Tag: Allen Robinson

PSU in NFL: Week 2 moments from former Penn State players

Here are the top NFL Week 2 moments from former Penn State players.

We are through another week of the NFL season, and it was another good week for not just veterans/former Nittany Lions, but for the rookies as well. Everywhere you look around the NFL, you are bound to see a former Penn State player making some big plays around the league. This past weekend was no exception to that concept.

[autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] once again showed why he is such a valuable asset to the Dallas Cowboys on defense, and rookie [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag] had an active afternoon against the Green Bay Packers. A handful of former Nittany Lions reached the end zone as well, including [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] and [autotag]Allen Robinson[/autotag], two of the best wide receivers in program history.

It was an eventful weekend of NFL football for these former Nittany Lions, and things are just warming up.

Here are the top NFL Week 2 moments from former Penn State Nittany Lions players.

6 takeaways from Rams’ 31-27 win over Falcons

The Rams defeated the Falcons 31-27 in Week 2 and here are our 6 takeaways from the narrow victory.

https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=JslHYnKvH4-2246355-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on

The Los Angeles Rams sure made their Week 2 bout with the Atlanta Falcons more interesting than it needed to be. After getting blown out by the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, the Rams were able to narrowly defeat the Falcons 31-27 to give them a 1-1 record entering Week 3.

Los Angeles was seemingly running away with the game, going up 31-10 in the second half of the game. In the blink of an eye, the Falcons scored 15 unanswered points before the Rams purposely took a safety near the end of the game to avoid another special team’s mishap.

Following the unnecessary theatrics at the end, here are six takeaways from the Rams’ home victory over the Falcons.

Watch: Allen Robinson scores 1st TD as a member of the Rams

Safe to say the Rams are getting Allen Robinson involved this week

Allen Robinson’s absence from the Rams’ game plan in Week 1 was a major talking point. Everyone from Matthew Stafford to Sean McVay said Robinson needs to be more involved, and they made a point to make that happen on Sunday against the Falcons.

Robinson caught Matthew Stafford’s first pass attempt of the game, a 15-yard pass over the middle. Then later on the drive, Robinson beat A.J. Terrell on a 1-yard fade for a touchdown, his first as a member of the Rams. It was a beautiful release off the line, leaving Terrell flat-footed with no chance to break up the pass.

Robinson already has more yards (16) and receptions (2) against the Falcons than he had in the opener against the Bills, and that was after just one drive.

The best fantasy football gamble of Week 2

Seeking redemption from a veteran receiver after completely whiff in Week 1.

Every week, at least one player becomes my fascination of whether he’s worthy of a fantasy football start as a streamer. The decision can be a mental wrestling match, but for the purpose of brevity, only one player can be chosen as the fantasy football gamble of the week. Be sure to check out one of our newest pieces, Streamers of the Week, from the talented Kevin Hickey.

The best fantasy football gamble for Week 2

Tracking my predictions: 0-1-0
Win: Player produces ≥ 75% of projected fantasy points
Loss: Player produces >75% of projected fantasy points
Tie: Player is ejected, leaves with an injury, or lands on COVID-19 list after publishing

2021 record: 8-9-1
2020 record: 5-10-1

Week’s selection of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (projected 27.15 points) was nothing short of disastrous. Yikes. At the time of the writing, it appeared as though wide receiver Allen Lazard (ankle) wouldn’t play, which I had accounted for, but there was no clarity on the status of offensive tackles David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins — both of whom ended up being inactive. Rodgers was sluggish, Green Bay seemed unprepared for the second straight season opener, and Minnesota took full advantage of it.

Lesson learned … it’s now time to dust it off and head into Week 2 with a fresh start.

WR Allen Robinson, Los Angeles Rams vs. Atlanta Falcons

Robinson was among the top fantasy football receivers for several years prior to last season’s dismal showing, and it was easy to chalk it up to poor quarterback play in a stale offense. In fact, once Robinson inked with the Rams in the offseason, many gamers — myself included — fully embraced a rebound campaign from the 29-year-old. His redemption tour didn’t exactly get off to the best of starts with a two-target, one-catch, 12-yard showing vs. the Buffalo Bills in what became a total beatdown. Depending upon your perspective on life, Robinson playing 65 of the 67 offensive snaps is either encouraging or disturbing.

After the game, head coach Sean McVay said he needs to call plays specifically to get Robinson more involved. Wideout Ben Skowronek  finished with three times the target volume as A-Rob, and while the veteran took it in stride, citing his understanding of the bigger picture, a competitor who is used to being the WR1 will use that as fuel. The problem is, though, what’s motivation worth if the ball just doesn’t come his direction?

[lawrence-related id=469099]

For starters, this week’s matchup is vastly easier. Atlanta was punched in the mouth by the New Orleans Saints’ receiving corps in Week 1, giving up the fourth-most fantasy points in both primary scoring formats. Only six teams yielded more receptions, and four defenses permitted a greater volume of yardage. A touchdown allowed every eight grabs surrendered rated as the eighth-highest frequency. All of that ineptitude was a carryover from 2021’s sixth-easiest matchup to exploit for the receiver position.

LA will come out hungry and firing shots to help ease concerns about last week’s impotent performance. All of the attention paid toward slowing Cooper Kupp favors Robinson against isolated coverage, and as long as the ball is sent his way, there’s a pretty good chance he returns WR2 value.

If Robinson doesn’t show signs of life in this one, expect a long year from the former Nittany Lion.

My projection: 7 targets, 6 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD (21.0 PPR points)

Fantasy football: How to manage Cam Akers and Allen Robinson in Week 2

Should you start Cam Akers in Week 2 or keep him on the bench? What about Allen Robinson?

Cam Akers and Allen Robinson were both widely drafted in the first five or six rounds of fantasy drafts this year. Akers is entering his first full season since 2020 after missing most of last year, while Robinson is in his first year with an above-average quarterback since, well, pretty much ever.

They both flopped in Week 1, combining for a total of four touches for 12 yards. Akers rushed for zero yards on three attempts and Robinson caught one pass for 12 yards, getting just two targets all game long.

Fantasy owners are now wondering how to manage these two players. Should you start Akers again this week against the Falcons? Is Robinson worth starting after getting only two targets? It’s not an easy decision, especially if you’re thin on options at running back or receiver.

Sean McVay explains how he plans to get Allen Robinson more involved vs. Falcons

Allen Robinson only got 2 targets in Week 1, but Sean McVay plans to call “more plays where he’s the primary”

Allen Robinson’s Rams debut was a dud. It wasn’t necessarily his fault, but he caught just one pass for 12 yards. The problem is he was targeted just twice in the entire game despite playing all but two snaps on offense.

Sean McVay said after the game that he needs to get Robinson more involved, an expected response from the coach. He didn’t explain how exactly that would happen until he met with reporters on Wednesday leading into this weekend’s game against the Falcons.

McVay said he plans to call more plays where Robinson is the primary receiver, intentionally giving him opportunities to help the offense.

“I think being able to have some more intentionality about that,” McVay said. “Being able to call some plays where he’s the primary. Whatever I say is going to be an excuse, but it wasn’t good enough on my part in terms of the types of things that we were getting off to allow our players to be able to get into a rhythm. You credit Buffalo, they did a great job. But I think it’s just having a more specific approach to things that accentuate his skillset, similar to what I was answering earlier about what I think Arthur’s done a great job with his players offensively. That’s what I’ve got to do a better job of. Allen is certainly somebody that needs to be more involved and get more opportunities.”

The Rams signed Robinson to a three-year, $46.5 million contract this offseason, their big free agency splash of 2022. After trading away Robert Woods, Robinson became the No. 2 receiver alongside Cooper Kupp.

He was hardly that in Week 1, however. Ben Skowronek got three times as many targets as Robinson in the opener. Robinson, being the pro that he is, has predictably responded the right way, which McVay appreciates.

“Oh, he was amazing,” McVay said of Robinson’s response this week. “He’s such a special guy. I think the first thing you do is you acknowledge like, ‘Hey man, I appreciate your patience and your understanding, and this is where we’ve got to do a better job and I’ve got to do a better job.’ But he didn’t have one…there was no flinch. There was no hesitation. I think he’s the epitome of a pro’s pro. But I think for us to be the best version of ourselves, as far as our offense is concerned, him only getting that one target, you can look at it as a couple but it’s really that one. You’ve got to get him more involved.”

There has understandably been a lot of consternation in the football community about Robinson’s limited role in Week 1, wondering if he’s no longer a premier receiver. He’s not listening to what people are saying, however, and is focused on simply getting better.

“Honestly, I don’t really get caught up in all that,” Robinson said. “It’s gonna be always outside noise. Me being a vet, you can’t let that cloud your overall judgment. So for me, it’s just about figuring out how I could be better, or what I could do differently, and then coming into this week and improving.”

Kupp is still going to get the majority of targets in this offense, but there’s plenty of room for Robinson to contribute, too. He should see an increase in opportunities this weekend against a Falcons defense that certainly isn’t on par with the one the Rams faced last week.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqby8n025panb709 player_id=none image=https://theramswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=673781]

Watch every route by Allen Robinson vs. Bills: Why didn’t he get the ball?

Allen Robinson was only targeted twice against the Bills. The tape shows he was getting open a bunch, however.

Allen Robinson was unfortunately a flop in his Rams debut against the Bills. He was on the field for all but two snaps in the loss, but he was targeted by Matthew Stafford only twice. For comparison, Ben Skowronek, Darrell Henderson Jr. and Tyler Higbee were targeted 22 times as a trio.

There are plenty of questions about why Robinson didn’t get the ball more despite seemingly coming open a handful of times throughout the game. The Bills did bracket him with double coverage and their zone was effective, but Stafford simply wasn’t looking his way.

A film cut-up of every route run by Robinson shows what plenty of people saw: He was getting open but not getting targeted.

It was a combination of coverage and pressure that forced Stafford to go elsewhere on the majority of his throws, but he very easily could’ve made more of a concerted effort to get No. 1 the ball.

Take a look at the tape for yourself.

Sean McVay originally said after the game that he wants to get Robinson more opportunities. Stafford added that the Bills were playing a ton of Cover 2, which had two safeties over the top to prevent big plays and force the Rams to throw it short.

You can see that being the case in the video above, and there were instances where the underneath defender would turn his back and run with Robinson, knowing there was another safety over the top.

McVay added on Friday that he wants to get Robinson more involved, but he also said he had some opportunities to make plays. Make of that what you will.

“We got to try to get Allen more involved, but there were some opportunities for him to come to life that for a lot of different reasons it didn’t end up occurring,” McVay said. “But those are things that we’ll look into week in and week out. Ultimately, we’ve just got to execute overall better.”

The Rams can’t run their offense completely through Cooper Kupp, even as good as he is. they need another wideout to make plays on the opposite side. If they really can’t find ways to get Robinson more involved, that might be more of an indication of Robinson’s poor fit than anything else.

Matthew Stafford gives his take on Allen Robinson’s quiet Rams debut

Matthew Stafford says the Bills’ coverage was the primary reason for Allen Robinson’s quiet debut with the Rams

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”N1AeDTMyfM-2226800-7498″]

There was so much excitement about Allen Robinson’s fit in the Rams offense. As the replacement for Robert Woods alongside Cooper Kupp, he was expected to be a big part of the passing game right away.

Sadly, his Rams debut couldn’t have gone much worse. Robinson played 65 of the team’s 67 snaps, ran a total of 47 routes, and he was targeted only twice. His first target was a 12-yard reception, and his second was a pointless deep shot on the Rams’ final play of the game.

Sean McVay blamed his lack of involvement on the offense’s poor rhythm, saying he wanted to get Robinson more involved. Matthew Stafford also gave his take on the matter, pointing to the Bills’ zone coverage as the reason Robinson didn’t get many targets.

“I think they played – I’m trying to think back. I’m not going to get it right, but maybe two snaps of man,” Stafford said after the game. “So I mean, it’s a lot of zone. They clouded the boundary quite a bit. Allen saw a lot of Cover 2 over there. I can still do a better job I think of getting him the ball in some instances, but they were doing a nice job of trying to keep a top on it and trying to cover us up.”

Stafford had no trouble targeting Kupp against the Bills’ zone coverage, throwing him the ball 15 times. He targeted Tyler Higbee 11 times, Darrell Henderson Jr. five times and Ben Skowronek six times. Yet, Robinson only got one more target than Tutu Atwell, who played a total of seven snaps.

The Rams need Robinson to be more involved offensively because as good as Kupp is, he can’t carry the passing game on his own. He needs someone to draw some coverage and be a real threat on the other side.

Robinson can be that player; he just needs more opportunities.

Sean McVay blames Cam Akers and Allen Robinson’s quiet night on lack of offensive rhythm

Sean McVay offered an explanation for Cam Akers and Allen Robinson’s quiet night, blaming the lack of rhythm from the Rams offense

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”N1AeDTMyfM-2226800-7498″]

Neither Cam Akers nor Allen Robinson played in the preseason, getting all three games off. After watching the Rams’ season opener against the Bills, you’d wonder if they played in that game, either.

Akers carried the ball three times for zero yards, playing only 18% of the snaps. Robinson played nearly every snap on offense and ran 47 routes, but he was targeted just twice – one of which came on the Rams’ last play of the night.

It was a shockingly quiet night from two players who were expected to be among the Rams’ biggest playmakers. After the game, Sean McVay attempted to explain the lack of involvement for both players.

He pinned it on a lack of rhythm offensively, saying he wants to get a lot more guys involved moving forward.

“We just really didn’t get in much of a rhythm tonight, so it was tough to get anything,” McVay said. “I’d like to get Allen more involved, like to get a lot more guys involved. But overall, it was a tough night for us and it was a poor night in terms of the overall decision-making for my standpoint, and that’s something I’m looking forward to correcting.”

McVay can’t control who Matthew Stafford targets, but he can call plays that are designed to go to a certain receiver. That didn’t happen for Robinson, and as a result, Stafford barely looked his way.

As far as Akers goes, it’s much easier to get him involved. Darrell Henderson Jr. got the start and touched the ball 18 times compared to just three for Akers. If McVay wanted to get Akers involved, he could’ve given him one of the nine first-down carries Henderson got.

It’s clear Henderson is the favorite back right now, and perhaps Akers can change that in the coming weeks, but McVay didn’t seem very interested in giving him the ball.

Fantasy owners are baffled by Cam Akers and Allen Robinson’s disappearance vs. Bills

Cam Akers and Allen Robinson were nowhere to be found against the Bills, and fantasy owners are not happy

The Rams’ title defense got off to a stunning start on Thursday night, and not in a good way. They were blown out by the Bills at home, 31-10, starting the year 0-1 for the first time in Sean McVay’s tenure.

Among the most shocking developments from the loss were the disappearing acts by Cam Akers and Allen Robinson. Combined, they touched the ball four times for a total of 12 yards, which is not the way many people expected their 2022 debuts to go.

Akers, who was the backup to Darrell Henderson Jr., only played 18% of the offensive snaps and carried it three times for zero yards. He wasn’t targeted a single time in the passing game, either.

Robinson was targeted only twice in the entire game, and one of those came on a late deep shot by Matthew Stafford on the Rams’ final offensive play. He caught one pass for 12 yards, and Stafford barely even looked his way.

Akers and Robinson were popular players in fantasy football drafts this year, expecting to have big seasons for the Rams. It’s still early, but fantasy owners want answers.

They’re already beginning to panic about Akers and Robinson being busts this year. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter.