20 Random Some Blame, No Shame, Tough Game Thoughts

[Tumak61]

Not finishing in the redzone is why the Rams lost this game.

 

[Londoner]

Not finishing in the redzone is why the Rams lost this game.

It's one of three factors.

The defence didn't turn up until half time and there were several dubious decisions from the zebras.

To blame it on just one thing is over-simplistic.

 

[Tano]

Don't forget the beautiful long TD pass to Puka on 3rd and 1.

That one didn't bother me if it fell incomplete since I believe we would have gone for it on 4th down

 

[Ram_Rally]

Don't forget the beautiful long TD pass to Puka on 3rd and 1.

That wasn't 50/50 though. Puka was wide open.

 

[BobbyOrr4]

1. Tough way to end a great run.

2. Not much to analyze here. The loss comes down to two things...

3. First... defense took too long to get into the game. Allowing three consecutive TD drives to start the game usually means a blowout loss.

4. Second... Red Zone offense failures were the difference. Sean McVay needs to go back to the drawing board and come up with some new twists for those 10 yard field scenarios. Can't just rely on Cooper Kupp to get open every time.

5. Yes, there was a very bad non-call on the Rams' final drive. Because of the situation (the Rams should have had a first down inside the Lions' 30), it will be amplified. We shouldn't have needed that call, though, so I'll only put so much blame there.

6. So let's talk good things... my co-offensive players of the game are Matthew Staford and Puka Nacua.

7. Stafford was a warrior. He made amazing throws all night, took a pounding, and shed some blood. Lions fans know that they are fortunate he didn't get one more opportunity to win the game.

8. Nacua was amazing. How do you finish a record setting season? By breaking the rookie record for receiving yards in a playoff game, of course. He's going to be a fan favorite for a long time.

9. You do have to give the defensive coaching staff and players credit for turning things around in the second half. By stopping the first down runs and bringing an extra man to pressure Goff, they held the Lions to 3 points in the second half.

10. My defensive player of the game is Ernest Jones, who was able to consistently pressure Jared Goff. He finished with 9 tackles and 2 sacks.

11. The Rams MUST figure out how not to waste time outs. Its one thing when it happens in the first half to keep key drives going but, in the second half, time outs are precious. Had the Rams not wasted two of their second half allotment, the defense would have had one more opportunity to give Stafford the ball back.

12. I'm happy for the Lions, the city of Detroit, Jared Goff, and even Josh Reynolds. Certainly, I'll be pulling for them to keep the hated 49ers from reaching the Super Bowl.

13. I'm not going to go too deeply into the offseason plan in this list (I'll do an offseason to-do list soon), but I do think this game revealed some pretty obvious areas that need improvement.

14. First, we need another pass rusher. No big surprise there. Aaron Donald gets double and triple teamed on every play, in part, because the Rams don't have enough guys to make opposing teams pay for doing so. Kobie Turner and Byron Young will continue to improve, but if you add another top EDGE to that mix (and there are several who are likely to hit free agency), that could make a big difference.

15. Second, we need more talent at the cornerback position. That could prove to be our first round target.

16. I'm sure there's a lot of disappointment in the Rams' locker room but, when the smoke clears, I have to believe there is a lot of optimism for the future.

17. How you go out matters. The Cowboys were the No. 2 seed and they have to go into the offseason after getting blown out in their own house. The Dolphins will look back on a late season collapse and a non-competitive finish. The Browns thought they had a top defense, and got shredded by a rookie QB. We'll look back on a disappointing loss, but nobody humbled us in the last 9 games we played.

18. Stafford was not able to take his old team down, but he definitely reminded the Lions' faithful how good he is and how tough he is.

19. And so, another season ends. Most of us have been following the team for decades, and only two years ended without disappointment. Still, this one feels... hopeful. After a few days to get over this outcome, I'm going to be fired up for what could be a very enjoyable offseason.

20. We'll be back!!!

That ^^^^ Good post!

 

[AvengerRam]

20 RT Footnote…

Will the Super Bowl 56ers be back for (at least) one more run?

McVay - 100%

Stafford - 100%

Donald - 99% (could be his swan song, but $30M and one more shot bring him back)

Kupp - 100%

Havenstein - 100% (look at his contract)

Higbee - 90% (we’ll see if he suffered a major injury, but contract keeps him here)

Shelton - 75% (at a fair price, he returns, I believe)

Jones - 100%

Fuller - 50% (replaceable if he wants big FA $)

 

[snackdaddy]

Not finishing in the redzone is why the Rams lost this game.

Yeah, its pretty simple. The other team finished with touchdowns. We finished with field goals.

 

[AvengerRam]

Yeah, its pretty simple. The other team finished with touchdowns. We finished with field goals.

Absolutely the Occam’s Razor answer to the question “why did the Rams lose yesterday?”

 

[Classic Rams]

View: https://x.com/FB_Helmet_Guy/status/1746719085289677297?s=20

Actually a 1954 pic since the Ram jersey #s had no outline in 1952.

 

[JimY53]

Actually a 1954 pic since the Ram jersey #s had no outline in 1952.

I guess the Lions guy who posted didn't know ... but good catch. And in 1952 the LDE wold have been Larry Brink, not Wadlow. Brink was #83

 

[dieterbrock]

Joe Frazier may have lost the Thrilla in Manila, but he had nothing to be ashamed of. Neither do the Rams.

Pure gold!
Very well said

 

[oldnotdead]

I think they will be but not to the extend most here assume they would be. The FAs they will probably target are those like Dotson coming off their rookie contract who aren't being tagged. The Ram approach seems to be about sustainability. IMO I think the high priced hired gun might be a thing of the past for the Rams.

Splash signings are fun but it begs the question why can't they draft the players they need? Case in point they need a successor to QB1 and I think they are best served with a fuck them picks approach. Turner and Young showed they can draft impact pass rushers. There are a couple of young (mid 20) CBs that might become available but FAs might be viewed as bandaids like Witherspoon and Dotson.

I would like them to bring back Dotson and Witherspoon but it wouldn't surprise me if they lose both in FA. Jackson will get one more year to show he's the future at LT with a tender. Brian Allen will be replaced by McAllister and Shelton will be their starter going forward. What they will do at RT will be determined largely by the draft. Havensteins vulnerability to wide 9 speed came back to haunt him. He's got a big price tag this coming season. Noteboom's plantar fasciitis could be deemed to be a chronic condition ending his future with the Rams even as depth. The FA market for RTs doesn't look good.

Wentz might sign a one year deal because I don't see him getting the offers he might want. Then again if they draft their QB1 to be they won't need a backup other than a QB3.

Much of their defensive needs will depend upon who is DC next year and going forward. They have their starting safeties in Lake and Yeast. Durant needs more time as a starter before they can completely pass judgment.

The bottom line is I think their splash will be made via the draft more than in free agency. I think FA signings will become their way of finding bridge players like Dotson and Witherspoon as they develop via the draft. The FAs then become comp picks.

 

[AvengerRam]

Rams return to Detroit in 2024!

 

[Flatlyner]

The redzone inefficiencies were very frustrating. We could and should have had 2 more TD's (minus 2 FG's, so 8 more points) but McVay wanted to pound the left corner fade, an (at best) 50% chance. Confused why we couldn't have pounded it 3 times with Kyren and put a TD on the board.

One other gripe that nobody has control over but frustrated the hell out of me, we were the only team on the field affected by injuries. Lost Kyren for clutch time, Stafford likely shouldn't have been out there (I'm sure he had a concussion, fucked up hand, hurt ribs, etc.), Puka was in the tent a couple times, Kupp didn't look healthy, and Higbee is done for a while (torn ACL). Literally all of our offensive weapons hurt. Lions? zero.

 

[AvengerRam]

The Lions D definitely gets in some borderline extra/unnecessary hits at the ends of plays. Not all should be called penalties, but they definitely got away with several that could have been flagged.

 

[AvengerRam]

20RT Footnote 2:

Re: the Red Zone failings…

On the year, the Rams were 8th in Red Zone TD%, and the Lions allowed the 5th highest RZ TD% in the league.

So…yesterday went against trend and appears to have beeen more about situational play calling and execution than a symptom of a chronic deficiency.

 

[I like Rams]

The redzone inefficiencies were very frustrating. We could and should have had 2 more TD's (minus 2 FG's, so 8 more points) but McVay wanted to pound the left corner fade, an (at best) 50% chance. Confused why we couldn't have pounded it 3 times with Kyren and put a TD on the board.

One other gripe that nobody has control over but frustrated the hell out of me, we were the only team on the field affected by injuries. Lost Kyren for clutch time, Stafford likely shouldn't have been out there (I'm sure he had a concussion, fucked up hand, hurt ribs, etc.), Puka was in the tent a couple times, Kupp didn't look healthy, and Higbee is done for a while (torn ACL). Literally all of our offensive weapons hurt. Lions? zero.

That's pretty much the only solace I have for losing this game. We win, we possibly go in limping next week, adding possibility for more serious injury. Take this season for what it is, a very good season that should have been a rebuild. Get healthy, add some talent, and make a run for the super bowl later this year.

 

[FrantikRam]

Really can't put any of this on the defense. I don't know what Detroit averages at home, but it's more than 24. The offense had the ball with a chance to take the lead or tie on EVERY possession in the second half and came up short each time. That included the defense holding them scoreless for the last 23 minutes of the game.

The officiating was bad against us, basically killing every drive - but all we needed to do was convert 1/3 red zone (which all got to or around the 10 yard line...) to TDs and we win this game. The defense and special teams played playoff winning football yesterday but the offense did not. And we would have been heading to a very winnable game and a real chance to get to the NFCCG. Possibly at home if Green Bay can knock off SF.

This one is going to really hurt for McVay I think, knowing it was ultimately on the offense here.

 

[Jacobarch]

Not finishing in the redzone is why the Rams lost this game.

Or giving up 3 TD's in the first half. Pick your poison.

Young team, makes young mistakes, they were playing tight in the first half and you could see it.

Looking forward to 24', now that the rams aren't in cap hell we can do some real damage between FA and the Draft. Really looking forward to 2024.

 

[Jacobarch]

Really can't put any of this on the defense. I don't know what Detroit averages at home, but it's more than 24. The offense had the ball with a chance to take the lead or tie on EVERY possession in the second half and came up short each time. That included the defense holding them scoreless for the last 23 minutes of the game.

The officiating was bad against us, basically killing every drive - but all we needed to do was convert 1/3 red zone (which all got to or around the 10 yard line...) to TDs and we win this game. The defense and special teams played playoff winning football yesterday but the offense did not. And we would have been heading to a very winnable game and a real chance to get to the NFCCG. Possibly at home if Green Bay can knock off SF.

This one is going to really hurt for McVay I think, knowing it was ultimately on the offense here.

See my post above. Not here to start an argument but the Defense gave up 21 in two quarters. That's not complimentary football by any means.