The Rams moved into an NFC playoff spot with their 28-20 win over the Washington Commanders. Meanwhile, the Chargers lost so horribly last Thursday, succumbing to the Las Vegas Raiders, 63-21, that their coach and general manager were fired the next day. Los Angeles Times Rams beat writer Gary Klein, Chargers beat writer Jeff Miller, NFL columnist Sam Farmer and columnist Helene Elliott discuss what happened and upcoming prospects:
As much as the healing of Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Kyren Williams has boosted the Rams offense, how much credit should be going to the young defense?
Elliott: The Rams’ defense deserves a lot of credit for keeping them in games and making this whole unlikely playoff pursuit possible.
Klein: Yup, until Jacoby Brissett and Terry McLaurin started beating the Rams deep, the story of the game against the Commanders would have been the Rams defense. But cornerback Derion Kendrick’s coverage struggles — and penalties — remains an issue. Still, the Rams of late have seen production and key plays from players such as safety Quentin Lake and rookie outside linebacker Nick Hampton.
Farmer: I think the Rams have been OK on defense, but they haven’t created enough turnovers. Their average of 0.9 takeaways per game puts them near the bottom of the league, and their minus-two turnover differential suggests this team is going to have to score a lot to keep its head above water. By comparison, the 49ers have a league-leading differential of plus-13. The Rams’ three remaining opponents — New Orleans, the New York Giants and San Francisco — all have done a respectable job of protecting the ball, so let’s see what happens.
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Fumbling the football can become a mental problem and also the opposition becoming aware of the issue often increases attempts to strip. Considering how dominant Kyren Williams has been over the last four games, how much of…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-roundtable-rams-more-saints-134558331.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2023-12-19 13:45:58
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