Tag: la rams

Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt among 2020 Hall of Fame semifinalists

Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce are Hall of Fame semifinalists for the 6th time.

Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt are once again among the 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame unveiled its list of the 25 modern-era semifinalists on Tuesday, and Bruce and Holt were the only former Rams representatives to make the cut. This is the sixth time they’ve been named semifinalists.

Holt played 10 years with the Rams, catching 869 passes for 12,660 yards and 74 touchdowns. He also played one season with the Jaguars to close out his career, catching 51 passes for 722 yards in 2009.

Bruce has been a Hall of Fame finalist three times, and he’ll try to make it four next year. He played 14 seasons with the Rams, hauling in 942 passes for 14,109 yards and 84 touchdowns. All-time, he ranks 13th in career receptions, fifth in yards and 12th in touchdown catches.

The selection committee will narrow the list down to 15 finalists in January before eventually selecting five modern-era players to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

NFL Week 13 power rankings: Rams only drop 1 spot after ugly loss

The Rams are still in the top 20 of Doug Farrar’s power rankings, but just barely.

The Rams haven’t technically been eliminated from playoff contention just yet, but Monday night’s 45-6 loss to the Ravens all but killed any hope they had of making the postseason. Los Angeles is now two games behind the Vikings for the final wild-card spot, and three back of the Seahawks for the No. 5 seed.

They have no chance of catching the 49ers in the NFC West and will essentially need to win out in order to have a chance at a wild-card berth. In other words, their season is over.

Their playoff odds took a big hit, but they didn’t drop very far in Doug Farrar’s power rankings for Touchdown Wire. The Rams dropped from No. 18 to 19 after their loss to the Ravens, one spot behind the Steelers and two back of the Browns.

The Rams have been teetering on the edge of irrelevance all season, as the reigning NFC champs have struggled to get and keep things together on either side of the ball, especially on offense. But this was unlike anything the franchise could be prepared for. Los Angeles’ 45-6 loss to the Ravens on Monday Night Football was the worst loss for the Rams by point differential in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum era, which goes back to 1946. Wade Phillips had absolutely no answer for what Lamar Jackson brought as a runner or as a passer, and Sean McVay had to be looking on with deep envy at an opposing quarterback who can tilt the field whenever he wants. Jared Goff, the guy McVay’s going to be tied to for a very long time, was his usual unimpressive self, completing 26 of 37 passes for 212 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions. If the Rams needed a reality check to shake them out of any thoughts of postseason potential, this should do it.

Unless the Vikings and Seahawks completely fall apart in the next five weeks, the Rams are going to be on the outside looking in – and with a lot of questions to answer in the offseason. Jared Goff hasn’t lived up to his contract, nor has Todd Gurley. And will they sign Jalen Ramsey to an extension?

The Rams are entering a difficult time, and Monday’s 39-point loss was a small sample of their issues right now.

Rams snap counts: Woods’ playing time limited, Everett barely played

The Rams switched things up on both sides of the ball Monday night.

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.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

November was a month to forget for Jared Goff, Rams offense

Jared Goff and the Rams offense did nothing well in November.

Todd Gurley said after the Rams’ 45-6 loss to the Ravens, “Thank God it’s Thanksgiving, so hopefully we forget about this loss by Thursday.” He and the Rams would probably like to forget more than just this loss, though – specifically the entire month of November.

Los Angeles’ offense has been anemic the last three weeks, putting together the worst stretch of three games since Jeff Fisher was head coach. This month, the Rams scored two offensive touchdowns, 35 total points (seven of which came on defense) and only had more than 300 yards of total offense once – and just barely (306 vs. Pittsburgh).

They went 1-2 in November, effectively ending any hopes of making the playoffs. It was a collective team effort, or lack thereof, but Jared Goff is the quarterback, so a lot of the blame falls on him.

His performance this month was particularly bad. Here are his numbers from the last three games, going all of November without a single touchdown.

  • 59-for-96 (61.4%), 628 yards, 0 TDs, 5 INTs, 58.9 passer rating, 4 fumbles

His zero touchdowns are alarming, considering he’s never gone three straight games without a touchdown pass in his career. Granted, he should’ve had two touchdowns against the Bears – Cooper Kupp fumbled at the 1-yard line and Josh Reynolds had a TD called back due to a pre-snap penalty – but those two touchdowns wouldn’t have excused his poor play.

To put his last three games into perspective, it’s the first time since Nick Foles in 2015 that a Rams quarterback went this long without a touchdown pass while having at least 18 attempts in each game. It’s just the 12th time in franchise history that a player has gone that long without a touchdown pass, too.

The longest such streak in Rams history is four games, which was done by Foles and Norm Van Brocklin.

Goff has had a rough 2019 season, and the offensive line is partly to blame, but at some point, he has to overcome the subpar blocking up front. They’re not the only reason he’s thrown zero touchdown passes and five interceptions, also fumbling it four times in his last three games.

The season isn’t completely lost just yet, but with the way Goff and the offense are playing right now, there’s almost no hope for Los Angeles to do anything down the stretch.

Eric Weddle ‘never thought in a million years’ Rams would get destroyed

Eric Weddle was at a loss for words after the Ravens blew out the Rams.

One of the biggest storylines leading up to Monday night’s Rams-Ravens matchup was Eric Weddle’s reluctance to share intel on Baltimore with his current team. He did it out of respect for his former teammates and coaches, which angered many Rams fans.

After seeing how dominant the Ravens looked against the Rams at the Coliseum, Weddle could’ve told his teammates every play that was coming before the snap and it wouldn’t have mattered. Baltimore still would’ve won this game – easily.

After the 45-6 loss, Weddle struggled to find the words to explain what had just happened to his team.

“I’m at a loss for words,” Weddle said, via the Los Angeles Times. “I never thought in a million years we’d get completely destroyed. It’s tough to put into words. Defense played awful. Couldn’t get off the field. Couldn’t help our offense.”

The Rams did almost nothing well against Baltimore. The offense finished with 221 yards but 114 of them came in the fourth quarter during garbage time. The defense allowed the Ravens to rush for 285 yards, which is more than the team allowed in its last four games combined.

Wade Phillips had no answer for anyone on Baltimore’s offense, and the combination of that and poor discipline by the defense created a lopsided score. Weddle credited the Ravens for how well they played, explaining the difficulty of defending them.

“What they’re doing on offense, a lot of times I wouldn’t know for a few seconds after they snapped it, if he handed it or he still had it,” Weddle said. “Imagine the whole defense. You’re trying to play your rules and play the guy, and these guys are just coming downhill and doubling and getting extra gaps, and you’re trying to figure out what’s going on.”

The Rams will need to regroup after their worst home loss in franchise history, traveling to Arizona for a matchup with Kyler Murray and the Cardinals on Sunday. Murray isn’t the consistent runner that Jackson is, but his quickness and speed are impossible to ignore.

Studs and duds from Rams’ 39-point loss to Ravens

Samson Ebukam had a nice performance, but he was one of the few players who actually played well.

The Rams were blown out in every phase of the game Monday night, losing 45-6 to the Baltimore Ravens. It was their worst loss in franchise history, and the most uninspiring performance under Sean McVay.

Nothing went right for them on either side of the ball, dropping their fifth game of the season with yet another touchdown-less 60 minutes of football. As hard as it is to believe, there were a few decent performances from a group of players, but there were far more who really struggled.

Here are our studs and duds from Week 12.

Studs

OLB Samson Ebukam

Ebukam was one of the few bright spots for the Rams, actually getting the start over Dante Fowler Jr. despite playing fewer snaps than him in the game. He had 1.5 sacks, three QB hits and one tackle for loss, doing a good job of keeping Lamar Jackson in the pocket by setting the edge. His speed was evident, too, showing excellent burst and explosion when chasing down Jackson.

DE Michael Brockers

Brockers continues to have a great season for the Rams. although it’s hard to call any defensive lineman a “stud” when the opponent rushes for 285 yards, but the majority of the Ravens’ biggest runs went away from Brockers. He made eight tackles, had one sack and a tackle for a loss, getting good penetration against the right side of the Ravens’ offensive line.

Offensive line

Surprisingly, the offensive line was a positive against Baltimore. The Ravens blitz more than any team in the NFL and the Rams’ offensive line did a good job against it. The two sacks Jared Goff took were on a corner blitz and a play where Gerald Everett was blocking Matt Judon. Outside of those two plays, Goff was only hit four times on 37 pass attempts. There wasn’t a whole lot of running room, but the Rams also only ran the ball seven times with running backs.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

Marcus Peters swaps jerseys with Todd Gurley, reunites with ex-teammates

Todd Gurley and Marcus Peters swapped jerseys after the Rams-Ravens game.

Marcus Peters’ tenure with the Los Angeles Rams was fairly brief, lasting less than a season and a half after he was traded by the Chiefs in 2018. The Rams shipped him off to the Ravens before this year’s trade deadline, effectively replacing him with Jalen Ramsey.

He returned to the Coliseum as a member of the Ravens on Monday night, and he could not have planned for his revenge game to go better than it did. He picked off Jared Goff and helped lift the Ravens to a 45-6 victory, also getting into it with Ramsey after the clock hit zero.

Despite showing some disdain for Ramsey, Peters is still on good terms with other members of the Rams. He swapped jerseys with Todd Gurley on the field, writing a message that said “love u brotha” and “keep ballin.”

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Peters also shared a few positive moments with his former teammates, giving Andrew Whitworth a big hug on the field after the Ravens’ win.

(AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

He greeted Cooper Kupp, as well, who’s a player he had a lot of respect for during his time with the Rams. Peters didn’t cover Kupp much on Monday night, but the two were close in Los Angeles.

Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

While on the field during the game, Peters and Robert Woods appeared to share a laugh. Peters was in coverage against Woods often in this one, helping keep the receiver in check; he had six catches for 97 yards, but a good portion of that was in garbage time.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

After being traded by the Rams, Peters made it a point to go back to the team’s facility and say goodbye to his teammates and coaches. It’s something that Les Snead and Sean McVay greatly appreciated, and it’s clear his ex-teammates did, as well.

He still seems to be on good terms with many of the Rams’ current players.

Sean McVay feels ‘as responsible as anybody’ for Rams’ loss to Ravens

Here’s what Sean McVay told reporters after the Rams’ 45-6 loss.

When you lose by 39 points, there’s plenty of blame to go around. Sean McVay unsurprisingly shouldered most of it after the game, as he often does following Rams losses.

Los Angeles suffered its worst home loss in franchise history on Monday night against the Ravens, losing 45-6. The Rams did nothing well for 60 minutes, failing to slow down Baltimore’s offense or show any consistency against the Ravens’ defense.

Afterwards, McVay stepped to the podium and not only praised the Ravens, but also fell on the sword for his players.

“I trust that we have the right guys in that locker room, guys that are mentally tough, that understand that whatever we did tonight has nothing to do with what we’re going to do moving forward unless we allow it to,” McVay stated. “And that’s the mindset we’ve got to have as coaches, as players. We owe it each other to do better and I feel as responsible as anybody. I certainly have to do a better job but the only way I know how to do that is by the way you work throughout the week, the way that you consistently bring a consistent demeanor of urgency but also, ‘Hey, let’s be solution-oriented in the way we move forward.’

“Can’t wait to look at this tape, fix it and get ready for the Arizona Cardinals next week.”

McVay wasn’t afraid to give the Ravens credit where it was due. He and Wade Phillips had no answer for anything Baltimore threw at them, and it all centered around Lamar Jackson.

He can see why Jackson is a frontrunner to win NFL MVP, saying he felt like the league’s most valuable player on Monday night. But as good as the Ravens were, McVay knows the Rams did a lot to cost themselves a win.

And he knows he has to do a better job as a coach.

“Credit them, they made a lot of plays, they did some things. But certainly, I know I’ve got to do a much better job of coaching this football team and putting us in a position to make plays,” McVay said.

Any time a team runs for 285 yards, effort on the part of players is questioned. The Rams missed tackles left and right, which is nothing new for a defense against the Ravens, but it cost them a lot of yardage defensively.

McVay didn’t see an issue with players’ effort, once again putting the blame on himself.

“I don’t think it was anything to do with the effort,” he said. “Certainly, I feel responsible for not putting our players in better positions in all three phases. We’ll go back, we’ll look at it, we’ll see what we can do. There’s going to be an element of execution that that entails. We’re all in this thing together, but I feel as responsible as anybody.”

The Rams have another dynamic quarterback next up on their schedule as they’ll visit the Cardinals in Arizona. A loss in Week 13 would drop the Rams’ playoff chances to 7%, so their season hinges on this next game.

Rams set new low with worst home loss in franchise history

The Rams’ 39-point loss was their worst at home in franchise history.

Monday night was the first time since 2017 that the Rams were home underdogs, and just the second time all season that they weren’t the favorites over their opponent. That’s what happens when you’re facing the hottest team in football, even with the game being at home.

The Ravens were only favored by 3.5 points, but they won by much more than that. They blew out the Rams 45-6, completely shutting down Los Angeles’ offense and making things look easy against a defense that had allowed the fewest points in the NFL since Week 7.

Incredibly, it was the Rams’ worst home loss in franchise history. Their 39-point margin of defeat is the largest ever for the Rams, surpassing the previous high of 38 points. Overall, it’s the team’s fifth-worst loss ever, matching a 39-point road loss in 2002.

The Ravens had no trouble moving the ball in any facet on Monday night, but they were absolutely unstoppable on the ground. They carried it 48 times for 285 yards, and of those 48 rushes, none of them went for fewer than 1 yard aside from three kneel-downs to end the game.

This was also the first time a team scored a touchdown on each of its first six possessions in more than a decade, which further emphasizes how ugly this performance was by the defense – and the team as a whole.

If the Rams are going to make the playoffs, it’ll take a miraculous run in the final five weeks. Right now, their postseason odds sit at 19%, according to the New York Times, and a loss to the Cardinals on Sunday would drop them to just 7%.