Stay with me for a second...I feel like we have an over pursuit problem, especially with R. Wilson. I’m not saying that I don’t want us getting after the QB/RB.

I just feel like I see a guy fly by a “would be sack/tackle” for loss more times than I would like to see. Now, I know that there are so many factors to how every play starts and finishes. But why am I feeling this as I think about our season so far? I will gladly sit here and color the rest of the year and just go back to only reading the forums, daily. Am I alone here?

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Tore his pec.


They are getting some pieces back, but This one hurts a bit, I think.

Here's a fun statistic.

Jared Goff has taken 12 sacks thus far this season. Two QB's who have started for their teams since the start of the season have taken less sacks. Brissett has taken 11, and Prescott has been sacked 10 times.

Here's another interested stat though... Jared Goff has the 3rd most attempts in the league this year. Brissett is 17th in attempts and Prescott is 16th in attempts.. Jared Goff will be first in attempts pretty soon as well, since Kyler Murray has one more attempt and one more game played and Dalton just got benched.

So, Goff has the best sack rate in the league.

Now lets take one more look at the Cowboys and Colts, this time at their offensive lines. Anyone want to guess where the Colts rank in terms of their line? First, best in the league. Cowboys? 4th best in the league. Brissett and Prescott have taken one and two less sacks than Jared Goff while they stand behind the first and 4th best offensive lines in the NFL.

Jared Goff? Well he has to stand behind an offensive line that is ranked.... 31st. Just barely above the Miami Dolphins.

So, Jared Goff, the NFL passing leader, with the most yards, most attempts, and best sack rate is doing all of this behind one of the worst lines in the league.

Fix the offensive line and Goff likely becomes the MVP favorite.

Take my unbiased poll.

After a so-so start in SF Shanahan has found himself on top of the league with an undefeated record in the first 8 games, but what I don’t get is how this has affected perception of McVay. I’ve heard several times that maybe Shanny is the real genius in the nfc west, which I found curious. Why does Shanny’s success diminish McVay ? Shanahan had injury issues his first couple years now it’s all coming together. McVay had unusual health now there are real injury problems.
Strength of schedule is an underrated part of playoff success, many times the teams that end up in the playoffs have had the easiest road to get there but I think there’s still some surprises left in this season before we crown them the best team in the nfc.

Checking in on the Rams' 2019 draft class
Friday, Nov 01, 2019
Stu Jackson

Back in late April, the Rams used eight picks to assemble their draft class this year. Some have been able to see action right away, while others have have had to wait due to the depth and experience in front of them.

Here's how each of those eight selections have fared at the midway point of the season

S TAYLOR RAPP (ROUND 2, NO. 61)
Rapp has appeared in every game this season, playing the 11th-most snaps of any Rams defensive player with 321. His 44 total tackles rank fourth on the team, and he's chipped three pass breakups.Starting in each of the Rams' last two games, he most recently posted a team- and season-high 12 tackles in their 24-10 win over the Bengals in London.Area scout Vito Gonella called him "a money-man tackler" this spring when discussing what stood out from watching him at Washington, and that reputation has carried over into his professional career. Scouting service Pro Football Focus has him graded as Los Angeles' fourth-best tackler so far.

RB DARRELL HENDERSON JR. (ROUND 3, NO. 70)
Henderson has appeared in four of the Rams' first eight games this season, receiving 73 snaps. He's rushed 29 times for 119 yards and added four receptions for 37 yards.Todd Gurley and Malcolm Brown shouldered most of the backfield load through the first five weeks, while Henderson was used sparingly. However, after Brown sustained an ankle injury in Week 6, Henderson saw his opportunities increase over the last two weeks, seeing 26 snaps against the Falcons followed by 28 against the Bengals in London.

CB DAVID LONG JR. (ROUND 3, NO. 79)
Long fits into the category of joining a position group that had depth and experience, since the Rams chose to keep six cornerbacks on the preliminary 53-man roster.He was inactive for the first six weeks of the season, but after Marcus Peters was traded to the Ravens and Aqib Talib was placed on injured reserve (and later traded to the Dolphins), he landed on the active gameday roster. Though the Rams also acquired Jalen Ramsey, Long still appeared in each of the Rams' last two gamesHis action has mainly come on special teams, as he's seen 27 snaps with that unit compared to nine with the defense. He has one tackle this season.

OT BOBBY EVANS (ROUND 3, NO. 97)
Another rookie who joined a veteran position group, Evans didn't land on the active gameday roster until Oct. 20. Like Long, he was also inactive for the first six weeks before injuries afforded him new opportunities. Also like Long, Evans has mainly seen action on special teams with 12 snaps there in the last two weeks. He got three snaps on offense against the Falcons but none against the Bengals.

DT GREG GAINES (ROUND 4, NO. 134)
Gaines has been inactive for five of the Rams' first eight games, including each of the last two. In the two games he's been active, he's tallied a combined five tackles.He was most recently active against the 49ers, posting his best overall defensive grade (87.8) and run defense grade (86.7) on the season. Those marks were also second-highest in each respective category of any Rams defensive players against the Niners in Week 6.

OT DAVID EDWARDS (ROUND 5, NO. 169)
Edwards has appeared in all eight games, starting at left guard in each of the last two. It didn't seem like the former Wisconsin standout would see playing time right away, given the Rams had 14-year veteran Andrew Whitworth holding down left tackle and fifth-year pro Rob Havenstein holding down right tackle. However, thanks to cross-training along the offensive line during the spring and summer, his time would come in Week 7 against the Falcons when the Rams elected to give Edwards a shot at the spot in wake of starting LG Joe Noteboom's season-ending ACL and MCL injury against the 49ers.Edwards hasn't looked back since, playing 75 snaps against the Falcons and 60 against the Bengals.

S NICK SCOTT (ROUND 7, NO. 243)
Initially projected as a key special teams contributed, Scott has been a mainstay with that unit. He's logged a team-high 180 snaps on that squad while appearing in all eight games this season. His three total tackles share with linebackers Troy Reeder and Travin Howard for the special teams lead.

PFT’s Week Nine picks

Texans at Jaguars

MDS’s take: The AFC South race is wide open, with all four teams between 5-2 and 4-4. That makes every division game a big one, and I like the Jaguars here.

MDS’s pick: Jaguars 21, Texans 20.

Florio’s take: Deshaun Watson continues to prove that the gap between himself and Patrick Mahomes is narrower than anyone realizes.

Florio’s pick: Texans 27, Jaguars 23.

Colts at Steelers

MDS’s take: Call this a hunch more than anything else, but I see the Steelers turning things around over the second half of the season and getting into the playoff hunt.

MDS’s pick: Steelers 24, Colts 20.

Florio’s take: Here come the Steelers, a team that will keep finding a way despite any and all injuries that they may endure.

Florio’s pick: Steelers 27, Colts 24.

Bears at Eagles

MDS’s take: If the rematch of last year’s playoff game comes down to a last-second field goal, the entire city of Chicago may have a collective heart attack. I see the Bears losing this and falling deeper into last place in the NFC North.

MDS’s pick: Eagles 24, Bears 23.

Florio’s take: It won’t take a double doink this time around.

Florio’s pick: Eagles 27, Bears 20.

Jets at Dolphins

MDS’s take: What an ugly, awful game this should be.

MDS’s pick: Jets 13, Dolphins 12.

Florio’s take: The Jets aren’t good, but they’re better than the Dolphins. Not by much, however.

Florio’s pick: Jets 20, Dolphins 17.

Vikings at Chiefs

MDS’s take: Even without a healthy Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs are a pretty good team. I think they’re good enough to put a half to the Vikings’ impressive run.

MDS’s pick: Chiefs 24, Vikings 21.

Florio’s take: If the Vikings are going to have a special season they need to win this game. Spoiler: The Vikings are not going to have a special season.

Florio’s pick: Chiefs 24, Vikings 20.

Titans at Panthers

MDS’s take: Ryan Tannehill has been better than Marcus Mariota this season, but either way I see the Panthers’ defense shutting down the Titans’ offense.

MDS’s pick: Panthers 17, Titans 13.

Florio’s take: The Panthers are reeling after getting blown out in San Francisco. The Titans are surging are stealing one from the Bucs. It’s a house money game for the road team, and the road team steals another.

Florio’s pick: Titans 23, Panthers 16.

Washington at Bills

MDS’s take: After an ugly loss to the Eagles, the Bills’ defense will bounce back against a much worse opponent.

MDS’s pick: Bills 13, Washington 6.

Florio’s take: It’s a Super Bowl XXVII rematch, and Thurman Thomas wouldn’t need a helmet to win this one.

Florio’s pick: Bills 24, Washington 14.

Buccaneers at Seahawks

MDS’s take: The Bucs are a better team than their 2-5 record suggests, but Russell Wilson will have a better game than Jameis Winston on Sunday and the Bucs will drop to 2-6.

MDS’s pick: Seahawks 24, Buccaneers 14.

Florio’s take: The two teams that joined the NFL in 1976 renew acquaintances, as do Bruce Arians and Pete Carroll. Jameis Winston eventually will do Jameis Winston things, and Russell Wilson eventually will do Russell Wilson things.

Florio’s pick: Seahawks 28, Buccaneers 16.

Lions at Raiders

MDS’s take: The Raiders are a better team than people think, and they’re going to stay in playoff contention with a win on Sunday.

MDS’s pick: Raiders 28, Lions 27.

Florio’s take: The Raiders return home for the first time in seven weeks, with only five more chances to win a game in Oakland.

Florio’s pick: Raiders 24, Lions 17.

Packers at Chargers

MDS’s take: Green Bay fans will fill the Chargers’ tiny stadium in Carson, and this will sound like a Packers home game as they cheer on another big win.

MDS’s pick: Packers 28, Chargers 17.

Florio’s take: Lambeau Field West will be a-rockin’ with Aaron Rodgers fans.

Florio’s pick: Packers 34, Chargers 20.

Browns at Broncos

MDS’s take: What better time for the Browns to right the ship than when they’re facing a bad Broncos team that’s starting someone named Brandon Allen at quarterback?

MDS’s pick: Browns 20, Broncos 17.

Florio’s take: Brandon Allen is the starting quarterback on Sunday. That’s all that needs to be said.

Florio’s pick: Browns 20, Broncos 13.

Patriots at Ravens

MDS’s take: Lamar Jackson and the Ravens will be the toughest opponent the Patriots have faced this season, but not tough enough to hand them their first loss.

MDS’s pick: Patriots 20, Ravens 14.

Florio’s take: The Patriots haven’t seen a quarterback like Lamar Jackson this year, but Jackson has never seen a defense like New England’s.

Florio’s pick: Patriots 23, Ravens 15.

Cowboys at Giants

MDS’s take: Dak Prescott will have a big day against a bad Giants pass defense. The Cowboys should win easily.

MDS’s pick: Cowboys 31, Giants 20.

Florio’s take: The Cowboys get a chance to redeem themselves at MetLife Stadium, not long after losing to the Jets there. Look for Dallas to get an early lead and then suffocate the Giants.

Florio’s pick: Cowboys 31, Giants 17.

Pro Football Focus midseason highlights: Rams defense

The Rams' bye week comes at an optimal time, exactly halfway through the 2019 season. In the second of a three-part series this week, theRams.com takes a look at Pro Football Focus' top evaluations of Los Angeles' defense through the first eight games.

Best overall grades: Defense (82.9, fifth), run defense (80.5, seventh), pass rush (82.9, third), coverage (76.9, seventh).

L.A.'s defense places in the top 10 in four of PFF's five evaluated categories.

So far, its best game has been against the 49ers, when its run defense graded out with an 85.8 versus a Niners offense that entered with the No. 1 rushing attack in the NFL.

Like the offense, it has had its best overall performances of the season in the last two weeks: A 79.8 against the Falcons in Week 7, followed by a 78.2 against the Bengals in Week 8.

Additionally, L.A. has a top-three pass rush in the eyes of PFF while facing three of the scouting service's top 10 offensive lines so far this season: the Saints (third), the 49ers (sixth) and the Buccaneers (eighth).

Top-graded individual performances

DT Aaron Donald: vs. San Francisco, 91.7 overall defensive grade and 92.5 pass rush grade. Donald generated six total pressures, including a season-high two sacks, in this game, adding two QB hits and two QB hurries.

CB Jalen Ramsey: vs. Cincinnati, 74.8 coverage grade. Ramsey has only been with the Rams for two games, so it's a smaller sample size compared to the rest of his teammates. However, it was an improvement over his coverage grade against the Falcons the week before, which likely suggests his increased comfort in the Rams' defense as time as gone on.

Safety Eric Weddle: vs. San Francisco, 78.9 overall defensive grade and 73.3 coverage grade. The numbers were close between this game and the season opener at Carolina, but like Donald, playing a division rival seemed to bring out the best in Weddle. His overall defensive grade against the Niners was his highest this season, while the coverage grade was second-highest to his 74.4 against the Panthers in Week 1.

LB Cory Littleton: at Carolina, 94.3 overall defensive grade, 83.5 tackling grade, 82.7 pass rush grade and 94.1 pass rush grade. Those marks were strong enough to land him a spot on the scouting service's Team of the Week for Week 1. He's continued to play at a high level ever since, too – his overall defensive grade ranks in the top 10 at his position, his pass rush grade top 15 and his coverage grade top three among the 151 linebackers evaluated through Week 8.

CB Troy Hill: vs. Cincinnati, 85.5 overall defensive grade, 78.9 tackling grade, 88.4 coverage grade. All are single-game bests this season. His coverage grade was fifth-best among the 117 players at his position evaluated by PFF. Hill has also posted a tackling grade higher than 77 since entering the starting lineup in Week 6.

LB Dante Fowler: at Atlanta, 90.6 overall defensive grade, 90.9 pass rush grade. Unsurprisingly, Fowler's first three-sack game of his career produced his highest overall defensive grade and best pass rush grade of the season. In addition to the three sacks, Fowler also had one QB hit and three QB hurries for seven total pressures against the Falcons, tied with the Cleveland game for second most for him in a single game this season.

LB Samson Ebukam: vs. San Francisco, 87.8 run defense grade. Like Donald and Weddle, Ebukam scored well against a divisional rival, posting his best game against the run Week 6 against the 49ers.

DE Michael Brockers: at Seattle, 81.5 overall defensive grade and 79.8 run defense grade. Continuing the trend of the NFC West producing top performances for Rams defensive players, those grades were highest and second-highest in their respective categories for Brockers this season.

CB Nickell Robey-Coleman: at Seattle, 78.4 coverage grade. Robey-Coleman has graded out at 78 or better in this category in each of the Rams' first two NFC West games. He was targeted twice against the Seahawks by QB Russell Wilson, allowing just one catch for seven yards.

DT Sebastian Joseph-Day: vs. San Francisco, 85.1 overall defensive grade and 79.9 run defense grade. The common theme continues, as Joseph-Day's best game overall and against the run came against an NFC West foe.

Safety Taylor Rapp: vs. Cincinnati, 76.6 run defense grade and 83.2 tackling grade. Playing a season-high 80 snaps, Rapp logged his best game against the run and second-best tackling performance in 2019. His tackling grade of 79.4 on the season ranks fourth on the team.

This guy is the most ridiculous specimen I’ve seen as a rookie. He makes you forget all about Joey. The 9ers hit it on that pick. Dude is a freak.

While I think they are cool and themed with Halloween.

Those bats are annoying as can be when you're trying to read through the board.

LA Rams thriving on defense despite personnel upheaval
By GREG BEACHAM

The Los Angeles Rams are heading into the second half of the season missing more than half of the starters from last year’s Super Bowl defense, including their entire secondary.Change has arrived quickly for the defending NFC champions, but they appear to be adjusting well.Just eight games after coordinator Wade Phillips’ unit held New England to the fewest points ever scored by a Super Bowl winner, the Rams (5-3) have undergone big personnel changes on Phillips’ side of the ball. And while the Rams’ once-prolific offense has frequently struggled despite returning every key skill-position player from last season, the defense has been largely solid despite its upheaval.

Three members of last year’s starting secondary are gone, with both of their veteran starting cornerbacks getting traded in October, and the fourth Super Bowl starter — safety John Johnson — is on injured reserve. They’ve also adjusted to losing new linebacker Clay Matthews, who was off to a great start before breaking his jaw and adding elite cornerback Jalen Ramsey in a trade that compelled Phillips to make philosophical adjustments to his schemes.Through it all, the Rams have held their past three opponents to 40 combined points while playing in three different cities and enduring a 10-day, trans-Atlantic road trip heading into their bye week.

While San Francisco and Seattle have jumped ahead of them in the competitive NFC West, the Rams feel they’re in position to rally back.
“Some games, we’ve played really well,” Phillips said. “We haven’t been as consistent as we want, but we have played good run defense throughout the year. I think our run front is strong, probably stronger than last year. That helps us in that if we can force them into the passing game, we’ve got to play good pass defense.”Los Angeles is relying on its defense more than ever this season with the inconsistency of coach Sean McVay’s offense. Even with four new starters in the secondary, even with Aaron Donald facing the most double-team blocks in the league, the Rams have got the job done recently.

Heading into Week 9, the Rams rank 11th in the league with 338.2 yards per game allowed. Los Angeles’ run defense has been largely solid, even with the offseason losses of Ndamukong Suh and Mark Barron, while their pass defense has been boosted by Ramsey’s arrival and a strong pass rush.Ramsey’s arrival emboldened Phillips to call more man-to-man coverages in the past two games, and longtime backup cornerback Troy Hill appeared to handle his part quite well when thrust into a starting role. Ramsey has arrived on the West Coast in strong form, and he is rested and ready to take on major responsibilities in the second half.

“There’s some good man-to-man players, but then there’s a few great ones,” Phillips said. “Those are the guys that you can say, ‘Hey, he’s got it no matter what and can help somebody else.’ Some guys can play blitz coverage and other guys help somebody else. You basically eliminate one guy for us as far as what’s going on with us now.”Man-to-man defenses also help the pass rush by theoretically forcing the opposing quarterback to hold the ball longer, and that appeared to work in the past two games: Dante Fowler, who has 33 quarterback hurries in his impressive season, stepped up to make 4½ of the Rams’ whopping 10 sacks against Atlanta and Cincinnati.

Much of the credit also must go to Donald, whose relatively modest stats — by his standards, not by anyone else’s — belie the success he’s having again this year. The back-to-back AP Defensive Player of the Year has five sacks, 11 tackles for loss and nine quarterback hits in eight games, but that’s only a fraction of his impact.“He disrupts so many things, and he helps other people,” Phillips said. “When he gets double teamed, certainly other people are one-on-one, and he’s double teamed a lot, we know that. But he also dictates protections for them, which gives us a chance to rush better in some of those situations. You look at the film, he’s still a dominant force. Whether he gets 20 sacks or not, he’s still a dominant force.”

New safety Eric Weddle has played well and provided invaluable tutoring help to even greener teammates in the secondary. Other contributors are stepping up, too: Linebacker Cory Littleton remains a ferocious all-around defender and the Rams’ leading tackler, while rookie safety Taylor Rapp is getting additional responsibilities each week as he grows in confidence.More help is on the way: Matthews has the wiring out of his broken jaw, and he will return to action soon. He began his first season with the Rams by making six sacks in five games, along with seven total tackles for loss.

“He’s feeling good,” McVay said of Matthews. “I really just think it’s going to be a matter of how quickly and how comfortable does he feel, as far as, ‘All right, I’m ready to go,’ and play full contact.”
___

yeah so the Rams are on a bye week, players are getting healed up and our livers are in mid-season form. So does that mean we have to take a break from the favorite contest on the interwebz?...HELL NOES I SAY


Introducing the Special Edition PTS Contest... during the Rams bye week we may not watch that much football, I'll be painting my condo in Florida (blehhhhh) but there is still football being played. The most interesting game of the week seems to be the SNF matchup with the Patriots traveling to Baltimore to take on the Ravens.


All the rules and prizes remain the same... 3000 for first closest guess and 6000 for exact score prediction.

Lets see what you got

GO

Cameron DaSilva
4 hours ago



Aaron Donald gets most of the attention on defense for the Los Angeles Rams – and deservingly so – but fellow pass rusher Dante Fowler Jr. has quietly had an excellent season. Thanks to a dominant two-week stretch against the Falcons and Bengals, Fowler now leads the team with 6.5 sacks and is tied for first with nine QB hits.
In the first eight games of the season, Fowler has shown why the Rams were willing to give him a one-year, $12 million deal this offseason. He’s making them look smart for that decision, bolstering the pass rush at outside linebacker.

Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire recently ranked the most underrated players in the NFL from the first half of the season and Fowler made the list.

Selected with the third overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Florida by the Jaguars, Fowler struggled early on to live up to any of his monstrous potential as his raw athleticism was taken to task by more experienced blockers, and injuries and off-field issues affected his growth as a player. He was a pretty decent disruptor at times, but after missing his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL, he never managed more than eight sacks in a season. Perhaps the best thing that could have happened to Fowler was a 2018 mid-season trade to the Rams, where he was given one task by defensive coordinator Wade Phillips: Pin your ears back and go get the quarterback. In 2019, Fowler has done that better than at any other point in his career, with 6.5 sacks, two quarterback hits, and 33 quarterback hurries. Now, Fowler has become a fully-loaded pass-rushing monster, able to take blockers apart with speed and force at the edge, or a quick inside move to demolish on stunts and twists.

Click to expand...

Fowler hasn’t necessarily lived up to the hype of being the third overall pick in 2015, but he’s making an impact for the Rams this year – just as he did in the second half of last season. He still has to win more consistently and not disappear from games, but he’s off to a great start in 2019.
His impact has been felt even more with Clay Matthews sidelined due to a broken jaw. Matthews is expected to return after this week’s bye, but it’s clear Fowler is the best edge rusher Los Angeles has right now.

Cameron DaSilva

2 hours ago

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports


After some time off in Week 9, the Los Angeles Rams will begin the second half of their 2019 season in Week 10. At 5-3, they’re hardly out of the playoff picture, but they certainly have a lot of work to do in the last eight games.

There are some difficult opponents coming up in November and December, which makes the Rams’ path to the playoffs murky. But with some more consistent play on offense and an improved defense, Los Angeles can make a run toward the postseason.
We went game by game and predicted either a win or loss in each of the final eight weeks of the season. A 10-6 record might not get the Rams into the playoffs, so it’ll take an improved second half to play in January.


Week 10 at Steelers
This game looked much tougher when Ben Roethlisberger was healthy, but he’s out for the year. That changes things significantly and even though it’s on the road, the Rams certainly have the advantage in this one.
Coming off their bye with some momentum in the last two weeks, the Rams are going to be well-rested and healthy. Even though Pittsburgh’s defense has played well this season, the Rams will be able to take care of business and win their first game of the second half.
Prediction: Win (6-3)


Week 11 vs. Bears (SNF)
Oh, how things have changed. Chicago looked like a Super Bowl contender before the season started, but poor play by Mitchell Trubisky and an unimpressive offense has set the Bears back significantly. The defense is still something to be wary of, but Chicago doesn’t look like the powerhouse it once appeared to be.
The Rams are back at home for this one, hosting the Bears in prime-time on Sunday Night Football. That makes a big difference compared to playing on the road in windy Chicago as these two teams did last year when Los Angeles was shut down offensively.
Prediction: Win (7-3)


Week 12 vs. Ravens (MNF)

(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Containing Lamar Jackson is a tall task for any defense. The Rams have the playmakers to cover him, including Nickell Robey-Coleman and Taylor Rapp, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy to slow down Baltimore’s offense.

Marcus Peters and his new team get a win against his old squad on the road, giving the Rams their first loss since Week 6. It’ll be close, but Los Angeles will have trouble containing Jackson.

Prediction: Loss (7-4)


Week 13 at Cardinals
Incredibly, the Rams don’t face Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray until Week 13. The Cardinals are one of the better teams with a losing record in the NFL right now and pose similar problems for the Rams as the Ravens do.

However, the Cardinals aren’t as complete as Baltimore is and the Rams can learn from any mistakes they make against Jackson and the Ravens. Look for them to bounce back and win this one.

Prediction: Win (8-4)


Week 14 vs. Seahawks (SNF)

Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Here’s where a daunting stretch of games begins. The Rams host Seattle on Sunday Night Football before facing the Cowboys and 49ers in the following two weeks. The Rams should’ve beaten Seattle in their first meeting this season, but Greg Zuerlein pushed his game-winning field goal try just wide right.

Los Angeles will avenge that loss with a win in week 14, a game which this team really needs to have in the competitive NFC. It’ll help having Jalen Ramsey to cover Tyler Lockett, too, which wasn’t the case earlier this year.

Prediction: Win (9-4)


Week 15 at Cowboys
The Cowboys’ record doesn’t suggest they’re one of the best teams in football, but this is a dangerous team on both sides of the ball. Ramsey will draw a tough matchup with Amari Cooper, whose crisp route-running is hard for even the best corners to match.

This one will come down to the wire, but Dallas will hold on for the victory at home behind a solid effort from its defense.

Prediction: Loss (9-5)


Week 16 at 49ers

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Are the Rams really going to get swept by San Francisco for the first time since 2016 and just the third time this decade? Based on the way the 49ers are playing, it’s very possible. San Francisco has one of the best defenses in football and a ground game that’s difficult to stop.

The Rams should be in better shape on offense by this point with the offensive line finding its groove right now, but San Francisco is littered with defensive talent and pass rushers. The Rams will need a great performance by Jared Goff in order to win this one on the road.

Prediction: Loss (9-6)


Week 17 vs. Cardinals
To close out the year, the Rams host the Cardinals. Week 17 won’t be meaningless for Los Angeles this season, given the team’s current record, which means this game should have big playoff implications.

Having a game of experience against Murray and Kingsbury should help the Rams and they’ll find a way to do just enough to win the season finale.

Prediction: Win (10-6)

Regrading Every NFL Team's 2019 Offseason Moves
Gary Davenport
View: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2859799-regrading-every-nfl-teams-2019-offseason-moves#slide1

Rams

1. Original Grade: B
   The big-name free-agent additions the Rams made in the offseason have helped the defending NFC champs. Veteran safety Eric Weddle trails only linebacker Cory Littleton in tackles. Outside linebacker Clay Matthews was off to a career-best start before he broke his jaw and is still second on the team in sacks.
   The huge addition the Rams made after the season (cornerback Jalen Ramsey) doesn't count.
   However, the players the team lost in free agency have also had an impact. Aaron Donald isn't wreaking the havoc he did a year ago playing next to Ndamukong Suh. Partly because of the loss of veteran guard Rodger Saffold III, the offensive line has taken a massive step backward.
   The draft class has been mostly unimpressive. The high point has definitely been safety Taylor Rapp, who has quickly evolved into a full-time player and versatile weapon. However, the impact that so many expected from third-round tailback Darrell Henderson Jr. hasn't materialized—he's a distant third on the depth chart behind starter Todd Gurley II and veteran Malcolm Brown. And despite the struggles of line, the rookies at that position group have been unable to earn much playing time.
   The Rams' additions were supposed to help put them over the top.
   Instead, they have backslid and are a third-place team in their own division.
   Grade: C
   

Do you have any? I remember the last year my brother went trick or treating. He is about 3 years younger than me so he was probably 6 or 7. Dad cut us off trick or treating pretty young. Had to grow up stop all that foolishness. Anyway he and 2 or 3 friends dressed up got pillow cases for bags and went out. Me and my buddies were out just walking around checking it all out. Saw my brother a few times and they were dragging their pillow cases they were so full of candy. I thought dam those kids are cleaning up. Some time later here comes my brother and his friend crying and wailing some older kids had done a smash and grab took all their candy. Poor kid we got them new bags but they were not able to get back what they had.

Pro Football Focus midseason highlights: Rams offense

A look at some of the top Rams offensive performances individually and as a unit according to Pro Football Focus halfway through the season.

www.therams.com

Pro Football Focus midseason highlights: Rams offense

The Rams' bye week comes at an optimal time, exactly halfway through the 2019 season. In the first of a three-part series this week, theRams.com takes a look at Pro Football Focus' top evaluations of Los Angeles' offense through the first eight games.

Best overall grades: Offense (70.2, 16th) and running (79.2, ninth).

L.A.'s offense continues to produce at a high level, grading out in the top half of the league. The running game, which has gotten contributions from Todd Gurley, Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson Jr., also grades out as one of the NFL's 10 best.

Perhaps coincidentally, the unit had its two best performances in each of the last two weeks, according to PFF, as the Rams have mounted a two-game win streak. Their offensive grade of 78.0 against the Bengals and 78.6 against the Falcons bested the previous top two marks of 77.5 against New Orleans in Week 2 and 75.2 against Seattle in Week 5.

Additionally, L.A. has a top-10 run game in the eyes of PFF despite facing four of the scouting service's top 10 run defenses so far this season: the Saints (83.5, fourth), the Buccaneers (80.8, fifth), the Seahawks (77.4, ninth) and the Falcons (77.1, 10th). Its top performances came against the Panthers in Week 1 (76.1) and Saints (73.8).

Top-graded individual performances

QB Jared Goff: at Seattle, 77.5 passing grade. Statistically, Goff finished 29 of 49 for 395 yards with one touchdown and one interception. With the Rams having their second-best performance of the season in the game contest, he was 20 of 29 with no pressure and 18 of 27 without getting blitzed.

RB Todd Gurley: at Cleveland, 79.5 run grade. Gurley tallied 14 carries for 43 yards, but his directional yards per attempt likely played a bigger role in the grade he received. He averaged 2.7 yards per attempt or better between the gaps and off the tight end lined up on the right side.

WR Cooper Kupp: vs. Cincinnati, 91.1 offensive grade and 91.3 receiving grade. A 90.0 or higher is considered "elite" by PFF. This was also the game that Kupp set a new career high for receiving yards in a single game with 220.

WR Robert Woods: vs. Tampa Bay, 83.4 offensive grade and 82.3 receiving grade. Playing a season-high 87 snaps, Woods caught every target thrown his way by Goff, finishing with 13 catches for 164 yards against the Buccaneers.

WR Brandin Cooks: at Cleveland, 76.4 offensive grade and 77.4 receiving grade. Cooks caught 8 of 12 targets for a team-high 112 yards with only one drop.

TE Tyler Higbee: at Seattle, 92.9 offensive grade and 93.8 receiving grade. Also received a pass-blocking grade of 77.4. Higbee hauled in all three of his targets from Goff for 47 receiving yards.

TE Gerald Everett: at Seattle, 90.1 offensive grade and 90.5 receiving grade. Everett grabbed 7 of 10 targets for a team-high 132 receiving yards. He was most effective between 10-19 yards from the line of scrimmage, collecting 90 of his receiving yards in that range with 47 yards after the catch.

The offensive line: pass blocking, at Atlanta, 89.0; run blocking at Seattle, 72.4. Goff compiled 291 passing yards and two touchdowns, but it was the third time this season that the Rams' offensive line didn't allow a sack. The Rams' run game averaged 4.6 yards per carry against the Seahawks, third-best in a single game this season.

At the bye week, Rams still see room for improvement but feel good about where they stand

A two-game win streak after the first-ever three-game losing streak under head coach Sean McVay would be enough for the Rams to feel good about themselves going into their bye week.

Complacency, though, has never been Los Angeles' M.O. Rams players and coaches see both some positive momentum to take into the break and areas where they can improve.

"I think what we did is, we did a good job of responding from some adversity," McVay said. "We're 5-3. We're what our record says we are, but we're going to be able to look at ourselves and figure out what can we do to consistently have good, clean performances, all three phases putting it together?"

It's not surprising that this is McVay's biggest point of emphasis this week, given the strong correlation it has had to the Rams' success in each of the last two weeks.

Against the Falcons, special teams accounted for 16 of the Rams' 37 points. With a little bit of overlap, the defense was responsible for 17 thanks to takeaways. An efficient run game helped the Rams win the time of possession battle by more than 15 minutes.

Against the Bengals, special teams helped prevent them from starting each offensive drive no further than their own 25. The Rams' defense held the Bengals' offense scoreless in the second half. The offense broke out a 65-yard touchdown on a double-reverse flea flicker.

"The Atlanta game was a step in the right direction, and I think in some glimpses, each of the phases played well, but we've got to play consistently through all four quarters," McVay said. "I think it's a good thing to feel that way."

For Rams WR Cooper Kupp, who just logged a career-high 220 yards on seven catches plus one touchdown in L.A.'s win over Cincinnati, establishing that consistency comes down the details of the game.

During their three-game losing streak, the Rams were averaging nine penalties per contest. That number has dropped to seven across their last two games.

"We feel good about, obviously some momentum going into the bye week, but really just being able to get back into the win column is huge," Kupp said. "You go all the way back to the games that we weren't able to pull out that W, it's little things that show up that can change the course of a game. We've played some good teams and they take advantage of those small things, it can change the course of the game."

The 10-day road trip seemed to have the galvanizing effect the Rams were hoping for.

"Yeah, because we've been around each other all day, every day. I'm ready to get ready away from these guys," Rams DT Aaron Donald joked. "No, but it's been good. Guys being together, bonding, doing things outside of the football world, just hanging out. It's been good for us."

Cognizant of what still needs work, the Rams are still at 5-3 and have one road game left before back-to-back home contests.

Now, the challenge is to carry over what worked so well over the last two weeks through the rest of the season.

"Feel good, feel good," QB Jared Goff said. "We just gotta keep winning games one at a time. It starts with last week and it started this week. One at a time, nice bye week, get to rest up a little bit, come back recharged and go to Pittsburgh."

Thursday Night Football: San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals

Two of the top rookies in the NFL lead their teams into a key NFC West showdown, as Nick Bosa and the San Francisco 49ers take on Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. This will also provide fans with an interesting battle between creative offensive head coaches Kyle Shanahan and Kliff Kingsbury in front of a national television audience.

San Francisco demolished the Panthers on Sunday, 51-13, and the game wasn’t even that close. The 49ers improved to 7-0 for the second time in franchise history, the first time since 1990. The ground attack was lights-out for San Francisco with 232 yards on 38 attempts. Tevin Coleman rushed for 105 yards on 11 carries and three touchdowns and also picked up a fourth score with a 10-yard reception in the second quarter. Nick Bosa was just about unstoppable with four tackles, including three for loss, three sacks, and an interception. Richard Sherman and Emmanuel Moseley also intercepted Kyle Allen, as the Panthers quarterback could not get anything going in the passing game for Carolina.

Meanwhile, Arizona (3-4-1) was solid down in New Orleans last week, where they were within striking distance of an upset of the Saints in the second half. However, New Orleans put the hammer down late and pulled away from the Cardinals, 31-9 at the Mercedes Benz Superdome. Kyler Murray was 19 of 33 for 220 passing yards but wasn’t able to stretch the Saints' defense. The Cardinals only had one huge explosive play all day — a 47-yard pass to Charles Clay. Running the football remains a problem for Arizona; they were only able to generate 40 yards on 11 attempts and Chase Edmonds joined the ever-growing injured ranks. Drew Brees made his return for the Saints and shredded the Cardinals secondary for 373 yards and three touchdown passes.

San Francisco at Arizona

Kickoff: Thursday, Oct. 31 at 8:20 p.m. ET
TV: FOX/NFL Network
Spread: 49ers -8

Three Things to Watch

1. 49ers ground attack

The quickest way for San Francisco to put this game away on Thursday night will be establishing a dominant running game as they did against Carolina. There is enough depth in the backfield with Coleman, Matt Breida, and Raheem Mostert to spread the carries around a little bit like they did on Sunday. The offensive line will set the tone in establishing the run and blowing open holes for the running backs. Arizona ranks 25th in the NFL in stopping the run and couldn’t stop Latavius Murray on Sunday in the loss to the Saints. Murray rushed for 102 yards on 21 carries and had a touchdown. Thus, you can expect head coach Kyle Shanahan to force the Cardinals to step up and try and sell out against the run, which will open up the play-action passing game.

2. Kyler Murray vs. San Francisco’s defense

Murray has completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 1,768 yards with seven touchdown passes and four interceptions in his first eight NFL games. Murray has faced a mix of challenges in regard to different defensive looks and has held up well for a rookie. Fast forward to this week, and facing San Francisco will be like a graduate school course. The 49ers defense is rolling, and the defensive line led by DeForest Buckner, Nick Bosa and Co. are a completely different beast to deal with. Thus, Murray is going to be under siege all night long, as he has been sacked 23 times already in eight games. Getting Murray out on the edge with his legs will be a challenge, but the Cardinals have to give it a shot to relieve some of the relentless pressure that will come on Thursday night. Screen passes to Christian Kirk, Larry Fitzgerald, and the running backs could potentially slow down the 49er defense.

3. Trade deadline acquisitions

San Francisco went out last week and acquired wideout Emmanuel Sanders which should give a nice boost to the receiving corps to help Jimmy Garoppolo. Sanders caught four passes for 25 yards and a touchdown on Sunday against the Panthers. His experience should help the rest of the wide receivers continue to evolve as the season goes along. The 49ers are going to have a situation or two in the second half where the defense proves to be human, and the passing game will have to rise to the occasion in a key spot. So it is very understandable that San Francisco traded for Sanders to send a strong message to the locker room that they are all-in on going for a Super Bowl run.

Arizona got in on the trade deadline fun Monday by acquiring running back Kenyan Drake from Miami for a conditional 2020 draft pick. The Cardinals were in a tough spot at running back with injuries to David Johnson (ankle) and Chase Edmonds (hamstring), so they had to make a move to get a player like Drake, who has 348 total yards on the year (174 rushing, 174 receiving). A fresh start in a new city and organization that is not intentionally tanking could revitalize Drake. The 25-year-old is also playing for that all-important second contract, so as long as he is healthy, motivation shouldn’t be an issue.

Final Analysis

The 49ers are right there in the conversation with New England as the best team in the NFL. Thursday night will provide another national stage for San Francisco to make a statement to the rest of the NFL about how good they are. The running game for San Francisco will be the difference, along with winning the turnover battle by two. Expect the 49ers to methodically pull away for a comfortable double-digit victory over the Cardinals for win number eight.

Prediction: 49ers 34, Cardinals 17

Happy Halloween!

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Just a very general tweet that is curious given the trades that have happened to the two CBs that used to be to either of his sides in the last two weeks. Can't say that isn't concerning. I honestly don't know what to think of this though. He comments on a lot of replies but never really specifies wtf he's talking about.

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/weddlesbeard/status/1189637727576158208?s=20

edit: well I notice he did reply to one tweet that is deleted so no idea what it said. At least doesn't call out the Rams. If it has nothing to do with Rams he should say that up front though because the timing is a bit bad.

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https://www.therams.com/video/wired-taylor-rapp-vs-cincinnati-bengals

This one is really good.

That Justin Britt (C) is out for the year? I don't know much about the Seahawk's backups, but it looks like the only other Center on their roster is Joey Hunt. I think it hurts them, but not as much as it would a team with a Pocket QB. However, pressure up the middle bothers everyone.

I am assuming one of the main reasons the Rams traded Aqib Talib was to free up cap space to sign Jalen Ramsey to a Long Term Extension (At least, I hope that what happens!)! Any chance the Rams can get this done before the end of this season or if this happens will it have to wait until the season is over? The sooner the Rams can sign Ramsey, Kupp and Littleton to extensions the happier/more relieved I will be!!!