Rams vs 49'ers - Week 16 studs and duds: Donald and Fowler shine, Rapp struggles

[Riverumbbq]

Cameron DaSilva
2 hours ago


It was a stunning and humbling loss for the Rams on Saturday night, but it wasn’t all bad for the defending NFC champions. While the 34-31 defeat hurt and eliminated them from playoff contention, quite a few players did have strong performances.

Here are our studs and duds from the Rams’ Week 16 loss to the 49ers.

Studs

Tyler Higbee and Robert Woods
Higbee and Woods remain Jared Goff’s top targets in the passing game. Higbee caught nine passes for 104 yards on 11 targets, while Woods racked up 117 yards on eight catches (11 targets). No other player had more than four catches or 39 yards, as Higbee and Woods were the ones open most often – specifically on designed rollouts for Goff. Both pass-catchers had great performances, just as they have in recent weeks.

Aaron Donald
Donald once again commanded double-teams on most of his pass-rush reps, which is nothing new. Still, he recorded 1.5 sacks, two quarterback hits, and one tackle for loss. His sacks came at clutch moments, too, both in the second half. Donald has a huge impact each week for the Rams defense, drawing attention away from the other pass rushers.

Dante Fowler Jr.
Fowler is earning a big payday this offseason with his play in 2019. He’s up to 11.5 sacks on the year after adding 2.5 more on Saturday night, consistently getting to Jimmy Garoppolo off the edge. His speed is evident every week that he’s on the field and if the Rams can’t re-sign him this offseason, he’s going to be missed at outside linebacker in 2020.

Jalen Ramsey
Ramsey left the game briefly with a knee injury and was considered doubtful to return. He only missed a series, though, and was back out there in short order. He said afterwards that he was playing through pain and will get an MRI on his knee, but he still had a great performance. He picked off one pass and broke up another that was intercepted by Darious Williams, creating two interceptions for the Rams defense.
On the 46-yard pass to Emmanuel Sanders on the final drive of the game, Ramsey indicated the blown coverage was on Taylor Rapp. It was a bad play regardless of who was at fault, and cost the Rams a win.

Darious Williams
Williams was making his first start with the Rams and the coaches couldn’t have expected him to play much better than he did. He picked off one pass, deflected another and was in coverage on a high throw to Deebo Samuel, playing great coverage on the in-breaking route. For a player with as little experience as he has, he stepped up in a big way.

Duds

Taylor Rapp
Rapp hasn’t looked like a rookie this season, but he did on Saturday night. He missed an open-field tackle on Samuel’s touchdown in the second quarter, and on the 49ers’ game-winning drive, he blew a coverage that allowed Emmanuel Sanders to run free for 46 yards. George Kittle also had a big gain against Rapp in coverage, making this a night to forget for the rookie.

Todd Gurley
Gurley carried it 15 times, but he only gained 48 yards with a long run of 8 yards. He was also targeted twice by Goff, but neither of them were necessarily catchable. Besides his first touchdown run, Gurley looked slow through the hole and wasn’t breaking tackles. Picking up only 48 yards from scrimmage on 15 attempts is not what you come to expect from a star running back.

Bobby Evans
The rookie had one of his worst performances of the season against the 49ers, which isn’t much of a surprise considering the level of competition he faced. He struggled against Nick Bosa, nearly getting beat for a sack on Goff in the end zone. The pocket collapsed frequently on the right side when the Rams weren’t rolling Goff out, which was an issue.

Rams' Week 16 studs and duds: Donald and Fowler shine, Rapp struggles

The best and worst performances from the Rams’ 34-31 loss.

theramswire.usatoday.com

 

[Riverumbbq]

4 takeaways from Rams' Week 16 loss to 49ers
Cameron DaSilva

3 hours ago

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports


The Rams played into January the last two years, but in 2019, their season ends in December. They were beaten by the 49ers 34-31 on Saturday night in Santa Clara, dropping their record 8-7 – and more importantly, eliminating them from playoff contention.

Here are four takeaways from the loss, which ended in heartbreaking fashion.

Two plays don’t define the defense’s performance
The Rams defense played well against the 49ers on Saturday night, but their performance will be remembered for two plays – both of which came on third-and-16. Incredibly, they each happened on the 49ers’ game-winning drive. The first was on a throw over the middle Kendrick Bourne between two defenders, but the second was the real back-breaker.
Jalen Ramsey and Taylor Rapp had a mix-up in coverage, which allowed Emmanuel Sanders to run open for 46 yards. Three plays later, the ball was through the uprights and the Rams were heading home with a loss.

Outside of that final drive, the Rams defense allowed just 274 yards and 27 points – seven of which came on a pick-six thrown by Jared Goff. The 49ers rushed for 119 yards, which was below their 147-yard average, while Jimmy Garoppolo threw two interceptions and had a passer rating of 71.2.
They’ve had better performances, but considering the opponent and the short fields San Francisco had to work with, the defense did enough to win the game.

Sean McVay has recognized Jared Goff’s limitations

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Goff hasn’t had a very good season, shockingly struggling with play-action passes after being one of the best quarterbacks on such plays last year. One area where he’s thrived in recent weeks, though, is on designed rollouts. McVay has recognized that aspect of Goff’s game and called a high percentage of bootlegs against the 49ers.

For the most part, they worked. The majority of Goff’s completions came outside the pocket, as well as on screen passes – of which there were also penty.

This isn’t to say Goff can’t make throws from inside the pocket on straight dropbacks, but he’s clearly having most of his success on the move with the field essentially cut in half. That doesn’t bode well for long-term success, but it’s something McVay recognized and saw as an opportunity to move the ball consistently.

Rams are consistently inconsistent

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

From week to week, you don’t know exactly what you’re going to get with the Rams. They were blown out by the Cowboys last week, and on Saturday night, they had a great chance to beat the 49ers.

It’s been the story of their season. Last season, they had an identity – they played a bend-don’t-break defense with a strong running game and a lack of giveaways. This season, they’ve committed too many turnovers and haven’t had any success on the ground.

The defense has been much better this year than it was in the past couple years, but it hasn’t been enough to make up for the lapses on offense. There just hasn’t been enough consistency on either side of the ball, with Wade Phillips saying they’ve had too many “clunkers.”

Tyler Higbee has completely overtaken Gerald Everett’s role

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Gerald Everett returned from injury Saturday after missing three games, but he was a complete non-factor. Higbee once again played the majority of the snaps, while Everett barely saw the field at all. It showed on the stat sheet, too. Everett was targeted once (zero catches), while Higbee had 11 passes come his way.
Higbee caught nine of them for 104 yards, recording his fourth-straight 100-yard game. He’s become a focal point of the offense, both as a blocker and a receiver. He’s living up to the contract extension he signed this year, looking like a true No. 1 tight end.

4 takeaways from Rams' Week 16 loss to 49ers

The Rams’ season is all but over with one meaningless game remaining.

theramswire.usatoday.com

 

[Riverumbbq]

Los Angeles Rams @ San Francisco 49ers: High grades in a hard fought loss

Now eliminated from the playoffs, the LA Rams at least showed up in a bitter defeat to their division rivals.

By Joey The Jerk@LaRamsRamsRams Dec 21, 2019, 11:11pm CST

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The way the Los Angeles Rams played on Saturday night at Levi Stadium against the San Francisco 49ers, one would think that this was par for the course all season. Instead, this game was a high point for the LA Rams, which unfortunately ended in defeat.

Here’s how the boys graded out on the report card:

Quarterback
B-
Am I famously too soft on QB Jared Goff? No, because I’m not even close to being famous, but I am a fan of the kid. While his interception that turned into a touchdown was probably the deciding factor in the game even though it happened at the end of the first half, Goff still played like a team leader for the rest of the game. There were moments where DE Nick Bosa was right in his grill and Goff held firm, throwing dimes to WR Robert Woods and his BFF TE Tyler Higbee.

Running Backs
D
When Jared Goff has one of the more impressive runs of the night, you know the rushing attack was no bueno. No matter where you place the blame, RB Todd Gurley II was ineffective and failed to ignite the offense when they needed him most. And the dude got the ball 15 times, which is pretty good for him, but his 3.2 yards per carry didn’t get the job done.

Wide Receivers
A-
These guys are usually my favorite unit and they didn’t disappoint. WR Robert Woods balled out with 8 catches for 117 yards at 14.6 yards per catch. Even WR Brandin Cooks was in the mix often, showing up in big moments got move the offense forward.

Tight Ends
A
Whatever is happening with TE Tyler Higbee, I love it. The dude has been invisible for years and suddenly the Rams give him a big contract and he’s still quiet as a church mouse until TE Gerald Everett gets hurt and then... BOOM. Hygz had another dominant performance even with the return of Everett (who had no catches off one target).

Offensive Line
C-
Even though the LA Rams put up 31 points against the 49ers, it felt that they were moving the ball down the field despite the offensive line. OL Bobby Evans looks overpowered for much of the game and fellow rookie OL David Edwards showed his inexperience in the penalty department. The big boys up front just couldn’t open up the holes for the running game, which was disappointing. However, Jared Goff was clean for the entire game — no sacks.

Defensive Line
B+
DE Aaron Donald was a beast as usual, giving QB Jimmy Garoppolo fits all night. They did allow the Niners to run the ball pretty easily between their slew of running backs, but the headline of the night for this unit was the pressure they put on the passing attack.

Linebackers
A
Man, where were these guys all season? LB Samson Ebukam, LB Morgan Fox, and ILB Troy Reeder were all over the place making plays. And the usual defensive leaders like OLB Dante Fowler (2.5 sacks) and ILB Cory Littleton were fantastic.

Defensive Backs
B-
It’s probably not fair to dock the entire unit for one blown play that decided the game, but those are the breaks. S Taylor Rapp, a rookie that has played brilliantly for most of the season, got his wires crossed with CB Jaylen Ramsey in the final minute of the game and just like that... the season is over. Beyond that play, they did Garoppolo is check for most of the game, limiting him to 248 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.

Special Teams
C
What’s going on with the special teams play this season? It’s been... off. There was a fumble by return man, WR Nsimba Webster and a missed kick by K Greg Zuerlein. He did redeem himself with a clutch kick in the 4th quarter though.

Coaching
B+
Coach Sean McVay called a solid game, putting his players in arms reach of the victory, they just needed to earn it. Losses are never acceptable, but the Rams were playing a very good Niners team and it was encouraging to see McVay coach them up to such a competitive level, which probably made the loss even more heartbreaking.

Los Angeles Rams @ San Francisco 49ers: High grades in a hard fought loss

Now eliminated from the playoffs, the LA Rams at least showed up in a bitter defeat to their division rivals.

www.turfshowtimes.com

 

[dieterbrock]

“Special Teams
C
What’s going on with the special teams play this season? It’s been... off. There was a fumble by return man, WR Nsimba Webster and a missed kick by K Greg Zuerlein. He did redeem himself with a clutch kick in the 4th quarter though.”

Ummm..... missing the biggest Faux pas from the ST. Allowing the monster kick return after Rams initial score. Total momentum breaker

 

[KayJay]

"For the most part, they worked. The majority of Goff’s completions came outside the pocket, as well as on screen passes – of which there were also penty.

This isn’t to say Goff can’t make throws from inside the pocket on straight dropbacks, but he’s clearly having most of his success on the move with the field essentially cut in half. That doesn’t bode well for long-term success, but it’s something McVay recognized and saw as an opportunity to move the ball consistently."

Lol why not just say the bootlegs are meant to change the launch point because he doesn't have enough time in the pocket? Wasn't his last two drives including the scoring one from primarily inside the pocket?

Lolol is there even explanation as to how a guy goes from borderline mvp the last two years to a shell of himself? The dude needs a line and at least a serviceable running game; why not just say that? Tell me, does Russell Wilson also need the field cut in half when the Seahawks are attempting to slow down a pass rush. Is that what they are trying to do with his roll outs?

I want people to take a good look. This is why I'm constantly defending Goff. They literally force you to because of their bias. They use cognitive dissonance when it comes to the quarterbacks they do like, versus the ones they don't. What's good for the Goose is good for the Gander. Lol I wonder if Goff comes back next year and starts slinging it again how the narrative will change then.

"The system works again! McVays genius shined through and fixed the offense. Now he's making Jared look good again!"

 

[Flint]

“McVay has recognized Goff’s limitations,” I think he’s realized his entire offenses limitations. Last 2 years Gurley was taking those 3 yard gains and making them 8 or 12.
McVay realizes that Goff realizes this line is going to get him killed so he rolled him out, a lot. The rams couldn’t handle the 9er front, couldn’t run the ball, still they played good enough to win.
I don’t think the 9ers and hags are much better, if at all, losses to teams like the Bucs and Steelers are what wrecked this season.

 

[fearsomefour]

GZ missed a FG....a long one but one should make.
Bad punts.
A muffed punt.
A long kick off return that gifted SF a FG.
Special teams grade is an F.
Bones doesn’t do much except, I assume, listen to how clever he is and his rah rah bullshit.

 

[kurtfaulk]

GZ missed a FG....a long one but one should make.
Bad punts.
A muffed punt.
A long kick off return that gifted SF a FG.
Special teams grade is an F.
Bones doesn’t do much except, I assume, listen to how clever he is and his rah rah bullshit.

Man you're angry.

.

 

[kurtfaulk]

“McVay has recognized Goff’s limitations,” I think he’s realized his entire offenses limitations. Last 2 years Gurley was taking those 3 yard gains and making them 8 or 12.
McVay realizes that Goff realizes this line is going to get him killed so he rolled him out, a lot. The rams couldn’t handle the 9er front, couldn’t run the ball, still they played good enough to win.
I don’t think the 9ers and hags are much better, if at all, losses to teams like the Bucs and Steelers are what wrecked this season.

I was gobsmacked when i read his crap. Any person that knows anything about this team knew the roll outs were to give Goff some time to make a throw.

How does that guy keep his job?

.

 

[fearsomefour]

Man you're angry.

.

Ehh.
Not really.