Peter King: 12/3/18 and lots of other Rams related comments

[Prime Time]

Only Rams related comments posted here. To read the entire article click the link below.
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https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/12/03/mike-mccarthy-packers-nfl-week-13-fmia-peter-king/

By Peter King
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The Playoff Puzzle

NFC

Division Winners: L.A. Rams (11-1), New Orleans (10-2), Chicago (8-4), Dallas (7-5).
Wild Cards: Seattle (7-5), Washington (6-5, with a game tonight).
In The Hunt: Minnesota (6-5-1), Carolina (6-6), Philadelphia (5-6).

• Bears had a bad loss in New Jersey on Sunday, because it kept the Vikings alive for the division. Bears have the Rams Sunday night at Soldier Field. The Vikings have a tough one at Seattle.

• Seattle has the Niners and Cards left to play, and it’s hard to fathom a nine-win Seattle team not making it …

• Carolina, on a four-game bender, has the Saints in Week 15 and 17. Not the Panthers’ year …

• Rams look like the one seed, if only by looking at the near future; after the Bears Sunday night, L.A. has three sub-.500 teams left.

• Dallas, with a decisive win Thursday night, has four .500-or-below teams left. Looks like the Cowboys have saved their season—and Jason Garrett’s job.
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Defensive Players of the Week

Aaron Donald, defensive tackle, L.A. Rams. Two more sacks in Detroit, giving him a league-high 16.5 for the season, and very nearly clinching a second straight Defensive Player of the Year. His quickness and strength are right now unmatched by any front seven player in the NFL.

“He’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

—Rams quarterback Jared Goff, on his defensive teammate Aaron Donald, who has 16.5 sacks in 12 games.
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At 23, Brandin Cooks recorded a 1,173-yard receiving season for New Orleans in 2016. He was traded to New England the following spring for a first-round pick.

At 24, Brandin Cooks recorded a 1,082-yard receiving season for New England in 2017. He was traded to the Rams the following spring in a package for a first-round pick.

At 25, with four games left, Cooks has recorded a 1,026-yard receiving season for the Rams in 2018.

I predict he will not be traded in the spring of 2019—having signed a five-year, $80-million extension with the Rams in July. But it’s pretty weird that a young, consistently productive wide receiver got thrown overboard by good teams in successive years. (Even though the Saints have a very good right tackle, Ryan Ramczyk, to show for it. The Patriots used the pick on tackle Isaiah Wynn, who tore his Achilles in August and won’t play till next summer.)
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MVP Watch

3. Todd Gurley, RB, L.A. Rams. I continue to vacillate between Gurley and Jared Goff and maybe eventually Aaron Donald. But another huge day for Gurley—26 touches, 165 yards, two more touchdowns—puts him back in the running.
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https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/12/03/p...nning-streak-kareem-hunt-fallout-week-13-mmqb

I'll throw in something from MMQB with Albert Breer

One more for the magic of Sean McVay—Sunday’s win meant the Rams have posted 11 wins in back-to-back years for the first time in their history, which dates to 1937. And the cool thing about the win over the Lions is that it came in totally different fashion from the shootout victory over Kansas City. The 30-16 win in Detroit was a rock fight from the start, and so the Rams rode Todd Gurley (23 carries, 132 yards, two TDs) as much as they could.
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And from the Ringer's Danny Kelly and Rodger Sherman

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/...ame-changing-plays-lamar-jackson-aaron-donald

Getty Images/AP Images

Aaron Donald Forces a Fourth-Quarter Fumble
The Rams’ explosive, high-flying offense under wunderkind play-caller Sean McVay has stolen the show in L.A. this year, heavily overshadowing the team’s talent-packed but inconsistent defensive unit. Even superstar pass rusher Aaron Donald has seemed to fly under the radar at times despite posting numbers that make him the favorite for his second straight Defensive Player of the Year award. That’s just how electric Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, and the rest of the team’s offensive group has been.

Over the past two games, though, Donald has reminded the world that in a season dominated by offense, defense can still make or break a game: His two forced fumbles two weeks ago proved crucial in the team’s stunning 54-51 win over the Chiefs—both led to Rams touchdowns—and the powerful defensive tackle made another pivotal play on Sunday, offering up a late-game strip sack of quarterback Matthew Stafford that propelled the Rams to victory.

Thanks to an uncharacteristically lackluster performance from the team’s offense, L.A. was left clinging to a slim 16-13 lead midway through the fourth quarter. And Detroit, facing a first-and-10 from its own 42-yard line with 8:26 to go, was driving down the field—threatening to take a late lead. That’s when Donald did this:


View: https://twitter.com/camdasilva/status/1069331047723208704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1069331047723208704&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theringer.com%2Fnfl%2F2018%2F12%2F3%2F18123646%2Fweek-13-game-changing-plays-lamar-jackson-aaron-donald

Donald split a double-team, forced Stafford to retreat, then, after quickly closing the gap, swiped down on the quarterback’s arms, knocking the ball loose. The Rams recovered at the Lions’ 24-yard line; three plays later, Gurley rumbled to pay dirt for the decisive score, pushing L.A.’s lead to 23-13. That timely strip sack proved to be the turning point in a sloppy division-clinching win for the Rams:

Prior to that play, the Lions looked primed for an upset. A few snaps later, Gurley waltzed into the end zone untouched to kill any semblance of Detroit momentum. Donald’s turnover pushed L.A.’s win probability to better than 87 percent. The Rams coasted from there.

Donald pushed his league-leading sack total to 16.5, further cementing his status as the best defensive player in the world. He also showed that even when the Rams’ typically unstoppable offense stumbles, the team has a very valuable insurance policy. Donald is the prototype for what a defensive player must be in the new, offense-driven NFL:

He can disrupt the quarterback on any given snap, and more important, create turnovers when his team needs them the most. Donald showed he’ll give L.A. a powerful edge this postseason when the team goes head-to-head with some of the league’s other juggernaut offenses.
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/...-aaron-rodgers-jalen-ramsey-chargers-steelers

Loser: Fantasy Troll Todd Gurley
Earlier this season, Todd Gurley swung fantasy matchups and betting fortunesby intentionally stopping short of the end zone on a play where he could’ve scored a touchdown, instead opting to allow the Rams to win a game by kneeling out the clock.

Some swooned at the superstar’s ultimate display of unselfishness, passing up the chance to score to give his team a better shot at winning. (As we all know, winners never pay attention to their personal stats. Oh, by the way, please ignore that entire section about how the universally-acknowledged greatest quarterback of all time has spent years fantasizing about an obscure rushing milestone.)

Sunday, Gurley one-upped himself.


View: https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1069336749552353280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1069336749552353280&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theringer.com%2Fnfl%2F2018%2F12%2F3%2F18123298%2Fwinners-losers-week-13-tom-brady-aaron-rodgers-jalen-ramsey-chargers-steelers

Once again, Gurley stopped short of the end zone, passing up a touchdown and driving fantasy owners into despair. (After all, this week was the final week of the fantasy football regular season.)

One problem though: Gurley probably shoulda just scored. His non-score came with over two minutes remaining in a one-score game. His Rams couldn’t run out the clock—they had to score again to seal the game. Because of Gurley’s short stop, the Rams had to run two more offensive plays, running the risk of a botched snap or fumble that could’ve given the Lions life.

Everything worked out OK: Gurley punched in a touchdown two plays later. The Rams won, and Gurley put up 28.5 fantasy points, probably getting all his fantasy owners into the playoffs. But I’m worried Gurley is going a little bit too far in his attempts to appear unselfish. I appreciate the critical thinking that has led him to stop short, but most of the time scoring a touchdown is the best thing to do.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

On the last part there I think Idisagree. Gurley successfully caused the Lions coach to burn two time outs, didn’t he?

 

[Mojo Ram]

• Seattle has the Niners and Cards left to play, and it’s hard to fathom a nine-win Seattle team not making it …

• Carolina, on a four-game bender, has the Saints in Week 15 and 17. Not the Panthers’ year …

 

[FrantikRam]

On the last part there I think Idisagree. Gurley successfully caused the Lions coach to burn two time outs, didn’t he?

He did, but it was still a bad, bad, bad play by Todd - unless he was told to go down.

Time, score and situation dictated that the Rams had to score - and if you ever aren't sure, as in the heat of the moment I can imagine a player might not be sure, just score the TD.

 

[RamBall]

He did, but it was still a bad, bad, bad play by Todd - unless he was told to go down.

Time, score and situation dictated that the Rams had to score - and if you ever aren't sure, as in the heat of the moment I can imagine a player might not be sure, just score the TD.

Forcing Detroit to burn their timeouts was the smart thing to do. Scoring would have left Detroit with timeouts and time on the clock, giving them a better chance at getting the 2 scores needed to tie the game.

 

[Rmfnlt]

But I’m worried Gurley is going a little bit too far in his attempts to appear unselfish.

What an insanely stupid sentence!

 

[wolfdogg]

He should've just scored. With about 2 and a half minutes there's no way detroit scores 2 tds....even with 6 timeouts. And there's no guarantee that the rams score from the 2 yard line.

A couple weeks ago I was watching Montana play Montana State. Less then a minute left and Montana with 2nd and goal from the 2 foot line. They run up the middle for the go ahead td but Montana State had called a timeout just before the snap. No biggy, right, Montana just runs it up the middle again. Only this time the running back fumbles and Montana State recovers. Game over.

Crazy shit happens. Take the td that pushes the lead to 14 points. Even if the lions some how score a td, they would have to recover an onside kick and then score another td....all in about 2 and a half minutes. I don't think so.

 

[Mackeyser]

Not the point. It's putting the ball in the other guy's hands with time and time outs.

Why tempt fate.

The strategy was spot on and shows that we don't have a meathead RB savant running the ball, but someone who truly understands the game.

Honestly, that looked like something Faulk would do because that was seriously advance football strategery right there.

 

[Loyal]

He did, but it was still a bad, bad, bad play by Todd - unless he was told to go down.

Time, score and situation dictated that the Rams had to score - and if you ever aren't sure, as in the heat of the moment I can imagine a player might not be sure, just score the TD.

disagree....The Rams had a first down on the 2 yard line, and the *Lions had to burn a time out there to stop the clock. Run the ball 4 straight times with Gurley, and you probably burn a lot of clock, and most likely you score with last years OPOY, which he did.

*Had Bears on the brain, lol

 

[UKram]

disagree....The Rams had a first down on the 2 yard line, and the Bears had to burn a time out there to stop the clock. Run the ball 4 straight times with Gurley, and you probably burn a lot of clock, and most likely you score with last years OPOY, which he did.

That’s what I was thinking the clock will keep running slam Gurley in 4 Times if you have to .. hell take a knee four times if you’re worried about fumbling

 

[Ken]

When I saw the play I thought he should have scored, and I still do. Take the sure TD and go up by 14 when it's not possible to end the game in victory formation by not scoring.

 

[kurtfaulk]

.

let's ask ourselves what the lions wanted gurley to do. that will tell you if what he did was right or wrong.

.

 

[Loyal]

.

let's ask ourselves what the lions wanted gurley to do. that will tell you if what he did was right or wrong.

.

THAT SONOFABI@#$!" ~Matt Patricia as he called a time out

 

[Ken]

.

let's ask ourselves what the lions wanted gurley to do. that will tell you if what he did was right or wrong.

.

The Lions wanted him to fumble the ball so they could recover and have a chance to tie the game, which could have happened after he did not score the sure TD. Or Goff could have thrown a pick6. The chances of the Lions coming back to tie or win increased (not by a lot, but still) by not scoring the sure TD.

 

[Loyal]

The Lions wanted him to fumble the ball so they could recover and have a chance to tie the game, which could have happened after he did not score the sure TD. Or Goff could have thrown a pick6. The chances of the Lions coming back to tie or win increased (not by a lot, but still) by not scoring the sure TD.

Or....Gurley scores with 2:38 left on the clock with Lions timeouts preserved, and essentially another timeout at the 2 minute warning...Stafford throws a long TD, Lions onside kick and recover, and then Stafford throws another TD, and gets 2 point conversion and the Lions win.

None of these are likely, your scenario or mine, but an unselfish player with the team in mind, did what he did. I can respect his line of thinking about it.

 

[Ken]

Or....Gurley scores with 2:38 left on the clock with Lions timeouts preserved, and essentially another timeout at the 2 minute warning...Stafford throws a long TD, Lions onside kick and recover, and then Stafford throws another TD, and gets 2 point conversion and the Lions win.

None of these are likely, your scenario or mine, but an unselfish player with the team in mind, did what he did. I can respect his line of thinking about it.

Agree. I might be wrong, but I doubt McVay told him not score there like he did vs Green Bay.

 

[MadGoat]

Agree. I might be wrong, but I doubt McVay told him not score there like he did vs Green Bay.

I don't think McVay gave any direction there. They showed a replay of McVay's face as Gurley started his sidewinding run and he was still processing the same thing we're debating right now. At first he looked a little confused, but he wasn't mad about it.

 

[yrba1]

lmao Todd Gurley the fantasy troll, has a nice ring to it.

Fuck fantasy sports

 

[Loyal]

lmao Todd Gurley the fantasy troll, has a nice ring to it.

freak fantasy sports

I agree...tried to do it for a year or two, and was bored with it. (ducks)