The Los Angeles Rams elected to sit their veteran starters this preseason. It is, nowadays, often said that preseason football is a useless exercise in sports, and even some fans have grown fatigued with these meaningless games. The piling of injuries could put a team in serious jeopardy, and a plethora of teams remain cautious with their key players. The preseason matchups have been branded extraordinarily pedestrian.
Even though the stars are sitting out the full preseason schedule, the games must go on. The Rams are playing host to the Denver Broncos on Saturday in the final preseason game ever at the Coliseum. This third game will help them make their final evaluations and determine who makes the 53-man roster.
Here are three keys to the game for the Rams on Saturday:
Discombobulate the Broncos’ smothering defense
It’s hard enough to win in the NFL, but it’s twice as hard when the second-team offense will face a tall order. Outwitting the stout Broncos defense is no easy task for these Rams.
There’s a notion that perhaps the Broncos, who held San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to 1-for-6 passing with zero passing yards and 0.0 quarterback rating, are already a team full of surprises. The 49ers were held to under 300 total yards of offense with a pair of turnovers and still managed to win 24-15.
In allowing the third-fewest passing yards per game, the Broncos create a lot of headaches and play with an intimidation factor. Despite the many positives, Rams backup quarterback Blake Bortles could be a liability when he’s under duress. This will be a big game for the Rams to prove they can execute their style of play against Denver’s defense.
Jump on the Broncos early
A key to the Rams success is the electrifying offense which usually shifts momentum. Instead of playing from behind, setting the tone early is crucial for Los Angeles. The Rams are known for getting off to strong starts, but it is hard to imagine Los Angeles slaughtering the Broncos with its second unit. Still, there’s no official word whether or not Denver head coach Vic Fangio will choose to go with his defensive starters.
Give the ball John Kelly and Darrell Henderson
The key to a Los Angeles victory, like in most games, is how effectively they run the ball. Kelly and Henderson have been central figures in the running game this preseason. Henderson has 29 yards rushing on 12 carries with seven catches for 33 yards, while Kelly has five carries for 11 yards and caught a 9-yard pass in last Saturday’s 14-10 loss to the Cowboys in Hawaii.
But being that it’s a warmup instead of a regular-season game, with just one game left, Sean McVay is especially not taking this seriously.
