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In the first four games of the season, Robert Woods was targeted only 25 times, well below his average of 8.2 targets per game with the Rams. He caught just 15 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns, failing to get many opportunities with Matthew Stafford now under center.
That changed in a big way on Thursday night against the Seahawks. Woods nearly matched his season totals in receptions and yards in the win over Seattle, seeing 14 passes thrown his way. He caught 12 of them for 150 yards, leading the team in receiving by 58 yards. Cooper Kupp was still heavily involved and played well once again with seven catches for 92 yards on 10 targets, but it was nice to see Woods finally get a real chance to make plays.
It wasn’t a coincidence, either. Sean McVay said this week that he wanted to get Woods more involved after his quiet start, saying he’s “a stud in every sense of the word.” In addition to his comments, he and Woods had a chat leading up to Thursday’s game about getting the wideout more opportunities.
“It’s always just a working week. Come in expecting the ball each and every week,” he said after the win. “This week, had a little talk just trying to get involved in the offense. Me and McVay spoke, said he was going to get me some touches. Was able to find the ball. It was just one of those defenses and those looks where we were just able to keep working. Me and Stafford were able to connect. Was one of those games where, just keep getting open, keep getting my number called. That’s how the team works. You never know how the game goes and the flows of our season goes but just always be ready, always expecting the ball and today was my day.”
McVay can’t force Stafford to throw it to one receiver or another, but he can design plays that are meant to go to a specific player. That seemed to be the case against Seattle because it looked like Woods was the first read for Stafford fairly often.
According to Next Gen Stats, Woods was considered “open” on 10 of his 14 targets, catching nine of them for 122 yards. So it appears McVay designed plays to get Woods open – which was smart.
10 of Woods' 14 targets were considered “open targets” (3+ yards of separation), per Next Gen Stats. On those 10, he caught 9 for 122 of his 150 yards.
McVay schemed to get him open, and the Seahawks abysmal defense complied. https://t.co/Q2ioPDfnGn
— Kevin Patra (@kpatra) October 8, 2021
Woods’ 12 catches were his third-most in a game in his career, while his 150 yards were fifth-most. And there have only been three games where he was targeted more than the 14 times he was on Thursday night.
Good things happen when he gets the ball, and the Rams showed that against the Seahawks with a big performance from No. 2.