On Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams welcome the Buffalo Bills to the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. A win puts the Rams at an unlikely 4-1 and at the top of the NFC West. Here’s a look at what needs to take place in order for the home team to emerge victorious.
Los Angeles Rams Week Five Keys to Victory
Let the Donald Continue to Run Loose
No, not that Donald. We are talking about Los Angeles Rams stud defensive tackle Aaron Donald and not about that guy with the famous hair with the last name that rhymes with grump. Through four games, Donald has impressed far and wide and if there was a vote for defensive player of the year at this point, many have the 285 pound Rams player on top of that list. What makes Donald’s solid play so effective now and into the coming games is how other teams will need to adjust to slow the big man down. Next up for the Rams is home game number two, a tilt with the 2-2 Buffalo Bills, game time Sunday afternoon at 1pm pacific at the Coliseum. The Bills are coming off an impressive shutout win over the mighty New England Patriots last Sunday, minus Tom Brady of course. This will be a battle of two stingy defenses.
In spite of what Buffalo head coach Rex Ryan said two years ago about Donald not being worthy of a Pro Bowl selection that season, he admitted he was out of line, and plainly, he was dead wrong. The Bills will need to adjust their pass rush to handle the steam-rolling Rams lineman and this could lead to double team blocking schemes to slow down Donald. This should greatly help defensive end Robert Quinn spring free on the outside as well as getting fellow tackle Michael Brockers some penetration opportunities on some inside pressure.
Todd Gurley’s Time is Now
As stated above, this should be a defensive dominated type of football game. The Rams offense has certainly been good enough to help the team to its best start in a dozen years at 3-1, but they have not been lighting it up to put it mildly. The best way to take pressure off quarterback Case Keenum and allow him to settle into his reads on the tough Bills defense will be squarely on the shoulders of running back Todd Gurley to have his first breakthrough game of the 2016 semester. The Rams offensive juggernaut has a meagre 216 yards on 82 carries which is far below what numbers he put together last season in the Rams swan-song year in St. Louis.
Head coach Jeff Fisher is planning to use Gurley in some more safety valve receiving situations, a smart decision on all accounts. Not only in getting him some more touches, and game breakers need the ball as much as possible, but also in helping to open holes for Gurley to run through that have been few and far between through the first four games. It will take a team effort from the offensive line and tight ends but it is bound to happen sooner or later. The Rams are surely hoping and confident that this will be the turning point for Gurley and the offense on Sunday versus the Bills.
Make the Coliseum a Place to be Feared
After 21 seasons in St. Louis, the Rams are still searching to stamp their identity on their return to Southern California. The schedule has been quirky so far with three of the first four games taking place on the road. Los Angeles has done well in those games, going 2-1 with exciting victories in Tampa Bay and Arizona after starting the season with a stinker against the 49ers in San Francisco in week one. The Rams first home game against Seattle was a game of many distractions. It had a homecoming feel after the two-decade hiatus and the team played accordingly, smothering the Seattle Seahawks into oblivion and winning a defensive battle 9-3. This game showed that the team and the fans have something to build on in showing the league that coming to LA to face the Rams is no day at the beach.
Buffalo is an excellent test for the Rams and their fans to continue the nasty play of smash mouth football that this squad excels best at. This is a team that wins games in the trenches on both sides of the ball and look for this to be the identity that the Rams try to solidify as we move forward into crunch time in 2016. Another low scoring victory in front of a packed Coliseum crowd can only help but put a little doubt and yes, fear, into the road teams making their way to LA for the remainder of the season. The Fearsome Foursome from 40 plus years ago made Los Angeles a scary place to play. The makings are there to reincarnate the same atmosphere this season.
