Coming out of Sunday’s loss to the 49ers, the Rams are left with plenty of questions. Have defenses figured Sean McVay out? Is Jared Goff truly a franchise quarterback? Is the offensive line the worst in the NFL?
The Rams have found themselves in an unfamiliar position, losing three games in a row and dropping all the way back to 3-3 after starting 3-0. There’s still plenty of time for them to turn things around, but with the inconsistency they’ve experienced, it won’t be easy.
Week 6 was yet another example of a lack of identity on offense and the Rams’ inability to play a complete game. The defense stepped up, but the offense lagged well behind.
While the standout performances on defense are encouraging, the terrible showing on offense raises some red flags.
Studs
Aaron Donald
Donald continued his dominance of the 49ers on Sunday, adding two more sacks to his career total against San Francisco. He also had three tackles for loss and hit Jimmy Garoppolo three times in the game, forcing a fumble on his second sack. He played a big part in the Rams limiting the 49ers to just 99 yards rushing, too.
Cory Littleton
Littleton isn’t great as a run defender, but he and Troy Reeder stepped up against the league’s No. 1 rushing attack. Littleton led the team with 14 tackles and recovered a fumble, also knocking away one pass. The pass breakup he had should’ve been an interception, too, as he read Garoppolo’s eyes and stepped in front of the throw. Had he caught it, which he should have, it would’ve been a walk-in touchdown.
Nickell Robey-Coleman
Robey-Coleman only played 30 snaps, but he was productive despite that limited playing time. He made two tackles for loss on screen passes and provided good coverage in the slot, as he typically does. Marcus Peters was solid, too, as the Rams held San Francisco’s wide receivers to only nine catches for 89 yards on the day.
Sebastian Joseph-Day
Joseph-Day quietly had a very good game against the 49ers. He was in the backfield often as a pass rusher and against the run, recording a tackle for loss, six total tackles and a quarterback hit. Joseph-Day is fairly quick for a guy his size and has provided a boost at nose tackle this season – especially on Sunday.
Duds
Dante Fowler Jr.
Fowler played 62 snaps this week, facing the 49ers’ backup tackles on the left and right side. Yet, he was called for more penalties than he had tackles. He finished with one tackle assist, no quarterback hits, no sacks and no tackles for loss. Essentially, he was blanked by San Francisco’s second-string tackles. His offsides penalty on the 49ers’ first touchdown drive was costly because the Rams would’ve gotten off the field on that third-down play. Instead, it gave the 49ers another chance and they took full advantage.
Brian Allen
Allen’s play has gotten to the point where the Rams should consider making a change at center. He allowed a sack, was beaten by pass rushers regularly and outside of the first drive, he didn’t do much in the running game, either. It was a difficult matchup for him, but the Rams need Allen to be better on the interior. Otherwise, Jared Goff is going to be under constant pressure up the middle.
Jared Goff
Goff has had worse games in terms of turnovers and poor decisions, but statistically, this was his least productive performance ever. He threw for 78 yards on 24 attempts, averaging 3.25 yards per attempt. He missed a wide-open Gerald Everett late in the fourth quarter for what would’ve been a touchdown. He also had a fumble, which was recovered, after a sack by Dee Ford. All of the blame can’t be put on Goff for this one, but he bounced several passes and didn’t look like himself.
Sean McVay
McVay deserves plenty of criticism for this loss. He came out and established the run with a seven-play, 56-yard drive for a touchdown, but after that, the Rams found no rhythm on offense. His play calling in the red zone was questionable, as was his decision to run right at the 49ers’ defensive line in short-yardage situations on third and fourth down after the Rams had been stonewalled before. Overall, the game plan lacked creativity and it hurt the offense.
Rob Havenstein
Havenstein couldn’t handle the 49ers’ edge rushers, specifically Dee Ford. Far too often, Ford collapsed the pocket on Goff when rushing against Havenstein, who has really struggled all season long. Havenstein is supposed to be one of the Rams’ better offensive linemen, but that hasn’t been the case this season.
