Five Takeaways: Another complete effort has Rams feeling good entering bye week

[CGI_Ram]

Five Takeaways: Another complete effort has Rams feeling good entering bye week

For the second consecutive week, Los Angeles authors a complete performance.

www.therams.com

Five Takeaways: Another complete effort has Rams feeling good entering bye week

LONDON – Complementary football is what helped the Rams snap their three-game losing streak in their victory over the Falcons. That proved to be the case once again against the Bengals on Sunday at Wembley Stadium, with all three phases contributing to a 24-10 win.

Here are five instant takeaways from the matchup:

1) GURLEY, HENDERSON BOTH EFFECTIVE

Rams running backs Todd Gurley and Darrell Henderson Jr. both got the chance to contribute on Sunday.
Henderson led the back field with 11 carries for 49 yards, adding two receptions for 20 yards. Todd Gurley chipped in 10 for 44 plus one touchdown.

Gurley's score put the Rams up by two touchdowns early in the third quarter in what ended up being the final points of the contest. In relief of Gurley, Henderson broke off runs of 14 and 15 yards.

The Bengals entered the game allowing the most rushing yards per game in the NFL, so there was bound to be opportunities for Gurley and Henderson to get involved. They were able to make the most of them.

2) OFFENSE MAKES UP FOR MISSED REDZONE OPPORTUNITY

Los Angeles' first drive started at their own 10 and ended at the Cincinnati 5 with a missed field goal.
That would not be the case the second time L.A. got inside the Cincinnati 5, it turned out differently, punctuated by Gurley's touchdown run.

However, with the number of big plays made in the passing game – see the 65-yard catch by WR Cooper Kupp, among others – distance ended up not being much of a factor anyway.

3) PASS RUSH PRESENT AGAIN

One of the biggest bright spots going into the bye week will be the Rams' pass rush.

L.A. managed five sacks for the second consecutive week, which means it matched its season high.

LB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo got his first career sack, finishing with 1.5. DT Aaron Donald got one to reach five on the season. LB Dante Fowler picked up where he left off against the Falcons, finishing with 1.5. DE Michael Brockers and LB Cory Littleton recorded half of a sack each to round out the total.

Is it the Jalen Ramsey effect? Perhaps, but the Rams front seven rightfully deserves credit for creating and maximizing their opportunities too.

4) SPECIAL TEAMS CONTRIBUTES

The punting and kickoff units get recognition here.

Winning the field position battle often dictates the outcome of a game. It's safe to say that held true for the Rams on Sunday. The Bengals never began an offensive possession past their own 25, whether it was off of a Rams kickoff or punt.

Furthermore, thanks to the offense's execution, Zuerlein was able to convert on his lone field goal attempt – a 23-yarder – and made all three of his extra point attempts.

5) ROAD TRIP REVITALIZATION

After the Rams lost their third straight game earlier this month, QB Jared Goff said time together on extended road trips like this can galvanize a team.

He turned out to be right.

Two weeks later, the Rams are 5-3 overall and riding a two-game win streak into the bye week.

 

[Faceplant]

My Debbie Downer take is that we let a terrible team stick around until the fourth quarter. Defense was only able to stop their offense sporatically and gave up waaaaay too many long conversions.

I know they won by two scores, but there were times when the offense and defense both looked FLAT. 5 years ago, I think we all would have been very happy with this game, but the expectations are much higher nowadays, as they should be. I don't think the Rams look like the best tean in the NFCW as of now.

 

[Ramit]

At the rate this is going, I'm convinced that the Rams could win the superbowl and someone would be unhappy that it wasn't a "convincing win". SMH a W is a W.

 

[Ramit]

There is not a single team that will look past the Rams this year. Every team is going to play the Rams like it is their Superbowl. I would think that the peeps from this board would realize this by the 8th game.

 

[fearsomefour]

My Debbie Downer take is that we let a terrible team stick around until the fourth quarter. Defense was only able to stop their offense sporatically and gave up waaaaay too many long conversions.

I know they won by two scores, but there were times when the offense and defense both looked FLAT. 5 years ago, I think we all would have been very happy with this game, but the expectations are much higher nowadays, as they should be. I don't think the Rams look like the best tean in the NFCW as of now.

The Rams are about where they “deserve” to be in the NFC West. I think chasing the wildcard is about it.
It was a good win.
The team never trailed, didn’t take risks and the game was not in doubt ever I felt.
McVay seemed content to play a little more conservative on offense or maybe the Bengals D tightened it up a bit.
On defense a lot of reps for young players. Williams, Rapp and Christian were targeted in the passing game. A lot more reps for Oko up front.
The D was often rotating in 6 backup or rookie players yesterday.
I think this D can be much better when Matthews gets back. If Talib and Johnson get back another step up.
Once the two TD lead was established the D mostly stopped blitzing. Stopped pressing mostly. It worked, they didn’t score again.
Beating the Bengals 24-10 as opposed to 41-3 doesn’t indicate the team not as good as it is. Winning big also wouldn’t have fixed their issues.
I think once McVay felt the game was safe he wanted to hurry up and get to the off week without further injury.

 

[Packfan18]

Wow that NFC West division is tough.

 

[BonifayRam]

Studs and duds from Rams' Week 8 win over Bengals

Studs and duds from Rams' Week 8 win over Bengals

The best and worst performances by Rams players on Sunday afternoon.

theramswire.usatoday.com

The Los Angeles Rams won their second straight game on Sunday afternoon against the Cincinnati Bengals, beating Zac Taylor’s squad 24-10 in London. It wasn’t the huge blowout some were expecting, but that was partly because the Rams took their foot off the gas pedal in the fourth quarter.

It was still an impressive performance by both the offense and the defense, however, limiting Cincinnati to just 10 points. Here are our studs and duds from Sunday’s win.
Studs
Cooper Kupp

Kupp had the best game of his career on Sunday, catching seven passes for 220 yards and a touchdown. The Bengals had no answer for the third-year receiver in this one, running loose all over the field for big play after big play. The highlight of the game was a 65-yard score by Kupp on a trick play, but he also had several other big gains where he did most of the work himself after the catch. He made life easy for Jared Goff, running crisp routes and getting wide open on numerous occasions.

Dante Fowler Jr.
Fowler has been on a tear of late, recording 4.5 sacks in his last two games. He had 1.5 in this one, adding two quarterback hits and a tackle for loss, as well. He finished with four tackles, too, and won a good number of his pass-rush reps on the edge. His play the last couple of weeks has taken some pressure off of Aaron Donald inside and forced opponents to respect him as a pass rusher.

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
Don’t look now, but Okoronkwo has quickly turned into one of the Rams’ better edge rushers in recent weeks. He had 1.5 sacks on Sunday and nearly had another one, too, but he was unable to wrap up Dalton. Okoronkwo finished with two quarterback hits and a tackle for loss to go along with two total tackles. He’s coming into his own as the third pass rusher at outside linebacker behind Fowler and Samson Ebukam.
Troy Hill
Hill did get beat by Auden Taint on an inside route for a 19-yard gain, but that was really his only lapse all day. He broke up a pass on the goal line to prevent a touchdown and on the following play, he was in coverage on another pass into the end zone. Hill has stepped up nicely in Aqib Talib’s absence and is likely a reason the Rams are reportedly open to trading the veteran corner.
Darrell Henderson Jr.
He may not be the starter, but Henderson has looked like the Rams’ best running back lately. He was shifty and elusive on Sunday, making defenders miss in the open field and turning what would’ve been short gains into longer runs. He finished with 11 carries for 49 yards, and three catches for

Duds
Nickell Robey-Coleman
Robey-Coleman has had better games than this one. Tyler Boyd beat Robey-Coleman several times in the slot, catching six passes for 65 yards – most of which came with Robey-Coleman in coverage. He nearly gave up a touchdown reception on the Bengals’ final drive, too, but the pass was ruled incomplete after review.
Eric Weddle
This also wasn’t Weddle’s best performance. He missed one key tackle on Joe Mixon and didn’t have any impact plays in coverage, and in run support, he struggled a bit, too. Marqui Christian was arguably the best safety on the field Sunday, while Taylor Rapp also had a solid performance.
Rob Havenstein
Havenstein continues to have a disappointing season. His unnecessary roughness penalty was questionable and likely shouldn’t have been called, but he also had issues in pass protection against the Bengals’ edge rushers. Although Goff wasn’t sacked in the game, he was pressured a few times by rushers off the left side of the defensive line where Havenstein was blocking.

 

[RamsOfCastamere]

When Talib gets back, i would like ti see Troy Hill get some snaps in the slot. NRC is just too small for certain matchups.

 

[BonifayRam]

Rams 24-10 Bengals (Oct 27, 2019) Game Recap - ESPN

Expert recap and game analysis of the Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals NFL game from October 27, 2019 on ESPN.

www.espn.com

 

[BonifayRam]

When Talib gets back, i would like ti see Troy Hill get some snaps in the slot. NRC is just too small for certain matchups.

2 games back I was okay with NRC's play this season while many here were discussing their disappointments in games this season.

I have changed sides here after these last two games against very weak NFL teams. I am very disappointed in NRC's lack luster play & his cockiness ticks me off meanwhile he continues to suck.

Hill has been very busy since father time caught up with Talib & Marcus Peters was traded for a back up bench warmer MLB'er. I would not disturb Troy Hill @ this time because he has his hand full as teams continue to throw at him. (Note: teams have a much better chance for a completion if they throw @ NRC & Taylor Rapp) Troy Hill has held up very well as an outside corner since he has been made a starter. I do not believe that Talib is close to being as good as Troy Hill is now.

NRC is a weak spot as of late. I would suggest that Darious Williams start seeing action @ the Nickel. I feel that by playoff time & the Rams can squeak in for that #6th seed he will be an improvement on the field over NRC.

Talib is seriously degraded from what we saw from him over the last half of last season. Maybe when he returns he can replace Williams as our top outside back up who is our future in the Rams secondary @ Nickel-Back.

 

[Merlin]

Long is the guy for the slot. He has the coverage ability and quicks to snuff out the short yardage gimme plays teams have been feeding on all year. If he's not ready then we're stuck riding out the rest of this season with NRC.

Hill btw is a lesser option there than NRC I am afraid. And as @BonifayRam points out Hill is playing a solid role for us and for the most part has been playing the call which is a nice change from Peters.

IMO when Talib comes back he'll ball out. Question is whether the Rams will matter at that point for the playoffs. NRC needs to know the staff is going to make the hard call if he doesn't get his BS together.

 

[snackdaddy]

My Debbie Downer take is that we let a terrible team stick around until the fourth quarter. Defense was only able to stop their offense sporatically and gave up waaaaay too many long conversions.

I know they won by two scores, but there were times when the offense and defense both looked FLAT. 5 years ago, I think we all would have been very happy with this game, but the expectations are much higher nowadays, as they should be. I don't think the Rams look like the best tean in the NFCW as of now.

I thought they coulda won by more. But this is the NFL. The guys on the opposing side are professionals. In an elite fraternity of athletes consisting of the best players in the world in that sport. It ain't always gonna be easy.

The last two teams we played have a combined 1-15 record. We beat them by a total of 41 points. The Seattle Seahawks beat those teams by a total of 8. That is the NFL.