Category: Latest Rams news

Who has been the Rams’ most underrated player this season?

Troy Hill has played extremely well since taking over as a starter.

The Rams have gotten more contributions out of their backups this season than in the past couple of years. Injuries have certainly played a part in that, but so has the front office’s willingness to make trades.

As a result, a number of lesser-known players have stepped up and had solid seasons. Josh Reynolds has filled in nicely for Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks, David Edwards looks good at guard and Taylor Rapp has played well in place of John Johnson.

But who has been the most underrated player for the Rams this season? That’s a question Pro Football Focus answered, pegging Troy Hill as the top choice. He’s certainly deserving of the honor, too.

Since taking over for Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib as a starting cornerback opposite Jalen Ramsey, Hill has put together a great stretch of play. While he’s being picked on by opposing quarterbacks, he’s holding his own in coverage.

Here’s what PFF wrote about Hill being the Rams’ most underrated player.

One may think Jalen Ramsey is the best cornerback on the Rams, but really, the best performing corner on the roster has been Troy Hill, who is currently eighth in PFF grade at 79.9. Hill has been the secret superstar of the Los Angeles Rams, as he is locking down his opponent in coverage, allowing a catch rate of just 47.1% (sixth-lowest). Hill was given starting duties back in Week 6, and since that week, he is PFF’s highest-graded cornerback.

Hill has been targeted 39 times this season but only allowed 20 completions, a rate of 51.3%. He’s given up just one touchdown and has one interception, allowing a passer rating of 66.8. Very quietly, he’s been one of the better corners in the league this season.

Rapp, Edwards and Reynolds are also good picks as the Rams’ most underrated player of the season, as is Cory Littleton, who’s been a star at inside linebacker, but Hill’s high level of play has made Los Angeles look wise for trading Peters and Talib when it did.

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NFL Week 12 picks: Who the experts are taking in Rams vs. Ravens

The experts are heavily favoring the Ravens on Monday night.

For just the second time all season, the Rams are underdogs. And for the first time since 2017, they’re home underdogs. That’s the sort of threat the Ravens pose in Week 12, playing like the best team in the league over the last month.

The Ravens are the favorites in the eyes of the oddsmakers, but do NFL experts see it the same way? In short, yes.

According to NFL Pick Watch, a whopping 86% of experts this week are taking the Ravens to beat the Rams straight-up; this isn’t against the spread. That’s the third-highest number for a road team in Week 12, with 99% picking the Steelers to beat the Bengals and 93% picking the Lions over the Redskins.

The Rams have won three of their last four games, but they haven’t played any teams that pose much of a threat. They beat the Falcons, Bengals and Bears, and lost to the Steelers two weeks ago.

The Ravens have won four in a row, averaging 39 points per game in that stretch. They lead the league in scoring and are on pace to set NFL records in both points per drive (3.03) and total punts in a season (34).

The Rams have been searching for a signature win – besides the one over the Saints earlier this season – and this would certainly be one on Monday night.

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Marcus Peters hasn’t been telling Ravens much about Rams

Marcus Peters hasn’t disclosed many of the Rams’ secrets, according to Matt Judon of the Ravens.

Much has been made about Eric Weddle’s refusal to share any inside information on the Ravens with the Rams. He feels as though he’d be betraying his former teammates and coaches by disclosing intel to his new team.

Marcus Peters probably doesn’t feel the same way about sharing Rams secrets with the Ravens. Though he said he doesn’t have a chip on his shoulder in advance of Monday’s game against the team that traded him midseason, he is telling his current team some information.

According to Matt Judon of the Ravens, though, it isn’t much. Steve Wyche of NFL Network shared what Judon told him about Peters’ intel.

“He also said Peters has not been telling a whole lot on the Rams. He said just a little bit, but not that much. He said, ‘Ain’t no snitching here. This is gonna be a straight-up game,’” Wyche said.

Also in Wyche’s report is Judon’s response to Weddle keeping his lips sealed ahead of this marquee matchup.

“He said, ‘That’s who Weddle is. And he’s also the type of guy who would go to the Rams’ coaches and say, if you have not seen any of their tendencies on film, go watch more film.’”

Peters will definitely have an advantage, since he was traded about a month ago, whereas Weddle hasn’t been in Baltimore since last season. The Ravens’ calls have undoubtedly changed since then, whereas the Rams will have trouble switching things up too much with Peters on the other side.

That being said, Sean McVay acknowledged that the team will “be careful” with its gameplan.

Michael Vick responds to Jalen Ramsey’s question on defending Lamar Jackson

Jalen Ramsey asked Michael Vick how he would stop Lamar Jackson, and he doesn’t know what he would do.

When the Los Angeles Rams take the field on defense Monday night, they’ll have one of the most dynamic playmakers in the league staring them down. Lamar Jackson has been the best player in the league this season, as declared by the Rams themselves, and has looked particularly unstoppable in the last four games.

He’s not your typical quarterback to defend, and devising a game plan to stop him is a great challenge. Jalen Ramsey resorted to asking a quarterback who played similarly to the way Jackson does, requesting some help from Michael Vick.

Vick was in attendance for the Rams’ win over the Bears on Sunday night, and in Ramsey’s caption on Instagram, he asked the former Falcons star for assistance.

Vick actually responded to Ramsey’s request, saying he’s not sure how he would defend Jackson, either. He called Jackson the 2019 version of himself, which is essentially the same thing Wade Phillips said on Thursday.

“Tough question bruh… see the reality is this… Lamar is Mike Vick 2019, but with an offense built around his skill, which makes it hard to say. I wouldn’t know what to do against a guy kinda like myself. 😂 #giveiteverytingyougot”

The Rams will have their hands full with Jackson and the Ravens offense, which is averaging 39 points per game in the last four weeks.

Key to slowing Lamar Jackson down is something Rams are best at

The Rams pressure QBs without blitzing at a higher rate than any other team in the NFL.

Slowing down Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense is as difficult a task as any in the NFL right now. They’ve scored a league-high 157 points in their last four games, winning by an average of more than 25 points per game.

In that span, Jackson has thrown for 751 yards and eight touchdown passes with zero interceptions, and also rushed for 321 yards and four touchdowns on 47 carries. He’s very clearly emerged as one of the favorites to win NFL MVP this season, proving to be one of the most dynamic players in the league.

The Rams defense has played extremely well in the last four games, allowing a league-low 44 points and ranking first in rushing yards allowed. Granted, their competition in that span has been unimpressive, but the defense is hitting its stride at the right time with the Ravens coming to town.

Neutralizing Jackson and slowing Baltimore’s offense is nearly impossible, but the team that’s come closest to doing that is Pittsburgh. In Week 5, the Steelers held Jackson to 161 yards passing and 70 yards rushing with one total touchdown and three interceptions.

They have one of the best pass rushes in the NFL and against the Ravens, they didn’t blitz as much as they normally do. Why? Because blitzing Jackson is a recipe for disaster.

This season, Jackson has been unbelievably good when facing five or more rushers. Against the blitz, he’s completed 54 of 90 passes (60%) for 757 yards with 15 touchdowns and only one interception. He’s been sacked eight times on such plays, but he’s averaging 8.4 yards per attempt against the blitz (7.9 against a normal rush). Additionally, he’s rushed for 112 yards on only six carries, an average of 18.7 yards per rush.

For comparison, he’s thrown just four touchdown passes and four interceptions against a normal rush this year, with a passer rating of 91.2 (122.1 vs. blitz).

This is good news for the Rams, who are better at getting pressure on the quarterback without blitzing than any other team in the league.

This season, the Rams have only blitzed 104 times, or at a rate of 25%. That’s the 11th-lowest rate in the NFL, but they’ve also hurried quarterbacks on 68 of their dropbacks – the most in football.

If the Rams can pressure Jackson with only four rushers, the second-year quarterback is going to have far more trouble than he would against the blitz. Take a look at this play where the Steelers are able to pressure Jackson with only four defenders, getting quick penetration up the middle while T.J. Watt gets wide outside.

The only thing that went wrong on this play was Stephon Tuitt failing to wrap up Jackson, which is understandable.

The Steelers got pressure on Jackson here, as well, by only rushing four. Watt gets deep upfield and forces Jackson to step up in the pocket, which lands him in the arms of Javon Hargrave.

It was good discipline by the Steelers’ defenders to maintain their gaps and keep their eyes on the quarterback. That’s something the Rams will need to do, specifically Aaron Donald and Sebastian Joseph-Day in the middle.

Another aspect of this game that favors the Rams defense is limiting explosive plays. No team in the NFL has allowed fewer explosive plays (15-yard rush, 20-yard pass) than the Rams this season.

It’s a staple of their scheme, which employs a bend-don’t-break mentality. They force teams to inch their way down the field, taking away deep passes and long runs. Offenses have to earn their yardage against the Rams.

It’s why they only rank 17th in plays per drive by their opponents, but they’re sixth in yards and fifth in points per possession. The Ravens, on the other hand, have the third-highest explosive play rate in the league, consistently creating big plays on offense.

This isn’t to say the Rams will have an easy time against the Ravens. No defense does. But the Rams are the best team in the league at generating pressure with only four rushers and limiting explosive plays.

Los Angeles will still need to contain Jackson as a runner and avoid making colossal mistakes when the Ravens utilize zone reads and RPOs. A defensive end or outside linebacker crashing down when he should key on the quarterback can be the difference in a tackle for loss or a 30-yard run.

This will be a monumental test for the Rams, who have faced a very low level of competition in the last four games.

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Brandin Cooks says retirement ‘never went through my mind’ after concussion

Brandin Cooks never considered retirement after suffering his second concussion of the season.

Brandin Cooks is back with the Rams after missing the last two games due to a concussion. It was his second concussion of the season and his fourth in the last two years, raising some concern about his health.

Cooks went to see concussion specialists in Pittsburgh during the Rams’ bye week, trying to get to the root of his frequent head injuries. The Rams understandably wanted to play it safe with their wide receiver, as evidenced by Sean McVay saying Cooks has been “ready to roll for a couple weeks now,” but he’s fully healthy and will play against the Ravens on Monday night.

On Friday, Cooks spoke to the media for the first time since suffering the concussion in Week 8. During his press conference, he was asked whether he ever considered retirement or stepping away from the game. His answer was pretty definitive.

“Absolutely not. No doubt about it,” Cooks said. “When it happened that never went through my mind. Even now it’s not going through my mind. I’m just thankful for a great team around me for me to be able to comfortable coming out here to play.”

Cooks got a new helmet that he’ll wear against Baltimore, which will hopefully help prevent some of the head injuries he’s suffered throughout his career. “Other than that, everything else is the same,” he said.

Given how often he’s suffered concussions in his career, it’s easy to be concerned about the possibility of him getting another one. Cooks isn’t worried about it, though, and he doesn’t think anyone else should be, either.

“To be very honest with you, not really concerning at all. I understand that it’s one of the things that’s part of the game. At the end of the day, what’s going through my mind is like, ‘OK, let’s get some answers.’ Then figuring out what’s going on,” he said. “It’s a blessing that I don’t have ever have symptoms after. But at the end of the day, once again, I think it’s one of those things that’s a case-by-case thing. Mine was very unique and just thankful once again to be able to go and get answers and the team helping me out with that.”

Going to the specialists helped, Cooks said, gaining some information about concussions that he found “extremely helpful.” Finding answers for why he’s had four concussions in two years is difficult, but he doesn’t seem to think there’s any rhyme or reason behind it.

“You think about it from a standpoint that there’s so many systems that’s going on throughout the body,” he explained. “Some of those, the better that you can train and stay on top of. It’s just like any muscle the more that you train it the stronger that it can become. Other than that, I just think it’s an anomaly. It’s part of the game and you just never know, right?”

Cooks seems to be in a good place and ready to roll for Week 12, but there’s no doubt fans and likely the coaches will be watching closely when he takes his first big hit on the field. Just don’t be surprised when he bounces back up as he often does.

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Robert Woods thankful for Rams’ support while handling family matter

Robert Woods spoke out about his family matter for the first time Thursday.

Robert Woods took a personal leave of absence from the Rams on Sunday, just a few hours before the team faced the Bears at home. He wasn’t in attendance at the Coliseum as he tended to a family matter, missing his first game of the season.

He returned to the team and practiced on Thursday, but his status for the Rams’ upcoming game against the Ravens remains up in the air. Neither he nor Sean McVay will commit to the wide receiver playing on Monday night.

After practice, Woods spoke out on his absence, keeping the details of his personal situation private.

“Just appreciate the Rams organization, allowing me to deal with my family matters, allowing me to keep this personal,” he said. “Came to practice today, first day back, it felt good to be back out there, being back with the guys and the team. Just taking it day by day, working towards being prepared for Monday night.”

Woods was asked how his coaches, teammates and those within the organization helped him through this situation, saying everyone reached out to him while he was away.

“Big time. Just being there, allowing me to just be supportive of my family,” he said. “Everyone in our organization reached out, supported my decision, supported me through this and still do.”

Woods declined to say exactly what happened that caused him to take some time away from the team, saying “it’s something I’m going to keep private – family, we’ll deal with it at home.”

It wasn’t a difficult decision for him to tend to the matter, putting his family above his occupation.

“Football is my job. My family is over my job. It wasn’t really a difficult decision,” he said.

When asked if he’ll play against the Ravens, he said he “planning on just taking it day by day, keep working towards that goal.”

Woods wouldn’t say whether the matter is behind him or if there are long-term concerns with the situation.

“Just working day by day, can only take it a day at a time,” he said.

The Rams could certainly use Woods against the Ravens on Monday night, and the goal is for him to play. However, if he can’t go, at least the offense will have Brandin Cooks back, who is returning from a concussion suffered before the bye.

Against a team like the Ravens, though, they need all hands on deck if possible.

Jalen Ramsey gets a lot of praise, but Rams’ other 2 CBs are thriving

Troy Hill and Nickell Robey-Coleman have been among the best CBs in the NFL since Week 6.

The Los Angeles Rams defense has improved dramatically since Jalen Ramsey arrived in Week 7. In their last four games, they’ve allowed just 44 points, which is the lowest total in the NFL. They’re also No. 1 in run defense in that span, ranking fifth overall against the run this season.

Ramsey has a lot to do with the Rams’ elevated play on defense – as does the level of competition in the last month – but he’s not the only one who deserves credit. The secondary as a whole is playing significantly better, led by Troy Hill and Nickell Robey-Coleman, surprisingly.

According to Pro Football Focus, they both rank in the top three of all NFL cornerbacks since Week 6 in overall grade. Hill has been the league’s best cornerback in that span, while Robey-Coleman ranks third.

In terms of coverage, Hill is ninth and Robey-Coleman is third.

Ramsey has played well this season, too, but Hill and Robey-Coleman deserve a lot of credit for their play, as well. Hill, in particular, has been targeted frequently by opposing quarterbacks simply because Ramsey is on the other side of the field.

This season, Hill has been targeted 39 times but he’s allowed just 20 completions (51.3%), one touchdown and a passer rating of 66.8. Ramsey has seen 50 passes thrown his way, allowing 32 catches (64%), one touchdown and a 93.2 passer rating.

The Rams took a big chance by trading away both Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, showing a great deal of confidence in Hill to take over as a starter. He’s rewarded them with some outstanding play and coverage, making the Rams look smart for giving him to an extension through 2020 this offseason.

He’s become an important part of the defense and assuming things stay the way they have, he’ll be in the mix for a starting job next year, too.

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Rams vs. Ravens: 4 key matchups to watch on Monday night

Cory Littleton and Taylor Rapp will play key roles in Monday’s game.

(AP Photo/Mike McCarn)

The Los Angeles Rams’ season could ride on Monday night’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. They desperately need a win – and a signature one, at that – and none would be bigger than beating the red-hot Ravens.

Containing Lamar Jackson will be priority No. 1, but there will be several other matchups within the game that could decide the outcome.

Here are the four biggest matchups to watch in Week 12.

Cory Littleton vs. Lamar Jackson

(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

It’ll take a complete team effort to slow down Jackson, but a lot of the responsibility falls on Littleton. He’ll likely be asked to spy Jackson, as will Taylor Rapp and maybe even a cornerback like Nickell Robey-Coleman. Littleton’s role in this game will be huge when it comes to stopping the run, which is a staple of Baltimore’s offense, of course.

Few players in the NFL have the speed to keep up with Jackson, but Littleton’s instincts and anticipation can help limit the big plays made by the electric quarterback. Making the correct read on zone reads is also critical, and could be the difference in a 20-yard gain or one for 5 yards.

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Rams injury report: Brandin Cooks a full participant, 2 others sick

The Rams released their first injury report of the week.

The Rams released their first injury report on Thursday ahead of their Week 12 matchup with the Ravens and there were several players who missed practice. There was a welcomed addition to the field, however, with Brandin Cooks returning to practice.

He was listed as a full participant and he’s expected to play on Monday night against Baltimore, Sean McVay said, and has been feeling good for a couple weeks.

Malcolm Brown missed practice as he’s awaiting the birth of his child. He’s expected back on Saturday. Rob Havenstein remains out with a knee injury, and both Johnny Hekker and Josh Reynolds were sidelined with an illness.

Darious Williams is still recovering from an ankle injury, but McVay didn’t have an update on his status.