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Sorting the Sunday Pile: L.A. Rams legit
by Will Brinson
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...egit-sacksonville-and-more-to-know-in-week-1/
The approximately 345 people sitting in the Los Angeles Coliseum got a real rarity on Sunday afternoon: a Rams team playing good football. Los Angeles' on-again-off-again franchise hung a forty burger on the woeful, Andrew Luck-less Colts. And Indy was a big story here: they are a trash football team capable of competing for the top pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. But do not sleep on the possibility of the Rams -- and I swear I'm saying this with a straight face -- competing for the NFC West title.
Sweeping generalizations after one week of football are stupid, but not stupider than preseason predictions. And being nimble with respect to adjusting to what you saw in the first week of the season is critical when you move forward. And what we saw was the Rams, who won by a final of 46-9, looking good in a number of different phases.
For starters, Jared Goff looks like a different quarterback. It would be hard not to perform better than his ugly rookie season last year, but the leap from Jeff Fisher's offense to Sean McVay's paid immediate dividends. Last year, according to Pro Football Focus, Goff went 4 of 17 on targets that were 20 yards or more down the field. No bueno.
It was a totally different story on Sunday, with Goff going vertical with great frequency.
via NFL.com / Next Gen Stats
Yes, that is four 20-plus yard passes on Sunday alone, including a dime to rookie receiver Cooper Kupp.
Kupp, who finished the day with four catches (on six targets) for 76 yards and a touchdown, is going to be a hot name on the Fantasy waiver wire this week, and with good reason. He could be a PPR monster, and he's going to become Goff's security blanket. He's a legit weapon.
Todd Gurley had a distinctly better air of happiness to his running on Sunday. He found the end zone, and although he only ran for 40 yards on 19 carries, he looked closer to his old self than he did that miserable 2016 version. It's pretty clear playing in a middle school offense all of last year wore on him.
And Sammy Watkins also finished 5 for 5 in terms of targets and catches. Goff might have multiple viable weapons on this roster now, along with a half decent running game.
by Will Brinson
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...egit-sacksonville-and-more-to-know-in-week-1/
The approximately 345 people sitting in the Los Angeles Coliseum got a real rarity on Sunday afternoon: a Rams team playing good football. Los Angeles' on-again-off-again franchise hung a forty burger on the woeful, Andrew Luck-less Colts. And Indy was a big story here: they are a trash football team capable of competing for the top pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. But do not sleep on the possibility of the Rams -- and I swear I'm saying this with a straight face -- competing for the NFC West title.
Sweeping generalizations after one week of football are stupid, but not stupider than preseason predictions. And being nimble with respect to adjusting to what you saw in the first week of the season is critical when you move forward. And what we saw was the Rams, who won by a final of 46-9, looking good in a number of different phases.
For starters, Jared Goff looks like a different quarterback. It would be hard not to perform better than his ugly rookie season last year, but the leap from Jeff Fisher's offense to Sean McVay's paid immediate dividends. Last year, according to Pro Football Focus, Goff went 4 of 17 on targets that were 20 yards or more down the field. No bueno.
It was a totally different story on Sunday, with Goff going vertical with great frequency.
via NFL.com / Next Gen Stats
Yes, that is four 20-plus yard passes on Sunday alone, including a dime to rookie receiver Cooper Kupp.
Kupp, who finished the day with four catches (on six targets) for 76 yards and a touchdown, is going to be a hot name on the Fantasy waiver wire this week, and with good reason. He could be a PPR monster, and he's going to become Goff's security blanket. He's a legit weapon.
Todd Gurley had a distinctly better air of happiness to his running on Sunday. He found the end zone, and although he only ran for 40 yards on 19 carries, he looked closer to his old self than he did that miserable 2016 version. It's pretty clear playing in a middle school offense all of last year wore on him.
And Sammy Watkins also finished 5 for 5 in terms of targets and catches. Goff might have multiple viable weapons on this roster now, along with a half decent running game.
