It’s probably not a coincidence that Greg Gaines had his best game of the season in Week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers. After a terrific 2021 season in which he emerged as a key starter up front, posting just one game with a PFF grade above 64 and recording only four total pressures.
But against the 49ers, he recorded his first sack and QB hit of the season. Gaines revealed on Monday that his shoulder had been injured for the first six weeks of the season but he’s feeling good now after the Week 7 bye.
Rams DT Greg Gaines says his right shoulder had been "pretty screwed up" for all of the first 6 weeks of the season. He got healthier in the bye week: "I feel like I’m back and playing how I want to be playing."
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) October 31, 2022
The Rams need Gaines to be the stout run defender and consistent pass rusher that he was last year, using his power to bull rush centers and guards into the laps of quarterbacks. Aaron Donald has done a nice job on the interior, of course, but the Rams need another source of pressure, and until Sunday, they hadn’t gotten that from anyone.
Hopefully Gaines can build on that performance and get back to the way he was playing last season.