nothing to do with’ keeping him fresh

Todd Gurley was never on any sort of load management plan.

Todd Gurley’s workload was pretty clearly lightened in the beginning of the season, receiving just 119 total touches in the first eight games he played. In the last three games alone, he’s touched the ball 57 times as the Rams have gone to a more balanced attack on offense.

Sean McVay hasn’t exactly made it clear why Gurley’s role was limited early on – often attributing it to “the flow of the game” – but he’s adamant that keeping the running back fresh for the end of the season was never a factor.

“No, no. It has nothing to do with that,” McVay said. “It was really just, you’re just kind of working through the 2019 season – the best way to utilize all of our plyers and figuring out what our identity is. I think we’re still working through that, but didn’t have anything to do with (load management). Shoot, we’re just trying to win a game. So, certainly it wasn’t ever with the mindset of looking ahead before anything was accomplished.”

It would be illogical for the Rams to sacrifice wins early in the season in an attempt to keep Gurley fresh for the home stretch and postseason. Hopefully that wasn’t the plan, because now we’re seeing how impactful Gurley can be when given a normal share of touches.

McVay should continue to get his two-time All-Pro involved, given the importance of these last four games of the season.

Eric Weddle among 8 finalists for Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

Eric Weddle is a finalist fo rthe second straight year.

Eric Weddle came to Los Angeles to win a Lombardi Trophy, and while the chances of that happening look bleak, he could win a different award. On Thursday, the NFL announced eight finalists for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award and Eric Weddle was listed among them.

Each team nominated one player this season for exemplifying sportsmanship on the field. The list of 32 nominees was trimmed to eight, and with Weddle making the cut, this is the second straight year he’s has been a finalist.

The finalists were selected by a panel of four former players: Warrick Dunn, Curtis Martin, Karl Mecklenburg and Leonard Wheeler. From here, current NFL players will vote on a winner, which will be announced at the NFL Honors show the night before the Super Bowl.

The winner will receive $25,000 to donate to the charity of his choice, as well as a trophy.

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