The Rams faced off against the Cardinals in their first away game and came away with a divisional win. Finishing the game was a slight problem for the team, but ultimately the defense held on for a final score of 20-12. Let’s break down what went good, bad, and what was meh in this win. The Rams will need to up their play next week against a division rival that has had their number the past couple of years.
Good
Jalen Ramsey
Ramsey was all over the field in the win, totaling 8 tackles, 2 passes defended and 1 tackle for loss. Ramsey seems to have returned to his old ways over the past couple of games and is the anchor of the secondary. Ramsey should continue his action in the run game next week against a run-heavy 49ers offense. According to PFF he allowed three catches on four targets for 14 yards, a great game from the best corner in the league.
Tyler Higbee
There’s a reason the Rams paid Higbee so well a while ago, and games like this is where he shines. Stafford found Higbee consistent in short yardage situations all game and surprisingly finished with more yards than Kupp. Higbee seems to have his best games against the Cardinals and was a great shirt yardage option for Stafford this game.
Ben Skowronek
Who would’ve predicted the game that Benny Skow had on Sunday. Skowronek led the team in receiving as well as catching a 32 yard bomb from Stafford, the longest play from the Rams this year by a decent margin. Skow has become a versatile player on offense lining up in a similar fashion to Cooper Kupp. Between lining up in the backfield, slot, or outside, McVay has used the 7th rounder in as many ways as possible.
Defensive Line
One of the main reasons the Rams were able to win this game was the dominance in the trenches. The defensive line as a whole consistently pressured Kyler Murray, forcing him to react quickly. Murray was shaken up all game, and was sacked twice. Aaron Donald reached 100 sacks in his career this game, becoming the fastest player to do so as a defensive tackle.
Bad
Second Half Defense
The Rams defense broke down again in the second half, which is why the Cardinals were able to put up most of their yardage. The defense allowed a lot of short easy plays from the Cardinals making the game much closer than it needed to be. The defense needs to stop the opposing teams on 3rd and 4th down a lot better.
Meh
Secondary
The secondary did decent this game, most likely because of all the new starters. Aside from Jalen Ramsey and Nick Scott, there wasn’t a lot of experience from the other DBs on the field Sunday. The secondary allowed 314 receiving yards, the most of any game so far. As they gain more experience, the play should be better, but this is a cause for concern if they don’t.
Cam Akers
Akers had a solid game, the only reason he’s in this section is due to the goal line fumble. Akers had been in the dog house the two weeks before but showed out with 5 yards a carry. Akers needs to work on his ball security and pass protection to get the most snaps.
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