FEATURE 10 Observations - Rams @ Broncos

[brucebruce]

The collapses:​

2025 — Philadelphia:
Rams led by 19 points in the third quarter before losing 33-26. Philadelphia scored 26 unanswered points.

2025 — Seattle:
Rams led 30-14 with under 8:30 remaining in the fourth quarter and somehow lost 38-37 in overtime.

2026 — Denver:
Rams led 16-0 at halftime, were outscored 16-0 in the third quarter, and ultimately lost 30-26.

That's three losses after holding 16+ point leads in roughly a season's worth of football.

Special teams doomed the philly game. and the other two games as well. tush push reffing was abysmal.

Seattle and Denver are both wins if not for the refs.

Some troubling rams play/coaching aspects of those games however. Can't be perfect but noting wrong with hoping the same glaring mistakes arent repeated.

 

[brucebruce]

Wow. This is the most HORRIFIC analysis I can ever recall watching. Talk about players lack of effort and desire, this is a perfect example of that. Disgusting isn't even a fitting description. What's a word worse than disgusting?

Here's a clip of a special teams player that shows what effort and desire can be like. Why aren't the Rams special teamers playing like this?


View: https://x.com/_DarthRaider_/status/2099264489086681423?s=20

rams dont have the special teams talent.

and xavier smith is playing scared. he's got the yips physically and mentally. i dont think he stays in horns for very long...trade incoming. same for the gunner positions.

 

[jacktheripper85]

My biggest criticism of Sean McVay isn’t his offense. It’s how conservative the Rams seem to be in almost every other phase of the game.


On special teams, the philosophy often feels like “don’t screw up” rather than “make something happen.” Protect the football, don’t commit a penalty, secure the next possession. Obviously those things matter, but where is the aggressive approach? Where are the blocked punts, explosive returns, pressure looks and attempts to actually steal a possession or flip a game?


I see something similar defensively. The Rams acquire corners capable of playing man coverage, yet far too often they sit back in soft zones seemingly terrified of surrendering the big play. But what exactly are you preventing if an opponent can methodically go 70 yards on a 10-play drive, picking up 5–7 yards at a time? Eventually that’s just another touchdown.


I’d rather see the Rams occasionally get burned while being aggressive than constantly watch quarterbacks comfortably take what’s underneath. Challenge receivers. Bring pressure. Disguise coverages. Force quarterbacks into difficult decisions and give your defense opportunities to create sacks and turnovers.


That’s the common thread for me: McVay seems willing to attack on offense but much more risk-averse everywhere else.


And I think that puts too much pressure on his offense. It’s almost as if the underlying philosophy is that defense and special teams shouldn’t lose the game, while Stafford and the offense are expected to go win it.


With the personnel the Rams have assembled, I’d like to see the entire team adopt more of McVay’s offensive mentality: attack rather than react. Create negative plays. Create turnovers. Create field position. Take some calculated risks.


Sometimes preventing mistakes isn’t enough. Championship teams also have to create them.

 

[Cjcinec]

Man I have a hard time hanging this loss on two players. I get it but that feels too harsh. If we can find a better returner than Smith we would all be pleased. Not many teams have a former starting CB backing up their first teamers. Like Smith, Forbes has had some good games but both have limitations not least consistency

That, consistency, is admittedly one of the worst problems for a coach and the team

A former starter that was so coveted he got cut in year 2 of his rookie contract. He was a bust in Washington and has continued to be a bust in LA. With your logic the Rams would also be fortunate to have a former starter like Jamarcus Russell as a backup QB. Facts matter

 

[XXXIVwin]

Once again... we'd have a sweet "celebration thread" going if it weren't for special teams.
We are in the BOTTOM of the league in this category. You just simply can't keep giving your O a long field to march down, and your D a short field to defend. It's too much. Bubba was supposed to fix this problem, but it's almost just as bad as '25 if not worse.
This guy is a ST's fanatic, and has dedicated a whole 15 mins to the Rams's ST problems. He covers NFL & NCAA stuff, and knows what he's talking about. And for him to dedicate a long video to our crappy ST's play, is saying something.


View: https://youtu.be/Dt8c3WyildE

I'm gonna bump this post because this video is worth watching.

I've only watched half of it so far, but the analyst is right, this poor play makes me want to puke. I didn't realize quite how awful the execution was on ST. Embarrassing.

Only thing I miss is a clearer view of the player numbers and therefore who the most frequent culprits are. So far I've seen 2 or 3 PATHETIC plays by Forbes and one by Whittington.

This video is a total shit show but important to watch.

 

[0311rams]

So what happens in meetings when they are showing this on the big screen? " we are better than this" " gotta give 110%, sacrifice for the team, yeah that's right. "

 

[DzRams]

That’s the common thread for me: McVay seems willing to attack on offense but much more risk-averse everywhere else.

Good analysis overall. I would modify this statement, though. McVay attacks on offense until he gets a lead. Once he's about 14 points up, he stops attacking, no matter how much time is left.

This is why I say that he's conservative and risk-averse by nature. That won't change.

 

[dang]

Re-watching game. First half observations:

-stupid penalties kept Rams from scoring 2 touchdowns/ settled for FGs. Shoulda been 24-0 at half.
-Corum sucks as a receiver. Connors can help out there.
-Riley Moss CB Denver was so bad. Rams should’ve exposed him more.
-Broncos put very little pressure on Stafford during passing downs.
-Ferguson was gonna be a big game weapon against. out with 9 minutes in Q2. Wish Staff had connected with him earlier.
-Mump might just be our WR3. Good to find that out early in the season. Would not have occurred if Nacua/Adams/Ferguson were all playing.
-Tae proved he is WR1B. Not a WR2.
-Mevis confidence went up 80%. Will need that for rest of season.
-Rams need an ILB that can pass cover.
-Rams gonna need help if Watson is out for more than next 2 games.
-First half proved Rams are a SB contender. they need to make some adjustments and stay healthy to solidify that.
-Bo Nix sux Dix.

 

[OntarioRam]

I thought this might have been Kyren's best game as a Ram. Looked to me like we struggled run blocking on many plays, and he made something out of nothing.

Adams looks incredible. Like a bonafide WR1. Not sure how he is doing it as his age. He has been more of a 1B the past few years, with red zone specialist upside on top of it. He's playing like a top 10 wideout...

Honestly, an encouraging performance overall, aside from special teams. How can we be so bad there year after year after year?

Needed to be better in the red zone but that's an incredible defense, in a very tough place to play, missing some key offensive weapons.

Worried about the secondary with Watson out. It sure seemed like a lot of space in the passing game opened up after he exited...

We definitely need to close out games we hold leads in, but I won't be too hard on this year's Rams squad yet. Typically, your pass rush is your closer. We're missing Garrett. And Donald is still getting back into top shape.

 

[Merlin]

Does Stafford's final line include the TD pass to the defense? Because the timing on that was just about as bad as possible.

Also it seemed to me that part of the problem on that play was the RB trying to position himself for more yards and not attacking the ball. But it was still Stafford's fault. You don't put the ball on our backs and hope they win it vs a DB. They're not skilled enough as receivers to do that and McVay made it clear Connors isn't going to play other than on special teams.

 

[Steve808]

Re-watching game. First half observations:
-Rams need an ILB that can pass cover.

I don't know what was discussed in closed doors, etc. But trading Ernest Jones, IMO, cost the Rams lats year's super bowl. EJ made a critical play on the Bengals first drive in SB 56 when he tipped a pass on 4th down.

 

[Steve808]

My biggest criticism of Sean McVay isn’t his offense. It’s how conservative the Rams seem to be in almost every other phase of the game.

I see something similar defensively. The Rams acquire corners capable of playing man coverage, yet far too often they sit back in soft zones seemingly terrified of surrendering the big play. But what exactly are you preventing if an opponent can methodically go 70 yards on a 10-play drive, picking up 5–7 yards at a time?


I’d rather see the Rams occasionally get burned while being aggressive than constantly watch quarterbacks comfortably take what’s underneath. Challenge receivers. Bring pressure. Disguise coverages. Force quarterbacks into difficult decisions and give your defense opportunities to create sacks and turnovers.

This is what bothers me. I agree with your points. Against the whiners, I would rather pressure purdy and force him into a mistake instead of allowing him to gain 3-4-5-6 yards on nearly every play. Then you have an 18 play drive taking up 7 minutes. Longest play from scrimmage is 8-10 yards. Because rat boy will take what you give him all day long. I would rather blitz and count on our corners. If you get burned, at least your defense isn't out there for close to 20 plays and surrendering a TD anyway. And IMO, if you take away the short middle and the check downs to CMC/dweebo. what is left for purdy other than longer sideline passes where he could make mistake or his arm strength under pressure might not be all that. The chefs lost Mcduffy and Watson but their defense looks better than the Rams.

 

[TheTackle]

A former starter that was so coveted he got cut in year 2 of his rookie contract. He was a bust in Washington and has continued to be a bust in LA. With your logic the Rams would also be fortunate to have a former starter like Jamarcus Russell as a backup QB. Facts matter

The fact is you have ignored most everything I said

 

[Twopointtry]

The guy who made the ST video, he was a key reason I got onto Ethan Evans in his draft at a time when Evans wasn't a well-known prospect.

Instead of focusing on the negative, I want to talk about something positive. Watch the video again, but focus on my main man, Grant Stuard, jersey number 44. When we punt, he's the personal protector. On punt coverage, he's the guy in the middle of the field running backwards.

Play 1: Nice block for the punter.

Play 2: This is the one where the 2 guys supposed to block their gunner miss, allowing a 100% free runner to go straight down the field. Notice how difficult Stuard's job is, because as he's running backwards down the middle of the field, he's supposed to scan the entire width of the field and identify which coverage guy is the most dangerous, then get himself into position to block that guy. He does his job right and gets into position to get the guy the other 2 players missed at the LOS.

Play 3: On punt return unit again, this time he has to block an opponent running down the middle. As Stuard runs backwards and engages his block, he swivels his hips around, so that he can sustain his block. Try doing that at home without falling down.

Play 4: This is the play where our punt returner fields the ball at the 1-yard line and goes left when the author says the PR should have gone to the right or up the middle. Stuard has the correct angle to make the block if the PR had done anything other than go to the left.

Play 5: On punt coverage. Stuard is in perfect position to make the tackle, but our gunner loses outside containment. Not Stuard's fault. The other guy didn't do his job, which prevented Stuard from making the play.

Play 6: Okay, this is the one rep Stuard didn't do something good. Kickoff return and he missed his guy. He's human.

Play 7: Fantastic tackle, the best play by a Ram in the video. Didn't count, due to the penalty. A shame, because it was a highlight reel tackle. On the next punt that goes out of bounds, Stuard is the 1st guy downfield.

Bottom line, we got what we thought we were paying for when we signed Grant Stuard. He's doing his job well. There are breakdowns at other ST positions that are keeping him from having a more visible impact.

 

[Ramstien]

MY observation; Vinobitch sucks and the NFL is putting out a flawed product.

 

[JonRam99]

The guy who made the ST video, he was a key reason I got onto Ethan Evans in his draft at a time when Evans wasn't a well-known prospect.

Instead of focusing on the negative, I want to talk about something positive. Watch the video again, but focus on my main man, Grant Stuard, jersey number 44. When we punt, he's the personal protector. On punt coverage, he's the guy in the middle of the field running backwards.

Play 1: Nice block for the punter.

Play 2: This is the one where the 2 guys supposed to block their gunner miss, allowing a 100% free runner to go straight down the field. Notice how difficult Stuard's job is, because as he's running backwards down the middle of the field, he's supposed to scan the entire width of the field and identify which coverage guy is the most dangerous, then get himself into position to block that guy. He does his job right and gets into position to get the guy the other 2 players missed at the LOS.

Play 3: On punt return unit again, this time he has to block an opponent running down the middle. As Stuard runs backwards and engages his block, he swivels his hips around, so that he can sustain his block. Try doing that at home without falling down.

Play 4: This is the play where our punt returner fields the ball at the 1-yard line and goes left when the author says the PR should have gone to the right or up the middle. Stuard has the correct angle to make the block if the PR had done anything other than go to the left.

Play 5: On punt coverage. Stuard is in perfect position to make the tackle, but our gunner loses outside containment. Not Stuard's fault. The other guy didn't do his job, which prevented Stuard from making the play.

Play 6: Okay, this is the one rep Stuard didn't do something good. Kickoff return and he missed his guy. He's human.

Play 7: Fantastic tackle, the best play by a Ram in the video. Didn't count, due to the penalty. A shame, because it was a highlight reel tackle. On the next punt that goes out of bounds, Stuard is the 1st guy downfield.

Bottom line, we got what we thought we were paying for when we signed Grant Stuard. He's doing his job well. There are breakdowns at other ST positions that are keeping him from having a more visible impact.

yes -- I was wondering about him. Great pick up. We need like 5 more of him lol.

 

[Cjcinec]

The fact is you have ignored most everything I said

Sorry but I stopped reading after the line that said the Rams were fortunate to have Emmanuel Forbes. I simply can’t possibly see why.

 

[swmizzou83]

The only thing I disagree with is the Stafford point. He just made the wrong read on that play. He had the outside WR wide open on a slant and tried to hit the flat that wasn't open whatsoever.

 

[Ram65]

I'm gonna bump this post because this video is worth watching.

I've only watched half of it so far, but the analyst is right, this poor play makes me want to puke. I didn't realize quite how awful the execution was on ST. Embarrassing.

Only thing I miss is a clearer view of the player numbers and therefore who the most frequent culprits are. So far I've seen 2 or 3 PATHETIC plays by Forbes and one by Whittington.

This video is a total shit show but important to watch.

I've seen the same things in the video and been commenting on poor execution as far back as last year, IIRC. The execution on receiving and kicking punts has been horrible. Other teams have players that can execute blocks and cover. Why the Rams have not been able to fix this is a mystery.

 

[TheTackle]

Sorry but I stopped reading after the line that said the Rams were fortunate to have Emmanuel Forbes. I simply can’t possibly see why.

I don’t remember writing that so please share the quote. One has been waived after his inconsistency, which, rather than you, I did call out

I have to say I haven’t paid any attention to what you have written but will look forward to doing so now LOL