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SportsPulse: The Ravens have been fully entrenched at the No. 1 spot for weeks so a blowout win on Monday Night only confirms their prestige. As for the Rams, not so much.
SportsPulse: The Ravens have been fully entrenched at the No. 1 spot for weeks so a blowout win on Monday Night only confirms their prestige. As for the Rams, not so much.
The Rams were embarrassed by Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens on primetime. Here are four takeaways from the depressing outing.
The Los Angeles Rams were embarrassed on Monday Night Football by the Baltimore Ravens. It was complete opposite of last year’s barnburner on Monday Night Football against Kansas City. Here’s a few takeaways from the primetime debacle.
It appears that something must have happened to the Rams over the past week that didn’t allow their defense to practice or come up with a game-plan to stop Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore offense. Maybe Wade Phillips just gave the team the week off. Any excuse as to why the Rams forgot to come up with a game-plan would be less embarrassing than if this was actually their game plan.
The Ravens scored a touchdown every single time they touched the ball in the first half and Lamar Jackson completed all nine of his passes. The Rams were hopeless every time the defense touched the field.
Something also must have happened at halftime that caused the Rams to make any adjustments, because if they actually attempted to make any adjustments, they were meaningless. Baltimore scored a touchdown on their first two possessions of the second half before Lamar Jackson called it a night.
These games happen to everyone. Good teams get blown out. Bad teams get blown out. Mediocre teams get blown out. The Rams were decimated by Baltimore’s elite offense. It happens. But it certainly stings a little more when it’s on primetime and it drops your record to 6-5.
Sean McVay likes watching games on Sunday, but he’s not crazy about the changed schedule.
The Rams will be on center stage Monday night when they host the Baltimore Ravens at the Coliseum. It’s a marquee matchup between last season’s NFC representative in the Super Bowl and one of this year’s top contenders in the AFC.
It’s the second straight week the Rams will be in prime time, and they still have two more night games remaining on their schedule this season. By now, they should be used to playing under the bright lights.
Sean McVay likes the idea of being the only game on, but he also sees cons to playing on Monday Night Football – primarily having to wait all weekend to play one day after every other team.
“I would say this: It’s fun being the only game on, but for us it really doesn’t change anything. It’s about getting ready for a game. The only thing that I think sometimes you prefer, it’s a long day waiting around,” McVay said this weekend. “The benefit is, you have your day where you get a chance to see a little bit of football – being a fan of the game – and watching the day before but, you feel like Monday is an eternity. I think all things being equal, me as a coach, you’d prefer to stay on a regulated rhythm, because once that thing kicks off, it’s a normal football game. To be able to play on national television, the atmospheres that we’ve had at night, especially at the Coliseum, those always bring out some fun environments for the guys to be able to compete in.”
Monday night will be a huge test for the Rams, not because it’s in prime time, but because of their opponent. The Ravens have won six in a row and look like one of the best teams in the league.
Todd Gurley is fine with playing on Monday night, but he’d rather take the field on Sunday and get the week over with.
“Nah,” he said of whether prime time games give players extra juice. “Actually, they’re cool, but I’d rather just get the game over with. Just go onto the next week.”
Kickoff on Monday night is set for 8:15 p.m. ET from the Coliseum.
A look at the Los Angeles Rams from a playcalling and tendency point of view ahead of Monday Night Football in Week 12
The Baltimore Ravens travel to Los Angeles to take on the Rams on Monday Night Football, as they continue their push for the postseason. This will be the seventh meeting between these two teams, but the first time that a game will be played in Los Angeles. The last time the Ravens went on to the road to face the Rams in 2011, the Rams called St. Louis home.
The Ravens own a 4-2 record against the Rams and have won each of the last three games between the two sides. Their last encounter was back in 2015 in a game the Ravens won 16-13 thanks to a Justin Tucker field goal from 47 yards out as time expired.
Let’s take a closer look at the Rams to better acquaint ourselves with what the Ravens are likely to see on Monday night.
The Rams offense which took the league by storm in coach Sean McVay’s first two seasons has failed to hit these heights in 2019. The Kansas City Chiefs were the only team that scored more points and had more yards than the Rams in 2018. But the Rams are a lot closer to the middle of the pack this season. They are 13th in points scored and 15th in total offense. This is largely due to their failings in the run game, as they sit 21st in rushing yards against 7th in passing.
The Rams are predominantly an 11 personnel offense (three wide receivers, one running back and one tight end), and have lined up this way on 77% of their offensive plays this season. This is the second-highest rate in the NFL. They switch to 12 personnel (one back, two wide receivers and two tight ends) 15% of the time, the 8th lowest rate. The Rams like to run the ball out of 12, doing so on 69% of the time. They average only 3.3 yards per rush attempt, however, compared with 4.1 when they are in 11. The Rams average 7.4 yards per pass attempt in either formation.
From a play-calling point of view, the Rams are balanced between pass and run. They have a pass to run ratio of 1.53 this season, which is 17th in the NFL. The Rams slightly favor passing on 1st-and-10, but not by much. Their pass to run ratio in this scenario is 51-49.
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Eric Weddle knows a lot about the Ravens, but he’s not going to tell the Rams anything.
Eric Weddle is one of the smartest players in the NFL. He’s also one of the most well-respected across the league, specifically with his former and current teammates. He earned that reputation with his play on the field and displaying loyalty off it.
His loyalty seems to have gone too far for some Rams fans, though, with Los Angeles playing Weddle’s former team on Monday night. The safety said back in August that he won’t share any of the Ravens’ secrets with the Rams, which angered fans in L.A.
There was some hope that he’d change his mind with this being such a monumental game for the Rams, but that’s not the case. He doubled-down on keeping his knowledge of the Rams’ scheme to himself Wednesday, saying he won’t give the Rams anything.
“There’s nothing that needs to be said, outside of, I could tell them a lot of stuff, but that’s just not who I am,” Weddle said, via the team’s website. “We’re going to play it on the field and the best team’s going to win, but they all know what I’m about.”
It all comes down to respect for Weddle. He built a strong relationship with players and coaches in Baltimore during his three years there, and he’s not going to turn his back on them – despite the fact that the team cut him this offseason.
It might seem a bit extreme to some fans, but the connection with Baltimore goes deep for Weddle.
“I said it whenever I did that last interview, I have a lot of respect for that place,” Weddle said. “Not only how it helped my career and rejuvenated my career, and how they treated myself and my family, but it’s a very tight-knit group. What kind of man would I be if I just turned my back on all of them?”
Sean McVay was asked about Weddle’s decision during Wednesday’s press conference, and it’s no surprise that he respects his decision. McVay said “it’s a small demonstration of why he’s a special guy,” understanding why he wouldn’t want to share intel on his former teammates.
“I think what you respect about Eric is he’s one of those guys that you pick his brain just because you want to talk some football. But in terms of some of the intricacies, I think he’s got a lot of loyalty to those guys even if he’s not there anymore,” he said. “And I think those are things that I think he would probably say, ‘I like talking ball with you,’ but I don’t want to do something that takes away from his ability to try to unfairly give information with the Ravens and I know that’s something that he’s communicated. So I haven’t talked to him about it.”
Kickoff between the Rams and Ravens will be on Monday night at 8:15 p.m. ET, with the Rams trying to get their seventh win of the season.
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Eric Weddle won’t give away anything on his former team, and Sean McVay respects that.
When Eric Weddle signed with the Rams, one of the first games he probably circled on the schedule was a matchup with his former team, the Ravens. It was always going to be an intriguing matchup, but with Baltimore 8-2 and looking like one of the best teams in the NFL thanks to Lamar Jackson, the implications of this game have been heightened – especially for the 6-4 Rams.
Weddle knows the Ravens better than anyone outside their locker room, but Sean McVay and Wade Phillips shouldn’t expect any inside information from their starting safety. He said back in August that he won’t share any of his former team’s secrets – a startling revelation to Rams fans everywhere.
“I can’t give all the secrets away. Those are my guys. I can never turn my back on my guys over there,” Weddle told Andy Benoit in a film breakdown video. “Coach McVay knows what he’s doing. He doesn’t need much.”
Weddle respects his former teammates too much to give away secrets about their scheme.
“What kind of man would I be if I rat out my guys that I played three years with?” Weddle asked. “I cherish every relationship I made on that defense, on that team. The minute I say, ‘Here are all of their calls’ or ‘here are the checks to this,’ then what am I at the end of the day? I lose everything that I gained from there. And that means more to me than anything.”
McVay was asked by reporters on Wednesday if he’ll pick Weddle’s brain this week in advance of their Week 12 matchup with the Ravens. McVay knows Weddle said in the past that he won’t share any inside details about Baltimore’s scheme, and the coach respects that.
“I think what you respect about Eric is he’s one of those guys that you pick his brain just because you want to talk some football. But in terms of some of the intricacies, I think he’s got a lot of loyalty to those guys even if he’s not there anymore,” he said. “And I think those are things that I think he would probably say, ‘I like talking ball with you,’ but I don’t want to do something that takes away from his ability to try to unfairly give information with the Ravens and I know that’s something that he’s communicated. So I haven’t talked to him about it.”
McVay was then asked whether that would be regarded as unfair.
“I think this, it’s totally at each person’s individual approach. I think with his reasoning, I think it’s a small demonstration of why he’s a special guy. But we’ll talk some ball, we’ve talked before. Maybe I already asked those questions in the free-agent visit, he just didn’t realize it,” McVay said, smiling.
Schemes change every year and there are certainly differences between what the Ravens did last year when Weddle was there and what they’re doing now. In reality, there probably isn’t much of an advantage Weddle can give the Rams, because players still have to go out and execute the plays called.
Monday night will mostly come down to stopping Jackson, and if the Rams can’t do that, they’re going to be in for a long night – regardless of what Weddle might (or might not) tell them.
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Sean McVay said Cooks is likely to return on Monday night, while Havenstein is doubtful.
The Rams were without several key players on Sunday night against the Bears, most notably Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods and Rob Havenstein. Cooks has missed two games with a concussion, while Havenstein is dealing with a knee injury that he suffered against the Steelers.
The Rams were still able to beat the Bears 17-7, holding their offense in check behind a great defensive effort. On Monday, McVay shared updates on Cooks and Havenstein, but said there’s nothing new on Woods, who is still “handling that personal matter.”
“We’ll probably have a little bit more of an update on that later on in the week,” McVay said.
Regarding Cooks, the Rams expect to have him back on Monday night against the Ravens as he’s made good progress in the concussion protocol.
“We do [expect him to play]. He’s been in great spirits, he’s been in good shape. The anticipation is that he will be able to play this week,” McVay said.
Havenstein’s outlook isn’t as positive, though. It was originally considered a multi-week injury, and it doesn’t sound like he’ll be on the field against the Ravens. McVay wouldn’t rule him out just yet, though, which does leave the door slightly open for him to play.
“I would say he’s probably going to be doubtful for this week,” the coach said. “He is making good progress. To have a finite answer on exactly when he’ll play a week from today is difficult. I think the anticipation – just originally with that injury – was that it’s probably going to be a couple weeks. That’s why he’ll most likely be doubtful, but you don’t want to rule him out quite yet.”
Bobby Evans did a great job in Havenstein’s place, all but neutralizing Khalil Mack and any other pass rushers that lined up across from him. He got a lot of help from the tight ends chipping at the line, but it was a solid performance by the rookie.
In other injury news, Michael Brockers went down briefly with an elbow injury, but he was able to return to the game. McVay didn’t express any concern on that front.
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Sean McVay got a game ball from the team for carrying them through adversity.
The Los Angeles Rams have faced a great deal of adversity this season, more so on Sunday night than ever before in 2019. They faced the Bears without two starting wide receivers, two starting offensive linemen and had three tight ends who were banged up throughout the week of practice.
Yet, despite missing several key players, the Rams pulled out a 17-7 win at home to improve to 6-4 on the year. Sean McVay couldn’t have been more pleased with the way his team responded to the challenges they faced, specifically losing Robert Woods to a personal issue just hours before the game.
After the victory, McVay gave a great speech in the locker room, specifically pointing to the job the offensive line and defense did in the game. He had rookie Bobby Evans break down the team, and afterwards, special teams coach John Fassel announced to the locker room that McVay would be getting a game ball.
“We just decided as a coaching staff and as players that when you talk about adversity, we’ve got a leader who always carries through the highs and the lows. And he does a lot of stuff behind the scenes, and when it’s time to work, he keeps us focused on the mission. The game ball is for you, man,” Fassel said to McVay.
https://www.facebook.com/Rams/videos/469119213719464/
Next up, the Rams will face the Ravens on Monday night in Week 12. The team rallied around Evans, David Edwards and the new-look offensive line, and they hope to keep it going against a good defensive front.
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The Rams went run-heavy on Sunday night, which is different than what we’ve seen all year.
From their very first play on offense, the Rams set out to prove they could win a game on the back of their rushing attack. Granted, Todd Gurley lost a fumble on Los Angeles’ first play from scrimmage, but Sean McVay didn’t abandon the run or put Gurley in the proverbial doghouse.
Instead, he called another 24 running plays for Gurley and five more for Malcolm Brown, too. In total, the Rams finished with 34 rushing attempts, 30 of which were by running backs. It was the second-most times they’ve handed the ball off to running backs all season, doing a great job to ride Gurley to victory.
Sean McVay said afterwards that it was all part of the game plan, giving the ball to Gurley as much as they did. And it truly showed a new side of the offense that we hadn’t yet seen this season. This was the second time all year the Rams had more rushes (34) than pass attempts (18), with the other game being almost an even split (30 rushes, 28 passes vs. New Orleans).
But the changes offensively go deeper than just running the ball more often. It all started with their personnel adjustment. The Rams utilized 12 personnel (one running back, two receivers, two tight ends) on 34 plays Sunday night, which is their most in a game all year. On those plays, Gurley rushed for 92 yards on 22 carries.
It was by far the Rams’ most effective personnel grouping when it came to running the ball.
The Rams relied more on 12 Personnel (1 RB, 2 TE) without wide receivers Brandin Cooks & Robert Woods (season-high 34 plays).
Todd Gurley gained 92 of 97 rushing yards on runs out of 12 Personnel (3 carries, 5 yards from 11 Personnel).#CHIvsLAR | #LARams pic.twitter.com/SNW5c5LxXl
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 18, 2019
What was really good to see was Sean McVay’s ability to adapt. Just hours before the game, the Rams found out that Robert Woods wouldn’t play as he tended to a family matter. For a team that’s so reliant on having three receivers on the field at a time, this was a big problem for the Rams.
Rather than simply replacing Woods with Mike Thomas or JoJo Natson in the starting lineup and continuing to roll with three receivers on the field at almost all times, McVay adapted. He had tight ends Tyler Higbee and Johnny Mundt out there together often, with a mix of Gerald Everett, too.
The Rams even used an I-formation with Mundt as a fullback, which isn’t something often seen in McVay’s offense. Higbee and Mundt were non-factors in the passing game as receivers – neither was targeted even once – but they were great as blockers and opened holes for Gurley.
Instead of relying on Jared Goff to sling the ball around the field as he often does, the Rams only had him throw the ball 18 times behind their new-look offensive line – his fewest in a game all year. The result was a low pressure rate and a safe game by Goff.
Jared Goff was pressured only once on 18 dropbacks (6% pressure rate), the lowest pressure rate Goff has faced in a game in his career.
The @RamsNFL are now 14-0 under Sean McVay when Goff is pressured less than 22% of dropbacks (16-18 in all other games).#CHIvsLAR | #LARams pic.twitter.com/3TOU797fhl
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 18, 2019
The question now is whether the Rams will continue to utilize this new run-first approach in the future. When Woods and Brandin Cooks return, expect to see them assume their usual roles on offense. Cooper Kupp should play the majority of the snaps, too.
But if the Rams truly want to run the ball more often, 12 personnel might be the answers – which will cost a wide receiver playing time.
From missed FGs to finishing with a potential quarterback controversy, there was a lot to unpack in the Bears’ 17-7 loss to the Rams.
A de facto game to see who remains in the playoff hunt on Sunday evening took place as the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams squared off in primetime. After a back and forth game, the Rams landed the final blow, scoring a touchdown in the final few minutes to secure the win 17-7, effectively ending the Bears playoff hopes as they fall to 4-6.
It was the same old story for coach Matt Nagy’s squad. The offense continued to sputter when the team needed a spark, and their defense played well enough to keep the team in the game until the final minutes when Rams coach Sean McVay and quarterback Jared Goff orchestrated a 4 minute drive that resulted in a touchdown.
From starting out with two missed field goals to finishing with a potential quarterback controversy, there was a lot to unpack in this game. Here are my five takeaways from the Bears loss.
You can call it a hip injury, but I’m calling it a benching. Down 10 points and following the Rams’ final touchdown, Trubisky was removed from the game in favor of backup quarterback Chase Daniel. The team sent out a memo, saying he was dealing with a hip injury and Nagy explained in his press conference he hurt it in the second half, but Trubisky says the injury occurred in the first half.
Those reports do not add up and the situation did not pass the eye test after seeing Nagy talk with his quarterback on the sideline and watching Trubisky walk off the field when the game ended. I could end up being wrong, but I’m not buying the injury. I saw a coach attempt to save his skin by playing his backup and a dejected (potentially former) starting quarterback look like someone told him his dog had died.
Benching Trubisky does nothing at this point in the season except raise more questions and create unrest in the locker room. Trubisky didn’t light it up tonight, but until the final couple of drives, he played alright and was plagued by drops from his receivers. Still, in my opinion, the decision to remove Trubisky with three minutes to go was the wrong move, and I’m not buying the injury excuse.
