Red Zone

[JimY53]

People asking about red zone -- evey play has a story---what is the story here?
1. bad decision (run or pass)?
2. bad call?
3. bad execution?
4. Good play by other team?

1. I am okay with this being a pass, but other can say running would have been better option. I don't know
2. Call looks good - bunch, two on left go up field, pick play, Kupp open ...
3. Somehow #6 drought through the pick ... throw? Never want to place too much blame but a lot of air under it...maybe that was where they wanted to
complete it -- in the end zone... would a different throw have been a touchdown? Was there an option to throw a flat ball? Had they worked on it that way in practice? Kupp and Stafford are as sympatico as it gets.
4. they got picked but extra time made #6 a threat

So, is it 1, 2, 3, 4? Or something else?

 

[JimY53]

1, 2, 3, 4?

Looks like the mesh is messed up. Receivers bump into each other.

1. Should they have run
2. Play call---no one open, whatever it was didn't work
3. Does appear to be poor execution
4. Defense didn't do anything extraordinary ... but they are in excellent position and did stymie the the rub routes

Maybe this one is all 4 things (or something else)

 

[JimY53]

Red zone 3

3rd down ...
1. pass is only call
2. at the end WR is open ... would be a tough throw, but one Stafford can make
3. Williams blocked the inside rusher, that was right, Stafford has to beat the rusher with a move, or a quick pass. he makes a pass
4. Defense called a good play, two blitzers same gap and they tipped the ball

Maybe mostly a 4 here. Can never be 100% sure but defense gets paid, too.

 

[Tano]

Looks like he should have thrown it right away instead of air lofting but then again would kupp be ready for it

Edit - oops that was the turn in not the fade

 

[JimY53]

1st down, play action and a roll to the right, 3-level read, no one open

1. Run/pass could be questioned --- it was 1st down
2. The rollout was to the boundary, not a ton of room for the horizontal routes -- has to happen fast.
3. Stafford smarty threw it away--knew it was first down. Cannot see the routes so assume they were run right
4. Defense seemed to have covered well

questions can be asked maybe 1 and 4

 

[JimY53]

1. chose to run it, fine
2. Chose to run wide to the boundary
3. Rams seemed to have executed
4. great play by #29 Vildor (great Lord of the Rings name)


Maybe can question running to the short side of field, but could be the surprise element (no way will the run that jet sweep here)

but to me, it's a 4. Vildor the Lion made a play

 

[JimY53]

Red Zone 6 --- 3rd and 12

1. had to pass, fails on 1sn and 2nd down dictated that
2. Cannot see pass concept, so don't know call -- what McVay was trying to do on 3rd and 12 or maybe intention check down, get 8-10 yards
3. checkdown ... maybe best option ... cannot criticize execution from without all-22
4. Have to assume Lions D did a pretty good job to force checkdown

Possible they were just clearing out the underneath and trying to hit Kupp for catch and run to get in position for 4th down chance
.

 

[Tano]

1. chose to run it, fine
2. Chose to run wide to the boundary
3. Rams seemed to have executed
4. great play by #29 Vildor (great Lord of the Rings name)


Maybe can question running to the short side of field, but could be the surprise element (no way will the run that jet sweep here)

but to me, it's a 4. Vildor the Lion made a play

View attachment 63881

I am wondering if Havenstein blocked the wrong guy but I will freely admit I am not an expert on blocking schemes.

 

[JimY53]

1st and 10 -- 4th Q

1. Run it? Okay. Pass it? Okay
2. It was play-action, but gave ball to RB. It wasn't a "run look" like a stretch ... some disguise there ... a little anyway
3. Rams online didn't get push ... stuffed
4. Lions made better play, won the LOS

maybe 3 and 4 here

 

[JimY53]

red Zone 8 2nd down

1. run/pass - pass good decision
2, play? Screen ... okay fine ... haw are we to know Rams hadn't scouted and this was a good play, didn't LOOK like it .. but?
3. Got it completed but not a lot there. Why?
4. More Lions in frame than Rams, they sniffed it out

Seems like maybe some of all 4

 

[JimY53]

Red Zone 9

3rd and 9

1. have to pass ... the failure of first 2 plays dictate that
2. bunch to the wide side, Kupp the single receiver on short side, throw a fade--kind of a 50-50 ball possible
3. Kupp was open enough -- would take a perfect throw ... why not go
4. Defense had it covered

Call can be questioned, fairly. Lions had it covered. Maybe Rams thought it was a mismatch, Kupp vs inferior play - S who struggles

Throw was not perfect. it failed

has to be a combination of all 4 things, IMO

 

[JimY53]

I am wondering if Havenstein blocked the wrong guy but I will freely admit I am not an expert on blocking schemes.

Allen lost his block on Hutchinson and Rivers didn't get to his guy ... Lions sealed the edge ... Rams needed to get all their blocks for it to work.

Also SS of field, not a lot of room

 

[Tano]

Allen lost his block on Hutchinson and Rivers didn't get to his guy ... Lions sealed the edge ... Rams needed to get all their blocks for it to work.

Also SS of field, not a lot of room

View attachment 63888

I had the same thoughts but I was wondering looking at the first picture if Havenstein went after Vildor and pushed him outside, Allen continuing to push Hutchinson outside and Rivers going after the deeper guy then Puka could have cut inside for about 5 yards or so.

This is not an argument against your statement just a thought I had. But again I am by far no expert so I am just throwing out possibilities up in the air.

 

[Classic Rams]

I give the Lions D credit for sniffing these out. But on the goal lines it looked like the Rams' rubs didn't work like they thought they would. Rams didn't run either out of respect of the Lions run D (debatable) or that McVay was stubbornly trying pass plays which didn't work (more likely). Tell me if the Rams kept thrusting Kyren down there that he wouldn't get in after all we saw this year with his numerous TD's. I'm sure he would have.

 

[Ramstien]

I have the same complain about McVay, He is like Martz and ends up outsmarting himself. McVay needs to do some self-refection this off season regarding his play calling on first and gold situations. Learn how to lean on the running game in those situations instead of being too reliant on the pass, you have a good RB let him eat!

 

[JimY53]

I give the Lions D credit for sniffing these out. But on the goal lines it looked like the Rams' rubs didn't work like they thought they would.

it does appear that way

Rams didn't run either out of respect of the Lions run D (debatable)

Very well could be

or that McVay was stubbornly trying pass plays which didn't work (more likely).

Also could be

Tell me if the Rams kept thrusting Kyren down there that he wouldn't get in after all we saw this year with his numerous TD's. I'm sure he would have.

Possibly.

To me, I don't know. But maybe a different answer to all 9 plays ... or maybe there is a common thread ...

 

[OntarioRam]

I honestly would not have minded a designed QB run on one of those red zone trips, on an early down, as long as Stafford would give himself up immediately if it looked like there was ever any chance of taking a hit. I don't think the Lions would have ever seen it coming. Could have been a good play to get some positive yardage early. Maybe 2, 3, or even 4 yards. Set yourself up nicely for subsequent downs. That would have been a lot more positive yardage than what many of these play calls were giving us.