Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris has been a steady hand for the Los Angeles Rams through five weeks of the 2022 season, and with a challenging matchup against the Carolina Panthers on the horizon, he is preparing for every possible scenario that may play out on Sunday. The Panthers will be starting Phillip “P.J.” Walker at quarterback against his unit in lieu of veteran Baker Mayfield, and Morris was asked about what he has seen on film that might impact his game plan for Sunday’s matchup.
In his response, he made it clear that Walker would be a formidable opponent and one that he is not taking lightly as the Rams seek to get their season back on track. Though he stopped short of saying that it would be harder to game plan against Walker, who has very little film available after starting only one game at the NFL level, Morris said that he is intrigued by what he might see from the promising backup on Sunday.
“It’s definitely a lot different,” Morris said. “It’s just different because you want to go get a feel for the player, the guys, you want to see him play, you want your guys to see him play, you want them to know what he can do. And he got in last week, so we’ve seen him get in last week, kind of a two-minute situation or a two-score game where he is trying to come back and he’s able to go out there and deliver some strikes as far as quick game. Get the ball out of his hand, he knows exactly where to go, all those type of things. You’re not playing against a rookie.
“You’re playing against the guy that’s been in this situation before. Probably not afraid of the moment, you’d have to ask them those things, but it definitely changes your approach on how you want to play. When they’re going and they’re building with [QB] Baker [Mayfield], you see things, you see the advancements, you see the stuff that he wants to do next. You can kind of get a feel for those things, but when you’re starting with PJ, you’re talking about going in there and having his start and what he does best and doing some of the things that he does really well.”
In addition to being Walker’s first start of the 2022 season, this matchup will also be Steve Wilks’ first game as the head coach of the Panthers after the team fired Matt Rhule. If Carolina were to win on Sunday, it could spell disaster for Los Angeles, who would fall to two games below .500 and would almost certainly serve as wind in the sails of the fledgling Panthers squad who are happy to play the underdog after a 1-4 start.
Morris and his defensive coaching staff will have their hands full and are likely to need a quarter or two to adjust to Walker’s abilities and any tendencies that Wilks shows.