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Since the Rams left St.Louis I've really struggled. I've watched every game just like always, but, I haven't cheered out loud. I never get excited or mad.
Something clicked this week with this game. I was back to screaming at the TV and telling everyone how shitty or great they were. I found myself actually cheering again. It truly felt amazing to have that back.
Some are big names, others were lightly regarded reserves.
Let’s see…
Offense
Matthew Stafford. Yes, we all expected much from him but I think he’s exceeded even those high hopes, especially in these playoffs. No hero ball, just been lethal.
Cam Akers. I included Cam because nobody expected to see him until ‘22. Yet here he is making significant contributions in the playoffs. Amazing.
Brian Allen. Not an All Pro but he’s exceeded expectations from the spring without question.
Kendall Blanton. Yes, it was only one game but he stepped up and stood tall when Higbee was injured and really impressed his teammates in the process. He really exceeded my expectations and at a critical moment.
OBJ. Another big name but let’s be honest. His career had kinda plateaued and yet he was forced to learn a new system with a new QB on the fly after Woods’ injury. That ain’t easy. But now he has become a virtually uncoverable weapon teaming with Kupp for Stafford.
Cooper Kupp. Of course we expected a big year from Kupp, but the Triple Crown? A Cinderella season that nobody saw coming, I’m sure.
Joe Noteboom. Rams O never missed a beat when Boom had to fill in. Didn’t surprise me much but I suspect Boom exceeded the expectations of many.
Alaric Jackson. Gonna give AJ an honorable mention for that one game during the Covid restrictions where he played LOT like a 5 year vet. That was huge.
Defense
Greg Gaines. Everybody’s new BFF. He’s become a stud alongside AD right before our eyes. What a feel-good story.
ARob. Don’t look now, but ARob has morphed into a run stopping beast, especially vs Bucs and 49ers.
Von Miller. A very big name player and he cost us a 2nd and a 3rd. Heck, I was lukewarm about this trade, at best. But man, has he ever solidified that edge opposite Floyd. Been superb on contain even against very mobile QB’s and RB’s while putting good pressure on some dangerous QB’s. We’re not in the SB without him, imo. How do you put a value on all that?
Travin Howard. Such a pleasant surprise when he finally got his chance. This kid is all over the place making plays. Has hugely exceeded my expectations.
Ernest Jones. Exceeded my modest expectations for him this year before injury. I think our D got noticeably better after Jones became starter inside. Hope he can play in SB.
Nick Scott. One of the biggest surprises of all. Was drafted to be a ST stud in 7th round and now he’s playing like a Pro Bowler in these playoffs. I don’t see how Morris could possibly sit Scott now. Let Rapp sit except in special packages.
Eric Weddle. I literally rolled my eyes at this late ‘desperation’ signing. Seriously. But Dang! Weddle is not merely bringing the intangibles to this D, but is also bringing the wood. Leading tackler in 49ers game, I believe? This is kinda getting into Kurt Warner type Cinderella story territory if you ask me.
Special Teams
Generally speaking, after a very sputtering start, DeCamillis has molded the return and coverage units into among the league’s best. Kudos to one and all. Special mention for Brandon Powell as returner. I’d never heard of him and certainly didn’t expect much when he was signed. He was about the 14th candidate as returner, wasn’t he? But Wow! Has he ever been a breath of fresh air.
Well, that’s my list. Probably missed a favorite or two of yours, but it’s a helluva list, nonetheless.
Two things.
There are a lot of unsung quality assistants behind these listed players greatly involved with their respective development. I’m not gonna name names but I guarantee that McVay knows about each and every one of them. Some will likely be poached by smart teams this offseason.
The other thing is that without many of these listed players who’ve exceeded expectations the Rams don’t sniff the SB.
Great players win big games, but sometimes with the help of an unlikely hero. Sometimes, you need Ollie to make two free throws to help Hickory reach the State Championship Game.
So... for this year's playoffs, I aware the Ollie McLellan Award to the following players:
Wild Card: David Long, Jr.
His "Johnny on the spot" pick 6 help turn this one into a rout. Long has received a fair amount of criticism, but that was a play we, and he, will remember for a long time.
Divisional Round: Joe Noteboom
Filling in for the injured Andrew Whitworth, Noteboom played a flawless game against a fierce Tampa Front-7. Without that effort, that game could have played out much differently.
NFC Championship: Kendall Blanton
Easy choice. He made several key catches filling in for Tyler Higbee, who went down early with an MCL sprain.
So I was off on Monday, but I'm back at work today. I was fortunate to be there in the flesh to watch our Rams beat the Whiners. Shit, I even took a pic with Eric Dickerson and he signed my Aaron Donald jersey (didn't care cuz I was pretty buzzed by then). What are your thoughts of me wearing this jersey at work around mostly 49er fans? Can't wait to hear the responses lol
I've been a Rams fan since 1971 and have seen hundreds, probably thousands of games on TV but I want to talk about the last six games of this post-season. I've never seen anything like this. With all six games coming down to the wire, it really shows how close these teams at the top are to each other in talent and coaching. The margin of error is so slim. One screw up, one missed opportunity and your season is over. This year it was the Rams and Bengals who persevered but we could have easily seen a Packers-Bills, Niners-Chiefs, or Bucs-Titans.
What a great run it's been for our Rams and I probably have more confidence in this upcoming game than I've had with all the others. The Bengals have a great offense and their defense is coming around but I really think it's going to come down to our defensive line vs their offensive line. I also don't see them stopping our offense. Stafford, Kupp, and OBJ are on fire right now. If we can get our run game going, look out. If the Niners, who've held us in check the past several games, couldn't stop us last weekend, I don't see the Bengals doing it with less talent and less familiarity. True, Zac Taylor might know some of the ins and outs of the offense but I have confidence McVay will prevail. I'll leave you with this new take on an old gem: Login to view embedded mediaView: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM_rc4YXDhY
The NFL doesn't penalize team assisting the runner so why not line up almost in a wishbone formation. Handoff the ball to a running back and have two reserve linemen line up behind the QB and push the pile forward? Wouldn't that make is almost impossible to prevent a third and one yard or less?
My daughter has had her anniversary trip planned for months and just happened to be on the same weekend of the NFC championship. Of course, when she planned it I had no idea the Rams would be in it. Anyway, just picked them up from the San Jose airport and they surprised me with a little memorabilia. So I added them to my little collection... Wearing my trainer's jacket to work. I'm sure I'll get dirty looks driving around Santa Clara
I'm not going to post the whole thing, but it's definitely worth a read. Some of it really illuminates how good both Stafford and the defense really played. One of the stats shows that Stafford was pressured more yesterday than at any other time this season. That's incredible when you consider how clutch he was.
Another stat is that the defense didn't allow the 49ers to gain even one single yard from scrimmage in the final 12 minutes.
Oh, and McVay was 1-23 when trailing by 10 or more in the second half before yesterday. The '1'? If you guessed the 2018 NFC Championship, you guess correctly.
After dominating the Cardinals in the wild-card round and holding off the Buccaneers' miraculous comeback attempt in the second round, the Rams had to mount an improbable comeback of their own to beat the 49ers on Sunday night in the NFC title game. They got the job done…
I think we should thank both Kelly Stafford and Melissa Whitworth for buying Rams tickets and distributing to true Rams fans! I am so thankful for both of these amazing ladies! You are both class acts!!
The Rams and 49ers have an old and very heated rivalry. That is to be expected and, indeed, desired, given that they are long-time divisional foes who, for most of their history, were also cross-state rivals. And, from a head-to-head standpoint, the teams have been competitive (the 49ers have a 75-68-3 records all-time against the Rams).
It has not, however, been what I would call a respectful rivalry - at least not from the 49ers end of the equation. From Ken Norton, Jr. (who, ironically, was just fired by Seattle) punching the goal post, to Dana Stubblefield coining the phrase "same old sorry ass Rams" (SOSAR), there has always been an element of taunting and face-rubbing by the 49ers and their faithful.
Then came yesterday's game, and a chance for the Rams to finally slay the demon from San Francisco.
The 49ers thought they were the tougher, more physical team that could bully the "Hollywood" Rams. But, from the early stages, that identity devolved into dirty, rather than tough and physical, tactics.
It seemed that their number one target was Odell Beckham, Jr. On the Rams first drive, they delivered a head shot that sent OBJ to the sideline pointing to the refs and demanding a flag. They added a late hit/taunting penalty later, as well as a targeting head shot by Jimmy Ward.
Perhaps they thought they could intimidate OBJ and get him off his game. Perhaps they thought he'd lose his cool and (much like Tom Brady and Ndamukong Suh last week) draw a flag by retaliating. But it didn't work. OBJ kept in the game and was a key player with 9 receptions for 113 yards.
But, even more than the on-field heroics, perhaps OBJ's most noteworthy moment came after the final gun. He, amidst the celebration of a Super Bowl birth, ran to the 49ers sideline and showed respect, sympathy and compassion for Deebo Samuel - a player who has done his share of taunting as he plagued the Rams in recent matchups.
Rivals, but respectful rivals. OBJ showed the taunting, gloating, pretenders from the North how to win with class.
The Rams mounted a comeback against the 49ers on Sunday night to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl, winning the NFC Championship Game 20-17 at home. They’ll now meet the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, seeking the first championship of the Sean McVay era.
It took a dramatic rally in the fourth quarter for the Rams to pull out the win, eliminating the team that had beaten them six times in a row. Matthew Stafford was clutch, Cooper Kupp was his usually dominant self and Jalen Ramsey allowed nothing in coverage, as the Rams’ biggest stars stepped up in the second half.
Havenstein had a difficult matchup with Nick Bosa on the right side and he won that battle, which was a difference in the game. He allowed just two pressures and zero sacks, while also posting a 93.7 run-blocking grade – his best of the season. His 90.1 overall grade was the highest of his career.
Kupp could not be covered by the 49ers, no matter who matched up with him. He caught 11 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns, none bigger than his 25-yard reception on third down late in the game to set up Matt Gay’s game-winning field goal.
Stafford was only pegged with one turnover-worthy play despite throwing an end zone interception and nearly getting picked by Jaquiski Tartt in the fourth quarter. He was sharp throughout the game outside of three poor throws, racking up 337 yards and two touchdowns against a good 49ers defense.
Top 3 defense
DE A’Shawn Robinson: 79.1
LB Travin Howard: 73.3
CB Jalen Ramsey: 73.0
Robinson lived in the backfield when the 49ers tried to run the ball. He made four stops and had six total tackles, registering one pressure as a pass rusher. He made several tackles right at the line of scrimmage, thwarting any attempt by the 49ers to run the ball up the middle.
Howard played 24 snaps and was in coverage for 17 of them, allowing just two receptions on three targets for a total of 3 yards. He’s been an underrated player for the Rams this postseason.
Garoppolo targeted Ramsey only twice in the game and both times, Ramsey nearly came down with an interception. His second pass deflection hit him in the chest and he’s surely kicking himself for not picking it off, but Ramsey still played a fantastic game in coverage.
Bottom 3 offense
RB Cam Akers: 53.6
WR Ben Skowronek: 50.8
WR Van Jefferson: 48.6
Akers didn’t have much running room but he still managed to gain 48 yards on 13 carries – including a nice 14-yarder up the middle to get the Rams into the red area early in the game. But he didn’t force a single missed tackle, which is why PFF was down on him.
Skowronek didn’t catch any passes but he had the opportunity to score a touchdown in the biggest game of his life. He had a deep pass clank off his hands in the end zone, a costly drop that resulted in a scoreless drive.
Jefferson was targeted five times and caught just two of them for 9 yards. He didn’t drop any passes but he didn’t get open very often, either.
Bottom 3 defense
S Nick Scott: 54.6
NT Greg Gaines: 44.8
LB Troy Reeder: 28.2
It’s hard to understand why Scott’s grade was so low. He made five tackles and didn’t miss any, also allowing just one catch for 2 yards in coverage. His big hit on Deebo Samuel over the middle caused an incompletion, the third straight week he made a great play in coverage to prevent a big play.
Gaines’ grade was also surprisingly low. He made three tackles and recorded one pressure, stepping up to make three stops – third-most on the team. He did miss one tackle but Gaines played better than his grade suggests.
Reeder was very clearly the weakest link on defense. He missed four tackles, allowed six catches for 87 yards on seven targets in coverage and found himself out of position regularly. He was no match for Elijah Mitchell, Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk.
Other notables
WR Odell Beckham Jr.: 81.0
LT Andrew Whitworth: 73.9
TE Kendall Blanton: 71.4
DT Aaron Donald: 66.9
S Eric Weddle: 64.8
OLB Von Miller: 64.3
Beckham recorded his second-highest grade as a member of the Rams, catching nine passes for 113 yards. He still has room for improvement as a blocker, but that’s not why the Rams brought him in. Beckham was a stud receiver on Sunday.
Whitworth allowed a sack to Samson Ebukam and gave up four total pressures, but PFF still liked the way he played despite struggling a little bit in pass protection.
Blanton came up huge with Tyler Higbee injured, catching five passes for 57 yards – including a 20-yarder to get the Rams into the red zone three plays before Kupp’s second touchdown.
Donald was quiet for most of the night but he came alive in the fourth quarter, recording three pressures in the last 15 minutes. He finished with four total pressures and one stop in the game, hitting Garoppolo twice.
Weddle made a team-high five stops and had nine tackles, playing every single snap. His turnaround from retired to starting safety has been remarkable to see.
Miller only pressured Garoppolo three times and made two tackles, which is the reason for his lower grade.
