Los Angeles Rams’ Bye Week Report Card
What’s up Ramily?! I can’t believe but BYE Week is here! We are approaching that halfway point in the season, so it’s time for me to give the Rams their Bye Week report card.
Receivers
The Rams have quite a bit of depth at this position including Robert Woods, Sammy Watkins, Cooper Kupp and Tavon Austin. Cooper Kupp has come flying out the gates in his rookie season with three touchdowns and 316 receiving yards. Sammy Watkins has also proved to be a great acquisition for the Sean McVay offense with 264 yards and two touchdowns. Robert Woods hasn’t made it to the end zone yet, but he’s racked up 381 yards on the season so far. The receivers have made quite the impact this season and are giving Goff many options to get down the field. For this, the receivers get a B+.
Run Game
Well, by the run game I mean Todd Gurley. Compared to last season, the NFL is seeing an entirely new Todd Gurley. Gurley is heading into Bye Week with 627 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. Not only does he get this going on the ground, but he also has he been getting involved in the passing game with 293 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions. He’s got 11 touchdowns SO FAR! Gurley has made a full 360 turn this season and for that he gets my first ever A+. Keep it up Gurley!
Quarterback
Jared Goff is light years beyond where he was last season and its obvious in the Rams success this season. Goff has 1,719 yards with nine touchdowns thus far. He comes in ranked 15th among all quarterbacks which isn’t bad but isn’t the greatest. He also has one rushing touchdown but four interceptions. It’s obvious Goff is much more confident this year and showing us that he can definitely be the leader this team needs. However, he’s not quite there yet. For that, he gets a C+/ B- average but lots of room for improvement.
Run Defense
Overall, the Rams defense has played very well as a unit up until this point, allowing the 10th fewest points per game in the league and creating 18 total turnovers; but the team stats don’t tell the whole story. So far this season, the Rams rank 24th in the NFL in rushing defense, allowing 123 rushing yards per game to opponents. If there has been a glaring weakness, the run defense might just be it. For this I’m going to give them a C+, so let’s see if Aaron Donald and the front seven can improve on this moving forward.
Pass Defense
Surprisingly, the Rams have done very well against the pass this year, allowing just under 205 yards passing to opponents per game, good for the 11th best mark in the league. Linebacker Mark Barron, Corner Nickell Robey-Coleman and Safety Lamarcus Joyner lead the team with two interceptions apiece. The secondary’s ability to make turnovers and score multiple times on defense this year are a major reason why the team sits atop the NFC West Standings at 5-2 heading into their bye week. Ranking A-
Overall Team Grade
I am giving the Rams an A-. Yes, some of you might think I’m being too nice, but like any good teacher, I acknowledge improvement. Considering where they’ve been in years past, this team is proving to be a major contender for success. Now, let’s all take this time to rest up and get ready for the Giants.
[NFL-Rams-footer] [NFL-Crucial-Catch]Photo Credits:
- Los Angeles Rams on Wikimedia Commons by SportsLogos.net
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum photographed by Taylor Felix
- Tavon Austin on Wikimedia Commons by Johnmaxmena2
- Todd Gurley on flickr by Christina VanMeter
- Jared Goff on wikimedia commons by Jeffrey Beall
- Aaron Donald on wikimedia commons by Keith Allison
