The Los Angeles Rams head into their bye week following a 24-19 loss to the Green Bay Packers. There was a lot to like in the Packers game, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough and some of the same glaring issues remained. We’ll have to see if the Rams continue to make adjustments with a week to reflect. Here’s a look at this week’s film review.
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Edge rusher Byron Young continues to impress
Much like last season, Byron Young has started year two running out of the gate. It’s not always perfect, but he has taken the step forward that he needed to take after slowing down in the second-half of last year. Both of his sacks this season are considerered “high quality” via Brandon Thorn’s Trench Warfare Substack. His big play on Sunday wasn’t impressive from a pass rush standpoint. Shula’s pressure design gave him a free run at the quarterback. With that said, Young made a head’s up play to force Jordan Love into a costly mistake.
However, it’s not just Young’s ability as a pass rusher that has stood out. He’s also making plays as a run defender on the edge. On the play below, he dips underneath the right tackle and right guard to meet Josh Jacobs in the backfield. He still needs to get more consistent, but a good player could emerge here as he enters year three next season.
It’s time to see what Omar Speights can do at linebacker
It seems like we have this conversation every week and we will likely continue to have it every week until the Rams make a change. Troy Reeder did have an nice pass breakup early in this game, but the same problems remain. This due struggles to get off of blocks, fill the gaps, or make tackles without losing ground. Tight end Tucker Kraft’s second touchdown may have just been the cherry on top. Last week, Antonio Pierce said something that stuck, “We got to put pads on, I don’t know, got to get on the sled...I think there was definitely some individuals that made business decisions.”
The play below is the Rams linebacker situation in a nutshell. After Kraft catches the screen and starts running up-field, Rozeboom half-dives at his ankles and misses. Reeder tries to make an arm tackle and bounces off of the Packers tight end. Both players finish the play on the ground watching Kraft as he ends up in the end zone. It’s simply not good enough.
Rams interior struggled picking up stunts
Through the first five weeks of the season, Beaux Limmer has filled in nicely at center. Logan Bruss hasn’t been perfect, but at the very least has shown that he can fill in if needed. However, for one of the first times this season, it looked like Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford didn’t look confident in the pocket. At times he had happy feet and seemed to hesitate in the pocket.
The lack of experience shows when it comes to things like stunts. On the play below, the entire offensive line is a mess. Logan Bruss and Alaric Jackson don’t execute on the pass-off. On the right side, Rob Havenstein gets beat immediately while Limmer ends up blocking nobody. The Packers rushed six and the Rams have six blockers. They have to be able to pick that up.
A similar thing happened earlier in the game with the Rams in field goal range. Havenstein should pass his guy off to Dotson and take the stunt player. Limmer should take the defensive lineman coming inside. Instead, Limmer and Bruss end up blocking the same guy and the Packers have a free rusher on Stafford. TuTu Atwell looks to be the target on this play, but stumbles as he gets knocked off his route. It’s a play that never stood a chance.
Chris Shula got creative and made much needed changes
After four weeks, the Rams defensive coordinator finally made some much needed changes. Tre White was benched in favor of Ahekllo Witherspoon. Josh Wallace got some playing time as well in the star role. At safety, Quentin Lake played in more two-deep looks while Jaylen McCollough took Kam Kinchens role in dime looks, playing closer to the line of scrimmage.
One thing that was very noticeable against the Packers was how Shula was able to activate different pressure looks in third-and-long situations. If the Rams can win more on first and second down, Shula has the ability to dial up some cool things with these pass rushers and safeties. On the two plays below, the Rams pressure looks create a lot of confusion up-front, leading to rushed throws from Jordan Love. The defense needs more of those situations.
Kyren Williams is excellent in short yardage
Kyren Williams might be one of the more underrated running backs in short-yardage situations. On the Rams’ second red zone possession, Blake Corum was unable to get in from inside the five, including getting stuffed at the goal line. Williams was subbed in and immediately scored. Earlier in that same drive, the Rams faced a 4th-and-1 and Kevin Dotson got beat inside, allowing a defender through into the backfield. Williams made him miss and picked up the first down.
On the last offensive possession for the Rams in the game, Williams once again was able to pick up the first down on 4th-and-1. He’s not the biggest running back, but his vision, urgency, and contact balance are a big reason why he’s so successful in those situations. In Williams, the Rams have one of the best short-yardage running backs.
Honorable Mentions
At the very least, it was nice to see Blake Corum get some action against the Packers. It provided a glimpse of what he and Williams can do together as a duo. His burst and speed was clearly evident. He’s a little jumpy and on his goal line carry, he jump cut into the defender. However, there is a lot to be excited about with Corum and it will be interesting to see if he continues to be part of the offensive game plan.
