Monday night’s game against the Ravens was one the Rams would prefer to move on from quickly. The 39-point loss was the franchise’s worst ever at home, getting absolutely blown out by Baltimore, 45-6.
The Rams had no answer for Lamar Jackson and were inept offensively, mustering only 221 total yards in the game. It was the second time in three weeks that the Rams failed to score an offensive touchdown, finishing the month of November in embarrassing fashion.
With Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks back in the fold, and the offensive line playing better lately, there’s no excuse for the Rams scoring just six points against Baltimore. And the Rams’ defense was healthy, all things considered, so there’s no one to blame but themselves for allowing 45 points.
Looking at the snap counts, the Rams got back to their old ways on offense, leaning on 11 personnel for most of the game. Defensively, there weren’t many instances with three cornerbacks on the field, which suggests the Rams tried to load up the front and stop the run. Spoiler: It didn’t work.
Here’s how the playing time broke down on each side of the ball.
Offense
Robert Woods returned from his personal leave but his snaps were limited. He was only on the field for 67% of the plays, by far his lowest total of the season. It’s unclear why he didn’t play as much as usual because Sean McVay said last week that there were no concerns about Woods physically.
Josh Reynolds was used frequently in this one, subbing in for Brandin Cooks and Woods throughout the night. He only caught two passes for 8 yards, though. Cooper Kupp played every snap but one.
Gerald Everett barely played (31%), and it wasn’t because the Rams swapped him out for Johnny Mundt like last week. He simply wasn’t a big part of the game plan, with McVay opting for Tyler Higbee on 70% of the snaps.
Todd Gurley only came off the field for two snaps, which went to Malcolm Brown. Though he only had six carries, his large share of playing time was likely due to him being the best pass blocker on the Rams, and Jared Goff was airing it out all night.