The Baltimore Ravens get to prove themselves once again in front of a national audience, this time on “Monday Night Football” against the Los Angeles Rams. The Ravens have been playing great football but haven’t seen a defense as physically talented as what the Rams have, making it a tough test for Week 12.
With so much change coming for Los Angeles, even during the season itself, I sat down with Cameron DaSilva to get the inside scoop on what the Rams have going for them right now. Take a look at the five questions this week, including why running back Todd Gurley seems to be an afterthought at times.
1) Jared Goff has not played well this season. Why has he struggled so much?
The offensive line has played a huge part in his struggles. He’s not getting much time in the pocket and has been hit 31 times – tied for the seventh-most in the league. As a result of the constant pressure he’s been under, he’s also struggled when given a clean pocket. It’s almost as if he’s expecting pressure, panicking and throwing the ball earlier than he needs to.
He was such a good play-action passer last season and the year before, but that hasn’t been the case this year. He has zero touchdown passes and five interceptions off of play-action after being one of the best play-action QBs in the NFL last season.
2) The Rams’ secondary went through quite the transformation, trading away Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters and picking up Jalen Ramsey. How does the unit compare to earlier in the season?
It’s been much better since those changes were made. Troy Hill has been a huge upgrade over Talib, arguably better than Ramsey in the last four games, too. Ramsey has played well, don’t get me wrong, but he hasn’t been unstoppable like he was in 2017. His ability to play man coverage and be left on an island has helped the defense significantly, though, allowing Wade Phillips to blitz more and leave Ramsey on an island. The Rams tried that with Peters last year and failed, so that’s where one of the biggest differences is.
Peters was having a good season for the Rams, but he wasn’t great in man coverage and that’s a staple of Phillips’ defense. With Ramsey and Hill, they play a lot of man and have had success with it.
3) Alright, what’s the deal with Todd Gurley? Why does he disappear at the times when Los Angeles should be leaning on him more than ever?
That’s a good question. Sean McVay, for whatever reason, has been quick to abandon the run this season, even when Gurley is running well. Against the Steelers, Gurley didn’t touch the ball in the fourth quarter after racking up more than 6 yards per carry in the first three quarters. The Rams always say he’s not on a load management program or a snap count, but their actions say differently. Gurley can still be an effective running back and helps the offense when he’s healthy and getting a good dosage of touches, but the Rams have gone to a more pass-heavy offense. It hasn’t worked yet with Goff struggling as much as he has, but we saw the Rams lean on Gurley against the Bears and they won 17-7.
4) How do you think the Rams will try to contain Lamar Jackson? Do you think they’ll be successful?
It’s going to be tough, of course. With the depth they have at safety, and how frequently they play three safeties at a time, I think they’ll try to use one of the three as a spy on Jackson. Taylor Rapp has the instincts and quickness to hang with Jackson around the line of scrimmage, as does linebacker Cory Littleton. Having Aaron Donald helps a lot, since he can generate quick penetration better than any other player in the NFL. He just has to make sure to not get out of his gap when the Ravens do go with play fakes and run the ball.
I don’t know how successful they’ll be, but the Rams do have the athletes to slow him down. It’s just a matter of execution and limiting big plays, which is something they’ve been excellent at this year.
5) What’s your final score prediction, and which Rams players have the biggest positive and negative impact on the final score?
I think Rapp and Donald are going to have a big impact on this game. Limiting the production by the Ravens’ tight ends is key, and that’s something Rapp and Marqui Christian can do. And pressuring Jackson without blitzing is also critical for the Rams, and there’s no one better equipped to do that than Donald and Dante Fowler Jr. On the flip side, I think Goff is going to struggle. The Ravens’ secondary is so good, and it’s going to cause problems for the Rams QB. He’ll probably turn the ball over at least once, and it could prove to be a costly one.
As for my prediction, I think the Ravens win this one, but it’ll be fairly close. Ravens 31, Rams 24
