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- May 9, 2018
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1. From the standpoint of a diehard Rams fan, a loss to the 49ers is always tough to swallow.
2. From a rational standpoint, however, we learned a lot about the 2023 Rams today, and it was far from all bad.
3. Bottom line: the Rams went toe-to-toe for most of the afternoon with a team that has one of the top 5 rosters in football right now.
4. So what went wrong? I think it comes down to two factors.
5. First... not nearly enough pressure on Brock Purdy. Aaron Donald was stifled all day by double and triple teams, and Byron Young was the only one who hurried Purdy more than once. With a team that can hurt you with the RAC like the 49ers (CMC, Deebo) you can't just sell out and blitz constantly. We need higher win rates from the rushers not named Donald.
6. Second... untimely mistakes. The first interception, which was 100% on Kyren Williams (who, otherwise, was great) was a killer. We also had Red Zone penalties on both sides of the ball (Derion Kendrick is a liability on any pass of more than 10 yards, it seems) that really turned the tide against us. Tutu Atwell also missed a late opportunity to potentially score on a long TD by cutting his route off.
7. Another thing that impacted the game was just plain old bad luck. Ball hits Kittle in motion on shotgun snap... goes right to McCaffrey. Purdy fumbles snap at own 20... bounces right to him. Kyren takes eye off ball, instead of a harmless incompletion, ball pops up and is intercepted. Deebo fumbles... ball goes out of bounds (Or did it... did we miss a chance to challenge?). These aren't excuses, but if you change the outcome of half of those plays, this one probably goes down to the wire, and perhaps we're celebrating now.
8. In the end, though, we fell short... but I feel optimistic. There is some very good young talent on this team, and that supplies hope.
9. What can you say about Puka Nacua? Even though he had a chance to pad his stats a little in what was essentially garbage time, 15 catches for 147 yards (and 25 receptions - a new record for a rookie in his first 2 games) is simply remarkable. What a find this guy is! He's my Offensive Player of the Week once again.
10. You also have to be impressed with the turnaround of the OL. For most of the game, they held up really well against an extremely tough front 7. The fact that the 49ers had to start bringing 5 or 6 pass rushers in the second half is a testament to their effectiveness. They also had some good moments in the running game, again, particularly in the Red Zone.
11. Here's something I didn't expect to be typing: we really missed Joe Noteboom when he went out. I hope he is okay. If not, hopefully Tremayne Anchrum, will play better next game (or, perhaps, Kevin Dotson might be an option).
12. Those who didn't watch the game and only look at the scoreboard might think that Matthew Stafford didn't play all that well. I'd say that, apart from his late interceptions and a few off target throws during desperation time, he was pretty solid. Some nifty footwork too!
13. There was a lot of talk about Van Jefferson last week after his big drop against Seattle. I thought that was premature. This week, however, he disappointed me far more. He was invisible for most of the game. He then had a drop on his first target, and ran a poor route that at least contributed to the second interception. I won't be surprised to see Demarcus Robinson taking some of Jefferson's snaps in the next couple of week and, once Cooper Kupp returns, he may have a hard time getting off the bench.
14. Cam Akers... WTF? It would seem that he may be done as a Ram... though we've thought that before. This time, though...
15. Kyren Williams is a good fit for this offense and (again, apart from the bobble that caused the INT) had a good game. I think we'll see him get some help in the coming weeks, though I don't know if it will be from Ronnie Rivers, or maybe Zach Evans gets an opportunity?
16. Back on the OL, Steve Avila looks really good. Though I simply can't ignore Puka, I could make an argument for giving him the Offensive Player of the Week.
17. Young gets the nod as my Defensive Player of the Week. 5 tackles, 2 QB hits and our only sack.
18. We need to start forcing some turnovers!
19. So, here we are... two weeks in... two tests against division rivals who made the playoffs last year. I think we're off to a solid start. There is still a lot to improve upon, and holes that need to be filled. But this is a competitive team.
20. Next up... the Super Bowl rematch!
2. From a rational standpoint, however, we learned a lot about the 2023 Rams today, and it was far from all bad.
3. Bottom line: the Rams went toe-to-toe for most of the afternoon with a team that has one of the top 5 rosters in football right now.
4. So what went wrong? I think it comes down to two factors.
5. First... not nearly enough pressure on Brock Purdy. Aaron Donald was stifled all day by double and triple teams, and Byron Young was the only one who hurried Purdy more than once. With a team that can hurt you with the RAC like the 49ers (CMC, Deebo) you can't just sell out and blitz constantly. We need higher win rates from the rushers not named Donald.
6. Second... untimely mistakes. The first interception, which was 100% on Kyren Williams (who, otherwise, was great) was a killer. We also had Red Zone penalties on both sides of the ball (Derion Kendrick is a liability on any pass of more than 10 yards, it seems) that really turned the tide against us. Tutu Atwell also missed a late opportunity to potentially score on a long TD by cutting his route off.
7. Another thing that impacted the game was just plain old bad luck. Ball hits Kittle in motion on shotgun snap... goes right to McCaffrey. Purdy fumbles snap at own 20... bounces right to him. Kyren takes eye off ball, instead of a harmless incompletion, ball pops up and is intercepted. Deebo fumbles... ball goes out of bounds (Or did it... did we miss a chance to challenge?). These aren't excuses, but if you change the outcome of half of those plays, this one probably goes down to the wire, and perhaps we're celebrating now.
8. In the end, though, we fell short... but I feel optimistic. There is some very good young talent on this team, and that supplies hope.
9. What can you say about Puka Nacua? Even though he had a chance to pad his stats a little in what was essentially garbage time, 15 catches for 147 yards (and 25 receptions - a new record for a rookie in his first 2 games) is simply remarkable. What a find this guy is! He's my Offensive Player of the Week once again.
10. You also have to be impressed with the turnaround of the OL. For most of the game, they held up really well against an extremely tough front 7. The fact that the 49ers had to start bringing 5 or 6 pass rushers in the second half is a testament to their effectiveness. They also had some good moments in the running game, again, particularly in the Red Zone.
11. Here's something I didn't expect to be typing: we really missed Joe Noteboom when he went out. I hope he is okay. If not, hopefully Tremayne Anchrum, will play better next game (or, perhaps, Kevin Dotson might be an option).
12. Those who didn't watch the game and only look at the scoreboard might think that Matthew Stafford didn't play all that well. I'd say that, apart from his late interceptions and a few off target throws during desperation time, he was pretty solid. Some nifty footwork too!
13. There was a lot of talk about Van Jefferson last week after his big drop against Seattle. I thought that was premature. This week, however, he disappointed me far more. He was invisible for most of the game. He then had a drop on his first target, and ran a poor route that at least contributed to the second interception. I won't be surprised to see Demarcus Robinson taking some of Jefferson's snaps in the next couple of week and, once Cooper Kupp returns, he may have a hard time getting off the bench.
14. Cam Akers... WTF? It would seem that he may be done as a Ram... though we've thought that before. This time, though...
15. Kyren Williams is a good fit for this offense and (again, apart from the bobble that caused the INT) had a good game. I think we'll see him get some help in the coming weeks, though I don't know if it will be from Ronnie Rivers, or maybe Zach Evans gets an opportunity?
16. Back on the OL, Steve Avila looks really good. Though I simply can't ignore Puka, I could make an argument for giving him the Offensive Player of the Week.
17. Young gets the nod as my Defensive Player of the Week. 5 tackles, 2 QB hits and our only sack.
18. We need to start forcing some turnovers!
19. So, here we are... two weeks in... two tests against division rivals who made the playoffs last year. I think we're off to a solid start. There is still a lot to improve upon, and holes that need to be filled. But this is a competitive team.
20. Next up... the Super Bowl rematch!
