Rams PFF grades: Best and worst performers vs. Saints in Week 13

[Corbin]

After a deflating loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Los Angeles Rams righted the ship on Sunday afternoon by beating the New Orleans Saints on the road, 21-14. It wasn’t a dominant win and it required another second-half comeback, but all that matters is Los Angeles added another victory to the win column.

Pro Football Focus handed out grades for everyone who suited up in the game and it was rookie linebacker Omar Speights who had the highest grade of any player on the Rams. In fact, his 94.1 grade was the highest of any defender in the NFL this week.

Here’s a look at the best and worst performers from Los Angeles’ Week 13 win.

Top 5 offense​

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

• RG Kevin Dotson: 90.9
• WR Puka Nacua: 83.7
• QB Matthew Stafford: 83.4
• RT Rob Havenstein: 78.6
• LG Steve Avila: 74.7

As evidenced by three players being in the top five, the Rams’ offensive line clearly had a very good game. Stafford was only pressured six times all afternoon, and two of those pressures were allowed by Kyren Williams and Davis Allen.
Dotson didn’t give up a single pressure and had a 90.7 run-blocking grade, Havenstein only allowed one pressure and Avila didn’t allow any.
Nacua caught five passes for 56 yards and a touchdown, but he was pinned with one drop in the win.
Stafford made two big-time throws and had zero turnover-worthy plays, bouncing back from a bad first half by the entire offense.

Top 5 defense​

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

• LB Omar Speights: 94.1
• OLB Jared Verse: 89.6
• S Kamren Kinchens: 81.4
• DT Kobie Turner: 79.4
• S Quentin Lake: 71.9

Speights’ 94.1 overall grade was the best of any defender in the NFL this week, showing just how well he played. He led the team with seven stops, four more than any other player.
Verse was tops on the team with six pressures and three QB hits, the only three hits the Rams landed on Derek Carr all game.
Kinchens made six tackles and had three stops, only allowing 10 yards in coverage on three receptions.
Turner had more missed tackles (2) than total tackles (1) in this game but he did have three pressures and almost forced a fumble when he hit Carr’s arm as he was throwing.
Lake made eight tackles and had two stops, but he did give up 21 yards in coverage on three catches.

Bottom 5 offense​

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

• WR Demarcus Robinson: 67.0
• C Beaux Limmer: 63.7
• TE Davis Allen: 58.4
• WR Cooper Kupp: 52.9
• TE Hunter Long: 51.5

Robinson’s opportunities were limited but he made the most of them, catching two passes for 49 yards and a touchdown. On the first play of the game, he should have gotten his feet down on a sideline pass, though.
Limmer allowed two pressures and finished with a pass-blocking grade of just 5.2.
Allen had a minimal impact on this game with just five routes run and zero targets, giving up three pressures in only three pass-blocking snaps.
Kupp caught just three passes for 17 yards and had a run-blocking grade of only 55.8
Long allowed a pressure on his only pass-blocking snap and didn’t catch a single pass in the win.

Bottom 5 defense​

(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

• DT Neville Gallimore: 55.6
• CB Darious Williams: 54.4
• OLB Michael Hoecht: 50.3
• S Jaylen McCollough: 47.5
• DT Braden Fiske: 44.3

Gallimore had one pressure in 10 pass-rush snaps but also missed one tackle.
Williams allowed three catches for 53 yards on six targets, with a long reception of 28 yards given up. He missed one tackle, too.
Hoecht had two pressures in the game but also missed two tackles.
McCollough allowed two catches for 26 yards on his only two targets of the afternoon, finishing with two tackles.
Fiske only had one pressure on 31 pass-rush opportunities, a surprisingly low number for the stud defensive tackle.

Other notables​

(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

• RB Kyren Williams: 74.5
• RB Blake Corum: 67.9
• LB Christian Rozeboom: 65.0
• CB Cobie Durant: 63.7

Williams and Corum both graded out well, with Corum forcing one missed tackle and Williams forcing four. Neither player fumbled and they combined for 88 yards after contact.
Rozeboom played really well in the win, making a tackle at the line of scrimmage on an early third-and-short and also breaking up a pass intended for Taysom Hill.
Durant has been struggling as of late and allowed four catches for 25 yards on four targets with two more missed tackles.

 

[HE WITH HORNS]

This is why we were saying to play Speights in the beginning of the season. Yes he's a rookie and will make some mistakes, but he's been improving all year and getting better.

 

[TexasRam]

It was only a matter of time before Avila settled in to game shape.

Limmer pass blocking is becoming a liability

Verse back after struggling vs Eagles.

Again Darius Williams is solid as a number 2 but struggles in the #1 role.

Rose boom played better than his score.

The play action rollouts really helped Stafford and need to be more common.

 

[dang]

It was only a matter of time before Avila settled in to game shape.

Limmer pass blocking is becoming a liability

Verse back after struggling vs Eagles.

Again Darius Williams is solid as a number 2 but struggles in the #1 role.

Rose boom played better than his score.

The play action rollouts really helped Stafford and need to be more common.

Looking forward to this OL settling in. Gonna need to eat some major clock with a run game to finish the season.

DWill looks like he cannot keep up with the speed of the game.

Love seeing Speights improving. He’s strong one on one with RBs.

Rozeboom definately made some plays but I still see him taking bad angles or getting pushed back a little too much.

 

[RamsOfCastamere]

I wonder how much that whiff on Tutu's reverse affected Limmer's run blocking grade.

 

[bubbaramfan]

Speights will end up playing himself off the Rams. They don't like keeping good linebackers.

 

[Kupped]

Speights will end up playing himself off the Rams. They don't like keeping good linebackers.

Well.. that's a problem for down the road.
Let's just enjoy him while we can.

Finally starting to feel better about the release of Ernest Jones.. LBs aren't the problem right now.

 

[HE WITH HORNS]

Speights will end up playing himself off the Rams. They don't like keeping good linebackers.

Maybe Snead can trade him and a 2025 5th round pick for a 2026 7th rounder. . . .

 

[GoodBadUgly]

...

DWill looks like he cannot keep up with the speed of the game.

...

I disagree. He's been right there on many throws. He needs to FREAKING TURN AROUND AND PLAY THE BALL!!!

I remember an old friend who played CB on our HS team used to say the best thing he learned from his coach was to turn towards the QB and have the attitude that you are the WR and the intended target for the throw. He then led all of CA in interceptions that season.

If DWill just did that, I've counted an easy 5 ints so far...

 

[Tano]

Limmer allows one pressure and has a pass blocking grade of 5.2?

Something seems wrong with that grade.

Bout time Avila played well.

I think he was out of shape coming back from his injury too soon.

 

[Merlin]

I disagree. He's been right there on many throws. He needs to FREAKING TURN AROUND AND PLAY THE BALL!!!

I remember an old friend who played CB on our HS team used to say the best thing he learned from his coach was to turn towards the QB and have the attitude that you are the WR and the intended target for the throw. He then led all of CA in interceptions that season.

If DWill just did that, I've counted an easy 5 ints so far...

That's a problem with our entire secondary. Almost every pass there's a Rams DB trailing with his focus on the wideout. Or when they're in zone it's a Rams DB waiting on them to catch the ball then breaking on the tackle. So I agree they could coach that better.

But that aside, if you're not in position to compete for the ball, i.e. in step with the target, then getting your head around just means you will watch the ball go over your head for the completion. This entire secondary has problems being in position. They have little to no anticipation in the pattern, it's a bunch of athletes running around like chickens with their heads cut off at times. That TD Williams gave up yesterday he was completely flat footed and thinking when that wideout blew past him, instead of reading him actively and positioning correctly so he would be able to play the ball.

Our problems back there run deep man. This is a really poor secondary.

 

[OldSchool]

Speights will end up playing himself off the Rams. They don't like keeping good linebackers.