The Rams Thus Far: A Tale of Two Teams
- Updated: September 21, 2017
Nobody goes undefeated
The Rams came out with a very impressive opening week victory in 2017 and looked, for all the world, to be a complete team. Offense. Defense. Special Teams. Everything was clicking; everything but the running game.
Then, week two. After defeating the Indianapolis Colts at home, the Rams hosted the Washington Redskins. The Redskins did not look well in their opener, falling to the Philadelphia Eagles. But they rebounded. Against the Rams, the Washington Redskins looked like the Redskins of old, with massive ‘Hogs blowing the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive line off the ball. They gained almost 6 yards per carry. They had 229 total rushing yards. The Rams couldn’t stop them.
In fact, the Rams struggled in almost every aspect. The offense looked mundane. The defense looked timid. This time, only the running game was working.
But nobody goes undefeated in the NFL. It’s too early to say which Rams team we have this year, the one that played the Colts or the one that played the Redskins.
Rookie Mistakes
Jared Goff played pretty well, overall, but threw an interception at the start of the final drive that sealed the game. He stared down his receiver, failed to see linebacker Mason Foster reading the play, and made the decisive mistake. It would be easy to call him the goat, but more realistic to call the mistake a rookie one. Jared Goff has started only 9 games in the NFL now – he’s bound to show his youth, at times, and his brilliance at others. And let’s not forget that Goff’s 8th and 9th starts in this league were in an offense drastically different than starts 1-7.
Like the Rams in early 2017, we don’t really know what we have yet in Jared Goff.
Gurley Unleashed
Todd Gurley got untracked. After a long stretch last year of futility, and an unimpressive week one performance, Gurley rushed for 88 yards on 16 carries and caught the ball for another 48 yards. He also found the end zone twice, once through the air and once on the ground. If there are any positives to take away from the disappointing week two loss, it is that maybe, just maybe, this ends the slump of Todd Gurley. If opponents have to fear the offensive air attack we witnessed in week one, and the running attack we saw in week two, the entire offense will be capable of scoring a whole lot more.
Short Week
This week, the Rams will not have much time to reflect on what went wrong against the Washington Redskins. On Thursday night, the Rams will travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers. The 49ers have thus far been unimpressive twice, and will be hungry to knock off their NFC West rivals. The game will feature two rookie head coaches, Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan, both considered to be offensive gurus. The 49ers will be looking to establish an identity, at last, and the Rams will be looking to make a statement.
Only The Beginning
The bottom line, though, is that this Rams team has a different feel. A different leadership. They can put points on the board. They can make big plays. Through the first two weeks of the season, the Los Angeles Rams lead the NFL in pass efficiency on plays of over 20 yards.
Highest Passer Rating on 20+ yard passes (min. 9 attempts):
Goff – 146.8
Stafford – 125.0
Brady – 113.7
Wentz – 92.9
Brees – 89.9— PFF LA Rams (@PFF_LARams) September 20, 2017
For years, fans complained that the Jeff Fisher-led Rams rarely seemed to attempt any passes over 20 yards. Fans have gotten their wish. As Jared Goff develops in his reads, as Sammy Watkins gets more comfortable in this offense, and as Gerald Everett and Cooper Kupp mature as Rams rookies, this offense will only get better.
And, on the other side of the ball, in 2017, Aaron Donald has only just begun.
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