The Rams will need their best on Sunday in order to beat a talented Chargers team that’s heading to the playoffs, but as we’ve seen in two of the last three weeks, the Rams are capable of pulling off the upset.
Though the Rams aren’t playing for a spot in the postseason, they’ve shown they aren’t going to quit on the season. Against the Chargers, they’ll be up against the likes of Khalil Mack, Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, Justin Herbert and Austin Ekeler, which makes this a tough matchup for Sean McVay’s team.
Here are the four biggest individual battles to watch on Sunday.
1
Jalen Ramsey vs. Mike Williams
This is a heavyweight battle between two physical players on the outside. Ramsey is really the Rams’ only cornerback with the size to match up with Williams, so expect him to be on Williams throughout much of the game. Though the Rams play zone pretty heavily, Ramsey will be tasked with limiting big plays to Williams on the outside.
Justin Herbert loves to take shots downfield to his big receiver, simply giving him a chance on jump balls where it’s just him and the cornerback. Ramsey has given up his share of big plays this year but this is a matchup that bodes well for him.
2
Bobby Wagner vs. Austin Ekeler
Wagner talked this week about how the Chargers use Ekeler in a variety of ways, especially as a receiver. He does have 99 catches, after all. Wagner will need to be at his best in coverage against Ekeler because he can turn short passes into big gains and more importantly, move the sticks to keep drives alive.
The Chargers will have Ekeler catch passes out of the backfield and flex him out wide as a receiver, too, but most of his damage will be from his traditional running back spot. That puts Wagner under the spotlight against the shifty tailback.
3
Ty Nsekhe vs. Khalil Mack
Mack plays on the right side and the left, so he’ll be rushing against both Nsekhe and Rob Havenstein. Havenstein is the better tackle of the two, so I would expect the Chargers to keep Mack on the right side for a good portion of the game – unless Joey Bosa plays and helps even out the edge-rusher balance.
The Rams’ offensive line is playing the best it has all season right now, but this is a tough matchup against a solid Chargers defensive front. The only way the Rams have any chance in this one is if the O-line can protect Baker Mayfield like it did last week.
4
Leonard Floyd vs. Trey Pipkins
Floyd has played well despite Aaron Donald being out, and is in fact generating pressure at a higher rate now than he did when Donald was healthy. In each of his last five games, he’s had at least four pressures and has 26 total in that stretch. Prior to that, he had just 19 pressures in 10 games.
The Rams’ pass rush isn’t exactly rich with talent right now but Floyd is still a threat on the edge, especially with the way he’s playing at the moment. He’ll be the Rams’ primary source of pressure in this game.
