Was anyone Mic'd up for last nights game? Please let it be AD - I would love to hear audio of the speech he gave to his defense in the 4th quarter.

The Rams and 49ers have an old and very heated rivalry. That is to be expected and, indeed, desired, given that they are long-time divisional foes who, for most of their history, were also cross-state rivals. And, from a head-to-head standpoint, the teams have been competitive (the 49ers have a 75-68-3 records all-time against the Rams).

It has not, however, been what I would call a respectful rivalry - at least not from the 49ers end of the equation. From Ken Norton, Jr. (who, ironically, was just fired by Seattle) punching the goal post, to Dana Stubblefield coining the phrase "same old sorry ass Rams" (SOSAR), there has always been an element of taunting and face-rubbing by the 49ers and their faithful.

Then came yesterday's game, and a chance for the Rams to finally slay the demon from San Francisco.

The 49ers thought they were the tougher, more physical team that could bully the "Hollywood" Rams. But, from the early stages, that identity devolved into dirty, rather than tough and physical, tactics.

It seemed that their number one target was Odell Beckham, Jr. On the Rams first drive, they delivered a head shot that sent OBJ to the sideline pointing to the refs and demanding a flag. They added a late hit/taunting penalty later, as well as a targeting head shot by Jimmy Ward.

Perhaps they thought they could intimidate OBJ and get him off his game. Perhaps they thought he'd lose his cool and (much like Tom Brady and Ndamukong Suh last week) draw a flag by retaliating. But it didn't work. OBJ kept in the game and was a key player with 9 receptions for 113 yards.

But, even more than the on-field heroics, perhaps OBJ's most noteworthy moment came after the final gun. He, amidst the celebration of a Super Bowl birth, ran to the 49ers sideline and showed respect, sympathy and compassion for Deebo Samuel - a player who has done his share of taunting as he plagued the Rams in recent matchups.

Rivals, but respectful rivals. OBJ showed the taunting, gloating, pretenders from the North how to win with class.

SOSAR is dead.

Havenstein kicked ass yesterday.

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EDIT: Add in some more info.

Rams PFF grades: Best and worst performers vs. 49ers in NFC title game

Rob Havenstein, A’Shawn Robinson and Cooper Kupp were among the Rams’ top-graded players from the NFC Championship Game

theramswire.usatoday.com

Rams PFF grades: Best and worst performers vs. 49ers in NFC title game​

​

Cameron DaSilva

January 31, 2022 8:56 am PT


The Rams mounted a comeback against the 49ers on Sunday night to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl, winning the NFC Championship Game 20-17 at home. They’ll now meet the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, seeking the first championship of the Sean McVay era.
It took a dramatic rally in the fourth quarter for the Rams to pull out the win, eliminating the team that had beaten them six times in a row. Matthew Stafford was clutch, Cooper Kupp was his usually dominant self and Jalen Ramsey allowed nothing in coverage, as the Rams’ biggest stars stepped up in the second half.

Pro Football Focus’ grades show who played well and who struggled a bit in the NFC title game.

Top 3 offense​

• RT Rob Havenstein: 90.1
• WR Cooper Kupp: 84.3
• QB Matthew Stafford: 82.9

Havenstein had a difficult matchup with Nick Bosa on the right side and he won that battle, which was a difference in the game. He allowed just two pressures and zero sacks, while also posting a 93.7 run-blocking grade – his best of the season. His 90.1 overall grade was the highest of his career.
Kupp could not be covered by the 49ers, no matter who matched up with him. He caught 11 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns, none bigger than his 25-yard reception on third down late in the game to set up Matt Gay’s game-winning field goal.
Stafford was only pegged with one turnover-worthy play despite throwing an end zone interception and nearly getting picked by Jaquiski Tartt in the fourth quarter. He was sharp throughout the game outside of three poor throws, racking up 337 yards and two touchdowns against a good 49ers defense.

Top 3 defense​

• DE A’Shawn Robinson: 79.1
• LB Travin Howard: 73.3
• CB Jalen Ramsey: 73.0

Robinson lived in the backfield when the 49ers tried to run the ball. He made four stops and had six total tackles, registering one pressure as a pass rusher. He made several tackles right at the line of scrimmage, thwarting any attempt by the 49ers to run the ball up the middle.
Howard played 24 snaps and was in coverage for 17 of them, allowing just two receptions on three targets for a total of 3 yards. He’s been an underrated player for the Rams this postseason.
Garoppolo targeted Ramsey only twice in the game and both times, Ramsey nearly came down with an interception. His second pass deflection hit him in the chest and he’s surely kicking himself for not picking it off, but Ramsey still played a fantastic game in coverage.

Bottom 3 offense​

• RB Cam Akers: 53.6
• WR Ben Skowronek: 50.8
• WR Van Jefferson: 48.6

Akers didn’t have much running room but he still managed to gain 48 yards on 13 carries – including a nice 14-yarder up the middle to get the Rams into the red area early in the game. But he didn’t force a single missed tackle, which is why PFF was down on him.
Skowronek didn’t catch any passes but he had the opportunity to score a touchdown in the biggest game of his life. He had a deep pass clank off his hands in the end zone, a costly drop that resulted in a scoreless drive.
Jefferson was targeted five times and caught just two of them for 9 yards. He didn’t drop any passes but he didn’t get open very often, either.

Bottom 3 defense​

• S Nick Scott: 54.6
• NT Greg Gaines: 44.8
• LB Troy Reeder: 28.2

It’s hard to understand why Scott’s grade was so low. He made five tackles and didn’t miss any, also allowing just one catch for 2 yards in coverage. His big hit on Deebo Samuel over the middle caused an incompletion, the third straight week he made a great play in coverage to prevent a big play.
Gaines’ grade was also surprisingly low. He made three tackles and recorded one pressure, stepping up to make three stops – third-most on the team. He did miss one tackle but Gaines played better than his grade suggests.
Reeder was very clearly the weakest link on defense. He missed four tackles, allowed six catches for 87 yards on seven targets in coverage and found himself out of position regularly. He was no match for Elijah Mitchell, Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk.

Other notables​

• WR Odell Beckham Jr.: 81.0
• LT Andrew Whitworth: 73.9
• TE Kendall Blanton: 71.4
• DT Aaron Donald: 66.9
• S Eric Weddle: 64.8
• OLB Von Miller: 64.3

Beckham recorded his second-highest grade as a member of the Rams, catching nine passes for 113 yards. He still has room for improvement as a blocker, but that’s not why the Rams brought him in. Beckham was a stud receiver on Sunday.
Whitworth allowed a sack to Samson Ebukam and gave up four total pressures, but PFF still liked the way he played despite struggling a little bit in pass protection.
Blanton came up huge with Tyler Higbee injured, catching five passes for 57 yards – including a 20-yarder to get the Rams into the red zone three plays before Kupp’s second touchdown.
Donald was quiet for most of the night but he came alive in the fourth quarter, recording three pressures in the last 15 minutes. He finished with four total pressures and one stop in the game, hitting Garoppolo twice.
Weddle made a team-high five stops and had nine tackles, playing every single snap. His turnaround from retired to starting safety has been remarkable to see.
Miller only pressured Garoppolo three times and made two tackles, which is the reason for his lower grade.

I just woke up and consequently haven’t read every thread before posting this so if I repeat another’s thoughts, my apologies in advance.

Here goes…

Well, nobody is laughing at Snead’s team building strategy this morning, huh? Draft picks are nice but proven stars are better IF one can find gems in the mid to late rounds plus FA. Bet Snead can’t stop smiling this morning.

There were some doubters among the pundits but many of us were convinced that Rams were among the top 4-5 NFC teams long ago. As such, they deserved to be in SB conversations all along.

Something to think about. Both the Bengals and the Rams had to overcome substantial deficits to achieve their respective come-from-behind wins. I think that speaks well for the character and leadership on both teams. There’s no quit in either team.

Zack Taylor and Sean McVay, Two under-40 HC’s, good friends, both obviously from the same coaching tree and from the same staff now meeting in the SB. Can you imagine how McVay must feel like a proud papa? Wow!

The final 8 field in this year’s playoffs was as fine as I can remember. The exciting games were confirmation of that perception, imo.

I’ve been a critic of Morris through the first 10-12 games, heaven knows. And even now we could nitpick certain things if we wanted. Such as not putting Ramsey on opponent’s biggest weapon, going too soon back to soft zone after Rams get a 2 score lead, starting Rapp over Scott, DW’s regression, Burgess’ regression, etc. However… Morris DID start to make meaningful adjustments in the last third of the season (possibly after McVay ‘suggested’ them?) and the results were dramatic. I loved the ‘new’ aggression Morris suddenly revealed. About the same time as Rams went on their winning streak. Cough, cough.

Morris focused on clamping down on 49er run game and he succeeded. This forced JimmyG to beat us and, as expected, he couldn’t quite do it. I’m a huge results oriented person and Morris got the desired results. The 49ers are a quality team and they deserved to be in this game. Hell, they were leading by 10 points late. My point is that Morris deserves monster kudos for this D effort. This was Rams 1st win against these guys in 7 tries, something that Phillips and Staley couldn’t do.

Having said all that, it wouldn’t break my heart if Morris left if promoted to HC somewhere else. If he stays I will look forward to the 2 comp picks when he does inevitably leave. It’s a win-win situation for me whether Morris stays or goes, IOW. Here’s the thing, imo ANY competent DC could achieve Top 5 ranking with the personnel on this D roster. And I trust McVay to hire a very competent DC if Morris gets promoted.

Blanton had a very good game, but I’m hoping that Higbee will be healthy by kickoff time. I want our ‘beast’ back for the SB. Fingers crossed.

I was surprised and pleased to see Akers able to return. Shoulder injury on a RB is no small thing. Akers must be one tough Mofo. He just keeps impressing me.

I’m thinking that Stafford has entered some kind of ‘playoff zone’ kinda level. Three straight quality playoff performances in a row. If Skow makes that catch and Gay makes that FG this game would have been a MUCH more comfortable 4th quarter for us fans. One more quality game from Stafford and I think we’re gonna be very happy campers after this SB.

Both OBJ and Miller have exceeded my expectations as to positive impact for our Rams. I’ll admit it. I seriously doubt that we make it to SB without both of them, especially after the Woods injury. Can Rams afford to extend them? At least one of them? I dunno…

Nick Scott has earned the starting position don’t you think? In fact, I now wonder why he wasn’t starting sooner.

I’ll admit rolling my eyes when Weddle was signed. Boy, was I wrong. He’s not the player he once was, of course, but he’s as smart as ever and has been able help this D with both tangible and intangible benefits.

Howard has been a breath of fresh air, hasn’t he? Hope he can stay healthy for one more game.

Reeder, OTOH, is our weakest link. He will always be the one that opponents will first attack. Here’s hoping that Jones can be effective in the SB. I don’t want to think what a QB like Burrow could do to Reeder in the big game.

There’s been something ‘wrong’ with Gay last 2 games. Sure hope he’s back to normal by gametime. This could come down to a last second FG in the SB. I mean, that’s the way it’s been going throughout these entire playoffs, right?

I want to encourage everybody not to underestimate these Bengals. They are legit and deserve to be here. They survived a murderers row of AFC teams in the process. Their QB is looking like a generational talent with ice water in his veins and they have talent sprinkled throughout their roster. Plus, they are resilient and resourceful, quite capable of overcoming a monster lead held by the Chiefs, obviously. Truly a worthy opponent.

OK, we likely have too many threads on this, but in re-watching the game there was one play that perfectly demonstrates who he is, and why he is so important to this team.

After the easy interception is dropped, that for all intents and purposes would have ended the game and their season, THE VERY NEXT PLAY he throws a 30-yd dime to OBJ (who predictably gets cheapshotted for 15 more yards)...

The STONES on this guy are legendary. Bad pass? F it. Watch this one. BAM!

Mods, merge if you like, but I'm so pumped I had to post this separately.

I'm sitting here drinking the best cup of coffee I may have ever had. What's so wonderful about it?

Is it the flavor? Was it the choice of grind? The preparation, press or brew?

All that helped but no.

So what is it?

Last week I watched my team push THE GOAT to retire while also seeing my QB deliver perhaps one of the best F U's to one of the biggest jackasses in all of football to do it.

And then yesterday I watched my team rip the absolute heart out of their arch-rival with yet another fabulous 4th quarter performance from my QB. I watched Deebo Samuel, a player I absolutely despise get his ass beat, more than once. And then, as if more were even required, I got to watch him cry on the sideline like a little fucking girl.

Yeah, this is one damn fucking good cup o' joe...

I'm hoping Sebastian Joseph Day and Darrell Henderson.
Higbee?
Noteboom?

Props to big Whit this is one of the reasons we all love him. And fuck Joe Staley, niner players and niner fans.

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Now i know we were cheated and robbed of this SB; however we may have been a bit complacent. Especially with only a week between games.

GSOT, Super Bowl Champions, vs. a Rookie unknow QB who we were favored against.

I dont think AD, VON, Staff, McVay, Kupp, Whit let that happen.

Go Rams...hopefully this will be a Pro Ram Crowd, every little bit will help.

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That crowd reaction. My gawd.

Happy for You guys and Stafford. Thanks for beating the 49ers!

https://nflcdns.nfl.com/liveupdate/gamecenter/58835/LA_Gamebook.pdf


Offense


Defense


ST

Alright, we went to Tampa and brought back the W.

Would love to do it again for the Lombardi. Post any details here...

Most likely ill be Solo as my son probably cant make it.

Haven’t found anything on him outside cognates to return? Will he be available for the SB?


I firmly believe of him and Higbee are available we win this bitch! I can’t watch Reeder’s impersonation of Craig Dahl any longer.

Robert Woods is one of the people whose impact on this team has been instrumental in getting the Rams to TWO Campbell games in 5 years.

Every SB winner gives out rings to players who had little to do with achieving it.
In the case of Bobby Trees, nobody on the sideline would deserve it more. His own impact on the Rams culture, go-to-work mindset, selfless, the toughness as well as being the "driver" who has carried McVays offense in so many games over this period...
I'm happy we have OBJ. What a great piece to add, he's been vital.
But there's also some recency bias and new-toy mindset that I think probably tends to lead people to underestimate just how good Woods is and what kind of impact he could be having on these games.

Thanks for helping this team be great Robert Woods!

Joe Burrough looks like the real deal but I know our defense is way better than KC. How do my Rams brothers see the matchups? I feel more confident than against the cheatriots since the bengals are unlikely to cheat but do we have advantages because of experience?

I believe our defense can win this game and our offense will score points but out front 7 will dominate. I hope I'm not wrong.

Biggest 4th qtr comeback in NFL Championship game history…

Can we get someone to post some links or copy and paste some gold for us. I don't know where to look

I may have missed it. Any news on Higbee?

So, I'm not really a jersey guy. Very few players over the years have inspired me enough to buy, much less wear another man's name on my shirt. I have a Nolan Ryan and a signed Jack Youngblood, the only 2 cats you could say were 'heroes' of mine from my youth. Then this last September, my wife starts putting pressure on me to come up with things I want for Christmas, as my mother-in-law (a real sweetheart) was determined to spoil me. After I delivered one of my famous, long blank looks, she asked brightly if I wanted a Rams jersey. (It was her mother, you see, that got me the Younglood jersey years ago. Of course, it being signed, I never wore it.) I rolled with this, as it seemed a promising way to shorten the conversation. Again, not being interested in wearing someone else's number, I suggested a personalized one. She asked what number, I told her '9'. Fast forward to Christmas Day, and with much fanfare, I open my package...and the beautiful, bone-colored Rams jersey, with my name proudly on the back...and the number '09'. Without skipping a beat, I donned the funny-lookin thing and rode out the rest of Christmas day. On the ride home, still wearing the jersey, mind you, I slipped up and revealed to my wife her inadvertent gaffe. I should have kept my fukin mouth shut, but I couldn't, because I'm stupid. So now she's all upset, kicking herself all the way home. And as the days go by, she won't let it go, and now I'm startin to feel bad. So I wear it for the Cardinals playoff game...well, you can probably guess the rest. The 09 jersey is now 3-0. The Lucky 09. And ya, I'll be wearing that goofy fuckin thing to work tomorrow, to show it off to all the Whiner fans. And I'll put it on again in two weeks, when we beat the brakes off the Bangles.

To the PLAYERS, I'll never question your toughness ever again. You stood up, and knocked the 49ers out when it mattered most. I'm so proud of you all, and thankful for you all.

To the COACHES, I know we go through turmoil and questionable decisions, but I'm so thankful for you all. And wouldn't trade you you for anything.

To the FRONT OFFICE AND OWNER, thank you for being so aggressive, and putting now before the future year after year and it paying off.

To you fellow FANS, I love you all. I know I'm just the drunk, hog farming, arm rest GM/COACH who knows most things all the time (obviously), but I really do respect and appreciate each and every one of you. We may have our disagreements, and arguments, but that's our PASSION. I wouldn't trade any of you for anything.

Congrats to us all, RAMS NATION.

ONE. MORE. GAME.

Mine are.....

Kuppbeast.. What a game he had. Wow

Mr. Scott.. Wow what a clean hit that was. It came at a great time. The Whiners were playing dirty/chippy. He sent a message I feel.

Blanton... What a game this kid had.. Maybe not as good as Higbee, but he stepped it up. God bless.

What a game my fellow Rams fans.. Wow..

He made the Higbee injury less impactful. He's caught everything thrown his way, that flea flicker screen was fantastic.

I know that we came from behind and the 9ers dropped that sure INT in the 4th quarter. But this game felt different - we were stopping them with a good level of confidence at the line of scrimmage, players were running open when we had the ball. We could move the chains. I was nervous but it felt like we were going to come back and win. You could see that the D were going to get that final stop. And now we are in the Super Bowl!!! LFG!