The Los Angeles Rams dropped their first game of the 2019 season in Week 4, getting crushed by the Buccaneers 55-40 at home. It was as ugly a loss as you’ll see from Sean McVay’s team, as it’s rare to see the defense allow so many points to an average opponent.
There wasn’t much to be excited about with regards to the Rams’ performance, but there were a couple of players who played well and several others who absolutely did not.
Studs: WRs Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp
Woods and Kupp were two of the only bright spots on offense. Despite Jared Goff’s struggles, they both still put up huge numbers against the Buccaneers. Woods led the way with 13 catches for 164 yards on 15 targets, including a long reception of 37 yards. Kupp came alive in the second half to finish with nine catches, 121 yards and a touchdown, also receiving 15 targets from Goff. They both played extremely well on Sunday.
Dud: QB Jared Goff
Goff threw for 517 yards, set new career-highs in attempts, completions and yards, and threw two touchdown passes to nearly lead the Rams back from behind. He also threw three interceptions, fumbled it once and missed open receivers multiple times on plays that would’ve gone for touchdowns. The offensive line deserves some blame, but Goff was far below average against an unspectacular defense.
Stud: FS Eric Weddle
Weddle led all players with 15 tackles, which is both impressive and an indication of how deep the Bucs’ running backs were getting on the Rams’ defense. Weddle was all over the field, though, and making plays in the passing game and against the run. His top highlight was a big hit on Mike Evans along the sideline to force him out of bounds and cause an incompletion.
Stud/Dud: CB Marcus Peters
Peters was both a stud and dud in Week 4, though probably more of the latter. He gave up a 67-yard touchdown to Mike Evans as he tried to jump the route, but he also picked off Jameis Winston and returned it 32 yards for a huge touchdown to pull the Rams within five points. There was unfortunately more bad than good, but Peters deserves mentioning here.
Stud: K Greg Zuerlein
Zuerlein drilled a 58-yard field goal and also made a 44-yarder, which was originally a 46-yarder before the Bucs were called for a penalty. He also made all four of his extra point tries, continuing to be one of the best kickers in football.
Dud: LT Andrew Whitworth
Really, the entire offensive line deserves a lot of blame for the offense’s poor play. However, Whitworth was surprisingly one of the worst blockers on the field. He was called for holding three times and also allowed a sack, struggling to block the likes of Shaq Barrett and William Gholston. The offensive line as a whole needs to play significantly better than it did Sunday.
Duds: Sean McVay and Wade Phillips
There’s no excuse for giving a two-time All-Pro running back five carries in a game like this. There’s also no Goff should’ve thrown the ball 68 times. Yes, it was a shootout, and the Rams had to keep pace with the Bucs offense, but Gurley didn’t carry the ball until midway through the second quarter.
On defense, the Rams went with a lot of zone coverage again, but the Bucs picked it apart. Chris Godwin found holes in the zone, Mike Evans got behind underneath defenders and Jameis Winston took advantage of the soft coverage called by Phillips.
Dud: Defensive line
The Bucs rushed for 89 yards excluding Winston’s kneel down at the end of the first half. That number would’ve been much, much higher if not for two penalties that negated long gains by Ronald Jones. An illegal shift pulled back a 24-yard run, while offensive holding brought back a 54-yard scamper by Jones. The defensive line was porous, got no pressure on Winston and couldn’t stop the run.
Dud: LB Cory Littleton
Littleton only had eight tackles and was caught out of position a few times on the Bucs’ better runs. He didn’t get any help from his fellow linebackers Bryce Hager (before his injury) or Troy Reeder, but Littleton has to be better as the leader in the middle of the defense. He was not good enough in Week 4.
