Los Angeles Rams Week 12 Keys to Victory
After one of the most disappointing losses of the season, the Los Angeles Rams will travel to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to take on the New Orleans Saints and their number one ranked passing offense. The powerhouse unit highlighted by Drew Brees, Willie Snead, and Brandin Cooks will be a big challenge for the Rams’ defensive unit that gave up two passing touchdowns in last week’s final moments. Los Angeles will need to show their best play to keep themselves playoff relevant.
Enabling Playmakers
The sterility of the Rams’ offense has been a topic of conversation all across the Southland since their move earlier in the year. Despite a draft geared toward point scoring, the same story continues to be told week after week.
Last week saw the debut of number one overall draft pick Jared Goff, but after an underwhelming performance, he showed his inexperience and was unable to capitalize on their early lead. In addition, star running back Todd Gurley was stifled after his first quarter 24-yard score.
The fact remains that until their offensive line finds some unity, they ball will not move and points will not be scored. There were glimpses of brilliance from this line last week and they were enough to prove they have the talent to get the job done, but consistency must be maintained for 60 minutes of football.
Opening holes for Gurley and providing protection for Goff will allow the Rams to have a full use of their playbook and execute a greater variety of plays. This will keep the Saints’ defense on their toes and allow playmakers like Kenny Britt and Tavon Austin to open the game up early and maintain dominance throughout the day.
Whether this means finishing blocks, avoiding penalties, or simply communicating assignments properly, the offensive line needs to nail it to earn this crucial road win.
Intrepid Play Calling
Jared Goff turned in a mediocre performance in his debut last week, though weather, nerves, and general inexperience were factors.
However, another major factor was the uninspired play calling. Conservative routes and a tempered game plan were used to ease the rookie into his role, but after a game under his belt, it would serve the Rams better to open up his options.
With Drew Brees on the other end of things, Jared Goff will need to air out the ball and march his team downfield to keep up with their top offense. This includes big downfield plays as well as crucial first down conversions. This again brings it back to the offensive line, who will need to allow these big downfield plays to develop with proper protection.
Sunday presents a great opportunity for the team to really see what Goff brings to the table by enabling him to make the top plays for which they drafted him. New Orleans’ secondary has been beaten and bruised by many teams throughout this year, ranking at 30th overall for passing defense. With a talented, young quarterback under center now, the Rams should focus on exploiting this deficiency to its full extent.
Playing a less conventional and higher risk style of passing offense can give their rookie some opportunities to shine in his first road start. If he can execute, he will gain confidence, draw some national attention to the franchise, and most importantly, win the game.
Stifling New Orleans’ Offense
New Orleans leads the NFL in both total offense and passing offense, in terms of yards per game. Drew Brees has been known to post major yardage at home and with a still aching Trumaine Johnson, Los Angeles will need to attack the team early. The team now knows first-hand that a 10-point lead with under five minutes left in the game is no guarantee.
The Rams must continue to play to their strengths and pressure Brees as much as possible. Their front seven threat will most likely shift the Saints’ game plan toward a pass heavy attack, so great pass defense will be a necessity. With some pressure from Aaron Donald, Robert Quinn, and a few extra blitzing defenders, Brees will be forced to throw under pressure and lose some accuracy. Thus, the Rams’ secondary will have more opportunities to provide key takeaways.
Los Angeles’s defensive backs had an excellent game last week against the Miami Dolphins with an interception and a sack. However, they had their hands on what could have been a pair of additional picks. Without the rain, the team should be able to stay just as sharp and execute the takeaways with more efficiency.
Anyway it is done, the Saints’ offense needs to be neutralized as best as can be. Not many teams have been able to slow it down, but if the Rams play as well as they have been, they could easily make it an uncharacteristically bad day for the NFL’s top offense.
Conclusion
The Rams have their work cut out for them this Sunday. They desperately need a win to stay in the playoff picture and to rekindle momentum for their tough remainder of the season. The match-up could be a defining game for rookie Jared Goff and a feather in the cap for their defense. Execution will need to be flawless and penalties will need to be at an absolute minimum to leave the Big Easy with a victory.
