The smoke has finally cleared, and we can all enjoy the LA Rams ascension to 7-6. in terms of the 2025 NFL Playoffs, the Rams are now the eighth-seeded team in the NFC, with only the Washington Commanders (8-5) at the seventh-seed spot. To be fair, the Commanders are unlikely to win out the rest of the way. Even the Green Bay Packers (9-4) are not assured of retaining their current sixth-seeding in the NFC.
But enough about what might be. The LA Rams have to pivot from an exhausting Week 14 victory to tough Week 15 battle on the road facing the San Francisco 49ers (6-7). And while the 49ers are one of the most competitive foes the Rams have faced under HC Sean McVay, the Rams currently have a two-game winning streak against the 49ers.
So yes, the Rams can win in Week 15.
It won't be easy. The thing is, the Rams seem to rise to the occasion. In terms of opponents this season, the Rams have knocked off the Seattle Seahawks (8-5), the Minnesota Vikings (11-2), and their latest victim, the Buffalo Bills (10-3). The Rams have beaten some of the best teams in the NFL this season, while not exactly showing signs of a postseason powerhouse against some of the league's less-accomplished teams in 2024.
The Rams roster is starting to show up with the same players in consecutive weeks. While that seems like a minor detail to some, it's a huge development who can focus on improving players, techniques, communication, and strategy, rather than shuffler through players and assessments to guess at which new combination of players might prove to be successful next week.
After all, here come the San Francisco 49ers in Week 15. And the Rams face them on Thursday Night Football.
Winner 8: HC Sean McVay
The LA Rams offense has sputtered and stalled all season long. It's not an outlandish criticism, it's simply the hard truth. The Rams roster has been adversely affected by a cascade of revolving injuries that have impacted various units of the team at various times. And the rigidity of Rams HC Sean McVay to adhere to his game plan regardless of who was and was not healthy enough to suit up and play has been a challenge for this team.
We have broached the topic at times, pointing to various strategies that the Rams have deployed this season, and the success of those alternative strategies.
The thing is, this was never a binary problem. The solution for success is almost never something as simple as the right way versus the wrong way. And in the analysis of what the Rams have done in the past to win games, a 5-0 record when the team deployed 15 percent or more of two tight ends is tough to argue against. But perhaps there has been some misinterpretation of the benefits of that strategy.
I don't believe that the Rams 12-personnel package gives the team an advantage in the running game. The opposite is more likely true. As soon as the Rams place two tight ends in the game, defenses almost always counter with linebackers and eight defenders in the box. That is why I have continued to point out how swift WR Tutu Atwell is ideally suited to complement the Rams two-tight-end offensive package.
Clearly, Rams HC Sean McVay has not found it necessary to rely on the 12-personnel package in the last two games, both of which have been victories. And that is possible because wide receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp block as effectively as tight ends.
As long as Kupp and Nacua are healthy enough to suit up and block, the Rams offense purrs like a high-performance engine. But take not of the Rams play distribution. The offense passed the football 30 times despite the game being a shootout. The Rams rushed 42 times in the game, averaging just 3.3 yards per carry. As a result of leaning so heavily on the ground attack, the Rams dominated the time of possession in the game. And QB Matthew Stafford completed over 76 percent of his passes. That is against a defense that heading into the game had allowed just 68 percent completion rate.
Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Certainly not Rams HC Sean McVay.
Winner 7: ILB Jake Hummel/TE Hunter Long
You can go years without seeing a blocked punt. You can go many years without seeing a blocked punt returned for a touchdown. But the LA Rams special teams/defense just manufactured seven points in a game of 86 points, and those seven points directly contributed to a victory.
Special team players seldom get noticed. No matter how well they contribute to the victory, the fact that they are buried among the anonymous ranks of NFL players whose largest contribution is covering and returning plays on special teams seldom makes the highlight reels of any post-game summaries.
So when backup inside linebacker Jake Hummel's outstretched hand stop a Buffalo Bills punt in mid-air, only to be picked up and run into the endzone by backup tight end Hunter Long, that is a huge deal. Rams fans may go years without witnessing another blocked punt be returned for a score. Many NFL fans have not seen a similar play in many years.
Not all fans have supported Rams ST Coordinator Chase Blackburn. Many had called for the Rams to part ways with Blackburn at the end of the 2023 NFL season. But coaches and coordinators are not easily swapped out, despite the most passionate fans outcries. That is why we saw no signs of the team firing Blackburn after one season, and have no reason to believe his job is at any risk now.
Blackburn finally has young players to develop. So, let him develop them. The 'grass is greener' concept is lost on some fans. But rookies do not show up as All-Pro NFL players. They take time to groom, develop, learn optimal techniques and training habits that work for them. Eventually, all of the strategy and practice pays off. Hummel and Long, two backup players who have little to show for their efforts on either defense or offense, combined to help secure a win with the most unlikely of plays.
And it could be years before fans see another play like it again.
Winner 6: RB Blake Corum
Despite the fact that rookie running back Blake Corum has carried the football just 45 times this season, his workload has been on the rise of late. He has rushed 22 times in the last four games, and 16 times in the last two games. Over that time, he has averaged 4.64 yards per carry in the past four games, and 4.75 yards per carry in the past two games. So if the Rams coaching staff wanted to test and review how he handles a heavier workload, the results are quite promising
I can't lie. I hoped that the Rams would carve out a much larger role for Corum before this. And I continue to hope that the powers that be will find reason to clip some carries from Kyren Williams and assign them to Blake Corum. It can't work? Tell that to the Detroit Lions, who seamlessly toggle between running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs has carried the football 178 times for 1,016 yards and 10 touchdowns. Montgomery has 180 carries for 771 yards and 12 touchdowns.
For the Rams, Kyren Williams has 251 rushes for 1,103 yards and 12 touchdowns. Rookie RB Blake Corum has just 45 carries for 182 yards and 0 touchdowns. But he has 16 carries for 76 yards in his last two games, so there is hope that he is trending toward a much larger role in this offense.
I don't buy into the presumption that Blake Corum is not ready for a larger role. He showed up in Week 13 by carrying the football 19 yards in his first two carries against the New Orleans Saints. And as he proved again and again by running for the Michigan Wolverines, Corum gets stronger as the game progresses. The Rams knew that when they drafted him. So why isn't he getting more work?
I'm suspicious of the Rams efforts in 2020 to set up a 'running back by committee,' approach in 2020. The Rams rushed for 2,018 yards that season, only bested by the 2023 total of 2,045. But the Rams had to fill the void in five games due to Kyren WIlliams absence. This year, Williams YPC has dropped from 5.0 yards per carry to 4.0 yards per carry. Corum can help in that area. Hopefully, he gets a chance.
Loser 4: K Joshua Karty
No, rookie placekicker Joshua Karty is not on this list for the failed extra point attempt. But if you back up the clock to the missed extra point, that was on a bad snap and hold. And when you review the final stats for the game, you see that Karty kicked a field goal and five of six extra points. The Rams won the game by two points, so it seems that field goal less one missed extra point was the margin of victory.
But fans insist on focusing on that one missed extra point.
Karty is not a superstar. But he is not the worst rookie the NFL has ever witnessed at placekicker either. Still not convinced? We broke down some kickers who Rams fans are familiar with and their respective rookie seasons in a previous article. So how does Karty compare after Week 14?
- K Matt Gay - FGM 27 of 35 (77.1%) | Xpt 43 of 48 (89.6%)
- K Greg Zuerlein - FGM 23 of 32 (74.2%) | Xpt 26 of 26 (100%)
- K Joshua Karty - FGM 17 of 22 (77.3%) | Xpt 29 of 32 (90.6%)
- 49ers K Jake Moody - FGM 21 of 25 (84%) | Xpt 60 of 61 (98.4%)
- 2024 Ravens K Justin Tucker - FGM 16 of 22 (72.7%) | Xpt 38 of 39 (92.9%)
Where do you identify an outlier? The problem is not Karty, nor with ST Coordinator Chase Blackburn. The problem lies in inflated expectations from fans. And it could be quite likely that the fans who are the loudest on social media and comments sections are the same fans who were just as loud demanding the Rams draft a rookie kicker.
Be careful what you wish for, because you just may get it. Rookie placekicker Joshua Karty is having a typical and predictable NFL rookie season. Be patient. He is going to be an excellent field goal kicker in the future.
Winner 5: P Ethan Evans
The unwarranted attention on the LA Rams special teams should do more than single out one flawed play. As a counter argument to that sentiment, let's turn towards second-year punter Ethan Evans. He punted twice, for an average of 47.5 gross yards per punt. But once again, digging a bit deeper shows that Evans never allowed the Buffalo Bills to return a punt. One punt sailed 53 yards to the Buffalo Bills nine-yard line and out of bounds. The final play of the game was an Evans punt that bounced on the football field inside the five-yard line before bouncing into the end zone. That play exhausted the 0:07 seconds remaining on the game clock, effectively ending the game.
Fundamentally sound football.
When rookie punter Ethan Evans entered the NFL, he possessed a booming let that shot the football an average of 49.2 yards downfield. That was good enough to land him among the Top-10 punters in terms of gross yards. But he outkicked his coverage, and the Rams ended up in 30th place in terms of net punting yards, a mere 40.7 net yards per punt.
Evans is still perfecting his craft. His gross punts in 2024 are only averaging 43.6 gross yards per punt. But his net now averages 39.9 yards per punt, a substantial improvement in terms of gross to net difference. And the Rams punter has improve to the 29th ranked punter this season.
But wait, there's more.
In all of 2023, Evans punted just 20 times inside the opponent's 20-yard line. He has seven touchbacks, 12 fair catches, and 32 punts were returned for 495 yards. In just 13 games in 2024, he has already punted 24 times inside the 20 yard line. He has just two touchbacks, including the very strategic touchback in Week 14 that ended the game. He also has 11 fair catches, and just 15 punts that have been returned for 128 yards.
Sometimes statistics, even the most well meaning data analytics, simply fail to tell you the entire story. Evans has vastly improved at punting in 2024. And that is despite what the statistics may tell you.
Loser 3: Rams tight end room
The LA Rams have three tight ends on the roster, and all three saw some level of action in the Week 14 shootout. But in terms of offensive participation, the group as a whole was targeted two times with one reception by TE Colby Parkinson for 11 yards. TE Hunter Long was targeted once without a catch. And TE Davis Allen was simply not targeted.
So why are the Rams carrying six tight ends throughout several rosters?
Clearly, the Rams front office is aiming for an elite tight end like Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid, or Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers in the past two drafts. The team understands that the offense cannot continue to expect wide receivers to be elite in both route running/pass catching as well as blocking forever. So drafting an elite tight end prospect who can deliver that magical combination, much like San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, remains on the shopping list.
Over the past three games, the team has rotated all three tight ends on the active roster into the game in relatively equal portions. Yet, over the past three games, tight ends appear to have ever-diminishing roles in the offensive game plan. Here's what I mean:
- Colby Parkinson - 1/2 10 yards | 1/1 13 yards | 1/1 11 yards
- Hunter Long - 0/0 0 yards | 0/1 0 yards | 0/1 0 yards
- Davis Allen - 0/1 0 yards | 0/0 0 yards | 0/0 0 yards
- TE Totals - 1/3 10 yards | 1/2 13 yards | 1/2 11 yards
That is an abysmal performance from a group that currently occupies three roster slots. And the team has to figure out how to fit the returning starting tight end, Tyler Higbee, into this saturated tight end room. Not only do I expect veteran TE Hunter Long to be playing for a new team at the end of his current contract, but I do not see enough evidence from Davis Allen to warrant returning in 2025, unless TE Tyler Higbee is considering retirement.
Winner 4: WR Cooper Kupp
While veteran WR Cooper Kupp has seen better games, he helped carry the team to victory with his ability to run routes, catch passes, and even block in this one. While only suiting up for nine games this season, he has 657 receiving yards and six touchdowns on the season. His Week 14 performance was right on par, as he hauled in five of eight passes for 92 yards and a touchdown.
Before you scoff at his inclusion in this article as a Week 14 winner, consider this: He average 18.4 yards per catch. That is even more than speedy WR Tutu Atwell, who averaged 15.0 yards per reception.
It's Kupp's versatility to become whatever the offense needs in each game that makes him so uniquely ideal for the Rams offense. He can be the possession receiver, the deep threat, the go-to guy, the high-volume receiver, so even the decoy to clear zones for a teammate. And as we have witnessed time and time again, he can toggle between roles as the game and defenses reveal what will and will not work.
Loser 2: WR Demarcus Robinson
The NFL officials assigned to the Bills - Rams game in Week 14 really made a horrendous call in the game. On his lone target, there was clear visual evidence of defensive pass interference. The official flagged both Robinson and the Bills defensive back for pass interference. The play negated a 56 yard reception for Robinson, a play that would prove to be his only target of the game.
On the play, Robinson came down hard on his right shoulder.
Rams WR Demarcus Robinson suffered an AC sprain yesterday, Sean McVay says. Added he hopes it doesn't affect his status for 49ers Thursday.
— Adam Grosbard (@AdamGrosbard) December 9, 2024
Robinson has only hauled in just under 52 percent of the passes thrown his way this season. But he is the team's deep threat, averaging 15.5 yards per catch and putting up 433 yards and seven touchdowns so far. It's that level of production that makes Robinson so dangerous in this offense. Unfortunately, a very suspect penalty flag erased what would have been a highlight-reel reception for Robinson in Week 14.
Hopefully he will heal up and be ready to play in Week 15.
Winner 3: RB Kyren Williams
I won't commit to sounding the 'all's clear' in terms of RB Kyren Williams and his tendency to cough up the football. And I will be the first to point to Williams carrying the football 29 times as a very concerning number of carries in Week 14, particularly as the team inches closer and closer to the 2025 NFL Playoffs.
Williams is the Rams rushing offense. He has carried the football 251 times for 1,013 yards and 12 touchdowns. And at his current pace, he is threatening to flirt with Todd Gurley-like numbers. In 2017, Gurley rushed for 1,305 yards and 13 touchdowns. In 2018, Gurley rushed for 1,251 yards and 17 touchdowns. Both season performances are within reach of Kyren Williams in 2024.
Williams rushed 29 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills. That was by far the most carries in one game. But if falls short of his most productive outing. If only the offense had another worthy running back on the roster to help handle the heavy workload. . .
Loser 1: Rams secondary
I don't mean to pile on right now. And my intention is never to kick a man, a group of men, or an NFL defensive secondary, when its down. Yes, the Rams did what they had to do to win the game. And in the difficult choice of defending Bills RB James Cook or QB Josh Allen, the Rams defense opted to stuff Cook. And they did succeed impressively. Cook was held to six rushes for 20 yards and no touchdowns.
But my oh my, Bills QB Josh Allen torched the Rams secondary, as so many have this season. In many ways, Allen looked so good against the Rams that I cannot see how he can fail to be honored as the NFL's MVP for 2024. He threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 82 yards and three touchdowns.
I don't mean to keep throwing Rams defensive backs under the bus. But the Rams are in must-win mode now, and throughout the rest of the season. And this team faces QB Brock Purdy, QB Aaron Rodgers, QB Kyler Murray, and finally QB Geno Smith. If the Rams hope to win games and end up in the 2025 NFL Playoffs, they secondary, and especially the cornerbacks, have to elevate their game.
Winner 2: QB Matthew Stafford
Yes, LA Rams veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford remains an old-school gunslinger. And there are times that I find myself shaking my head or burying my face in the palms of my hands anguishing how he could make a throw for an easy interception.
And then, sometimes out of nowhere, he puts on a display that you just know will be used by high school coaches to train their young quarterbacks for years to come. Yes, Matthew Stafford remains a case study in offensive excellence. As long as the offensive line keeps him safe, he has the confidence and audacity to make throws that few quarterbacks in the NFL dare to attempt.
The game was Stafford's best of the season. And he earned it. Many of his completions in the game were hurled at ridiculous angles or into tight coverage. And yet, those completion put the chemistry of Stafford and WRs Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua on full display. When Stafford gets hot, the entire NFL sits up and takes notice. And yes, Stafford was red-hot in Week 14.
Winner 1: WR Puka Nacua
It's blows me away just how proficient Rams second-year wide receiver Puka Nacua has become in the NFL. Before they faced the Rams, the Buffalo Bills defense, and particularly their pass defense, appeared to be insanely formidable. And yet Puka Nacua hauled in 12 of 14 passes against them for 162 yards and one touchdown.
And no, he did not benefit from miscommunication in the secondary. He just caught practically every insanely threaded toss by Rams QB Matthew Stafford. It was head and shoulders the best performance by any receiver against the Bills secondary by a huge margin. The second best performance against Bills defensive backs was that of New York Jets WR Allen Lazard, who caught six of seven passes for 114 yards and a touchdown. In that game, Lazard and teammate WR Garrett Wilson combined for 14 of 17 catches for 221 yards and two touchdowns.
That pales in comparison to the Rams WR pair of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, who combined for 17 of 22 catches for 254 yards and two touchdowns.
Nacua is emerging as an elite wide receiver. He has 708 receiving yards and three touchdowns in just eight games this season. But at his current pace, he is still on track to cross the 1000+ receiving yards this season. Nacua is vital to the Rams plans to return to the NFL playoffs this season. If he continues to perform at this level, the Rams will have a real chance to run the table.
As always, thank you very much for reading.
