The Los Angeles Rams fought their way to a big win last Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team not only put up their first touchdown of the year, they scored an additional four for good measure. Head coach Jeff Fisher and his group are beginning to find their stride, but they have a major test in this Sunday’s road game against divisional rival, the Arizona Cardinals.
Though struggling, Arizona has an excess of talent in all three aspects of the game. The Rams will need to focus on three particular assets of their game to take their win streak to three and return back to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum comfortably atop the NFC West. Below are three Rams Week four keys to victory.
Los Angeles Rams Week Four Keys to Victory
Pass Defense
Yes, the Rams contained Jameis Winston enough to grab the win, but had the Los Angeles offense not exploded, the Rams could have lost. Winston put up week-leading numbers, including 405 passing yards, and two of his receivers surpassed 100 yards. These number would make any defensive coordinator cringe. Combine this with the Next Gen stat that recorded Rams defenders running a total of 16,576 yards last Sunday, and one can see how the Bucs came so close to handing the Rams their second loss.
Los Angeles defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is one of the best in this league and he outsmarted the Tampa Bay gunslinger by using deep safety formations, thereby cutting off the home run play. However, Winston countered by hitting his targets just above the linebackers’ drops or on hitch routes. This allowed receivers like Mike Evans and Adam Humphries to rack up smaller completions and then make moves for yards after contact. Tampa Bay didn’t look for many really deep throws, though the longest reception was a 33-yard grab by running back Charles Sims. Despite the Rams not allowing many big plays at all, the Bucs still managed to work down the field far too often and put up 32 points of well-earned offense.
The Rams can avoid this same situation when they go up against dangerous threats like Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown, and Michael Floyd, by being more aggressive at the cornerback position. The Rams need to avoid having their safeties make tackles and focus more on their corners breaking up passes and fighting for interceptions. Speed will be a big factor in the passing game this Sunday. Cornerback E.J. Gaines looks like he will be ready to suit up, and his aggressiveness in coverage, and his ability to jump routes could change momentum quickly and substantially.
Cardinals uarterback Carson Palmer is not exactly praised for his short term memory, often carrying mistakes with him across quarters and even across games. If the Rams pick him off early, there is a good chance Palmer’s confidence erodes and the reticence will show in more conservative throws or more ill-advised ones. Either way, the Rams will gain the advantage.
Neutralize David Johnson
No matter where running back David Johnson lines up on the field, he will do some damage. The Rams best bet is to work towards limiting his influence on the game. Last week, Bucs second string back, Charles Sims broke a few big runs against LA. Johnson is more elite than any of the Rams backs and, his quick, wily running style has the ability to put this game out of reach very early.
Every football game is a measure of tackling and blocking. Solid, disciplined tackling will be crucial to limiting Johnson on his runs. Tampa Bay was able to hold him to only 45 yards in their match up. The Bucs accomplished that by completing tackles upon first contact. If a defender is quick enough to catch Johnson, they must bring down the Cardinals back immediately. This is especially true in the red zone, where Johnson ran for two touchdowns last week. As a very aggressive and very young player, Johnson will fight for a score when the Cards offense gets anywhere near the red zone. LA’s defense will need to shed blocks, pursue, swarm, and above all bring the star running back to the ground as quickly as possible on every single touch.
Of course, neutralizing Johnson will also open the game for Palmer, who has struggled so far this year. But it’s better to put the strain on the struggling, aging veteran than the hungry young star.
Special Teams
Special teams are often overlooked, but they will be absolutely key in Sunday’s contest. Last week, the Rams had some noticeable miscues on punts. Once example was when return specialist Tavon Austin tried to return a late fourth quarter punt instead of letting it bounce in the endzone for a touch back. Austin wound up getting tackled deep in Rams territory . That led to a Rams punt that put Tampa Bay in position to make one final run for a game-winning score. Understanding field position and having a strict game plan on special teams can help a team stay in control of the field for the duration of the game.
Punter Johnny Hekker has continued to play excellently, enabling his defense to start in good position and putting a little insurance in the minds of his offense. Kicker Greg Zuerlein has also been impressive to start the season. Zuerlein hasn’t missed a field goal yet this season.
However, the Rams need to focus on seeing as little of these two on the field as possible. They snuck in a win on solely field goals in Week two, but as last week taught them, that will rarely be enough. As well as these special teams’ stars have played, Los Angeles would appreciate limited participation from both.
Arizona has had its own struggles on special teams with their kicker Chandler Catanzaro, missing a potential game winning field goal against the New England Patriots in Week one. Sure it was off a bad snap, but the Cards need to convert field goal attempts into points. Catanzaro missed an extra point as well in that game.
Punter Drew Butler also had protection problems last week and will miss time due to a severe ankle injury. Arizona has replaced both their long snapper and punter, and there will no doubt be a period of transition that the Rams will be able to properly exploit.
Conclusion
The Rams have a lot to prepare for as they head to Arizona to take on the offensive behemoth Cardinals. LA will have to find advantages in shutting down receivers, neutralizing David Johnson, and winning the special teams match up. Last week, they proved that their offense had some flash and that their defense is as stingy as they come. Thus, Los Angeles simply needs to do what they do best and stay focused through the noise to come back home with a proud and well-earned 3-1 record.
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