https://nflcdns.nfl.com/liveupdate/gamecenter/58422/LA_Gamebook.pdf


Offense


Defense


ST

Well, if you go from an unlikely (but possible) fight for #1 seed two weeks ago Sunday morning, to being forced to win your last game even to make the playoffs, this is the season to do it.

The Rams were going to be #3 seed, playing the Seahawks anyway, if we didn't lose to the Jets and Seahawks. The only difference is we play on the road in this WC round.

Any other year, that's a BIG deal. This season with no fans, I can live with that.

Let's get healthy and kick the Snow Miser and the Green Midget asses.

Aaron Donald
- 13.5 sacks tied for second overall
- 4 forced fumbles tied for second overall

Leonard Floyd
- 10.5 sacks for 9th overall

Jalen Ramsey
- 0.57 yards allowed per coverage snap, 1st in NFL
- allowed no receiver over 50 yards all season

Darious Williams
- 14 PD, tied for 8th overall
- 4 int

Troy HIll
- 2 pick 6s, only player to have more than 1

Morgan Fox
- 6 sacks, career high

Matt Gay
- 87.5% FGM
- 100% xp made
- 80% touchback rate, tied for 3rd average yds/kickoff

Johnny Hekker
- 28 inside 20, tied for 3rd overall
- 12 inside 10, tied for 3rd overall

Other notables:
Gerald Everett - 417 yards rec, career high
Sebastian Joseph-Day - 55 total tackles, 35 solo... led all Rams lineman
Micah Kiser- 77 tackles, was on pace for 137 before injury.

Feel free to add any i missed.

If the Rams win the turnover battle against Seattle, they will win the game.

Cliche? Perhaps, but for a team like the Rams, which leads with its defense and is not built for shootouts, its particularly true.

Here are some interesting numbers:

Of the 14 playoff teams, the Rams are 12th in turnover ratio at -3 (only ahead of 8 win Chicago and 7 win Washington) and only Washington has more than the Rams' 25 turnovers.

Here's the Rams' win/loss records relative to turnover ratio:

+2: 2-0
+1: 2-0
0: 3-1
-1: 3-4
-2: 0-1

Could this be any clearer?

This, of course, will likely prompt another conversation about Jared Goff. That's fair, as he has turned the ball over way too frequently. But its also on the OL to protect him, the receivers to get open, and for McVay to call good plays.

Protect the ball, and we advance to Round 2.

As we've all noticed, red zone success has been a really dark spot for the team this season and a big struggle factor.

Looking at the stats, in the last three games we are last in the league with a 22,22% RZ percentage and an average 0.7 RZ TD per game.
Obviously this is no way to win playoff games.

I've been trying to see if that was coinciding with Whitworth's injury, but it seems not:

Week 1 to 10 -> 62.86 RZ% (Ranked 16th in the league) -> this is on par with a 64% in 2019, it's not great but not terrible.
Whitworth's injury is Week 10 against Seattle, Week 10 is the Bye. After that we have this :

W11 Buccaneers : 3-3 (3 TD for 3 Attempts)
W12 SF : 1-1
W13 AZ : 3-6
W14 Pats : 2-3
W15 Jets : 2-3
W16 Sea : 0-2
W17 AZ : 0-4

-> Total percentage from W13 to W17 : 36%

However it's probably right to attribute it in part to Goffs performance somehow as the numbers show his decrease in performance from the Miami Game.

But as Goff wasn't playing yesterday when we had a 0-4 RZ performance, it can clearly not only be put on him.

What do you guys think ?

Just showed a 4:40 ET start on Saturday for Rams/Seahawks.

Will Kupp have completed his 10 day Quarantine?

I know Brockers won't.

Our rookie QB did a great job today. We made it to the playoffs by winning. That said, I'm seeing the board is joyous.. I look at the donations this month and last and am like wtf? C'mon folks. If you enjoy the board please help out. I've done web sites in the past and know what hosting costs are like. They may be cheaper now, but if we're on a dedicated, and the BW we use, it prolly is $175 a month. If not, anything leftover should buy these guys some beers for what they do.

I'm not being a whore for them, just appreciate what they do. They could ban me tomorrow for my actions and I'd still think the same way. These guys work full time jobs, and still do this out of their love for the Rams and football. Please appreciate that. Let's not let them do so out of their own pockets, and reward them if we donate to much. Peace..

PS> I donated tonight. Let's see some more.. I know it holiday season, but even $5 is good.

First and foremost, since I joined in Jun 27, 2010 I disappeared into the abyss of Twitter and reappeared this year after I deleted Twitter. With that said, I thank you all for welcoming me as a "rookie" and have certainly enjoyed getting back into the groove and conversing with everyone. I look forward to many more playoff seasons celebrated with you all.

Secondly, hats off to McVay and his staff for having Wolford ready to go. I must admit, after the first pass interception, I though "Oh shit, here we go again" but he really, really settled down and made some big plays and was an absolute treat to watch. Sure, he had some misses, and some mistakes but so does every QB, veterans included. He played his ass off, he made plays, he extended plays and he stayed true and aggressive to throws downfield and I loved that. Dude has some serious wheels and vision.

Third, hats off to Jared Goff for being a great teammate to him on the sideline, I enjoyed seeing Goff jumping and celebrating, cheering the team on. Shows what kind of a teammate he is even if I question it sometime.

Fourth, hats off to Staley and the Defense. Played lights out, although it was against another backup, they didn't let up or let him be a hero.

Fifth, the Rams need to seriously consider paying Floyd. The dude has done nothing but play his ass off in coverage, in the run game, and rushing the passer. Sure, it may be the "Donald" effect, but if we can have Donald making plays at DT, Floyd making plays at EDGE, and Ramsey shutting things down on the backend, this Defense can continue to grow and become truly Elite with more pieces.

Some other quick thoughts;

Matt Gay needs to stay around for awhile.
Morgan Fox is real solid.
Van Jefferson is going to be good.
I've COOLED off on JJ3. Still good, but pay Floyd over him.
Fire the STC.
Where'd Hekker go?


Finally, Congrats to the team, and coaches for making the playoffs through a fair share of adversity and question marks. Now, go finish the job!

LETS FUCKING GOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TIME TO POUND SOME BUSCH LIGHTS NOW!!!!

1. Ten wins.

2. Playoffs!

3. Let's not take this for granted.

4. The defense woke up this morning and quoted Thanos... "fine... we'll do it ourselves." 214 yards allowed, 4 sacks, pick 6, a safety, 4.4 yards per play allowed.

5. The special teams chipped in as well, with Matt Gay hitting his shots, and Nick Scott with a big blocked FG.

6. John Wolford did a nice job. He's certainly not going to make anyone forget Jared Goff as a passer, but his ability to make plays with his legs were a big plus.

7. I'm still very concerned about the OL. There were few running lanes, and Wolford had a short clock in the pocket.

8. Could Andrew Whitworth return and provide a spark where it is most needed next week?

9. I was worried early that mistakes might do us in, as we had two awful turnovers that made for a difficult start.

10. Once we took the lead, though, I felt confident that defense would take us home.

11. The fumble aside, I appreciate Cam Akers' game performance on a day when he clearly was not 100%.

12. Leonard Floyd registered his 10th sack and earned a $1.25M bonus... less than 48 hours after he went to the hospital with abdominal pain.

13. Floyd should buy Aaron Donald something nice.

14. McVay needs to find better answers in the Red Zone.

15. Of course, false starts don't help.

16. Time for a Three-match in Seattle!

17. Will Goff be healthy enough to play?

18. And, yes... the question of whether Goff should start is 100% a medical question. There is no QB controversy.

19. I know there are many of you who will ignore #18.

20. We live to fight another day!!!!!

Derrick Henry has 2,023 yards on the season. Don’t need any fluke 85 yard TD run in OT!!!

GREAT WIN by the Rams today! If the Rams can get some of their players (Brockers, Kupp,
Whitworth, Goff, Kiser, etc) back next weekend I really like their chances of making some noise in the Playoffs!

The Rams might have a tough decision to make if Goff can play! I am assuming there will be NO question about the Rams starting him next week but if he is not close to 100% that decision might be tougher than some think. I really like Wolford’s Fire/Toughness and Running Ability!

Time for a little bit of revenge!!!!

Sunday Night Football: Washington Football Team vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The Washington Football Team has already clinched its fourth straight losing season entering "Sunday Night Football" against the Philadelphia Eagles. But that doesn't matter in the NFL's worst division, the NFC East, where a losing record is still plenty good enough to end the year on top.

That mediocrity puts this 6-9 Washington team in control of its own fate. A win and Washington takes the division in head coach Ron Rivera's first year, earn the franchise's first playoff berth since 2015, and hosts a playoff game next weekend. A loss? The division title goes to the winner of the Cowboys-Giants game held earlier that day.

A Washington victory would be a triumph for quarterback Alex Smith, who earned back his starting job after a gruesome ankle injury nearly led to a leg amputation. Sidelined for a season and a half, the almost-certain NFL Comeback Player of the Year salvaged the offense after poor play from 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins. Haskins, after a disastrous start last weekend against the Carolina Panthers, was released this week to end a rocky two-year tenure with the franchise.

Speaking of rocky, the Eagles are stumbling toward one of the worst seasons in franchise history just three years removed from winning a Super Bowl. The 4-10-1 record has come with a benching of former first-round pick Carson Wentz, whose future with the team is in question despite a recent four-year contract extension worth $128 million. A dysfunctional offense, one of the worst offensive lines in football, and inconsistent play on defense have put head coach Doug Pederson's job in jeopardy despite his recent success.

But the Eagles will be no pushover Sunday night. Second-round pick Jalen Hurts, making his fourth start at quarterback, has shown flashes of brilliance despite stumbling a bit last weekend against the Cowboys. Running back Miles Sanders can tear up a defense for an 80-yard run at any given moment. And Smith may be without some major offensive pieces at full strength, like running back Antonio Gibson and talented wideout Terry McLaurin.

Can Washington find a way to get it done, sweeping Philadelphia for the first time since 2016? Or will the Eagles pull the upset and send both teams home for the winter?

Washington at Philadelphia

Kickoff: Sunday, Jan. 3 at 8:20 p.m. ET

TV: NBC

Spread: Washington -3

Three Things to Watch

1. Which Philadelphia offense will show up?

It feels like a lifetime ago that the Eagles started last week's game against the Cowboys up 14-3. The offense continued its upbeat rhythm put in place ever since Jalen Hurts took over.

So, what happened? The Eagles, after relying on the run early, abandoned it and promptly stalled out. Nine of their 29 rushing plays occurred in the first drive of the game. As the Cowboys stormed back, taking the lead, penalties also forced the Eagles into a bunch of second-and-long, then third-and-long situations. Hurts was under pressure, sacked three times, fumbled the ball, and threw the first two interceptions of his brief NFL career.

In the end, the Eagles got shut out in the second half and lost the game 37-17. Despite a season-high 342 passing yards, Hurts struggled in terms of offensive efficiency. The answer, it seems, is fairly simple looking at how Carson Wentz imploded in the second half against Washington way back in September. Get Miles Sanders involved, take deep chances in the passing game (see: 81-yard TD to DeSean Jackson vs. Dallas), and limit turnovers. The Eagles' 26 giveaways are the third-most in the NFL and contribute to an ugly minus-nine turnover margin (T-29th). And their 101 penalties, including 25 false starts, are second in the NFC only to the Arizona Cardinals.

Pederson indicated a minor injury may have affected Hurts' performance in the second half. It's something to watch for and capitalize on betting-wise if Washington's defense looks effective early on.

"The second half, it changed a little bit defensively on him," Pederson said of Hurts' Cowboys performance. "He was kind of battling through a little lower-body tightness as well as the game went on, and I do believe it affected him a little bit throwing the ball late in the game. But he's a battler, he's a warrior and he hung in there to the end."

2. Chase Young/Washington Defense vs. Eagles' offensive line

Young continues to terrorize opposing defenses on his way to NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. His 6.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and nine quarterback hits are a recipe for trouble against a dysfunctional offensive line. Wentz and Hurts have been sacked an NFL-worst 62 times while the O-line has battled through injuries and ineffective performances.

Washington, meanwhile, has carried the team on defense, entering this game ranked fourth overall in the NFL and third against the pass. It's a good situation for Young to lead the way while the team seeks its first postseason bid in five years. There's a reason why Rivera anointed him the captaincy Dwayne Haskins left behind.

One important stat to watch: Washington is second in the NFL in limiting fourth-down conversions, holding teams to a 36 percent success rate. Eagles head coach Doug Pederson is known for his propensity to gamble and will likely stay aggressive with nothing but pride on the line. Hurts has shown an ability to be effective in those situations, going 6-for-10 in the last three games as the starter. Can Young buckle the Washington defense down and win those important battles in the trenches?

3. Can Rivera and Alex Smith get over the hump?

For me, this one is the biggest x-factor. Both Rivera and Smith are feel-good stories. One is overachieving in the midst of a cancer battle and his first season coaching the team. Smith was never supposed to get this far after the devastating ankle injury that should have ended his career.

The problem is, Cinderella masks the pumpkin both men still live in. Rivera inherited a team with young players and still developing their offensive talent. The defense is good enough, but only to a point; you still have to score to win games in the NFL. Smith, for all the experience he brings to the table, is little more than an effective game manager. His 79.0 QB rating ranks 16th in the NFC and is just 6.2 points higher than Wentz, who is benched and likely on his way out of Philadelphia.

In a game where the Eagles' offense is much improved, Smith is likely going to need to bring more to the table. He hasn't thrown for more than one touchdown pass in a game since returning as the starter. What if wide receiver Terry McLaurin (high ankle sprain) can't go on Sunday night? Or is severely limited? Smith has to find another weapon – or make that weapon himself. More than likely, 17 points and a turnover-free performance just aren't going to be enough to win here.

Final Analysis

The chatter in Philadelphia is that Doug Pederson has spent the week advocating to keep his job as Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie ponders major changes. A loss would leave this team with just four victories, tied for the fewest by any Eagles team this century.

But since Hurts was inserted as the starter, the team's been competitive and shown some life against quality opponents. A win in the finale would bring his record to 2-2 and allow Pederson to make the case Carson Wentz's struggles at QB were the biggest problem, not the coaching and/or roster selection. There's plenty to play for.

While Alex Smith and Ron Rivera should get the storybook ending, Washington doesn't have all the pieces yet. Another poor offensive outing like the last two weeks, both losses, and Philadelphia has enough at home to get the job done.

Prediction: Eagles 28, Washington 24

Sunday, January 3

AFC LATE

Las Vegas Raiders at Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m. on CBS

Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts, 4:25 p.m. on CBS

Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs, 4:25 p.m. on Fox

Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans, 4:25 p.m. on CBS


NFC LATE

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears, 4:25 p.m. on Fox

Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m. on CBS

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers, 4:25 p.m. on Fox

New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers, 4:25 p.m. on Fox


AFC EARLY

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills, 1:00 p.m. on CBS

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals, 1:00 p.m. on CBS

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns, 1:00 p.m. on CBS

New York Jets at New England Patriots, 1:00 p.m. on CBS


NFC EARLY

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions, 1:00 p.m. on Fox

Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants, 1:00 p.m. on Fox

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1:00 p.m. on Fox

———

MNF

The Washington Football Team at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:20 p.m. on NBC

Sunday, January 3

AFC EARLY

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills, 1:00 p.m. on CBS

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals, 1:00 p.m. on CBS

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns, 1:00 p.m. on CBS

New York Jets at New England Patriots, 1:00 p.m. on CBS

NFC EARLY

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions, 1:00 p.m. on Fox

Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants, 1:00 p.m. on Fox

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1:00 p.m. on Fox

———

AFC LATE

Las Vegas Raiders at Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m. on CBS

Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts, 4:25 p.m. on CBS

Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs, 4:25 p.m. on Fox

Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans, 4:25 p.m. on CBS


NFC LATE

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears, 4:25 p.m. on Fox

Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m. on CBS

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers, 4:25 p.m. on Fox

New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers, 4:25 p.m. on Fox

———

MNF

The Washington Football Team at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:20 p.m. on NBC

Game Day Thread

The GDT is a live thread tradition here at ROD.

While we all get fired up watching the game, please remember our core principles;we always show respect for our team and each other.

Despite the emotional highs and lows watching a game, we will moderate this thread with that in mind, however please refrain from name calling. This applies to players, the Rams organization, and others.

This is the core rule of the GDT. Moderators are tasked to issue thread bans, at a minimum, to maintain this standard.

This is our team. Win or lose. Good days and bad. We are here for FUN, not to be dragged down.

A more loosely moderated atmosphere can be found in the chat room.

Go Rams!

———

ROD Chat Room;

Game Day Room

Anyone know any fun phone games that aren't full of ads? I dont mind an occasional one. But constand ads piss me off.

I play puzzle games typically.

I have not seen anything on it.

Congrats to @Faceplant for winning last weeks contest, I guess. @CGI_Ram will handle the transfer of 20k credits if he hasnt already done so.

On to this weeks matchup. It's all on the line for the John Wolford led Los Angeles Rams as they might for a playoff spot. Will the rally around Wolford and play good football, or will they end the season with a 3 game losing streak and giving us way too much time to think " WTF HAPPENED"


also a quick thanks for all who participated this year and to all the winners. This is the first year we havent had an exact score winner since I took over for @Prime Time , so win or lose this week, you mf'ers best bring your A game next season... I'll be watching

Last September I thought I had a rock solid handle on this team and these coaches. But now? I scarcely know where to start while listing my questions.

Sean McVay. Who is this imposter representing himself as my genius HC? Where have the deep throws gone? The imaginative game plans? The attacking of that weeks opponents’ weakness rather than their strengths (Miami)? Using RB’s as a receiving weapon? Having his team ‘up’ for a weak opponent instead of losing to inferior teams? Dialing back his QB to the point that opponents only have to defend half the field?

Coach Kromer. Just when I thought he was the top OL guru in the league he has his OL get abused in our last 2 games. And with disastrous results, I might add.

Coach Bonamego. WTH did McVay see in this guy last offseason? Worst coaching hire of McVay’s career and it’s not even close. At least the ‘solution’ here is an easy one this offseason.

Coach Staley. These last 2 losses have tarnished a brilliant rookie season for the rookie DC. A rising DC star, no question, but still... A better D effort in those last 2 games and Rams are 11-4 today.

OL. Is this a SB potential caliber OL, or what? I’m no longer sure, tbh. Our top pick now just might be for a C. Gulp...

TE. What happened to the blocking? What happened to the TE targeting as receiving threats? Both have made opposing D’s jobs easier. Heck, maybe go back to using Everett as a danged FB?

WR. What happened to our annual possible 3 WR’s each exceeding a thousand yards? Lately, they’ve been looking like afterthoughts. I miss those exciting ‘17 and ‘18 versions of our WR corps.

RB. Anyone else find it strange that both Akers and Hendy can’t seem to stay healthy? What’s up with that? Each of them with 2 injuries that have prevented their play in multiple games this year alone? Really? I had thought that injured RB problems would be gone with Gurley’s departure. Sigh...

I’m gonna leave the D alone for now on my worry list. They’ve played very well in the first 13 games and are hardly among our top 10 list of concerns. Hopefully, Rams can work around inevitable FA losses this offseason.

In short, my estimation of this Ram team and coaches has taken some big hits. A team that as recently as mid-November I considered a top NFC SB contender now seems to be floundering in multiple areas, mostly on the O side of the ball. Not a good feeling, that’s for darned sure.

I find myself in a kinda fatalistic, watch and see, and very cautiously optimistic state of mind. Emphasis on cautiously.

So many swirling emotions...

Frustration for suffering 6 avoidable losses.

Further frustration for having to acknowledge that I may have overestimated this team and these coaches. Pretty painful thing, really.

Yet, here we are with a golden opportunity to still enter the playoffs. All that is needed is to beat the Cards with our backup QB that’s never taken an NFL snap, using our 3rd and 4th string RB’s, while missing Brockers and probably Floyd on D, while hoping that our OL can snap out of it’s 2 game slump. Piece of cake, right? Lol.

Can McVay, Staley, and Kromer pull this off? I dunno, but I wouldn’t bet against them, that’s for sure. We’ve all seen stranger things.

I’ll be sitting in front of my TV with an open mind almost like a non-Ram fan. Just trying to relax while letting the game unfold. Like I said, kinda fatalistic. Rooting for Wolford, Jefferson, Brown, and Jones, of course, but not really expecting much. A little bit like watching the Rams in that 79 SB vs the mighty Steelers. Hoping for a good showing but not expecting a win. I was very proud of my Rams in that game and I hope to be as proud of these Rams after this Cards game. Win or lose, I would love to see our 3 units have their six-guns blazing for 60 minutes. If they do, then I’ll be satisfied no matter the final score.

That moment you pause and say... “this must be what heaven feels like”... (Stay clean here, fellas...)... or... “I can die now”. You know... That place. Or that moment.

It changes, or happens several times a week or year for a person... you could be watching your kids and have that feeling. You could be at the lake, on a boat or campsite...

I maybe get the feeling a couple of times per year. Maybe more... But I think my bar might be really high.

Anyone else got a place or moment that hits them?

One in particular for me...

It comes from about 20 years ago. I’ve experienced the same scene many times since and maybe will this week... but from a memory perspective I always seem to go back to that place 20yrs ago.

I was standing in the woods. By myself, but walking distance from my house. It was perfectly silent. All around me, 360 degrees... I remember pausing and thinking... “wow.......”.

It looked like the following pics.

I'll go ahead and get this started too early again this week.

Tonight my wife put together some Japanese Milk rolls that are absolutely sublime.

She works all weekend so tomorrow I'll be slow roasting a brisket to eventually shred up and eat with those rolls.

What do you all have on the docket?