1. There is no such thing as a good loss.

2. There are, however, degrees of bad, and this loss was not as bad as others.

3. I'm torn about the final drive. The PI call was bad, and should not have been made. The failure to stop the Bills on 3rd and 22 (and giving up 16 on the subsequent 3rd and 25) was worse, and should not have happened.

4. I think the failings on that final drive can be attributed, in part to the lack of a preseason. Our DB corps never played together before this year. While that might not be a big factor in man coverage, when you play zone (as the Rams seem to be doing on those 3rd downs) DBs need to be in synch. They clearly were not.

5. The pass rush was nonexistent for 3+ quarters on Sunday before coming alive, to an extent, in the fourth quarter. Hopefully Terrell Lewis will provide a boost there when he returns, and I agree with those who have asserted that Samson Ebukam may need to cede snaps to someone (Obo, Polite, Fox?)

6. There was a lot of good that came out of Sunday, though...

7. The running game continues to produce, and Darrell Henderson is suddenly looking like the guy we hoped we were getting when he was drafted. You have to love his big play potential. He'll pop a 50+ yarder before this season is done.

8. Jared Goff is having a very strong year. Funny how a successful running game and better OL play does that for a QB. Its almost like its a team sport or something.

9. From the "Did we let the right guys leave" file, Dante Fowler has 1 sack and has been battling injuries, Cory Littleton has only 15 tackles (no sacks or INTs) in 3 games, Todd Gurley has fewer yards than Henderson alone and a much lower YPC (5.7 to 4.0), and Greg Zuerlein missed two extra points this week. Just sayin'

10. When we were down 28-3, I started thinking about last year's Ravens and Cowboys debacles. Coming back from that deficit (even if it didn't produce a win) tells me that this team is different.

11. The next two weeks bring opponents (Giants, Redskins) who the Rams should be able to handle. I'm hoping for some nice leads that might provide opportunities to try out some blitz packages and maybe a few offensive twists.

12. The Seahawks are 3-0, but I can't imagine they're too happy about their defense, which has given up almost 500 yards/game, 430 through the air. If Jamal Adams (groin) is sidelined, that's not going to help.

13. The 49ers had an easy time with the Giants, but they are vulnerable with all their injuries.

14. The media really needs to pump the breaks on Kyler Murray. Yes, he's an exciting runner and makes some impressive throws at times, but he also has a passer rating of 79.7 and has thrown 5 INTs in 3 games. As I said last week, the jury's still out on the Cardinals.

15. Aaron Donald is so freakin' good.

16. Sam Sloman still has not had a real test.

17. Leonard Floyd is not an elite pass rusher, but his overall skill set makes him a valuable asset to the defense.

18. The blue uniforms...they're okay... kinda color rushy... but, come on... who wouldn't prefer the old throwbacks? (I did order a Ramsey jersey t-shirt, though).

19. Not Rams related, but necessary for someone, such as myself, who remembers the Miami Arena, Rony Seikaly and Sherman Douglas, it must be said... LET'S GO HEAT!!!! (Sorry, Lakers fans.)

20. I'm enjoying the season thus far... maybe more so than in previous years because, if you had asked me 2-3 months ago, I would have said I wasn't sure we'd see football at all this year.

.

sit back and watch all these beautiful throws from a qb who can actually operate within the pocket and doesn't need to run around to find an open receiver.

Login to view embedded media
.

We have had 3 tough games to start the season... There are NO EASY games in the NFL, but if you were to hope for a couple games we could get a decent lead... You might have circled NYG and Washington on the schedule.

It would be nice for that to happen. A decent lead. Some game soon. Get Akers some carries with lower pressure, loosen him up. Some reps further down the depth chart. Some longer low pressure kicks for Sloman. Pad some Goff stats.

Sure would be nice. Is this available for order on Amazon?

Plus; as fans watching the games, we could use a week of fingernail regrowth.

This is the first opportunity I've had to watch an all-22 perspective.

3rd and 22
Login to view embedded media View: https://youtu.be/qI8d2fnn1mE?t=78


Rapp and Burgess are playing 15 yard deeper than the nearest receiver when the ball arrives with no awareness of the line to gain (nearly 10 yards in front of them). Super Ugly. Zone coverage concept with too many guys guarding grass rather than the receiver in the zone.

3rd and 25
Login to view embedded media View: https://youtu.be/qI8d2fnn1mE?t=157


Still too soft. Zone Coverage. JJ passes the receiver off to Burgess who is flat footed. Slips. Easy completion.

1st and goal
Login to view embedded media View: https://youtu.be/qI8d2fnn1mE?t=217


Man coverage. JJ and Williams guarding the same guy (Diggs) leaves the TE free. Williams looks confused, and takes Ramsey out of the play. Kiser has outside contain. Kiser sees the TE run free and leaves his assignment to cover. Easy TD. Hill also lost.

Coverage scheme is a mess.

.

mahommes is now the fastest qb to get to 10,000 yards. it took him 34 games.

kurt held the record at 36 games.

still, it took a qb 20 years to top that feat. and considering the way the league has made it so easy to get passing yards it is a testament to how good the gsot was back then.

.

Although, the Rams should not take the Giants game litely it should be a game they can win easily. At the moment we don't know the extend of S Jordan Fullers shoulder injury, We also don't know the expected return of rookie Edge Terrell Lewis. Even if Lewis returns this week it would probably take another week or two before he gets a significant amount of reps. Questions have been asked about the play of Ebukam, Hill and Young as to their lack of making plays/playing ability.

Players that could get more playing time in the secondary would be CB Long and Safety/NCB Burgess with a question on continued increased time for S Rapp. At Edge Lber the Rams have Obo, Hollins and Polite who only, has one snap, to take snaps away from the failing Ebukam.

There is no doubt about the need for the Rams to get Donald help with the pass rush. Fox has been getting steady reps with Hollins seeing his reps increase to 15% as a late signing. Gaines has been getting some reps but, not a lot. Burgess got his first reps this week while Long has had single-digit reps the past two weeks.

It's early with a new Defensive Coordinator in Staley teaching his system and learning about each player's ability. There could be some overreaction here after the Bills put up a 35 Burger on the Rams. However, injuries do happen and the Rams have players with limited experience and some that could be improvements of current players getting more snaps.

What changes in snap counts would you do this week against the Giants?

Snap counts by game not updated with Bills game.

Was out driving during the GB-NO game last night and listening to Fantasy FF review on SiriusXM. The hosts were dutifully reporting updates on the game throughout the show. Mostly run-of-the-mill stuff until one of them blows a gasket after the Taysom Hill fumble.

First came the rant and then came an insta-poll:

"Do any of you love anything more than Asshole Face loves Taysom Hill?"

As of the end of the show, 88% had responded 'No.'



Never-minding the wholly unscientific nature of such a thing, that was damn funny.

Nice auto-correct edit.

Too early to form concrete opinion, but at this point I feel strongly that Staley needs to ramp up the "pressure" mix in his defense. It is unfortunate that we can't get pressure from anybody other than AD, and need to bring the heat. But I'd rather trust my 1-on-1 skills, giving up a few big plays, for the benefits of forcing errors.

A few reasons:

• We gave up Peters to go Ramsey. Traded good zone guy for 1-on-1. He will miss now and then, but I like the tradeoff
• Whether you give up a few big plays, or take the ball away, the D is on the field less. With our O running really well, why not give them more time to score points? I like the tradeoff
• It's more fun for me (selfish)
• What big plays are you limiting by playing soft shell anyway? Seems like opponents are getting big plays anyway, so why not bring it?

This doesn't apply to all cases, as some QBs are just too good against pressure. But Allen?? I think it was proven late the right choice was to force quick decisions. We would have had 5 INTs had we done this from the start...

An off season of media and opposition fan scrutiny had all of us irritated daily. Everybody doubting him after a year playing behind an injured and makeshift OL and a RB who wasn’t much help.

Now we have a full time experienced OC allowing McVay to focus on play calling. He’s in yarn given Jared more ownership of the offense and we’re seeing him blossom before our eyes. The best part is the league and the media is seeing it as well. We might actually see a little respect put on his name outside of the Ramily.

The OLine playing better and McVays scheme is certainly helping.

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1310584303227727875


Also read he’s PFFs third rated QB behind ARod and Rodgers. Loving what we’ve seen from our guy and the upcoming schedule should see more from #16 as well.

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/noplanb_/status/1310545223999610880?s=21


Some immediate things I notice.

Ebukam with 30 snaps and again without a single stat line for second week in a row. Not even a tackle assist. Guy is literally doing nothing.

Gaines with only 10 snaps but I did notice him out there and he almost got a sack on one. Wonder if his play time starts to increase.

Hollins is another jersey I saw often when he was in there. He had 1 tackle, 2 assists but that''s three more stats than Ebukam had. *hint hint*

.

This is how you act as a professional, you whiney fucks.

“It was the wrong call,” safety John Johnson said. “But the right or wrong call, there's a whole bunch of calls that they probably missed, a whole bunch of calls that they probably made. You can't narrow it down to just one call.”

Read it closely you miserable merkins.

.

Before the season started I really thought the Rams secondary was going to be really, really good and actually be one of the Rams STRENGTHS this season but right now I am thinking I was giving them way too much credit! Am I wrong and they just had a really BAD 1st Half and Last Drive or do the Rams need to make some changes/adjustments pretty soon? Of course, I am guessing it might help if the Rams Defensive Line (Other than Aaron Donald!) could/
would provide more of a Pass Rush!!!

Monday Night Football: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens

"Monday Night Football" could serve as a preview of the AFC Championship Game as the Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs. It's a matchup of two of the best quarterbacks in the league and could have massive implications for who will be home for this postseason matchup.

Baltimore has lost three straight in the series, including one matchup each of the last two seasons. Last year, Kansas City held serve at home in a 33-28 victory. Patrick Mahomes scorched them to the tune of 374 passing yards and three touchdowns, while Lamar Jackson accounted for 313 yards of offense. Mahomes surpassed that yardage total in a 27-24 overtime win over these Ravens in 2018.

Kansas City's 2-0 to start to the year featured a 34-20 win at home over Houston and a 23-20 overtime win in Los Angeles against the Chargers. Defensively, LA was up to the task, but the offense just didn't do enough. Mahomes led the team in rushing and passing in the win racking up 356 yards of total offense and led a comeback after falling behind 17-6 midway through the third quarter. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the signal-caller has won an NFL record six straight games when trailing by double digits, including the playoffs.

Baltimore's offense has been clicking through two weeks, with a 38-6 win over the Browns and a 33-16 victory over the Texans last week. Lamar Jackson is on point early this season with a 77.6 percent completion rate and four touchdowns passing to no interceptions. Hollywood Brown has been his favorite target with 143 receiving yards combined leading both contests. These dominant wins have been nothing new, as Ravens have had the lead in the fourth quarter of 12 of their last 14 regular-season games.

Football fans will be in for a treat with this game. Surprisingly, these two championship-level teams only appeared in one MNF game each last season. Kansas City beat the Chargers 24-17 in Mexico City in Week 11 last November, while the Ravens dominated the Rams 45-6 on the road the following Monday.

Monday Night Football: Kansas City at Baltimore

Kickoff: Monday, Sept. 28 at 8:15 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Spread: Ravens -3.5

Three Things to Watch

1. Intangibles

There will be no fans in the stands for this one, which takes away a massive advantage the Ravens would have — M&T Bank Stadium is one of the best home-field advantages in football. We've seen some teams fail to hold serve at home and struggle to generate their own energy with no one in the stands. This is the second straight road trip for Kansas City, and they host the Patriots next week, but I expect full 100 percent focus on a primetime matchup like this. This is Baltimore's second home game of the season, and they travel to Washington next week, so focus won't be an issue here either (not that it would have been an issue no matter who was next).

2. Try to run away with it

We know how important the quarterbacks are, but each team's run game must be on point if they hope to win. Last year, the Chiefs got over six yards per carry combined from Darrel Williams and LeSean McCoy, which was a huge help. Last week, Kansas City running backs had 15 carries for a combined 59 yards, which just won't do it. Clyde Edwards-Helaire was not able to get on track, and it put a little more pressure on the offensive line and Mahomes. On the other side, Baltimore's run game functions as a clock-killer and drive-mover. They actually out-rushed Kansas City 203-140 in the 2019 meeting and held the ball for over five more minutes, but it still wasn't enough. They have a nice rotation with Mark Ingram II, J.K. Dobbins, and Gus Edwards so rotating them and keeping guys fresh will be key. I still think winning the time of possession will be a huge help.

3. Secondary help

Each of these teams has small injury issues in their secondary, although it's not necessarily with their best cornerback. Unfortunately for Baltimore, Tavon Young is done for the season after another ACL injury. He was a very nice piece to have at corner to supplement Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, and Jimmy Smith. Unfortunately, they have to go deeper in the depth chart, which isn't great against a Chiefs offense that has a ton of weapons. On the other side, Chavarius Ward returned to practice on Thursday, and he's a key piece to a secondary that needs all hands on deck. Last year, Kansas City was able to hold Marquise Brown to two catches on nine targets.

Final Analysis

This game is going to live up to its potential. It really does hurt that the Ravens don't have fans in the stands because now there will be little-to-no home-field advantage. Still, I think Baltimore is playing the best football in the league right now. That will continue in a highlight-filled MNF affair.

Prediction: Ravens 31, Chiefs 27

Enough with this crazy obsessing over the Rams’ on-field performance. Let’s get back to discussing what really matters: fashion.

Seriously, though, speaking as someone who was underwhelmed by the new duds, I gotta admit that the new stuff is growing on me. Helmets really pop. (Still don’t care for the line in the horn, but my brain still registers the helmet as “Yep, that’s my Rams”.) I was worried the blue unis might have a washed-out baby-blue Chargers look, but I’ve been relieved to see the blue still looks dark enough, even in bright sunlight. Even the new logos are growing on me... that LA swoosh thing doesn’t look hideous anymore, it looks kinda normal now.

Liking the “bone” away unis, and really want to see what the yellow pants will look like. All-blues are ok I guess, but I’m thinkin’ the yellow pants/ blue jersey will evoke more of that “yep, those are my Rams” feelings.

And yeah, gotta admit it might be easier to accept the new unis because the team is performing so well.

This should have been a thread last week, but I'm starting it now.

Kupp is a great WR, and he is too valuable to have back there returning kicks.
I'm sure he got the job because of ball security, but enough is enough.
Two bad decisions, in two weeks, and a fumble.

I thought Henderson was good at returning punts, even though I might be mistaken, but he might be our #1 RB right now, so who else on this roster can return punts?

I'd rather we kneel then do that non-sense... I've seen it about 50 strait times now by various teams- starts off as a 20 yard gain and ends up as a 10 yard loss with a fumble every time.

Yeah... I really can't bitch about this game.

Moreover, the things that failed us come at a time and against a team that prime us to be very dangerous.

Things that are looking excellent going forward

1) If Staley needed any further evidence that he needs to blitz more, this game was it. It wasn't so much that the blitz was getting home, but it made Allen get off his spot and be much more inaccurate. I think we'll see more blitzes, although they'll be strategic, but yeah, we shouldn't see much more of that lay back D.

2) Between Terrell Lewis coming back and Jachai Polite in the wings as well as Ebu not holding contain on the edge, I think we're gonna see some shake up on the pass rush. No way we just sit back and wait for things to change. This D with more pass rush? Oof.

3) This team doesn't let a flat half get them down. I didn't see ONE guy hanging his head when the team was down 28-3. Teams aren't gonna go undefeated in this day and age. This team is gonna fight like hell for a full 60 mins or more if need be.

4) McVay is sticking with the run game. And Hendo... looks like a real find. Down 28-3 and he's sticking with the run. That's a sign of a team that doesn't panic.

I dunno.

The Rams came out super flat and spotted the #1 offense in the NFL a 28-3 lead and nearly pulled off the upset. But for a TERRIBLE call, they do.

When we don't come out flat, we dominate.

ya got 24 hours to vent...any threads bitching about the game will be moved here

Anyone know where to find a Rams flag with the new Ram head online? I can't find one anywhere.

Sunday Night Football: Green Bay Packers vs. New Orleans Saints

Drew Brees vs. Aaron Rodgers will always make for a classic showdown, even if the number of remaining faceoffs quickly dwindles. NFL fans are in for a treat on "Sunday Night Football."

The Green Bay Packers have taken an early lead in the race for the NFC North after beating the Vikings and Lions. They have compiled more than 40 points in both games so far. Those include contributions by the defense in both games.

Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints still look like playoff contenders, even if last week's loss took some wind out of their sails. After jumping out to a 17-7 lead midway through the first quarter in Las Vegas, the Saints imploded. Their defense allowed scores on four straight possessions, then 10 more points in the fourth quarter, and the offense did not score again until fewer than five minutes remained in the game.

Green Bay leads the all-time series, 16-9, although the two teams have split the four games that both Brees and Rodgers started. Maybe we'll be lucky enough to see a rematch in January, but this has the makings of another classic.

Sunday Night Football: Green Bay at New Orleans

Kickoff: Sunday, Sept. 27 at 8:20 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Spread: Saints -3

Three Things to Watch

1. Can the Saints reduce their number of penalties?

The Saints have been whistled for the most penalty yardage this season (248), and it's not particularly close. They are the only team that has accumulated more than 200 yards so far, and the gap between them and second-place Arizona is larger than the gap between Arizona and sixth-place Cleveland. This, despite being tied for third in the league for number of penalties committed (16).

In the season-opener, the Saints committed six penalties totaling an astounding 119 yards. All six came on defense and resulted in Buccaneers first downs.

The Saints declined further at Las Vegas. They committed 10 penalties for 129 yards. Half of those infractions lead to first downs for the Raiders.

The Packers have thrived without much help from opponents. The Vikings only committed five penalties for 20 yards, although three of those resulted in first downs. The Lions were flagged seven times for 70 yards, with four of those giving the Packers a first down. If the Saints give Green Bay the same amount of free yardage and new downs as they did in the first two contests, they could be in danger of being blown out of the Superdome.

2. Aaron Rodgers vs. the Saints' secondary

Rodgers has shown almost no favoritism when throwing passes this season. At Minnesota, Davante Adams had 14 receptions for 156 yards and two touchdowns while Marquez Valdes-Scantling hauled in 4 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Two different players, Aaron Jones and Valdes-Scantling, exceeded 60 receiving yards against Detroit.

The Saints' defensive backs looked bewildered in Las Vegas. Several of them tried to cover Raiders' tight end Darren Waller, yet no one could do so effectively. Derek Carr connected with Waller 12 times for 105 yards and a touchdown.

Can Rodgers make use of his tight ends to burn the Saints as Carr did with Waller? Rodgers has only targeted three different tight ends a total of six times. He completed two passes to Robert Tonyan for 25 yards and one touchdown. He also connected once with Josiah Deguara for 12 yards and another time with Marcedes Lewis for 4. It's been crickets so far for 2019 third-rounder Jace Sternberger.

3. Refocus of the Saints' offense

Last week, the Saints successfully started the game on offense. They scored a field goal then two touchdowns during their first four possessions. An interception late in the first half began a slump during which the Raiders grabbed the lead. Brees' passing attempts led to mixed results — not enough to sustain drives in the second half.

Without All-Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas, Asshole Face must rely more on the ground game. Alvin Kamara has shown himself worthy of carrying the offense's load since he has gained 95 yards and scored three touchdowns on 25 carries. He is also a dependable receiving target with 14 receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown. Latavius Murray, who has 18 rushes for 62 yards, can serve as a battering ram to slow down defensive pressure on Brees. Taysom Hill has run 5 times for 21 yards in addition to his credible threat to pass downfield. Payton must overcome his frequent urge to cast aside the running game as soon as an opponent ties the score or takes the lead.

Final Analysis

This matchup features the favorites to win their respective divisions. The result of this contest could likely factor into a head-to-head tiebreaker at the end of the regular season. The loser will probably look back at the outcome in December, realizing that its playoff seeding suffered for dropping this game.

Green Bay is riding high coming into this contest. The Packers are one of only five undefeated NFC teams. They are the one such team that has already won two divisional games and looks like the probable top seed in the NFC playoffs, although it's still early.

New Orleans struggled in the first two games. The team also did so early in the last six seasons. The loss in Las Vegas was uglier than the 10-point margin indicates. Viewers should expect to see an angry home team, motivated by a berating head coach and quarterback determined to start a winning streak.

Prediction: Saints 27, Packers 24

Carolina Panthers at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05 p.m. on CBS

New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts, 4:05 p.m. on CBS

Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks, 4:25 p.m. on Fox

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Denver Broncos. 4:25 p.m. on Fox

Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. on Fox

Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1:00 p.m. on CBS

Cincinnati Bengals at Philadelphia Eagles, 1:00 p.m. on CBS

San Francisco 49ers at New York Giants, 1:00 p.m. on Fox

Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots, 1:00 p.m. on CBS

Tennessee Titans at Minnesota Vikings, 1:00 p.m. on CBS

The Washington Football Team at Cleveland Browns, 1:00 p.m. on Fox

Los Angeles Rams at Buffalo Bills, 1:00 p.m. on Fox

Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons, 1:00 p.m. on Fox

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