Tag: rams grades

Rams Week 6 report card: Grading every position in win vs. Cardinals

See how we graded every position group from the Rams’ win over the Cardinals on Sunday

In a week where the 49ers and Seahawks both lost, the Rams boosted their playoff chances by beating the Cardinals at home on Sunday. It improved their record to 3-3 on the year, bouncing back from a disappointing loss to the Eagles.

The offense was outstanding in the second half, scoring 20 unanswered en route to a 26-9 victory, while the defense allowed zero points in the final 30 minutes and gave Arizona no room to work with.

Here’s how we graded each position group from the Rams’ victory, beginning with Matthew Stafford at quarterback and going all the way down to the special teams unit.

Rams’ top 7 offensive players of 2022

Using Pro Football Focus’ grades, here are the Rams’ top 7 players on offense from the 2022 season

To put it plainly, the 2022 season was a disaster for the Los Angeles Rams on offense. It was the type of performance Rams fans haven’t seen from their team since Jeff Fisher was the head coach, bringing back memories of the dark, pre-2017 days.

Injuries played a major factor in the Rams’ struggles on offense, losing everyone from their top two left tackles to their Pro Bowl quarterback and All-Pro receiver.

Below, you’ll find a list of the seven highest-graded offensive players of 2022, excluding those who didn’t play at least 150 snaps, based on their Pro Football Focus grades.

7 Rams among PFF’s top 101 NFL players of 2021, including 2 in top 3

The Rams had seven players on PFF’s top 101 players list, including two of the top three.

It was a special season for the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, from their 7-1 start to their run all the way to a Super Bowl victory. They didn’t win it all with middle-of-the-road players, either.

They were led by stars such as Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp, Matthew Stafford and Jalen Ramsey, who were joined by Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. midway through the season.

Pro Football Focus’ list of the top 101 players from the 2021 season shows just how good the Rams were, with seven of their starters making the cut. They even had two of the top three players, and six of them were ranked inside the top 53.

Donald and Kupp finished as two of the top three players, behind only Trent Williams of the 49ers. Donald was the top player in 2020, while Kupp was unranked by PFF. Miller and Ramsey were the next two players on the list at Nos. 24 and 29. Miller was unranked last year after missing the 2020 season, but Ramsey jumped from 64 to 29.

Stafford cracked the top 50, coming in at No. 43 after being 73rd on PFF’s list in 2020. Then came two offensive linemen: Rob Havenstein at No. 53 and Brian Allen at No. 97. They both played well in 2021 and deserved to be in the top 101, but so did Andrew Whitworth – who did not crack the list.

2. Aaron Donald – 93.5 grade

3. Cooper Kupp – 93.0 grade

24. Von Miller – 91.2 grade

29. Jalen Ramsey – 84.4 grade

43. Matthew Stafford – 86.1 grade

53. Rob Havenstein – 83.4 grade

97. Brian Allen – 74.8 grade

Final Rams report card: Grading every position from the 2020 season

The Rams hit some bumps in the road, but they still put together a strong 2020 season at a number of spots.

After missing the postseason in 2019, the Rams bounced back by returning to the playoffs this season thanks to a 10-6 record and the No. 1-ranked defense in the NFL. Though they ultimately came up short by losing to the Packers in the divisional round, there were still a lot of positives to take away from their season.

Individual performances from the likes of Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey and Leonard Floyd stood out defensively, while the offensive line improved after a difficult 2019 campaign.

Looking back on the season as a whole, the Rams got quality play out of most position groups on the roster. Quarterback weighed them down, though, finishing as arguably the weakest spot on the roster.

Here’s how we graded each position group for Los Angeles this season, our final report card of the year.

Notable PFF grades from Rams’ wild-card win over Seahawks

Austin Corbett had himself quite the game against Seattle.

There was a lot to like from the Rams’ 30-20 win over the Seahawks on Saturday, even if it wasn’t the prettiest of victories. They got great performances from the majority of the offensive line, the defense as a whole, and running back Cam Akers.

Pro Football Focus released its game grades for the Rams and not surprisingly, Aaron Donald, Darious Williams and Andrew Whitworth were among the top-graded. But it was Austin Corbett who dominated at left guard with a team-high grade of 85.0.

Rams play-by-play announcer J.B. Long shared notable grades from the Rams’ wild-card performance, highlighting seven key players.

Surprisingly, Akers and Jalen Ramsey were absent from the list, and Ramsey wasn’t even one of the 12 defenders with a grade of 68 or better. Somehow, PFF only gave him a 56.3 for his performance against DK Metcalf and the Seahawks.

That’s likely because PFF only grades coverage on plays where the defender is targeted, so they don’t account for Ramsey preventing Russell Wilson from targeting Metcalf.

It was great to see the Rams get a complete team effort in the playoffs, getting strong outings from players at just about every position group. If they continue to play the way they did on Saturday, especially on defense, the Rams are capable of beating anyone.

PFF grades from Rams’ loss to Jets: D-line shines in Week 15

Aaron Donald led the defensive line, which played extremely well against the Jets in Week 15.

It’s hard to find any positives for the Los Angeles Rams following their 23-20 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday. It didn’t end their playoff hopes or chances to win the NFC West, but it was a stunning setback that no one expected.

It was by far their worst performance of the season against a terrible team, but there were a few bright spots highlighted by Pro Football Focus. Not surprisingly, Aaron Donald was the best player for the Rams on Sunday afternoon, but he also got help from his fellow defensive linemen who stepped up to do what they could against the Jets offense.

Here are notable grades from PFF in Week 15, courtesy of the Rams’ own J.B. Long.

Sebastian Joseph-Day has quietly had a very good season for the Rams, though he doesn’t garner much attention playing alongside the likes of Donald, Leonard Floyd and Michael Brockers. But he had another grade above 80 on Sunday, as did A’Shawn Robinson in limited action.

Jordan Fuller continues to play at a high level, too, earning his best grade since returning from a neck/shoulder injury.

On offense, the grades are about what you’d expect. Robert Woods played well and nearly had a 100-yard game with one touchdown, while Tyler Higbee also scored and made four grabs for 67 yards.

If the Rams are going to make a playoff run in January, they’ll need much better play from Jared Goff and the offense because there’s only so much the defense can do.

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Rams Week 14 report card: Grading every position vs. Patriots

The Rams graded out well against the Patriots in their 24-3 win.

The Rams knocked off the Patriots in dominant fashion on Thursday night, crushing New England 24-3 at home. The defense held the Patriots to their worst offensive performance ever under Bill Belichick, based on one advanced metric, completely stymying Cam Newton.

L.A.’s offense didn’t put together its best game, but Cam Akers helped carry the load with 171 yards rushing. It’s just the 11th time since 2010 that the Rams won a game with more rushing yards than passing, which is an indication of how this contest went.

Here’s how we graded every position group from the Rams’ Week 14 win as they enter the final three weeks.

Rams Week 13 report card: Grading every position vs. Cardinals

The Rams defense really shined on Sunday in Arizona, led by Troy Hill and Justin Hollins.

The Rams got back on track against the Cardinals in Week 13, bouncing back from an ugly loss to the 49ers one week prior. They crushed Arizona once again, extending their winning streak against the Cardinals to seven games with a 38-28 victory.

They controlled the game from the second quarter on, getting good performances from Jared Goff, their running back committee and the defense as a whole.

Here’s how we graded every position group on the roster in Week 13.

Notable Rams PFF grades from Week 12 vs. 49ers

Here are some of the top PFF grades for the Rams from Sunday’s loss to the 49ers.

Sunday’s game against the 49ers didn’t go the way the Rams hoped it would, falling to their division rivals 23-20 at home. It was a disheartening and deflating loss, largely due to an inept offense and a defense that allowed field goals on San Francisco’s final two drives.

It wasn’t all bad for the Rams, though. They still got some quality individual performances from players such as Aaron Donald, John Johnson and Matt Gay.

Most of the standouts were predictably on defense, but two offensive linemen also shined. Rams play-by-play analyst J.B. Long shared some notable Pro Football Focus grades for L.A. and not surprisingly, Donald was at the top.

John Johnson has picked up right where he left off in 2018 after getting hurt last season. He’s played like a Pro Bowler all year as a leader of the defense, improving his stock before hitting free agency in 2021.

Austin Blythe and David Edwards have also had quietly good seasons up front, though they won’t be recognized for it with Pro Bowl selections.

The defense is clearly the strength of this team, but the offense – namely Jared Goff – has to be better if their Super Bowl aspirations are to be met.

Rams Week 10 report card: Grading every position vs. Seahawks

The defense was flat-out dominant against Seattle.

The Rams held on to beat the Seahawks on Sunday afternoon, winning their Week 10 tilt by a score of 23-16. It was closer than it should’ve been, considering the Rams put up 275 yards on offense in the first half and held Seattle to just three points in the final 30 minutes.

The defense was especially good on Sunday, as it has been all season long. The offense only committed one turnover, improving after a disastrous performance against the Dolphins in Week 8.

Here’s how we graded every position group against the Seahawks in Week 10.