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In order to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2001 season, the Los Angeles Rams will need to get through the team that handed them their first loss of 2018. The New Orleans Saints stand in their way as the two teams will meet in the NFC title game.
The last time they met – way back in Week 9 – there were several differences on both teams. Both sides have remained relatively healthy since then, but these changes could lead to very different results.
Here are the six biggest changes from Week 9 to now.
C.J. Anderson’s emergence
When the Rams and Saints first squared off this season, it was Todd Gurley and Malcolm Brown in the backfield. now, there’s a new name New Orleans has to be aware of. Anderson had more carries, yards and touchdowns than Gurley in the Rams’ win over Dallas despite playing 11 fewer snaps.
With Anderson and Gurley both healthy, it seems the Rams are going to take a more physical approach and pound the ball with the running game. That wasn’t the case last time around with the Rams running it just 19 times after falling behind 35-14 at one point.
Sheldon Rankins being out
This is a significant blow for the Saints. Rankins is their best interior defender, but he tore his Achilles in Sunday’s win over the Eagles and will obviously miss the remainder of the postseason. That plays perfectly into the hands of the Rams, given their new ground-and-pound approach on offense.
With Rankins out, the Saints will be missing their big man in the middle, not only against the run, but also as a pass rusher.
Aqib Talib is back
Michael Thomas caught 12 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown against the Rams in Week 9, the majority of which came with Marcus Peters in coverage. Talib was on IR at the time, but he’s back now and elevating the play of the entire defense.
Expect the Rams to put Talib on Thomas several times throughout the game, if not for the entire 60 minutes. He’s clearly the better cornerback right now and has the coverage skills to lock down Thomas.
Having Talib back on the field for this matchup will be huge and could very well be the difference in the game.
Dante Fowler Jr. is a full-time starter
Fowler was on the roster for the first meeting between the Rams and Saints, but he wasn’t a full-time player just yet. He played just 62 percent of the snaps in that game, which was his second-lowest total of the season. For comparison, he played 91 percent against the Cowboys on Saturday night.
He’s become the Rams’ best edge rusher, which they were sorely lacking prior to acquiring him at the trade deadline. Fowler had a pass breakup and a tackle for loss in Week 9 against New Orleans, so he had at least a small impact in that game.
Cooper Kupp’s absence
The Rams are happy to welcome back Talib, but they’ll also be without Kupp this time against New Orleans. Kupp caught five passes for 89 yards and a touchdown in the first meeting, playing his usual role as Jared Goff’s favorite receiver.
Josh Reynolds has replaced Kupp since the receiver tore his ACL in Week 10, but it’s difficult to replace a receiver with Kupp’s skill set. The Rams are going to miss him in this one, but it just means Reynolds has to be at his very best.
Ted Ginn Jr. is healthy
The Saints’ top deep threat wasn’t available in Week 9 after landing on injured reserve with a knee injury, but he’s back for this pivotal game. In two games since returning from IR, Ginn has eight catches for 118 yards, including three receptions for 44 yards against the Eagles.
The Rams will need to be on their toes defensively with Ginn out there because of the speed he possesses. He’s not Tyreek Hill, but Ginn can take the top off a defense and keep defenders honest on comeback routes.
The win served as a turning point of sorts for that unit, which heads into the championship round now ranked sixth in defensive DVOA. From Week 10 on, the Saints racked up 32 sacks (first), 16 takeaways (tied for first), and held opponents to just 16.9 points per game. Cornerback Eli Apple (who was playing in just his second game with the Saints in that Week 9 game after being acquired from the Giants) settled in opposite Marshon Lattimore, boosting the team’s coverage chops, while the defensive line, led by Cameron Jordan, hit its groove.
The Rams will be facing a hard-to-recognize Saints defense in this game—though the loss of defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (who tore his achilles on Sunday) could weaken what’s been one of the most improved units in football over the second half.
That said, the Saints offense has deteriorated somewhat since the last time these two teams met. Brees, a midseason MVP favorite, faltered at times in the second half, including a three-game stretch from Week 13 to 15 in which he threw just two touchdowns to three picks and registered a 77.0 passer rating. The Saints offense that came out of that Rams win ranked fourth in DVOA; it’s now fallen to 10th in that metric, easily last among the four remaining teams (who rank first, second, and third, respectively).
The Rams defense looks a little different than the first time these two teams met. After missing eight games with an ankle injury, cornerback Aqib Talib is back in action, giving L.A.’s secondary a much needed boost. Opposite Talib, Marcus Peters—who gave up seven receptions for 146 yards and that game-sealing touchdown to Thomas in the Week 9 game—will look to show he’s improved over his brutal midseason stretch of play, and defensive end Dante Fowler could play a bigger role this time around. Fowler played in the first matchup, but it was just his first game with L.A. after being acquired from the Jaguars, so he’s now had plenty of time to acclimate to his new scheme.
Offensively, the Rams have had to reshuffle the deck a little bit. The steady offensive line remains unchanged, but with Cooper Kupp and Brown both out for the year with injuries, Josh Reynolds has inherited a big role in the team’s heavy three-receiver sets, and veteran running back C.J. Anderson’s now a major factor in the ground game. Anderson’s physicality on runs up the middle could bring an element this Rams offense didn’t have in the first meeting this year. The loss of Kupp, though, has hurt the team’s passing attack.
The game is also once again in New Orleans, giving the Saints the home-field edge. The crowd noise could benefit the team’s suped-up defensive line, making things tougher for Goff, but the loss of Rankins may tip the scales in L.A.’s favor when it comes to who wins in the trenches. These two teams remain closely matched, but if the Rams have any hope of reversing the results of the first meeting between these two teams, they better get off to a much quicker start.
Albert Haynesworth, Washington Redskins (2009)
"Over the past decade and a half, no team had been more proactive in free agency than the Redskins. The result was an expensive lesson that money doesn't buy championships. Haynesworth is the gold standard of horrific free-agent signings."
Boy, it sure is great to see that there are folks out there who know the verses to the anthem of the American Labor Movement. We oughta get together one day, watch the Rams and then bring out our guitars and banjos and pick and sing some of the old union hymns. Go Rams--beat the Saints!
Wow. Thanks for that offer! I don't have Grand Turismo. I shouldn't have been so vague in my message. I was trying to portray a huge compliment because those cars look beyond awesome! I should have just wrote that. I used to play all the time, but haven't for years. Those games were wrecking my life...lol
Thanks for the compliment! Yes, they can and will take up quite a bit of your time.
I've been playing video games since the Atari 2600, and somehow still found some time to have kids!
I wish I would have linked the pics in the original post from a picture hosting site. The originals are pretty hi res. Attaching them as files takes away some, and shrinks them too much.
The Game of Thrones cars in my second post I linked from a hosting site, and it really makes a difference.
I finally came out on top of one of these Pickems after coming in 2nd and 3rd always. Bout damn time. That straight Pickem should have been mine too... but congrats again guys!
As long as I beat @Ramhusker 's ass I'm fine.... well, that and some tasty waves and a cool buzz.
*shrugs.
I’ve been in his position before, going to a hostile board to eat crow and giving their team respect, etc...It’s like ripping off a bandage from a hairy arm. Do it fast and endure the pain to get it over with. I kinda doubt he’ll show (johneric08)
The 2018 Divisional Round had the most rushing yards in NFL history.....all 4 winners had a huge advantage in rushing.....wow, the Super Bowl will have some of the best 'marketing' possibilitites in NFL history. Brady, Brees and Mahommes or McVay are huge draws for the league.
Gurlrey is still hurt; didn't look like himself. Like I said, CJ Anderson looks A LOT better...and he proved it against Dallas.
Rams have a chance to have 'balance' because the Saints great DT (Rankins) tore his achilles--_Rams couldn't handle him in the first meeting. Brees will dominate Goff's play most likely.....how can Brees not lose.....I can't see him falling. McVay 'orchestrated' one of THE finest Ram game plans I have ever seen. Dallas knew what would happen, and could never stop it. It was like the Dickerson days----but even better.
Man oh man, Luck surprised me....still don't get it....KC's defense didn't have one good game all year.....Colts are going to be top 4 team next year
year.
Can you imagine this asshole in the locker room or in meetings? You can just look in his eyes and tell that the elevator doesn't go near the top. Add on that he is a complete pos. His screws aren't loose... they're completely missing.
Teams will put up with too much from athletes like this...
While Goff hasn't quite set the world on fire, most of his negative stats were accumulated in the Bears game where he threw for 4 interceptions. I don't quite think our game plan was sound for that game and the execution was even worse..... But take away that one and his stats even up considerably. But no, he's not played his best down the stretch. But I think that is something he is learning that he doesn't have to. Losing Kupp has made him expand his comfort zone (or his case....non-comfort.....), and that is something every QB has had to learn.
I suspect the same thing...and it will likely be Peters, IMO.
...but who knows - the closer he comes to tasting the Super Bowl, the more he might see the importance of doing the right thing. :banghead:
I have been commenting on this cocky Cowboy fan's YouTube video, where he predicted that the Boys would own the Rams. New video admits that the owning was done by the Rams, but also said "we should still have won because the Rams are not that good."
Game ball to:
1) CJ Anderson. The Rams needed a guy to bowl over the competition. We luck out and get a certified Brunswick.
2) Littleton
He played lights out all night. He seems to be emerging as a pretty good player.
3) Suh
He plugged up the running lanes and stifled Elliot. Suh had a pretty good game.
Donald was being held all night. Two plays in a row the guy was holding him from behind. The second time it happened the refs caught it.
Really it’s easier to say who shouldn’t get a game ball and that is Peters. Otherwise, the team as a whole including staff should get a ball. We played like a team tonight. My confidence in the Rams restored.
:rolllaugh::mrburnsevil:
