It's the second morning after a thrilling but not explosive LA Rams (8-6) victory over the San Francisco 49ers (6-8) on Thursday Night Football in Week 15. The Rams win not only improves their chances of making the 2025 NFL Playoffs, but it ensures that the team's fate is in its control for one more week of the 2024 NFL season.
Many emotions have been running through the Rams fanbase over the past two days and likely will continue for several days to come. After all, the Rams not only defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Levi's Stadium in front of a national NFL audience but did so without scoring a touchdown. And that doesn't happen very often.
The Rams may be exciting, but they are absolutely lacking consistency, a trait that the team needs top find quickly if they are to earn a seed in the 2025 NFL Playoffs. And it is that oscillation, that here today gone tomorrow factor that has some NFL analysts and fans on edge. After playing the heroes, some players have turned into villains. At the same time, some villains have become heroes for the team.
Some players are putting on quite a show after not showing up earlier in the season. Take veteran ILB Christian Rozeboom, a player who has been flying around in the defense recently, making tackles all over the football field. With three games to go on the schedule, he is already up to 120 tackles, one interception, and one quarterback sack. He is even learning to stuff the run, putting up five tackles for a loss.
But the Rams roller coaster ride is throwing some fans out of their seats. It's natural, as we often overshoot what we see to anticipate what will be. But some overreactions should be addressed now, before they catch fire and fog up the way this team has begun to roll to another NFL postseason.
(5) - Rams offense is broken, again
I will be the first to admit that the LA Rams offense has been both disappointing and inconsistent in 2024. As far as scoring points, the Rams come in as the 17th-ranked team in terms of putting points on the scoreboard. But if you take out the 29 points added by the defense, the Rams tumble to the 24th-ranked scoring offense in the NFL
The Rams are not consistent this season. While we can rationalize that from the range of injuries across the offense, the team has seldom made the expected adjustments to put the team in the best position to win. With multiple injuries to offensive tackles, the offense seldom aided backup tackles with an additional tight end.
And then, there is the fact that the same offense that scored 44 points against the Buffalo Bills in Week 14 could only muster 12 points against the San Francisco 49ers.
No, the Rams offense is not broken.
Neither offense in Week 15 was particularly effective. Mother Nature delivered a sloppy driving rain throughout the first half of Thursday Night Football. That rain lessened, but the two teams had already shown their hands.
And then there is the fact that the Rams had to pivot from that electrifying win over the Bills to a game on the road against a division rival just five days later. After a shootout, I expected the offense to be less thrilling. Thankfully, the defense stepped up to demolish the 49ers offense for the win.
The Rams offense is not broken. It's just inconsistent. And it will bounce back.
(4) - Rams defense is fixed
Well, if the offense isn't broken, then surely the defense is fixed, right? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm not convinced that is the case either. At least, not in the way that many fans have been using the term. After all, this is a very young defense that has struggled to be consistent all season. It's the defense that surrendered 41 points to the Arizona Cardinals, 37 points to the Philadelphia Eagles, and 42 points to the Buffalo Bills.
In terms of points allowed this season, the Rams' defense clocks in as the 23rd defense in the NFL. And yes, that is after allowing just six points to the San Francisco 49ers.
While stomping a mudhole in the 49ers is always worth celebrating, I wouldn't go top-shelf for this soire. The 49ers offense had more going against it than the Rams stingy defense.
The same factors that held the Rams offense in check applied to the 49ers offense as well. That means rain and a short week. But the 49ers did not have starting WR Brandon Aiyuk, LT Trent Williams, or their top-three running backs. Let's be honest, the 49ers offense lives and dies by the running game. Without it, they struggle to control the clock, put up points, or terrorize opposing quarterbacks.
The Rams defense put up an incredible game to ensure a victory. But this is the same defense that allowed 42 points just five days earlier. I think the Rams' defense is improving. But they are not 'there,' yet. But the defense definitely took a huge step in the right direction.
(3) - Rookie K Joshua Karty is over his slump
I don't know that any player on the Rams roster has generated such a love-hate-love response from fans as much as rookie kicker Joshua Karty has this season. He was drafted in Round 6 of the 2024 NFL Draft, and arrived with a lot of positive reports and hype that extended well into training camp. The challenge is that rookie kickers are, well, rookies. And that means that they are not as consistent as fans believe they should be.
Kickers are always on full display with each field goal attempt. The proficiency of NFL kickers as a whole has become so good that it's more noticeable whenever a kicker misses a field goal or extra point, rather than when he makes it. Joshua Karty has missed some this season. As expected, Rams fans didn't respond well to that.
The curious thing is, why? All rookie kickers struggle in that first season in the NFL. And continued comparisons between Karty and other elite kickers' rookie seasons confirm that Karty is right on track with others who played before him. So it's not him, but rather our reactions to his performance, that is the anomaly.
Patience is a virtue for good reason. Sticking with a young player who has not put forth his best effort often aids him in finding his best effort. Karty nailed all four field goals in Week 15, and put up the only points on the scoreboard.
Yes, against the San Francisco 49ers, Karty has maintained a perfect six of six at kicking field goals, and three for three at kicking extra points. That includes his four-for-four showing in Week 15 to win the game. But don't expect Karty to go on a run of successive field goals or extra points with no misses. That is unlikely to happen. After all, he's still a rookie. But he comes through in the clutch.
(2) - OLB Jared Verse is fading fast
It's never easy playing as a rookie outside linebacker in the NFL. Many fans view outside linebackers as pass rushers only. But in the NFL, that is only one of a multitude of responsibilities that an outside linebacker has in the defense. But it is the one role that many fans single out to asses that player's value.
I love the fact that Jared Verse is not all about him. He is a strong and proud defender who is amazingly generous in sacrificing himself to a double-team or to set an edge to allow a teammate to make plays. Yet, when that happens, fans perceive that as regression, or lack of performance on Verse's part:
Verse is consistently playing from 70 to 80 percent of the defensive snaps. But his reputation and respect throughout the NFL is growing. Now he faces double-teams, offenses running away from him, and a host of other offensive initiatives that has limited his production. But he continues to put pressure on quarterbacks, and impact games.
In the meantime, he can take pride in the fact that his teammate, NT Kobie Turner, sacked 49er QB Brock Purdy twice in Week 15. In the end, it's not whether or not Jared Verse gets the sack. It's more important that Verse's presence aids the defense in getting after the quarterback.
And yes, he does.
(1) - WR Cooper Kupp has lost a step
Perhaps the last overreaction to the Rams Week 15 performance is the way some fans have turned on Rams veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp. And there are valid reasons to question Kupp' performance on Thursday Night Football if you focus on the post-game Box Score and see that Kupp was targeted three times and did not make a catch.
There were many Fantasy Football GMs who were quite upset about that:
I picked up on that trend during the game, and tried to see how the 49ers were able to shut down Kupp in this one.. Well, Cooper Kupp attracted a great deal of attention from 49ers defenders. Whenever and wherever Kupp ran, you could see two to four 49ers defenders either in outright pursuit, or leaning in that direction.
Fortunately, Rams HC Sean McVay must have noticed that as well, and began to use Kupp as a decoy to clear out wide swaths of the football field for other receivers. That is how the Rams were able to get six receivers active in the passing game, including two tight ends.
Kupp may not have caught a pass in the game, but he was active as a blocker and as a decoy. As fans, we often gravitate to the players who make the obvious plays. But Kupp excelled at what the 49ers defense gave him. And he will be back catching passes in Week 16.
Bonus - Rams defense dominated 49ers
Ha! Okay, this is a bonus for all readers who have stuck with this article to the end. The Rams certainly did dominate the San Francisco 49ers, perhaps as well as I have ever seen the team stymie its NFC West Division nemesis. How many times did Rams fans have to face 49ers fans and players troll the Rams after beating them?
It's one of the reasons so many Rams fans hate 49ers WR Deebo Samuel. He is infamous for his post-game trolling. So how did the 49ers offensive stars do in Week 15? Let's check it out:
- QB Brock Purday - 14/31 for 142 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT
- RB Isaac Guerendo - 16 rushes for 57 yards, 4 of 4 catches for 18 yards
- RB/WR Deebo Samuel - 2 rushes for 3 yards, 3 of 7 catches for 16 yards
- TE George Kittle - 4 of 7 catches for 61 yards
- WR Jauan Jennings - 2 of 9 catches for 31 yards
- WR Ricky Pearsall - 1 of 4 catches for 16 yards
Keep in mind, in Week 3, Jauan Jennings lit up the Rams secondary for 11 of 12 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns. So what was the difference? Well, Ahkello Witherspoon was part of the difference. Not only did he have five tackles, but he broke up at least three passes in the game. And he was playing out of his mind when the Rams needed him most. That was just one week after not playing in Week 14 against the Buffalo Bills.
The Rams secondary broke up nine passes on Thursday Night Football, an unexpected feat that was a tremendous boost for the defense and the team. Were the Rams helped by the rain? Perhaps. But I also believe that the Rams hard hitting safeties and the combination of Darious Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon are all starting to create some chemistry.
And the secondary's performance is just in time, as here comes QB Aaron Rodgers, and he's got the New York Jets with him.
As always, thanks for reading.
