Green Bay week will be a barometer. I'm over all the bye week subjects

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Florida_Ram

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A lot of bye week subjects and talk about the regression of the 2021 Rams defense under tutelage of Raheem Morris.

The results are a fact even with the loss of Sebastian Joseph Day and Justin Hollins. And the other regressions of players from the 2020 season.

A lot of talk about the usage of Ramsey and the decline of Darious Williams and Jordan Fuller.

A lot of talk about Stafford regressing over the last 2 games.

A lot of talk about Von Miller (is he too old and injury prone) to make an impact over the last 7 games?

A lot of talk about OBJ (is he going stay healthy himself and make up for the huge loss of Robert Woods?

A lot of talk about McVay (Is he too much like Martz giving up on the running game even when it's working?

A lot of talk about the Special teams units looking more of the same as they did in 2020?

A lot of talk about injuries to key players. (RB Akers - OLB Hollins - DT Sebastian Joseph Day - WR Robert Woods - TE Johnny Mundt.

A lot of talk about the coaching flaws of HC/OC McVay - DC/Morris and Special Teams coordinator/DeCamillis.

A loss against the Packers will likely make the Rams a long shot wildcard contender to make a run in the playoffs.

A win against the Packers will be huge but it won't define who the Rams will be over their last 6 games.

Even If the Rams are able to pull off an upset at Green Bay, they still have very tough games left at the Vikings - at the Cardinals, versus the 49ers and at the Ravens.

Nobody knows for sure how the 2021 Rams will finish over their last 7 games.

They might have hunches but the Rams could finish the regular season 13-4, 12-5 or 11-6. They might even eek into the playoffs with a 10-7 record.

Fans have no clue what their regular season schedule record will be.

If they did, they would bet their mortgage and take a calculated risk based on their superior arm-chair quarterback observations.




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dang

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I am confident Von Miller will make a significant impact on the defense. I am confident Stafford will clean up the turnovers. I am confident Henderson/Michel will run the ball well when called on. I am confident Kupp will continue to play at the top 3 WR level he’s been playing at all season. I am confident McVay will implement an offensive game plan that will respond to adversity more effectively.
I am not so confident that the Rams will fix their soft middle on defense but I need to see them try. Recognition that Reeder is below average, DWill/Ramsey are not being used correctly, and 3rd down conversions are wearing the defense out are some key to making critical adjustments.
 

FarNorth

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I am confident Von Miller will make a significant impact on the defense. I am confident Stafford will clean up the turnovers. I am confident Henderson/Michel will run the ball well when called on. I am confident Kupp will continue to play at the top 3 WR level he’s been playing at all season. I am confident McVay will implement an offensive game plan that will respond to adversity more effectively.
I am not so confident that the Rams will fix their soft middle on defense but I need to see them try. Recognition that Reeder is below average, DWill/Ramsey are not being used correctly, and 3rd down conversions are wearing the defense out are some key to making critical adjustments.
I'm only confident about a couple of the positive things, and another of them won't matter unless the Rams actually run the ball. Agree the D needs to make critical adjustments. Agree with Florida Ram that we don't know what will happen.

But if the Rams can't win this game it will get a lot harder to envision a deep playoff run from a wildcard slot.
 

TexasRam

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We have the horses.

The right tweaks and we can be the team to beat.

But the offensive and defensive philosophies must be changed.
 

jap

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We have already beaten Dallas and Tampa. If we wack Green Bay and the Cards we will have beaten all the NFC front runners in the playoff hunt. I would love to see us go on a 7-0 RAMpage to close out the regular season, but all three phases of the team must come together for that to happen. Time to get healthy, get ready, anf get tough. Losing is not an option, and Aaron, Andrew, and Matthew need SB rings this season. At least one of that trio may not be around next year. Time for the Leprechaun to lead us to that pot of gold at the end of his rainbow!
 

leoram

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The Packers KNOW the Rams intend to run the ball. How they deploy their defense will determine whether or not the Rams will sustain it. If they load the box post snap and Hendo gets stuffed on first and second downs, did McVay really help the team? Of course not. They have to adjust on the fly like every team in every game. This is where varying the types of runs becomes a chess match. It's also why it makes sense to take a couple shots downfield early because IF they are successful, the defense has to adjust and the running game comes far more easily.

I completely understand the temptation to put Ramsey on Adams all game because that man can eviscerate a defense. I also know fans want press man coverage with a heavy rush but players like Scantling, Cobb, Adams, and St Brown are more than capable of exploiting that approach with a smart and aggressive QB like Rodgers. And don't sleep on Dillon out of the backfield because not having Aaron Jones will expand Dillon's role and he is a legit receiver on checkdowns and screens. Lewis is an outstanding blocker at TE so we will see an approach similar to how the 9'ers used Kittle to spring efficient runs. Hopefully, the injuries on their OLine afford AD, Floyd, and Miller an opportunity to make their plan moot vs the run and pass. I really expect a condensed plan by the Pack that is very similar to Shanny's and we will find out what Morris intends to do to attack it going forward. Its funny to me that fans lament the Morris hire and celebrate Staley without recognizing that Staley's defense with the Chargers is in the bottom half of the league this year. Perhaps the league studied the Rams defense in the offseason and found the weaknesses of the scheme? So now is the time when the approach expands with counters to how the offense will attack them. The hope is that these adjustment become automatic by the time the playoffs begin.
 

Rams43

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Well, this game is a biggie, huh?

A very winnable one for Rams IF…

Rams have no turnovers.

Rams receivers have minimal drops.

McVay has successfully self-scouted during the bye and made appropriate adjustments.

Morris has done the same and made appropriate adjustments.

If these 4 things all occur then Rams will win going away. But if not? Will probably be a long and excruciating afternoon for Ram fans.
 

Ram65

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One way or another the Rams have to get pressure on Rodgers and be stout against the run. Morris has his hands full. He has to mix up the coverage and not get burned on blitzes.

McVay needs to mix up the offense. A little more ball control short passes with some runs and play action. Let the offense and Stafford get in a rhythm early on.

This will be a playoff atmosphere and intensity. The Rams need to bring the intensity they have been lacking lately.
 

leoram

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I want to see more disciplined football from the Rams. They are capable of it, as they were against the Bucs. The turnovers, drops, and penalties have made them worse than they are. They were uncharacteristically sloppy the last two games.
 

Juice

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4:25 p.m. ET | Fox
Matchup rating:
83.1 | Spread: LAR -1 (47)

What to watch for: The Rams should be refreshed coming off their bye, whereas the Packers are banged up and limping toward their bye next week. The differences will be reflected most up front, where the Packers will be without three of their five preferred offensive line starters and where the Rams should have a sizable advantage on the defensive side with the likes of Aaron Donald, Leonard Floyd and Von Miller. Look for Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur to go to a quick-passing game to combat that. -- Rob Demovsky

Bold prediction: Donald will produce his second multisack game of the season. The last time the Rams star defensive tackle played at Lambeau Field, he was slowed by a rib injury, and Los Angeles fell in a divisional playoff. But with Aaron Rodgers dealing with a toe injury, the Rams' new-look defensive front -- which now includes outside linebacker Miller -- will keep the pressure on the Packers quarterback. -- Lindsey Thiry

Stat to know: Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has 37 career passing TDs against the Packers, the most all time. But his 13 career losses to them are the second most since 1950. (Fran Tarkenton had 14.)

Injuries: Rams | Packers

What to know for fantasy: Packers wide receiver Davante Adams caught a pair of touchdown passes last week in Minnesota after an underwhelming three scores before that this season. He caught seven TD passes in December last season. Could he be trending toward league-winner status again? See Week 12 rankings.

Betting nugget: Green Bay is 8-0 ATS after a loss over three seasons under LaFleur. Read more.

Thiry's pick: Packers 27, Rams 24
Demovsky's pick: Rams 27, Packers 24
FPI prediction: GB, 51.5% (by an average of 0.6 points)


Matchup must-reads: Rams trending in the wrong direction heading into their bye week ... Resilient Packers have overcome injuries, but losing Jenkins could be their biggest test
 

dieterbrock

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While I fully expect a great game out of the Rams, and a victory at that, I also dont see an L being some sort of devastating consequence.
A lot of football left, nobody lapping the field, no dominant team. Cards are doing it with smoke and mirrors, while their success without Murray is impressive, it's also a huge red flag. Murray is brittle, and when he comes back I wouldnt be surprised to see him tweak something again
 

SeminoleRam

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I have to admit that I got real excited when I read that the Rams had beaten the Cowboys!! At my age my memory is really bad and I thought (Was HOPING!) I had forgotten that game!! BUT, Unfortunately, Not only have the Rams not played the Cowboys but if am reading the possible playoff scenarios correctly (And, Hopefully, I am NOT!) the Cowboys win most if not all the tiebreakers with the Rams. So, Hopefully. The Rams will just end up with the better record and not have to worry about any Tiebreaker Scenarios AND more importantly the Rams need to win their Division (NFC West) to even worry about any Tiebreaker scenarios with the Cowboys!!
 

OC--LeftCoast

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A lot of talk about Stafford regressing over the last 2 games.


Funny how a drop back QB “regresses” when the opposing D exploits apparent OLine weaknesses and gets after his ass... jeez, I wonder where I’ve seen this before?

lol, it’ll come back too me sooner or later


I will say this, we are 0-2 since releasing our deep threat, I wish they could have set foolish pride aside and get DJax’ mind right

With all that being said, the Rams will take care of business next week, tho I must admit that under McVay, the team coming off a bye seems to have a tendacy to lay an egg...off the top of my head, Detroit and last year’s Miami come to mind, I think they’ll fix it next week
 
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OnceARam

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This game is the season. If Morris can't coach, as most of us believe, this game will highlight that.

The offense can't get in a rhythm if they're sitting on the bench watching teams dink and dunk against us all the way down the field.

To go from the #1 defense in the league to this clown show is maddening. At what point do the players revolt? I was watching the recent press conference with AD and a reporter told him that Morris called the defense soft. At this AD almost lost his composure. Almost. How many more clown game plans does it take until leaders like him are done with Morris I ask rhetorically.
 

Liberator

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This game is the season. If Morris can't coach, as most of us believe, this game will highlight that.

The offense can't get in a rhythm if they're sitting on the bench watching teams dink and dunk against us all the way down the field.

To go from the #1 defense in the league to this clown show is maddening. At what point do the players revolt? I was watching the recent press conference with AD and a reporter told him that Morris called the defense soft. At this AD almost lost his composure. Almost. How many more clown game plans does it take until leaders like him are done with Morris I ask rhetorically.

Ramsey also called fans critiquing Morris out and basically, in a nice way, said we're uneducated and over simplifying things. So I guess it must go both ways for the defense. And I REALLY doubt Morris' first time saying they played soft against the Niners was to the media lol.
 

PARAM

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This game is 1 of 17. As chicken little once said, "the sky is falling". That is true but there's a qualifier. It's falling on every team in the NFL. It's the second half of the season. Teams have a lot of film on each other. And the games are tougher because they mean more. How are the rest of those juggernauts doing? Tampa is 1-2 in their last 3. Green Bay is 1-2. Dallas is 1-3. Arizona is 2-2 after starting 7-0. So the top 5 teams over the last 4 weeks are 9-11. But those damn Rams!!! They're falling apart!!!!
 

LARAMSinFeb.

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This game is 1 of 17. As chicken little once said, "the sky is falling". That is true but there's a qualifier. It's falling on every team in the NFL. It's the second half of the season. Teams have a lot of film on each other. And the games are tougher because they mean more. How are the rest of those juggernauts doing? Tampa is 1-2 in their last 3. Green Bay is 1-2. Dallas is 1-3. Arizona is 2-2 after starting 7-0. So the top 5 teams over the last 4 weeks are 9-11. But those damn Rams!!! They're falling apart!!!!
It's the way we lost the last two that bother me, but you're right, there are some league-wide adjustments going on.
 

PARAM

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It's the way we lost the last two that bother me, but you're right, there are some league-wide adjustments going on.
What was "the way" we lost those 2 games? Turnovers. One that gave the Titans the ball on our 2. Another that gave the Titans 7 points. One that was thrown up for grabs early in a 0-0 game and one that gave the niners 7 points. That is THE WAY we lost those two games. We can complain about not handling inside pressure on the O line or not being able to stop the run against SF. But the reasons those two things were possible was because we were down 14-0 and 14-3 because of TURNOVERS!!!

How did Tampa look losing to the Saints and Washington the last 3 weeks? Did they lose better than we did?
How did Dallas look losing to Denver, Kansas City and Las Vegas the last 4 weeks? I'll bet Cowboy fans were eating desert last night saying "at least we didn't lose like the Rams did their last two games!!!"
How did 2-2 Green Bay look or 2-2 Arizona look the last 4 weeks? They were probably giddy, eh?

It doesn't matter. We know when we don't turn the ball over we can beat the World Champs. Or we can beat anybody in the league when we play OUR GAME.
 

Loyal

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Something within me snapped after the Niner loss. I'm a little more circumspect about the team right now as far as what we can do this year. Oh, I'll watch the games and hope things turn out alright, but the juggernaut I expected before the season never materialized. A good team does not get blown out by the 49ers and so where are we at now?

Pass the virtual bong my way.....