Sean McVay knows the importance of Jared Goff keeping both hands on the ball when pressure arises.
Jared Goff is having a rough year despite ranking among the league leaders in passing yards. He’s regressed in every other notable statistical category, from completion percentage to touchdowns, to turnovers to yards per attempt. His passer rating has dropped significantly, too, going from over 100 in 2017 and 2018 to 82.7 this season.
One of Goff’s biggest flaws is his inability to protect the ball in the pocket. He led the league with 12 fumbles last season and is on pace to shatter that number in 2019. Goff has already fumbled it nine times in nine games, losing five of those fumbles.
Against the Steelers, he had three fumbles (one lost) to go along with two interceptions. That’s not the ball security any coach wants to see from his quarterback, let along one making as much money with as much experience as Goff.
Sean McVay said on Thursday that the Rams’ coaches will continue to emphasize the importance of ball security to Goff – and the rest of the offense, for that matter.
“Anytime you talk about that, everybody has a responsibility – coaches, player. Playing in the timing and rhythm sometimes taking a sack, keeping two hands on the ball is the best thing to be able to do there. I think it’s a collaboration of everybody, but that is certainly something that is a point of emphasis, you try to drill it,” he said. “It’s always hard to truly mimic and emulate that when you don’t get tackled and you don’t have the ability for guys really swiping at that hand, but he understands the importance of it. It’s something that we’re going to continuously drill and make a big point of emphasis and just keep drilling and keep working at it. We trust that, the things that we are talking about and I know how conscientious he is as well. That’s where you will start to see, hopefully some tangible results. It is a credit to those guys, but that’s definitely something that’s a point of emphasis for us as an offense, not exclusive to Jared.”
Goff’s nine interceptions are certainly a cause for concern, but so are his nine fumbles. His careless nature in the pocket when it comes to protecting the ball has become a troubling trend for the young quarterback, and the Rams are fortunate only five of his nine fumbles have been lost.
You can bet the Bears’ defensive front has recognized Goff’s carelessness in the pocket and will attack the ball when getting close to the quarterback. He fumbled it once in the Rams’ loss to Chicago last season, also throwing four interceptions.
The Rams are expected to have both of their safeties on Sunday night against Chicago.
There were two surprise additions to the Rams’ injury report on Wednesday as they began their week of practice. Tyler Higbee was a non-participant with a knee injury, and Gerald Everett was limited with a wrist issue.
Sean McVay clarified on Thursday during his press conference that both players are expected to be OK and their injuries aren’t significant. If everything goes according to plan, they’ll be available against the Bears on Sunday night.
“They were just sore from the game. So Tyler has a knee and Gerald with the wrist. But really being more smart than anything with those guys, so Tyler today again will be – he was just out there in a limited fashion with the walk-thru. He’s going to miss practice,” McVay said. “And then we’ll have Gerald just be smart about that as well. Both of those guys, if things go the way we want, we’re expecting them to be able to play. We just want to be smart with them throughout the week.”
Higbee and Everett have once again shared the workload at tight end this season with Everett being the leading player at that spot. He’s caught 34 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns this season, playing 64.5% of the snaps compared to 43.8% for Higbee.
The Rams do know a few players they’ll be without on Sunday, though. Brandin Cooks, Rob Havenstein and Darious Williams have all been ruled out already.
The Rams throw the ball 96% of the time when they’re in shotgun, and teams are picking up on that glaringly obvious trend.
For two years, Sean McVay was one of the toughest coaches to figure out. His offense was dynamic and difficult to stop, helping elevate the play of everyone from Todd Gurley to Robert Woods to Jared Goff.
The basis of his offense is utilizing 11 personnel, pre-snap motion and play-action passes to deceive the defense. After all, common says having the same 11 players on the field for nearly every play makes it difficult to predict whether it’s a pass or run coming.
For two years, his scheme worked to perfection. This season has not been so kind to McVay with many suggesting he’s been exposed by opposing defenses. To an extent, that assessment isn’t necessarily wrong. But at the same time, the offensive line is decimated and Goff has regressed as a result.
But if there’s one thing McVay can control, it’s tendencies and tells. One in particular sticks out like a sore thumb when you watch the Rams play – and it’s probably something you’ve noticed yourself.
The Rams never run the ball out of shotgun formations.
According to Inside Edge, running backs have only gotten 12 carries out of the gun this year, picking up 45 yards on such plays. Both numbers are the lowest in the NFL by a wide margin. When the Rams go into shotgun formations, they throw the ball 96% of the time, according to Sharp Football Stats. Of course, that’s the widest differential in the league, with the next-closest team being the Buccaneers (91% pass).
When under center, the Rams are more balanced. They throw the ball 35% of the time (8th-highest) and run it 65% (25th). That’s why they’re able to run play-action fakes when the running back is lined up behind Goff, because there’s actually a threat to run the ball.
Sharp Football Stats
Out of the gun, the Rams don’t even bother trying with ball fakes. You almost never see Goff fake the handoff to Gurley when the two are lined up side by side. That’s because Gurley has only carried it eight times out of the shotgun for a measly 17 yards. Where’s the threat defenses have to account for?
Against the Steelers on Sunday afternoon, this tendency was on full display in the fourth quarter. On their last two drives, the Rams were in shotgun on every single play. Even with all three timeouts and nearly three minutes on the clock during their first drive, there was never a threat to run the ball by Los Angeles. No fake handoffs, no under-center plays, no play action. This tendency is so glaringly obvious that the Steelers almost certainly picked up on it coming into the game and knew that when the Rams were in shotgun, there was almost no chance they were going to run the ball.
As a result, they pinned their ears back and rushed Goff every time he was in the gun. This might seem obvious late in the game, and it is. Down five points, most teams are going to be airing the ball out. The Rams didn’t have to with three timeouts, but that’s the strategy they opted for.
This is the play just before the two-minute warning – a situation where running the ball is absolutely an option. Look how quickly the Steelers’ edge rushers get up the field, knowing there’s no chance the Rams are going to hand it off.
Clearly, gaining 3.8 yards per carry on rush attempts out of the gun doesn’t inspire much confidence. However, the fact that they’re not even trying to run it out of that formation is allowing defenses to know what’s coming. This wasn’t as big of a deal last season when teams were still trying to figure out McVay’s offense, but the Rams rarely ran it out of shotgun then, either.
They threw it 96% of the time out of the gun and ran it just 4% of the time. In 2017, the gap was closer: 87% run, 13% pass. With a full year of tape from last season to watch, and that tendency standing out so clearly, defenses have likely figured out what’s coming when Goff is in the gun – and McVay has yet to adjust.
It doesn’t help that the Rams have been in the shotgun more often this year than they were last year. In 2018, they used shotgun 38% of the time compared to 46% of the time this season. The more they use shotgun formations, the more predictable the offense gets.
Goff came from an Air Raid offense in college and lived in the shotgun at Cal. McVay has catered the offense to his skill set the last three years, giving him far more pass attempts out of the gun than under center since 2017. It also fits with what Gurley does best, running it from traditional singleback formations.
As bad as Gurley has been out of the gun in his career, the Rams do have a guy with a skill set that can have some success in those situations: Darrell Henderson. With Gurley seeing his workload limited, the Rams should take advantage of Henderson and hand him the ball out of the gun. At least that will keep the defense on its toes, rather than allowing edge rushers to pin their ears back and get after the QB.
Or what about a run-pass option (RPO)? The Eagles used that heavily on their march to the Super Bowl a few years ago. It’s an easy way to limit the effectiveness of a team’s pass rush, causing the defensive linemen to freeze for a second to read the play. Running RPOs with Goff and Henderson could be a nice wrinkle to the offense.
No matter what the solution is, McVay has to at least bring some unpredictability into the equation when the Rams line up in the gun. With no threat to run the ball, defenses are hardly ever fooled and pass rushers are teeing off on Goff. With a makeshift offensive line, that’s a disastrous combination.
Eric Weddle is the Rams’ nominee for the prestigious award.
Eric Weddle is one of the most well-respected players in the NFL and it was evident right away after he signed with the Rams. He was quickly voted a captain and called a “genius” by his teammates, emerging as a leader right out of the gates.
On Thursday, he was honored by the Rams as their nominee for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. The award recognizes players who best exemplify sportsmanship on the field, which Weddle certainly does.
Last year, the Rams nominated Todd Gurley, though Drew Brees went on to win the award.
The winner will be announced before the Super Bowl at the NFL Honors show and will be determined by a vote from current players. Eight finalists will be selected in December.
The finalists for the sixth annual Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award have been announced. Each NFL team nominated 1 of its players for the award, which recognizes players around the league who exemplify outstanding sportsmanship on the field. The Texans nominee is QB Deshaun Watson pic.twitter.com/g2DhStwDyu
The Rams called up Donte Deayon and Chandler Brewer to the 53-man roster on Wednesday, opening up two spots on the practice squad. They filled one relatively quickly, signing former Redskins defensive back Adonis Alexander to the practice squad Thursday.
Alexander came into the NFL as a sixth-round pick in the 2018 supplemental draft. He was a player some thought the Rams might be interested in, given his size and potential out of Virginia Tech.
They ultimately passed, and now they’ve added him without surrendering any draft capital.
Alexander doesn’t have great speed – he ran a 4.61 40-yard dash – but he can play both safety and cornerback. That flexibility is a trait the Rams like to see in their defensive backs.
He has not played yet this season, but he appeared in nine games as a rookie in 2018. He made just four tackles and only played 11 snaps on defense.
Jalen Ramsey should be matched up with Allen Robinson throughout this game.
(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
The Rams will get a shot at redemption on Sunday night against the Chicago Bears, trying to avenge their ugly loss at Soldier Field last season. This game comes with far fewer playoff implications as both teams are falling out of the postseason race, but the winner will keep their slim hopes alive.
The Rams have been the better team this season and have more talent on paper, but they’re banged up and Chicago is coming off a much-needed win over Detroit.
With injuries and lineup changes impacting the game, here are four key matchups to watch on Sunday night.
Jalen Ramsey vs. Allen Robinson
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Robinson is far and away the Bears’ biggest threat at wide receiver, and it’s not close. He’s been targeted 80 times, which is 25 more than the next-closest player (Tarik Cohen) and 49 more than the next wide receiver, Taylor Gabriel. The Bears try to get him the ball often, and while they’ve had some success doing so, it does make them one-dimensional when throwing the ball.
Ramsey has the ability to take him away and force Mitchell Trubisky to use his other receivers more often. Robinson leads the team with 618 yards receiving, with the second player in that category (Gabriel) posting 277 yards in seven games. The Rams have to limit Robinson’s production because he has the potential to go off.
Jared Goff isn’t worried about playing behind the Rams’ patched-together offensive line.
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In the last two years, the Rams had the same four offensive linemen start all 32 games. The fifth position was occupied by Jamon Brown in 2017 and Austin Blythe last year, meaning the Rams only started six different players up front in two years – a truly remarkable feat.
This season, they’ve already started six different players in nine games, and that number is going to rise by two in Week 11. With Brian Allen and Rob Havenstein both out, the Rams will thrust two new faces into the starting lineup.
Here’s how the offensive line is expected to look on Sunday night against the Bears:
LT Andrew Whitworth
LG Austin Corbett
C Austin Blythe
RG David Edwards
RT Bobby Evans
Corbett and Evans will be making their first starts for the Rams, while Blythe will be playing out of his normal position (guard). The only remaining starter at his original position in Week 1 is Andrew Whitworth.
Against a defensive front like Chicago’s, Jared Goff could be in for a beating. He’s not concerned about it, though, and will just try to do his job.
“I trust those guys, I feel good with them and they’ve done a great job. Outside of Corbett, we have experience with all of them,” Goff said Wednesday. “Austin, I thought, did a great job last week with his limited time. It’s part of the job. It’s not always going to be perfect back there and if it’s not, I’ll be just fine. If it is – as I do expect them to play well – it’ll be great as well. It’s part of the job description and when you play quarterback, at times, it’s not always going to be like we had the last couple years. I think we had probably 32-straight games with the starting five, and that’s really unheard of. This is more closer to reality and just going to prepare for it.”
Sean McVay expressed similar confidence in the Rams’ new starters on the offensive line, specifically talking about Corbett playing well in limited action on Sunday and Edwards making a seamless switch between guard and tackle.
“To see Austin Corbett seamlessly step in, do a nice job at the left guard spot. To see David Edwards start the game off playing really well at the right guard spot and then transition outside. I think it’s unfortunate, you hate to see your guys get injured. Anytime that occurs, you never like that. When it does occur, you get the chance to really evaluate guys and I thought they took advantage of those opportunities to be evaluated and to step up,” McVay said.
The Rams can do nothing but proceed with the current players they have. They just have to hope to survive the absence of Havenstein for a few weeks until he can return.
The Rams are gambling by putting rookie Bobby Evans at RT against the Bears.
Rob Havenstein’s knee injury could not have come at a worse time for the Los Angeles Rams, and it’s going to be very easy to see why on Sunday night. With Havenstein out at a couple weeks, the Rams will be forced to replace him with an unproven player at right tackle.
That player will apparently be rookie Bobby Evans, who told Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic that he’ll be the starter on Sunday against the Chicago Bears.
Bobby Evans told me he’ll be at right tackle for the #Rams on Sunday.
The Bears have one of the best defensive players in the NFL with Khalil Mack, and it just so happens that Mack typically lines up across from the right tackle. With Evans making his first career start, you can bet Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano will be putting him across from Evans as much as possible.
That’s not exactly a recipe for success for the Rams. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. This has a chance to be a disaster for the Rams and Jared Goff. Mack is one of the best edge rushers in the league and makes even the best offensive tackles look foolish on a weekly basis.
It’s scary to think what he’s going to do against a rookie like Evans, who has played just three snaps in his NFL career. It doesn’t help that Evans looked terrible in the preseason lining up at everywhere from guard to tackle – and that was against second- and third-stringers.
The Rams could have opted to go with David Edwards at right tackle and plug Evans in at right guard. Or put Coleman Shelton at center and Austin Blythe back at right guard. None of the solutions to replacing Havenstein are good ones, but Edwards was exclusively a right tackle in college and has looked good in three starts this season at guard.
It’s understandable that the Rams would prefer not to move him from guard, but he’s a more experienced player and likely a better fit at right tackle than Evans is. Again, there’s no easy way to replace someone like Havenstein, but Evans could be in for a long night on Sunday.
The Rams continue to get bad news on the injury front.
As if losing a starting wide receiver, center and right tackle wasn’t enough, the Los Angeles Rams are also dealing with injuries at tight end. They released their first injury report of Week 11 and both Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett were listed.
Higbee was held out with a knee injury, which Sean McVay didn’t mention coming out of Sunday’s loss. Everett has a wrist injury that limited him in practice to begin the week.
Brandin Cooks was limited, which is a good sign, but he’s already been ruled out for Sunday. The Rams hope he can return in Week 12. Rob Havenstein and Darious Williams are also out for Sunday and were non-participants in practice Wednesday.
The Rams host the Bears on Sunday night at 8:20 p.m. ET in what’s a crucial game for both teams. They’re quickly falling out of playoff contention, and with all the injuries Los Angeles has suffered, it will be a tough game to win.
The Rams declined to comment when asked if they will attend Colin Kaepernick’s workout on Saturday.
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The NFL invited all 32 NFL teams to attend a workout session for Colin Kaepernick this upcoming Saturday in Georgia as the former 49ers quarterback tries to make his way back into the league. Several teams have already confirmed that they will be in attendance, but the Rams declined to disclose their plans.
During Sean McVay’s press conference on Wednesday, the coach said the Rams “feel good” about their quarterback situation at the moment and that he hasn’t “had a chance to really go into a deep dialogue” with general manager Les Snead. He wouldn’t say whether or not the team will attend the workout, deferring to Snead on the subject.
McVay on if Rams will have rep at Kap workout: "We feel good about our quarterback situation right now. Haven’t had a chance to really go into a deep dialogue with Les [Snead] but we do keep our workouts and those things in house which is the standard operating procedure." (1/2)
Kaepernick hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016, which is when he began protesting social injustice by kneeling during the national anthem before games. In his last season with the 49ers, he threw 16 touchdown passes and four interceptions in 12 games.
The Rams have Jared Goff as their starter and Blake Bortles backing him up, so quarterback isn’t a pressing need for them right now. They signed Goff to a four-year, $134 million extension this offseason.
